Released 1958 (1958) Genre Jazz | Recorded 1958 (1958) Length 3:20 | |
Writer(s) Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn | ||
"My Baby Just Cares for Me" is a jazz standard written by Walter Donaldson with lyrics by Gus Kahn. Written for the film version of the musical comedy Whoopee! (1930), the song became a signature tune for Eddie Cantor who sang it in the movie. A stylized version of the song by Nina Simone, recorded in 1958, was a top 10 hit in the United Kingdom after it was used in a 1987 perfume commercial and resulted in a renaissance for Simone.
Contents
Recordings
Nina Simone recording
Simone recorded the song in 1958 for her debut album, Little Girl Blue. The track remained relatively obscure until 1987, when it was used in a UK television commercial for Chanel No. 5 perfume. To follow up this exposure, the track was released as a single by Charly Records, entering the UK Singles Chart on October 31, 1987 (1987-10-31) and becoming, after a peak at number 5, one of Simone's biggest hits almost 29 years after her previous chart entry. This single also made the top 10 in several European single charts and peaked at number one in the Dutch Top 40.
The Simone version of the song was featured on the soundtrack for the 1994 film Shallow Grave.
Music video
In 1987 a claymation music video was produced by Aardman Animations and directed by Peter Lord.
The video prominently features live action footage showing details of a piano, brushes on a snare drum, and a double bass as they play the song. The two focal characters are represented by a singing cat in a club, and the cat who is in love with her.