Beach Baby
| "Beach Baby" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The First Class | ||||
| from the album Beach Baby | ||||
| B-side | "Both Sides of the Story" | |||
| Released | 3 May 1974 | |||
| Genre | Bubblegum pop | |||
| Length | 3:11 (single edit) 4:53 (single version) 5:12 (album version) | |||
| Label | UK Records | |||
| Songwriters | John Carter and Gillian Shakespeare | |||
| Producer | John Carter for Sunny Records Ltd. | |||
| The First Class singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Beach Baby" is a song by the British band The First Class. Written by John Carter and his wife, Gillian (Jill) Shakespeare, the song became the band's only substantial hit. The lyrics recount a broken love relationship between two high school students in 1950s Los Angeles. Released as a single in 1974, "Beach Baby" reached no. 13 on the UK Singles Chart and no. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Critics praised the song, with Cash Box and Record World comparing it to the Beach Boys.