Baby Plays Around

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It's not open to discussion anymore
She's out again tonight and I'm alone once more
She's all I have worth waiting for
But baby plays around

And so it seems I've always been the last to know
To hold on to that girl, I had to let her go
I wish to God I didn't love her so
'Cos baby plays around

I try to be strong, hold on to my pride
She doesn't even know it's wrong, how much I hurt inside
And heaven knows I've tried
But baby plays around, just a plaything
It's hard to reconcile the facts I'm facing

It's not open to discussion anymore
She walks those shiny streets
I walk the worn-out floor
She's all I have worth living for
Baby plays, baby plays around

Baby Plays Around
Written byCait O'Riordan & Declan MacManus
Performed byElvis Costello
Produced byElvis Costello, Kevin Killen & T Bone Burnett
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocal, acoustic guitars, Hammond bass pedals, bells
Mitchell Froom - organ (distant)
Recorded1988, Ocean Way, Los Angeles
ReleasedFebruary 6, 1989
AlbumsSpike, 1989
SinglesBaby Plays Around, 1989
Various Artists collectionsSingers And Songwriters: Pure & Simple, 2003;
Back On Track - Songs We Shouldn't Forget, 2011
PromosMalice And Magic, 1994 (Japan)
Length2:45

First known performance:
February 6, 1989, RAI 2, Italy
Last known performance:
December 18, 1999, Osaka, Japan - last Elvis-sung version
June 6, 2001, New York, NY - sung by Anne Sofie von Otter
     (46 known performances)


Alternate versions

Baby Plays Around (Demo)
Performed byElvis Costello
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocal, guitar
Recordedca. 1987-1988, unknown location
ReleasedAugust 21, 2001
AlbumsSpike (Rhino reissue), 2001
PromosSelections From My Aim Is True, Spike And All This Useless Beauty, 2001
Length2:38

Baby Plays Around (Live 1995)
Performed byElvis Costello & Bill Frisell
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocal
Bill Frisell - guitar
RecordedJune 25, 1995, London, England
ReleasedAugust 14, 1995
AlbumsDeep Dead Blue, 1995
Length3:09

Baby Plays Around (Live 1999)
Performed byElvis Costello with Steve Nieve
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocal
Steve Nieve - piano
RecordedFebruary 19, 1999, Sydney, Australia
ReleasedApril 19, 1999
SinglesToledo, 1999

Baby Plays Around (For The Stars version)
Performed byAnne Sofie von Otter meets Elvis Costello
Arranged byElvis Costello & the Ensemble
MusiciansAnne Sofie von Otter - vocal
Elvis Costello - Lawery organ
Bengt Forsberg - Hammond organ
Pat White - flugelhorn
Svante Henryson - celtar
Mats Schubert - piano
Magnus Persson - vibraphone
RecordedFebruary 2000-January 2001, Atlantis Grammophon AB, Stockholm and/or Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin and/or Westside Studios, London
ReleasedMarch 19, 2001
AlbumsFor The Stars, 2001
Various Artists collectionsClassics 2002, 2005
PromosUK Elvis Costello, 2002
Length3:12
Spike1989 Spike Album.jpg

Single: Baby Plays AroundBaby Plays Around UK 7" single front sleeve.jpg

Single: Baby Plays AroundBaby Plays Around UK 12" single front sleeve.jpg

Deep Dead BlueDeep Dead Blue album cover.jpg

Single: ToledoToledo (Part 2) UK CD single front insert.jpg

For The StarsFTS album cover 333.jpg

Covers

3bpm First Hearing 2007 Amazonreview
A Girl Called Eddy Somebody Hurt YouEP 2004 AllMusicYouTube
Cynthia Kaay Bennett Dreams Of You 2011 Amazon
Bonnie Brett The Elvis Costello Songbook 2003 info
Carole Burgess I Believe In Love Songs 2007 AllMusicAmazonCDbaby
Mary Coughlan Love For Sale(live) 1995 AllMusicAmazon
Mary Coughlan The Demon Bible According To Tower 1995 musik-sammler.de
Mary Coughlan Unknown PleasuresVarious artists 1998 musik-sammler.de
Gerald Dowd performed live, 2016-10-10 The Hideout, Chicago, IL 2016 AllMusicYouTubeinfo
Foolproof Off The Track 2009 websiteAmazonAmazon.uk
Jennifer Hanson Something Cool 1999 AllMusicAmazon
Jennifer Haydn-Jones Jennifer Haydn-Jones 2012 websiteAmazon
Hilary James Flesh And Blood 1995 AllMusicAmazon
Sondre Lerche performed live, 1997, Bergen, Norway 1997 archive.orgmore Twitter
Claire Martin Take My Heart 1999 AllMusicAmazon
Brad Mehldau Trio performed live, 2008 2008 YouTube
Brad Mehldau Trio Where Do You Start 2012 websiteAllMusicAmazon
Erich Sellheim home studio production, sung in German 2019 YouTube
Curtis Stigers Baby Plays Around 2001 AllMusicAmazon
Curtis Stigers performed live, KC Jazz Club, Washington, DC 2003 info needed
Derrick Stout Life In Burma 2007 AllMusicAmazon
Ken Stringfellow  (The Posies) performed live, 2002-03-29, Paradiso, Amsterdam 2002 lunakafe.com
Suede & BlueRoy Live @ Pops 2001 AllMusicAmazon
Viktoria Tolstoy Blame It On My Youth 2001 AllMusicAmazon
Viktoria Tolstoy The Cover Art Of Blue NoteVarious artists 2003 AllMusicDiscogs.com
Lucretia Van Der Vloot Altijd Over Liefde 2007 websiteAmazon
Anne Sofie von Otter For The Stars 2001 AllMusicAmazonAmazon.uk
Anne Sofie von Otter Classics 2002Various artists 2002 AllMusicAmazon
Reggie Watts performed live, 2014, Town Hall, New York 2014 info
Val Wiseman Just For A Thrill 2003 AllMusic
Julie Wolf Walk The Worn Out Floor 1997 AllMusicAmazonAmazon.uk

Internal links

External links