"Baby, Now That I've Found You" is a song written by Tony Macaulay and John Macleod, and performed by the Foundations. Part of the song was written in the same bar of a Soho tavern where Karl Marx is supposed to have written Das Kapital. The lyrics are a plea that an unnamed subject not break up with the singer.

Background According to Roy Delo of the group, The Ways and Means who were managed by Ron Fairway, they were offered the chance to record "Baby Now That I've Found You". They already had some success with their single, "Sea of Faces". One day Tony Macaulay came around and got out a guitar. They heard the song and said "yeh, it’s a nice catchy song, but it's not the sort of song for us", and to their later regret, turned it down. So the song was given to the Foundations.The Strange Brew - The Ways and Means The lead vocal is by Clem Curtis.When Music Migrates Crossing British and European Racial Faultlines, 1945–2010, By Professor Jon Stratton · 2014 - - Page 129 SKA AND REGGAE ON THE RACIAL FAULTLINE IN BRITAIN, 1968-1981

Ron Fairway is the man who is credited with first discovering the Foundations.It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine, 22 July 2011 - Pluto interview with Paul Gardner & Alan Warner He became co-manager of the group.Melody Maker, 11 November 1967 - Page 1 Foundations hit top spot Barry Class was the man with the money while Fairway was the man with the connections, whose job was to find gigs for the band.

Issues Following the success of the single there would be issues involving two men formerly associated with the band, Ron Fairway and Raymond Morrison.New Musical Express, 2 December 1967 - Page 10 FOUNDATIONS SUEDMelody Maker, 27 July 1968 - Page 4 MORRISON CLAIM

Rock historian Roger Dopson described what took place between Ron Fairway and Barry Class as a behind the scenes struggle. Fairway was allegedly pushed out, leaving Class as the sole manager.The Foundations, Baby Now That I've Found You Sequel Records CD NEECD 300, liner notes by Roger Dopson Fairway made an attempt to sue the band, alleging that he was wrongfully dismissed as the group's co-manager. The band claimed he had resigned of his own accord. The 2 December issue of New Musical Express wrote that it was likely to be several months before the case would be heard. According to the 8 November issue of Melody Maker, Class stated that it was a friction of personalities which had been going on for about four months.Melody Maker, 18 November 1967 - Page 1 Foundations rocked by management split

Raymond Morrison founded The Ramong Sound which evolved into the Foundations.Noise 11, 28 March 2017 - R.I.P. Clem Curtis of The Foundations 1940-2017 by ROGER WINK As per the 27 July issue of Melody Maker, Raymond (Ray) Morrison had taken out legal action against the Foundations. During the court hearing that took three hours, Morrison claimed that he had discovered the talent of the group. He was unsuccessful in his bid to put freeze on a portion of the group's earnings. Morrison had served a six month sentence and had been released in July 1967. The case was heard by Judge Stamp who said in reference to the song, "Baby, Now That I've Found You", "I cannot understand how it can be suggested that a song which came into existence after Mr. Morrison had severed his connection with the group can be one in which he can have any share or interest". He also dismissed a similar motion against the Pye label.

Original recording and the Foundations Recording the song According to an interview of Alan Warner by Jack Hodgins' of Vinyl Vibes, (Radio 2NUR FM) Tony Macaulay had hired a room at the back of a pub for the band to rehearse the song. Macaulay walked out saying that it was terrible. But the group later recorded it in a studio.Vinyl Vibes, 23 Aug 2023 - Episode 31, Alan Warner - Original Guitarist of the Foundations - 19:04 Warner also said that the song was recorded two four track recorders running in snyc.Vinyl Vibes, 23 Aug 2023 - Episode 31, Alan Warner - Original Guitarist of the Foundations - 19:55 Warner said that there was some kind of coding (motion sensing) where the tapes would come back to the same position when re-wound. A man would have to have his hand on the flange, and if one tape sped up he would slow it down.Vinyl Vibes, 23 Aug 2023 - Episode 31, Alan Warner - Original Guitarist of the Foundations - 23:10 - 24:00 They used Eric Ford in place of the Foundations bass player. The rest of the band was used and John MacLeod played piano. Vinyl Vibes, 23 Aug 2023 - Episode 31, Alan Warner - Original Guitarist of the Foundations - 23:30 -26:25

According to Tony Macualay, the group had a useful horn section, and the song was recorded in a number of takes and had to be finished off with the help of backing singers. Eric Allandale, the group's trombonist recalled things a bit differently and said that the song was done in a couple of takes.The Foundations, Baby Now That I've Found You CD Sequel Records – NEECD 300 Notes by Roger Dopson

According to the book, When Music Migrates Crossing British and European Racial Faultlines, 1945–2010, by Professor Jon Stratton, Clem Curtis, a former Trinidadian boxer sounded like he was singing in phonetic English and the music was awkward. The book made a reference to "Alan Warner's guitar reggae-derived guitar chank sitting uneasily with Tom Jones horn chants and cod-Motown rhythms".

On 25 August 1967 the Foundations released the song as their debut single. It was a sleeper,Disc and Music Echo, October 21, 1967 - Page 10 FOUNDATIONS -EIGHT NAMES FROM NOWHERE and for ten weeks it wasn't doing anything.Billboard, April 26, 1969 - Page 60 Barry Class * continued from page 43 Unlike The Ways and Means' single, "Sea of Faces" which was played on and became a hit on pirate radio stations, Radio City and Radio Caroline, "Baby, Now that I've Found You" was not played on them.The Pirate Radio Hall of Fame - The City Sixties, The City Sixty, 1 - 8 January 1967Radio London Ltd - Radio Caroline Countdown Of Sound, Last week 44, This week 41 Sea Of Faces, Ways & Means Luckily for the Foundations, their song was not being played on the pirate stations at that stage. The newly launched BBC Radio 1 was avoiding those singles that were being played on the pirate stations.Song Facts - Baby, Now That I've Found You by The Foundations

Musicians Eric Allandale - trombone Pat Burke - saxophone Clem Curtis - lead vocal Mike Elliott - saxophone Eric Ford - bass Tony Gomesz - organ Tim Harris - drums John Macleod - piano Alan Warner - guitar Unknown - backing vocals

Chart performance and success After receiving airplay on BBC Radio 1, it met with great success. Having moved up from the previous week's no. 2 spot, "Baby, Now That I've Found You" replaced The Bee Gees' single, "Massachusetts" in the no. 1 spot of the Melody Maker Pop 30 chart.Melody Maker, 11 November 1967 - Page 2 MELODY MAKER POP 30 1 (2) BABY NOW THAT I'VE FOUND YOU ...... Foundations, Pye The Foundations now had their picture on the front page of the 11 November issue of Melody Maker. It was still at no. 1 the following week,Melody Maker, 18 November 1967 - Page 2 MELODY MAKER POP 30 1 (1) BABY NOW THAT I'VE FOUND YOU ...... Foundations, Pye confirming the two weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart status. It was also noted in the Melody Maker magazine that week that Ron Fairway was no longer director of Class Management. This left Barry Class in sole charge of things.Melody Maker, 18 November 1969 - Page 1 Foundations rocked by management split

The 25 November 1967 issue of Disc and Music Echo wrote that the Foundations had qualified for the Silver Disc award for British sales of the disc reaching 250,000.Disc and Music Echo, 25 November 1967 - Foundations: Silver Disc, new single date

The record would become a number 11 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. The song also reached number 1 on the Canadian RPM magazine charts on 10 February 1968.

The B side "Come On Back to Me" made the Record World, One Stop Top Ten chart in the Consolidated One Stop Detroit, Michigan section. It was no. 5 on the week of 10 February 1968.Record World, 10 February 1968 -Page 37 record world ONE STOP TOP TEN, CONSOLIDATED ONE STOP Detroit, Michigan

The 10 February 1968 issue of Billboard ran a picture of three of the band members and Louis Benjamin, head of Pye Records presenting a gold record to them. This was to mark the million sales of their debut single. Also in the picture was the group's manager Barry Class.Billboard, 10 February 1968 - Page 40 International News Reports, PYE RECORDS (London) chief Louis Benjamin presents a gold disk to three members of the Foundations

Other recordings Another version of the song was recorded by the Foundations in 1968, featuring Colin Young, Clem Curtis' replacement. This was on a Marble Arch album that featured newer stereo versions of their previous hits.

In 1977, RCA Records release the Dan Schafer remake of the Foundations' hit single, working with producers Bruce Goldberg and Don Davis for the RCA Victor distributed 'Tortoise International' label based out of Detroit.

Clem Curtis, the original lead singer of the band, recorded his own version which was released on the Opium label OPIN 001 as a 7" single and a 12" version OPINT001 in 1987. In the late 1980s, Clem Curtis and Alan Warner teamed up to recut "Baby, Now That I've Found You" and "Build Me Up Buttercup", as well as other hits of the Foundations.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1967–1968)PeakpositionAustralia Go-Set21Belgium19Canada RPM1Netherlands13New Zealand16Norway6South Africa10UK1U.S. Billboard Hot 100[Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002]11U.S. Record World9U.S. Cash Box Top 1008

Year-end charts Chart (1967)RankUK13 Chart (1968)RankCanada46U.S. Billboard83U.S. Cash Box47

Alison Krauss version

In 1995, American bluegrass-country singer Alison Krauss released the song as a single from her compilation album Now That I've Found You: A Collection. Her version appeared in the Australian comedy film, The Castle. It peaked at number 49 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. The song won the 1996 Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. In 2024, Rolling Stone ranked the song at #135 on its 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time ranking.

Charts Weekly charts Chart (1995)PeakpositionIceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)6

Awards and nominations AwardCategoryResult38th Grammy AwardsBest Female Country Vocal Performance

Cover versions On July 23, 2026, American singer/actress Ella Bright released a duet version of the song, titled "Baby Now That I Found You", with Irish singer Niall Horan; the song was taken from the Off Campus soundtrack.

Use in film The Foundations' recording of the song appeared on the soundtrack to the film Shallow Hal. The Alison Krauss version was featured in the 1997 Australian comedy, The Castle. Her rendition was also featured in the end credits of the 2001 film Delivering Milo.

References

External links The Foundations channel, 22 Dec 2022 - The Foundations - Baby Now That I've Found You (Mono) (Official Audio) STEREO in channel, 25 Mar 2023 - The Foundations - Baby, Now That I've Found You - 1967 (STEREO in) stereo re-mix (audio) DooWop Darrell channel, 31 Dec 2013 - The Foundations - Come On Back To Me (original single version audio)