Peak
3
Weeks
22
Score
3,633
Chart Year
1990
This song about searching for a lost love is the biggest hit for Lisa Stansfield, a white soul singer from England. It was the first ever US R&B #1 hit by a white UK female, and topped the charts in about a dozen countries. The spoken intro came about when Stansfield, her boyfriend Ian Devaney, and other band member Andy Morris were sitting around the piano. Andy played some chords and Lisa began talking in a low voice, in a Barry White way. They liked the way it sounded and put it on the record. Stansfield, Devaney and Morris are the writers on the track. The "ya ya ya ya"s in the chorus were put in as a placeholder until Lisa could come up with real lyrics. The nonsense placeholder worked so well, however, that they left it in. Ian Devaney recalled in 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh, "We booked this little studio and started a really rough demo on an eight-track machine with Lisa's voice being done in one take. When we came to the proper recording, we transferred the original vocals to 24-track, added some strings and transferred it back to eight-track which we later mixed at home." P. Diddy sampled this in 1997 on his song "Been Around The World."
I don't know where my baby is But I'll find him, somewhere, somehow I've got to let him know how much I care I'll never give up looking for my baby Been around the world and I, I, I I can't find my baby I don't know when, I don't know why Why he's gone away And I don't know where he can be, my baby But I'm gonna find him We had a quarrel and I let myself go I said so many things, things he didn't know And I was oh, oh so bad I don't think he's comin' back, mm-mm He gave the reason, the reasons he should go And he said things he hadn't said before And he was oh, oh so mad And I don't think he's comin' back, comin' back I did too much lyin', wasted too much time Now I'm here a'cryin', I, I, I Been around the world and I, I, I I can't find my baby I don't know when, I don't know why Why he's gone away And I don't know where he can be, my baby But I'm gonna find him (ooh-ooh, ooh) So open hearted, he never did me wrong I was the one, the weakest one of all And now I'm oh, oh so sad I don't think he's comin' back, comin' back I did too much lyin', wasted too much time Now I'm here a'cryin', I, I, I Been around the world and I, I, I I can't find my baby I don't know when, I don't know why Why he's gone away And I don't know where he can be, my baby But I'm gonna find him, ooh, ooh-ooh Been around the world and I, I, I I can't find my baby I don't know when, I don't know why Why he's gone away And I don't know where he can be, my baby But I'm gonna find him I'm going to find him, my b-b-baby I did too much lyin', wasted too much time Now I'm here a'cryin', I, I, I Been around the world and I, I, I I can't find my baby I don't know when, I don't know why Why he's gone away And I don't know where he can be, my baby But I'm gonna find him I've been around the world, lookin' for my baby Been around the world, and I'm gonna I'm gonna find him Been around the world and I, I, I I can't find my baby I don't know when, I don't know why (ooh, baby) Why he's gone away And I don't know where he can be, my baby But I'm gonna find him
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb 3, 1990 | 78 | 48 |
| 2 | Feb 10, 1990 | 56 | 70 |
| 3 | Feb 17, 1990 | 42 | 84 |
| 4 | Feb 24, 1990 | 31 | 95 |
| 5 | Mar 3, 1990 | 25 | 101 |
| 6 | Mar 10, 1990 | 18 | 108 |
| 7 | Mar 17, 1990 | 12 | 114 |
| 8 | Mar 24, 1990 | 7 | 119 |
| 9 | Mar 31, 1990 | 5 | 121 |
| 10 | Apr 7, 1990 | 3 | 123 |
| 11 | Apr 14, 1990 | 3 | 123 |
| 12 | Apr 21, 1990 | 3 | 123 |
| 13 | Apr 28, 1990 | 4 | 122 |
| 14 | May 5, 1990 | 8 | 118 |
| 15 | May 12, 1990 | 14 | 112 |
| 16 | May 19, 1990 | 23 | 103 |
| 17 | May 26, 1990 | 30 | 96 |
| 18 | Jun 2, 1990 | 43 | 83 |
| 19 | Jun 9, 1990 | 58 | 68 |
| 20 | Jun 16, 1990 | 68 | 58 |