Greatest love songs ever: #46 “I Got You Babe”

By Tom Quiner

Some of you are thinking I’m nuts for including “I’ve Got You Babe”, by Sonny Bono, in our list of ‘The 52 Greatest Love Songs Ever’. A Sonny & Cher song? How corny! What’s my response? You’re wrong.

We live in a time when fewer young people marry. Most cohabitate first, pushing the average age of marriage to 29 for women and 31 for men. The assumption is that a ‘test drive’ creates stronger relationships and ultimately fewer divorces should the couple eventually marry.

In fact, the exact opposite it is true. Divorce rates are higher when couples live together first. Not only that, children fare better when mom and dad are married. They fare better when parents didn’t live together first. They fare better with never divorced parents because stability matters. Home matters. 

Stability

“I Got You Babe” is a love song about stability. Here’s what the lovebirds sing in the bridge:

“I got you to hold my hand

I got you to understand

I got you to walk with me

I got you to talk with me

I got you to kiss goodnight

I got you to hold me tight

I got you, I won’t let go.”

I know, I know, Sonny and Cher got divorced and Cher, in particular, has lived a flakey life. Forget about them. The song’s not about them. It’s about us. It’s about young love, which is a wonderful thing. Think about what this song says: I’m committed to YOU.

A timely message

This is a message the world needs to hear right now.

I was moved by something I read from a book, “Theology of the Home” which was co-authored by Dr. Carrie Gress and Noelle Mering:

“We are incarnation. We want to unite the tangible to the intangible. We want this life we’re living to be beautiful in a deeper way. There’s a reason people write songs and make movies about going home. It’s a universal longing, which also means it’s a universal access point. It’s a force for evangelization. When I first realized I was going to marry my husband, I started to feel he was my home. The language of the home is universal. A deeper meaning of home is about longing and relationship. We find our home in God, which is a foretaste of what heaven will be like.”

“I Got You Babe” somewhat echoes their sentiments by implying that, “Babe, you are my home.” Simple. Universal.

Composed by a Congressman!

As I teased last week, Sonny Bono is the only songwriter on this list who was a former member of the House of Representatives, elected in 1995 after serving four years as Mayor of Palm Springs, California. He was tragically killed in a skiing accident in 1998 at the age of sixty-two. “I Got You Babe” was a number one hit song on the Billboard charts, and to this day, Bono is the only member of Congress to have done so.

His hit song remains a part of our culture, popping up in movies and television shows from time to time. (How many times did we hear it repeated in the movie, “Groundhog Day”?!)

Groundhog Day

“I Got You Babe” means commitment, marriage, stability, home. It means LESS abortion, because 87% of abortions occur with single women who slept with men who sang a different tune.

Love songs are vitally important because the good ones say something important with an impact that sticks with us. Thank-you, Sonny Bono, for writing such a memorable piece of pop music. Here’s the song performed with a reggae arrangement by the British band, UB40, with guest vocalist Chrissie Hynde:

Next week, we take a look at a love song that takes a totally different look at the subject. Many singers sang it well, but only one of them knows how to bring down the house with it. See you then.

And thanks for checking in to this week’s installment of the 52 Greatest Love Songs ever. We’re counting down these songs a week at a time to spread a little love. Love is the greatest antidote to abortion, so be sure to encourage your friends to subscribe to our blog. Go back and check out previous entries on this blog.

[If you like this blogpost, be sure to share it. Then donate to help spread pro-life love.]