This week's “Remake of a Classic” is Badfinger's resilient 1971 release, Baby Blue. I say resilient because in 2013 it's popularity was brought back to life when it was featured in the last scene of the series finale of “Breaking Bad”. The show introduced the tune, as well as the band, to a new audience, and within hours of the broadcast online downloads soared.

Produced by Todd Rundgren, Baby Blue first appear on the band's album, Straight Up. It was released in the U.S. as a single in March, 1972, and went to no. 14. The U.S. single was not the original version that appears on the album. Al Steckler, the head of Apple Records in the U.S., felt that the song needed a stronger hook in the opening, so he had Eddie Kramer remix the tune, applying heavy reverb to the snare during the first verse and middle.
Written by Pete Ham, the song is actually about Dixie Armstrong, a girl Ham met on the band's last U.S. tour. Armstrong couldn't handle life on the road and in the studio, so Ham broke it off...which is what the gist of the tune is about.

Although the song isn't really complex, it took a while to figure out the best way to play it. Ham was a bar chord fanatic, which can be a killer on the left hand...even for a left-hander like me. I admit I cheated a little, using a capo on the acoustic. For those keeping score, I only used 11 tracks on this: two for drums, one for bass, two each for the electric and acoustic guitars, one for the solo, and three for vocals.

Great tune, great band.