The other day, as I was heading back home from a dental checkup, a song started playing on the radio which caught my attention and left me completely mesmerized. As a result, as soon as I got back home I did my research and found out the song to be called Baker Street from Scottish singer Gerry Rafferty.
For the whole day I could not get the song out of my head. It’s so addictive and wonderful to listen to. It’s one of those songs you can listen as you walk along a deserted street in the early morning after a big night out. In fact, upon checking up on the lyrics, that’s pretty much what the song is about.
The only difference is that the song is about someone who is down and out and close to giving up on life. And all this is taking place on a London street called Baker Street. In the first part, it talks about how the person thought life would be so easy and yet they now find themselves in a helpless situation where he’s “drinking the night away.” The person seems to find some consolidation that in a year’s time, they will be happy again, but for the time being, they are crying.
The second part of the song talks about they are now planning to move away from the big city and settle down in a quiet little town to “forget about everything” and start afresh. However, he realizes that it won’t be last long and before they know it, they will be on the move again because that’s how life is.
For me personally, this song is representative of the anxiety and isolation people can feel living in a big city. And it’s ironic because in a big city you are surrounded by many people. However, given the busyness of the city, there can unfortunately be very little communication between people.
The highlight of the song is the alternative rhythm. The song starts off with a beautiful saxophone solo and then moves on to a soft rock rhythm. It is then followed by another sax solo and then back to the soft rock rhythm. Finally, the sax solo is joined by a guitar solo which rounds out the song.
The funniest thing about that day when I couldn’t get Baker Street out of my head is that on that very night, I heard a busker playing the exact same song in a tunnel. I couldn’t believe that out of a million songs out there, the busker was playing the one song that I couldn’t get out of my head. Was it a coincidence or something more than that? I’ll never know.
It’s not surprising that Baker Street became Gerry Rafferty’s biggest hit when it peaked at number 2 on the US Charts in 1978. The corresponding album even knocked off the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack from the number 1 position which is no mean feat. Enjoy this classic song from the year 1978.
