THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

61-Gerry Rafferty-Baker Street.

1978-Number 3 single.

Best Bit-At 5.13. Some people think this song is better than sax.

Gerald Rafferty was born on April 16th, 1947, in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, he died of liver failure on January 4th, 2011, at the age of 63. Gerry Rafferty’s early musical influences were both Irish and Scottish Folk songs, and then after hearing the Beatles, and Bob Dylan, he started to write his own material. In the early 1960’s Rafferty played in a local band called the ‘Maverix,’ with a school friend of his, Joe Egan, the pair would later move to London where both became members of the band ‘Fifth Column,’ and recorded the commercially unsuccessful single ‘Benjamin Day’/’There’s Nobody Here,’ in 1966. In 1969 Rafferty became the third member of a folk-pop group, the ‘Humblebums’, along with the future Scottish comedian Billy Connolly, and Tam Harvey (who died in 2021.) After Harvey left in 1969, Rafferty and Connolly continued as a duo, releasing two Albums together in 1969, and 1970. Then after the ‘Humblebums’ parted ways in 1971, Rafferty recorded his first solo Album ‘Can I Have My Money Back?’ in 1971, before joining forces again with Joe Egan to form ‘Stealers Wheel in 1972 (see also best songs 524.) The solo discography of Gerry Rafferty includes 11 studio Albums released between 1971-2021, and 20 singles issued in the same time period. In the UK three of his singles have made the top 40, while in America on the Billboard Hot 100, five of his singles have reached the top 40, with this song peaking at Number 2 for six weeks behind ‘Shadow Dancing,’ by Andy Gibb.

‘Baker Street’ was the second of six singles released from Gerry Rafferty’s second solo studio Album ‘City to City,’ from 1978, the song was written by Gerry Rafferty, and co-produced by Rafferty and Hugh Murphy (1946-1998.) Due to legal problems with Stealers Wheel, Rafferty was unable to release any new music between 1975-1978, it was during that period that he wrote ‘Baker Street.’ He would regularly travel between his family home in Paisley, Scotland, to stay at a friends flat on Baker Street in London. Rafferty has said,’Everybody was suing each other, so I spent a lot of the time on the overnight train from Glasgow to London for meetings with lawyers. I knew a guy who lived in a little flat on Baker Street, we’d sit and chat or play guitar there through the night’. Rafferty would also spend a lot of the time there drinking, which he acknowledges in the songs lyrics. Rafferty’s daughter Martha has said that her father was inspired to write this song and many of his others after reading the 1956 book ‘The Outsider,’ written by Colin Wilson (1931-2013.) The book explores the psyche of the ‘Outsider,’ his effect on society, and society’s effect on him. Rafferty had a very troubled life, he hated being a ‘Pop Star,’ shunned publicity, suffered from long periods of depression, and was an alcoholic, which ultimately led to his death. ‘Baker Street’ is a song about someone trying to make a better life for themselves, but he cannot achieve his goals as he is a drunk. He drinks to forget what he doesn’t have, and knows he is wasting his life.

‘Baker Street’ can probably boast the most famous saxophone riff in Pop Music, which was played by the session musician Raphael Ravenscroft (1954-2014.) Ravenscroft who was only paid the statuary £27 has said about his performance on ‘Baker Street’,’I’m irritated because it’s out of tune, yeah it’s flat by enough of a degree, that it irritates me at best.’ Ravenscroft also claimed to have written the saxophone part, but when a demo came to light in 2011 it clearly showed Rafferty playing the part on an electric guitar. However Rafferty may not be able to take full credit, as a very similar sax line can be heard being played by the American Jazz saxophonist Steve Marcus, (1939-2005) on the track ‘Half a Heart,’ from his 1968 Album ‘Tomorrow Never Knows.’

‘He’s got this dream about buyin’ some land, he’s gonna give up the booze and the one night stands, and then he’ll settle down, it’s a quiet little town, and forget about everything.’