Baker Street ( song ) - wikipedia Baker Street ( song ) `` Baker Street '' Italian single picture sleeve Single by Gerry Rafferty from the album City to City B - side `` Big Change in the Weather '' Released 3 February 1978 ( 1978 - 02 - 03 ) Format 7 - inch single Recorded 1977 Studio Chipping Norton Recording Studios, Oxfordshire, UK Genre Rock, jazz rock, soft rock Length 5 : 59 ( album version ) 4 : 10 ( single version ) Label United Artists Songwriter ( s ) Gerry Rafferty Producer ( s ) Hugh Murphy, Gerry Rafferty Gerry Rafferty singles chronology `` Baker Street '' ( 1978 ) `` Right Down the Line '' ( 1978 ) `` Baker Street '' ( 1978 ) `` Right Down the Line '' ( 1978 ) file help `` Baker Street '' is a song written and recorded by Scottish singer - songwriter Gerry Rafferty. Released as a single in 1978, it reached # 1 in Cash Box and # 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it held that position for six weeks, behind Andy Gibb 's smash `` Shadow Dancing ''. Additionally, it hit # 1 in Canada, # 3 in the United Kingdom, # 1 in Australia, # 1 in South Africa and the top 10 in the Netherlands. Rafferty received the 1978 Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically. The arrangement is known for its saxophone riff. In October 2010, the song was recognised by BMI for surpassing five million performances worldwide. It was awarded Gold Certification on two occasions, on 1 April 1978 and 22 July 2013 by the BPI in the UK. Contents 1 Origins 2 Arrangement 2.1 Urban myths 3 Personnel 4 Appearances in other media 5 Chart performance 5.1 Weekly singles charts 5.2 Year - end charts 6 Cover versions 6.1 Undercover 6.1. 1 Track listing 6.1. 2 Charts 6.2 Foo Fighters 6.3 Other versions 7 References 8 External links Origins Named after Baker Street in London, the song was included on Rafferty 's second solo album, City to City ( 1978 ), which was Rafferty 's first release after the resolution of legal problems surrounding the formal break - up of his old band, Stealers Wheel, in 1975. In the intervening three years, Rafferty had been unable to release any material because of disputes about the band 's remaining contractual recording obligations. Rafferty wrote the song during a period when he was trying to extricate himself from his Stealers Wheel contracts ; he was regularly travelling between his family home in Paisley and London, where he often stayed at a friend 's flat on Baker Street. As Rafferty put it, `` everybody was suing each other, so I spent a lot of time on the overnight train from Glasgow to London for meetings with lawyers. I knew a guy who lived in a little flat off Baker Street. We 'd sit and chat or play guitar there through the night. '' Privately, Rafferty also spent a lot of time drinking, which he noted he mentions in the lyrics, `` light in your head and dead on your feet. '' The resolution of Rafferty 's legal and financial frustrations accounted for the exhilaration of the song 's last verse : `` When you wake up it 's a new morning / The sun is shining, it 's a new morning / You 're going, you 're going home. '' Rafferty 's daughter Martha has said that the book that inspired the song more than any other was Colin Wilson 's The Outsider ( 1956 ). Rafferty was reading the book, which explores ideas of alienation and of creativity, born out of a longing to be connected, at this time of travelling between the two cities. Arrangement The album City to City ( 1978 ), including `` Baker Street '', was co-produced by Rafferty and Hugh Murphy. In addition to a guitar solo, played by Hugh Burns, the song featured a prominent eight - bar saxophone riff played as a break between verses, by Raphael Ravenscroft. Rafferty claimed that he wrote the hook with the original intention that it be sung. Ravenscroft remembered things differently, saying that he was presented with a song that contained `` several gaps ''. `` In fact, most of what I played was an old blues riff, '' stated Ravenscroft. `` If you 're asking me : ' Did Gerry hand me a piece of music to play ? ' then no, he did n't. '' However, the 2011 reissue of City to City included the demo of Baker Street which included the saxophone part played on electric guitar by Rafferty. A very similar sax line, however, was originally played by saxophonist Steve Marcus for a song called `` Half A Heart '', credited to vibraphonist Gary Burton, that appeared on Marcus ' 1968 album Tomorrow Never Knows. Ravenscroft, a session musician, was in the studio to record a brief soprano saxophone part and suggested that he record the break using the alto saxophone he had in his car. The part led to what became known as `` the ' Baker Street ' phenomenon '', a resurgence in the sales of saxophones and their use in mainstream pop music and television advertising. In January 2011, radio presenter Simon Lederman revealed that Ravenscroft thought the solo was out of tune. When asked during a live radio interview on BBC Radio London, `` What do you think when you hear ( the sax solo ) now ? '' Ravenscroft replied, `` I 'm irritated because it 's out of tune ; yeah it 's flat ; by enough of a degree that it irritates me at best '', and admitted he was `` gutted '' when he heard it played back. He added that he had not been able to re-record the take, as he was not involved when the song was mixed. Urban myths According to one story, Ravenscroft received no payment for a song that earned Rafferty an income of £ 80,000 per annum ; a cheque for £ 27 given to Ravenscroft bounced and was framed and hung on his solicitor 's wall. However, the bouncing cheque story was denied by Ravenscroft during an interview on BBC Radio 2 's Simon Mayo Drivetime show on 9 February 2012. The saxophone riff was also the subject of another urban legend in the UK, created in the 1980s by British writer and broadcaster Stuart Maconie. As one of the spoof facts invented for the regular `` Would You Believe It ? '' section in the NME, Maconie falsely claimed that British radio and television presenter Bob Holness had played the saxophone part on the recording. Later, the claim was widely repeated. Personnel Gerry Rafferty -- lead vocals Raphael Ravenscroft -- saxophone Hugh Burns -- lead guitar Nigel Jenkins -- rhythm guitar Tommy Eyre -- keyboards Gary Taylor -- bass Henry Spinetti -- drums Glen Le Fleur -- percussion Graham Preskett -- string arrangements Appearances in other Media The song was cited by guitarist Slash as an influence on his guitar solo in `` Sweet Child o ' Mine ''. The saxophone solo has been cited as one of Susan Boyle 's influences on her version of the Rolling Stone track `` Wild Horses ''. The song is also heard in the closing scene of `` Lisa 's Sax, '' the episode of The Simpsons which recounts how Lisa Simpson received her first saxophone. Lisa performs a brief, cruder rendition of the hook before the music segues into Rafferty 's recording. Canadian rock musician AC Newman cited the song as an inspiration for his 2012 album, Shut Down the Streets. The song is featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto V, as part of the Los Santos Rock Radio track list. The song 's saxophone line is featured numerous times in the Rick and Morty episode `` M. Night Shaym - Aliens ! '' ( Season 1, Episode 4 ). The saxophone line serves as the opening theme to the syndicated US radio program of financial author and motivational speaker Dave Ramsey. The opening bars of the song appear at the start and the end of the TV show New Tricks Season 5 episode 6 ( Magic Majestic ). In the Family Guy season 10 episode `` Grumpy Old Man '' ( 2011 ), Peter plays the song with her saxophone, in so - called `` phone sax '' with Lois. The song has been used in a number of films, including : Zodiac, Good Will Hunting, and A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints. On the British TV show 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown ( Series 6, Episode 6, first aired on 26 June 2015 ) British comedian Alex Horne made a claim that any piece of music could be improved by the saxophone solo from Baker Street. His band, The Horne Section, tried to prove this by playing the solo to the Phil Collins song In the Air Tonight, the Puccini aria Nessun dorma and Black Lace 's novelty song Agadoo. The song was used by Mike, voiced by Seth MacFarlane, during his street performance in the film Sing. In the TV show A.P. Bio, the song is played by Tucker Albrizzi 's character in the second episode as a warning signal. The song is part of an audio drop whenever the character of Wesley Crusher is mentioned in the Greatest Generation podcast. Chart performance `` Baker Street '' reached # 3 in the UK and # 2 for six consecutive weeks in the US, kept out of the number - one spot by Andy Gibb 's `` Shadow Dancing ''. Weekly singles charts Chart ( 1978 ) Peak position Australia ( Kent Music Report ) Austria ( Ö3 Austria Top 40 ) Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Flanders ) 9 Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) Germany ( Official German Charts ) Ireland ( IRMA ) Netherlands ( Dutch Top 40 ) 9 New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ ) South Africa ( Springbok Radio SA Top 20 ) Switzerland ( Schweizer Hitparade ) UK Singles Chart ( The Official Charts Company ) US Billboard Hot 100 US Billboard Easy Listening US Cash Box Top 100 Chart ( 1990 ) Peak position UK Singles Chart ( The Official Charts Company ) ( re-mix ) 53 Chart ( 2011 ) Peak position Germany ( Official German Charts ) 69 Netherlands ( Single Top 100 ) 27 Switzerland ( Schweizer Hitparade ) 53 UK Singles Chart ( The Official Charts Company ) 55 Year - end charts Chart ( 1978 ) Rank Canada 8 Australia 10 New Zealand 21 Switzerland 8 UK 17 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 26 U.S. Cash Box 12 Cover versions Undercover British dance group Undercover covered the song on their 1992 album Check Out the Groove. This version reached # 2 on the UK Singles Chart. Track listing `` Baker Street '' -- 4 : 04 `` Baker Street '' ( extended mix ) -- 5 : 10 `` Sha - Bang '' ( extended mix ) -- 5 : 49 Charts Chart ( 1992 ) Peak position Australia ( ARIA ) 100 Austria ( Ö3 Austria Top 40 ) Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Flanders ) Finland ( Suomen virallinen lista ) 9 Germany ( Official German Charts ) Ireland ( IRMA ) Italy ( FIMI ) 7 Netherlands ( Dutch Top 40 ) Sweden ( Sverigetopplistan ) 7 Switzerland ( Schweizer Hitparade ) UK Singles Chart ( The Official Charts Company ) Foo Fighters The Foo Fighters covered the song on the extended version of their 1997 album The Colour and the Shape. In the United States, this track was released as the B - side of the single `` My Hero ''. They replace the word ' booze ' for ' crack '. Other versions The song has also been performed by several other bands and artists including David Lee Roth, Ali Campbell, Waylon Jennings, Maynard Ferguson, Game Theory, Rocket From The Crypt and the London Symphony Orchestra. It was also covered by a Polish saxophonist / composer / Robert Chojnacki ( pl ) on his 2006 album Saxhophonic, with vocals by Andrzej Lampert. In 2013 it was covered by Mimi Page, who transposed the iconic saxophone into a simplistic piano line. German trance group Scooter used an interpolation of the song on their 2002 single Nessaja. References ^ Jump up to : `` Billboard > Artists / Gerry Rafferty > Chart History > The Hot 100 ''. Billboard. Retrieved 13 December 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` Official Charts > Gerry Rafferty ''. The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 13 December 2015. ^ Jump up to : Kent, David ( 1993 ). Australian Chart Book 1970 -- 1992 ( illustrated ed. ). St Ives, N.S.W. : Australian Chart Book. p. 245. ISBN 0 - 646 - 11917 - 6. Jump up ^ Lister, David, Pop ballads bite back in lyrical fashion, The Independent, 28 May 1994 ^ Jump up to : Maconie, Stuart ( 2004 ). Cider with Roadies ( 1st ed. ). London : Random House. p. 256. ISBN 0 - 09 - 189115 - 9. Jump up ^ `` 2010 BMI London Award Winners ''. BMI. 5 October 2010. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2011. Jump up ^ `` British certifications -- Gerry Rafferty ''. British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 30 June 2016. Enter Gerry Rafferty in the search field and then press Enter. Jump up ^ Eder, Bruce ( 16 April 1946 ). `` Bruce Eder, Stealers Wheel at ''. Allmusic.com. Retrieved 17 August 2011. Jump up ^ Chilton, Martin ( 5 January 2011 ). `` Gerry Rafferty and his songs of alienation ''. The Daily Telegraph. London. ^ Jump up to : Emerson, Ken ( 24 August 1978 ). `` Gerry Rafferty 's `` Baker Street '' Blues ``. Rolling Stone. Jump up ^ `` BBC Radio 4 - Soul Music, Series 13, Baker Street ''. Bbc.co.uk. 2012 - 03 - 18. Retrieved 2016 - 06 - 25. Jump up ^ Gray, Michael ( 4 January 2011 ). `` Gerry Rafferty obituary ''. The Guardian. London. Retrieved 17 August 2011. ^ Jump up to : Ingham, Richard ( 1998 ), `` Rock and the Saxophone '', The Cambridge Companion to the Saxophone, Cambridge Companions to Music, p. 156 ^ Jump up to : `` Stuck in a battle with booze ''. The Scotsman. 2008 - 08 - 02. Retrieved 2016 - 06 - 25. Jump up ^ Richie Unterberger. `` Tomorrow Never Knows - Steve Marcus Songs, Reviews, Credits ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 2016 - 06 - 25. Jump up ^ Chandler, Adam ( Dec 17, 2015 ). `` ' Baker Street ' : The Mystery of Rock 's Greatest Sax Riff ''. The Atlantic. Washington, D.C. : Atlantic Media. Retrieved Dec 19, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Simon Mayo Drivetime ( 9 February 2012 ) ''. BBC Radio 2. Retrieved 21 October 2014. Jump up ^ `` HIGNFY Guest interview : Stuart Maconie ''. BBC. 22 May 2009. Jump up ^ `` Why do we think Bob Holness was the Baker Street saxophonist ? ''. BBC. 5 January 2011. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2011. Jump up ^ `` Hugh Burns interview, January 2002, `` An affair of the craft '', for Guitarist magazine at ``. Andrewbrel.com. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2011. Jump up ^ `` Interview with Henry Spinetti at ''. Mikedolbear.com. 1 May 2011. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2011. Jump up ^ `` The 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time ''. Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 17 March 2010. Retrieved 30 March 2010. Jump up ^ Staff ( 5 January 2011 ). `` Baker Street blues no more... singer Gerry Rafferty passes away ''. News.AU.com. Retrieved 1 May 2012. Jump up ^ Newman, AC ( 2 October 2012 ). `` Shut Down The Streets ''. Huffington Post. Jump up ^ Grand Theft Auto V soundtrack Jump up ^ `` '' Rick and Morty '' M. Night Shaym - Aliens ! ( TV Episode 2014 ) ``. IMDb. Retrieved July 20, 2015. Jump up ^ `` What is the name of the song peter griffin and lois have phone sax too ? ''. Retrieved December 17, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Gerry Rafferty ( I ) ( 1947 -- 2011 ) ''. IMDb.com. Retrieved 2016 - 06 - 26. Jump up ^ Youtube Jump up ^ `` Austriancharts.at -- Gerry Rafferty -- Baker Street '' ( in German ). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Jump up ^ `` Ultratop.be -- Gerry Rafferty -- Baker Street '' ( in Dutch ). Ultratop 50. ^ Jump up to : `` Musicline.de -- Gerry Rafferty Single - Chartverfolgung '' ( in German ). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. ^ Jump up to : `` Screen shot of search results for ' Baker Street ' ''. Fireball Media. Retrieved 10 November 2017. Jump up ^ `` Nederlandse Top 40 -- Gerry Rafferty '' ( in Dutch ). Dutch Top 40. Jump up ^ `` Charts.org.nz -- Gerry Rafferty -- Baker Street ''. Top 40 Singles. Jump up ^ http://www.rock.co.za/files/sa_charts_1969_1989_songs_(A-B).html ^ Jump up to : `` Swisscharts.com -- Gerry Rafferty -- Baker Street ''. Swiss Singles Chart. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 1993 ). Top Adult Contemporary : 1961 -- 1993. Record Research. p. 195. Jump up ^ `` Cash Box Top 100 7 / 22 / 78 ''. 50.6. 195.142. 1978 - 07 - 22. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 2016 - 06 - 25. Jump up ^ `` Dutchcharts.nl -- Gerry Rafferty -- Baker Street '' ( in Dutch ). Single Top 100. Jump up ^ `` Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada ''. Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016 - 06 - 25. Jump up ^ `` Australian Chart Book ''. Austchartbook.com.au. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 2016 - 06 - 25. Jump up ^ `` Top Selling Singles of 1978 The Official New Zealand Music Chart ''. Nztop40.co.nz. 1978 - 12 - 31. Retrieved 2016 - 06 - 25. Jump up ^ Swiss Year - End Charts, 1978 Jump up ^ Scaping, Peter, ed. ( 1979 ). `` Top 200 Singles in 1978 ''. BPI Year Book 1979 ( 4th ed. ). London, England : The British Phonographic Industry Ltd. pp. 186 -- 89. ISBN 0 - 906154 - 02 - 2. Jump up ^ `` Top 100 Hits of 1978 / Top 100 Songs of 1978 ''. Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016 - 06 - 25. Jump up ^ `` Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1978 ''. 50.6. 195.142. 30 December 1978. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2016 - 06 - 25. ^ Jump up to : `` Official Charts > Undercover ''. The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 13 December 2015. Jump up ^ Ryan, Gavin ( 2011 ). Australia 's Music Charts 1988 -- 2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia : Moonlight Publishing. Jump up ^ `` Austriancharts.at -- Undercover -- Baker Street '' ( in German ). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Jump up ^ `` Ultratop.be -- Undercover -- Baker Street '' ( in Dutch ). Ultratop 50. Jump up ^ Pennanen, Timo ( 2006 ). Sisältää hitin -- levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 ( in Finnish ) ( 1st ed. ). Helsinki : Tammi. ISBN 978 - 951 - 1 - 21053 - 5. Jump up ^ `` Musicline.de -- Undercover Single - Chartverfolgung '' ( in German ). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Jump up ^ `` Italiancharts.com -- Undercover -- Baker Street ''. Top Digital Download. Jump up ^ `` Nederlandse Top 40 -- Undercover '' ( in Dutch ). Dutch Top 40. Jump up ^ `` Swedishcharts.com -- Undercover -- Baker Street ''. Singles Top 100. Jump up ^ `` Swisscharts.com -- Undercover -- Baker Street ''. Swiss Singles Chart. Jump up ^ Shetty, Sharan. `` Listen to the Foo Fighters ' Powerful, Long - Forgotten Cover of `` Baker Street '' ``. slate.com. Retrieved 22 November 2015. Jump up ^ `` Review : Ali Campbell -- Great British Songs ''. Daily Express. London. 15 October 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2011. Jump up ^ https://www.discogs.com/Rocket-From-The-Crypt-Baker-Street/release/5193463 Jump up ^ `` El solo de saxo más famoso de la historia del pop ''. Rpp.com.pe. Retrieved 2016 - 06 - 25. Jump up ^ `` Saxophonic - Robert Chojnacki - 1732 - 8543 - 6 - 2CD - 2006 : : Archiwum Polskiego Rocka : : Polski Rock w najlepszym wydaniu Największy katalog polskich płyt CD i LP Internetowa baza danych polskich płyt rockowych v. 6.01 ''. Polskirock.art.pl. 2016 - 06 - 01. Retrieved 2016 - 06 - 25. Jump up ^ Mimi Page ( 2013 - 07 - 26 ), Mimi Page and Spitfire - Baker Street ( Gerry Rafferty cover ), retrieved 2017 - 12 - 10 External links `` Baker Street '' at Discogs ( list of releases ) `` Baker Street ( Remix ) '' at Discogs Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street ( 1978 ) song to be listened as stream at Spotify.com Gerry Rafferty Studio albums Can I Have My Money Back ? City to City Night Owl Snakes and Ladders Sleepwalking North and South On a Wing and a Prayer Over My Head Another World Compilations Gerry Rafferty Baker Street Singles `` Baker Street '' `` Right Down the Line '' `` Night Owl '' Related articles The Humblebums Stealers Wheel Joe Egan Ivor Novello Awards -- Best Song Musically and Lyrically 1960s `` She 's Leaving Home '' ( 1968 ) 1970s `` Where Do You Go To ( My Lovely ) ? '' ( 1970 ) `` Something '' ( 1971 ) `` Do n't Let It Die '' ( 1972 ) `` Without You '' ( 1973 ) `` Daniel '' ( 1974 ) `` Streets of London '' * ( 1975 ) `` Do n't Cry for Me Argentina '' ( 1978 ) `` Baker Street '' ( 1979 ) 1980s `` The Logical Song '' ( 1980 ) `` Woman in Love '' ( 1981 ) `` Memory '' ( 1982 ) `` Have You Ever Been in Love '' ( 1983 ) `` Every Breath You Take '' ( 1984 ) `` Against All Odds '' ( 1985 ) `` Nikita '' ( 1986 ) `` Do n't Give Up '' ( 1987 ) `` Something Inside So Strong '' ( 1988 ) `` They Dance Alone '' ( 1989 ) 1990s `` The Living Years '' ( 1990 ) `` Sacrifice '' ( 1991 ) `` The Whole of the Moon '' ( 1992 ) `` Why '' ( 1993 ) `` If I Ever Lose My Faith in You '' ( 1994 ) `` Think Twice '' ( 1995 ) `` Common People '' ( 1996 ) `` Too Much Love Will Kill You '' ( 1997 ) `` Paranoid Android '' ( 1998 ) `` Believe '' ( 1999 ) 2000s `` Strong '' ( 2000 ) `` Babylon '' ( 2001 ) `` Walk On '' ( 2002 ) `` The Other Side '' ( 2003 ) `` Leave Right Now '' ( 2004 ) `` Dry Your Eyes '' ( 2005 ) `` Suddenly I See '' ( 2006 ) `` Elusive '' ( 2007 ) `` Love Is a Losing Game '' ( 2008 ) `` One Day Like This '' ( 2009 ) 2010s `` The Fear '' ( 2010 ) `` Becoming a Jackal '' ( 2011 ) `` The A Team '' ( 2012 ) `` Next to Me '' ( 2013 ) `` Strong '' ( 2014 ) `` Take Me to Church '' ( 2015 ) `` Was n't Expecting That '' ( 2016 ) `` Black Man in a White World '' ( 2017 ) * Awarded as The Best Song Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Baker_Street_(song)&oldid=842823706 '' Categories : 1978 singles 1992 singles 1998 singles 2011 singles Gerry Rafferty songs Songs written by Gerry Rafferty Foo Fighters songs Number - one singles in Australia Songs about London 1978 songs RPM Top Singles number - one singles United Artists Records singles Hidden categories : CS1 Finnish - language sources ( fi ) Use British English from August 2012 Use dmy dates from February 2015 Articles with hAudio microformats All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from February 2015 Pages using div col without cols and colwidth parameters Articles with unsourced statements from March 2016 Singlechart usages for Austria Singlechart usages for Flanders Singlechart usages for Germany Singlechart usages for Dutch40 Singlechart usages for New Zealand Singlechart usages for Swiss Singlechart usages for Dutch100 Singlechart usages for Italy Singlechart usages for Sweden Interlanguage link template link number Articles with unsourced statements from December 2017 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Dansk Deutsch Español Français Italiano עברית Nederlands Norsk Norsk nynorsk Polski Simple English Suomi 5 more Edit links This page was last edited on 24 May 2018, at 22 : 35. About Wikipedia

Question: when did the song baker street come out
Answer: 3 February 1978