Executive Summary

“Babe, What Would You Say”—released in late 1972 and rising to major chart success in early 1973—is a classic example of a song whose momentary popularity failed to translate into long-term cultural memory. Despite reaching the Top 3 in the United States, receiving heavy radio play, and briefly making its creator Hurricane Smith a recognizable name, the song is largely absent from modern retrospective playlists, documentary overviews, and nostalgic revivals of the era.

This white paper examines the causes and nature of its obscurity. The analysis finds that the song’s disappearance is not merely a matter of taste but the product of structural, cultural, and narrative factors that shape which hits endure and which vanish. These include:

A retro novelty aesthetic that limited long-term resonance The performer’s unusual career narrative (producer → singer) without sustained output Genre and market position that placed the song outside rock, soul, folk, or disco—the dominant frameworks for 1970s nostalgia The absence of a cultural “hook,” mythology, or ongoing artistic identity Timing within a fast-changing musical landscape Weakness in catalog reinforcement (reissues, licensing, documentaries, biographical interest)

These factors combined to create a situation where the song was remembered affectionately by those who heard it but was not integrated into the stories pop culture chooses to retell.

I. Introduction: The Case of the Forgotten Hit

Many songs from the same period retain strong cultural visibility—whether by radio rotation, inclusion in films, documentary references, or the ongoing fame of their artists. Yet “Babe, What Would You Say,” despite its commercial success, is almost wholly absent from the canon of early 1970s popular music.

The contrast raises a deeper question:

How do some hits become timeless while others vanish despite comparable commercial success?

This paper examines that question through the lens of this specific case study.

II. The Song: A Brief Contextual Overview

Released: Late 1972 U.S. Peak: #3 on Billboard Hot 100 (February 1973) Artist: Hurricane Smith (Norman Smith), already notable as a producer for The Beatles and Pink Floyd Musical Style: A nostalgic, 1930s–40s-inspired pop-jazz pastiche featuring clarinet, crooning vocals, and a whimsical arrangement Audience Reception: Warm, charming, affectionate—a novelty flavored callback to an earlier musical era

The song’s success was genuine but fragile, anchored less in the coherency of a rising artistic persona and more in the appeal of an unusual, sentimental curiosity.

III. Structural Factors That Contribute to Long-Term Musical Obscurity

1. Lack of Artist Persona Continuity

Hurricane Smith was not a career performer:

His fame prior to the song was behind the scenes His vocal style was unconventional He did not build a sustained singer-songwriter brand There was no follow-up narrative (no second major hit, no evolving public identity)

Long-term musical memory tends to anchor itself in persona narratives, not isolated events. Artists like Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Carly Simon, or Paul Simon endured because audiences followed a story.

Smith’s story was unusual—and not repeated enough to remain visible.

2. The Song’s Retro Style Worked Against Long-Term Relevance

“Babe, What Would You Say” was deliberately crafted as a charming pastiche:

Clarinet leads Vaudeville-era melodic sensibility A crooner-style approach mismatched with mainstream ’70s trends Whimsical, almost theatrical delivery

While the retro flavor was novel in 1973, it did not map onto any enduring genre revival. This is crucial. Songs associated with big, sustained genres (rock, disco, folk, Motown, R&B, singer-songwriter pop) get revived because those genres get revived.

But:

1930s nostalgia was a fleeting moment, not a sustained category The song’s quirkiness made it a period curio, not a timeless standard Contemporary generations have no genre-based pathway to rediscover it

There is little institutional incentive (e.g., playlist curation, radio format slots) to surface such a stylistic outlier.

3. Market Positioning and the Lack of a Cohort

Other songs survive because they belong to musical families:

“classic rock” “70s folk-pop” “Yacht rock” “Motown classics” “Disco essentials”

“Babe, What Would You Say” belongs to none. It has:

No adjacent hits forming a cluster No sibling songs within a subgenre No association with a movement or cultural trend No placement in a retrospective playlist category

Hits survive when they can be grouped. This one cannot.

4. Insufficient Media Reinforcement Over Time

Enduring songs are kept alive by:

Placement in film and TV soundtracks Advertising licensing Documentaries Biographical films Iconic live performances Anthologizing (e.g., “Greatest 70s Songs” lists)

“Babe, What Would You Say” is rarely licensed because:

Its sound is too stylistically specific It evokes no major cultural event There is no artist mythology to leverage The song is not associated with social change, political eras, or cinematic nostalgia Its gentle novelty makes it hard to place in dramatic or comedic contexts

Without periodic reinforcement, even popular works fade.

5. Absence of Fanbase Transmission

Many artists who survive in cultural memory have:

Fandoms Tribute acts Continuously repackaged catalogs Generational “hand-off” mechanisms (parents → teenagers) Radio formats dedicated to their style

But Hurricane Smith:

Did not have a dedicated fanbase Did not release multiple beloved albums Did not tour as a major act Did not have a concentrated demographic that nostalgically preserved his work Did not have rock critics reinforcing his legacy Did not have a cult following

Thus no community carried the song forward.

6. Musical and Vocal Idiosyncrasy

Smith’s voice is unusual—almost talk-sung, with a nasally, quavering timbre. While charming to some, it lacks the vocal charisma associated with enduring pop stars.

Timeless songs generally feature:

Distinct but broadly appealing voices Performers with multiple hits reinforcing recognition

Here, the mismatch between the charm of the arrangement and the unconventional delivery limited the song’s long-term resonance.

7. The Rapid Evolution of Early 1970s Pop

The early ’70s were a period of enormous musical diversification:

Hard rock and early metal emerging Progressive rock at its height Soul and funk dominant Singer-songwriter movement exploding Proto-disco emerging Country-pop crossover rising Glam rock in the U.K.

In that landscape, “Babe, What Would You Say” was a charming outlier. When cultural memory later returned to the early ’70s, it spotlighted the defining trends, not the anomalies.

It is overshadowed by the era’s giants because it simply did not belong to their world.

IV. Comparative Analysis: Why Other Contemporary Hits Endured

To clarify the nature of the song’s obscurity, contrast it with other 1972–73 hits that remain well known:

1. Songs associated with iconic artists

Examples: Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Led Zeppelin

These survive because the artists remain central to music history.

2. Songs connected to enduring genres

Examples: classic rock anthems, Motown classics, disco pioneers

These survive because the genre is continuously celebrated.

“Babe, What Would You Say” lacks both.

3. Songs linked to cultural narratives

Some hits endure because they are tied to:

movies historical events subcultures youth movements generational identity

Smith’s song, by contrast, is disconnected from broader cultural narratives.

V. The Nature of Its Obscurity: A Summary Profile

The obscurity is benign rather than negative. It can be described as:

Affectionate marginalization: remembered fondly by those who heard it Catalog invisibility: rarely reissued, remastered, or licensed Narrative displacement: overshadowed by the stories we tell about the ’70s Genre isolation: belonging to a style without historical defenders Persona disconnect: artist not integrated into pop stardom history Market silence: playlists, radio, and critics have given it little oxygen

This is the typical pattern for hits that were popular because they were “pleasant novelties” rather than because they were part of an artistic movement or a major musician’s corpus.

VI. Broader Lessons About the Preservation of Popular Music

The case of “Babe, What Would You Say” illustrates several important dynamics:

1. Popularity is not legacy.

A hit song may achieve enormous short-term success yet leave no enduring mark.

2. Cultural survival depends on frameworks.

Songs survive when they belong to cultural categories capable of being retold.

3. Artist mythology matters.

The more narratively compelling the artist, the more likely their works remain visible.

4. Media reinforcement is essential.

Licensing, documentaries, playlists, and critical discourse keep songs alive.

5. Novelty enjoys momentary attention, not longevity.

Songs that rely heavily on uniqueness often struggle to maintain relevance.

VII. Conclusion: An Obscure Jewel Without a Narrative Home

“Babe, What Would You Say” is not forgotten because it lacked quality; indeed, its craftsmanship, charm, and emotional sincerity explain why it became a hit. Rather, it is forgotten because it:

lacks a genre home, lacks an artist with a sustained public identity, lacks a cultural narrative, lacks fanbase maintenance, and lacks media reinforcement.

It is a song without a tribe, a hit without a legacy infrastructure, and a delightful artifact of a moment that left no successors. In cultural terms, it is a singular event, not a branch of a continuing story.

This is the paradox of its obscurity:

It was too distinctive to last, yet too briefly central to be mythologized.

And so it survives quietly—fondly recalled by those who were there, but absent from the grand narratives that define the musical memory of the 1970s.