Baby Plays Around

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 by Cait O'Riordan & Declan MacManus Performed by Elvis Costello Produced by Elvis Costello, Kevin Killen & T Bone Burnett Musicians Elvis Costello - vocal, acoustic guitars, Hammond bass pedals, bells Mitchell Froom - organ (distant) Recorded 1988, Ocean Way, Los Angeles Released February 6, 1989 Albums Spike, 1989 Singles Baby Plays Around, 1989 Various Artists collections Singers And Songwriters: Pure & Simple, 2003 - Promos Malice And Magic, 1994 (Japan) Length 2:45 First known performance:  April 5, 1989, Pittsburgh, PA Last known performance:  December 18, 1999, Osaka, Japan - last Elvis-sung version  June 6, 2001, New York, NY - sung by Anne Sofie von Otter      (47 known performances) Alternate versions Baby Plays Around (Demo) Performed by Elvis Costello Musicians Elvis Costello - vocal, guitar Recorded ca. 1987-1988, unknown location Released August 21, 2001 Albums Spike (Rhino reissue), 2001 Promos Selections From My Aim Is True, Spike And All This Useless Beauty, 2001 Length 2:38 Baby Plays Around (Live 1995) Performed by Elvis Costello & Bill Frisell Musicians Elvis Costello - vocal Bill Frisell - guitar Recorded June 25, 1995, London, England Released August 14, 1995 Albums Deep Dead Blue, 1995 Length 3:09 Baby Plays Around (Live 1999) Performed by Elvis Costello with Steve Nieve Musicians Elvis Costello - vocal Steve Nieve - piano Recorded February 19, 1999, Sydney, Australia Released April 19, 1999 Singles Toledo, 1999 Baby Plays Around (For The Stars version) Performed by Anne Sofie von Otter meets Elvis Costello Arranged by Elvis Costello & the Ensemble Musicians Anne Sofie von Otter - vocal Elvis Costello - Lawery organ Bengt Forsberg - Hammond organ Pat White - flugelhorn Svante Henryson - celtar Mats Schubert - piano Magnus Persson - vibraphone Recorded February 2000-January 2001, Atlantis Grammophon AB, Stockholm and/or Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin and/or Westside Studios, London Released March 19, 2001 Albums For The Stars, 2001 Various Artists collections Classics 2002, 2005 Promos UK Elvis Costello, 2002 Length 3:12

Internal links

• Elvis Costello Home Page: Spike  •  lyrics  •  chords  •  Spike info page 1  •  Baby Plays Around single info page
• Elvis Costello Home Page: Deep Dead Blue  •  lyrics  •  DDB info page
• Lyrics  •  Covers

External links

• Elvis Costello Reissues: Spike