John Friesen | Through the Shattered Lens

There’s something timeless about Player’s “Baby Come Back.” The moment that smooth, shimmering guitar riff kicks in, you’re instantly transported to an era of feathered hair, smoky bars, and love songs that meant exactly what they said. Released in 1977, it’s the sound of a guy trying to keep it together after heartbreak — and not quite succeeding. Honestly, any song that uses the phrase “mask of false bravado” earns its “timeless” badge automatically. That’s pure emotional poetry hiding inside a silky yacht‑rock groove.

What makes it work is how effortlessly cool it sounds while being totally sincere. The production is sun‑drenched, the harmonies glide, and the rhythm section keeps everything smooth without ever getting sleepy. You can hear the singer trying to play it off, pretending he’s fine — but those gentle falsettos betray him at every turn. It’s heartbreak with charm, regret you can actually dance to. The song doesn’t wallow; it sways.

Nearly five decades later, “Baby Come Back” still hits that sweet spot between sad and suave. It’s for those quiet, reflective nights when you’re too proud to text first — but not too proud to sing along. There’s a warm nostalgia baked into every note, and that lyrical honesty feels a little rarer each passing year. Turns out, love and vulnerability age beautifully when wrapped in a melody this smooth.

Baby Come Back

Spending all my nights, all my money going out on the town
Doing anything just to get you off of my mind
But when the morning comes, I’m right back where I started again
And tryin’ to forget you is just a waste of time

Baby come back, any kind of fool could see
There was something in everything about you
Baby come back, you can blame it all on me
I was wrong and I just can’t live without you

All day long, I’m wearing a mask of false bravado
Trying to keep up a smile that hides a tear
But as the sun goes down, I get that empty feeling again
How I wish to God that you were here

Baby come back, oh baby, any kind of fool could see
There was something in everything about you
Baby come back, you can blame it all on me
I was wrong and I just can’t live without you, oh

Now that I put it all together, oh, oh
Give me the chance to make you see
Have you used up all the love in your heart?
Nothing left for me? Ain’t there nothing left for me?

Baby come back, oh darling, any kind of fool could see
There was something in everything about you
Baby come back, listen baby, you can blame it all on me
I was wrong and I just can’t live without you
I was wrong and I just can’t live

Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Fridays, I will be reviewing Friday the 13th: The Series, a show which ran in syndication from 1987 to 1990. The entire series can be found on YouTube!

This week, the show attempts a change of pace!

Episode 3.13 “Midnight Riders”

(Dir by Allan Eastman, originally aired on January 29th, 1990)

An odd episode, this one.

Jack, Micki, and Johnny head out to a small town so that Jack can look up into the night sky and see a once-in-a-lifetime convergence of the stars. However, possibly as a result of the convergence (it’s never really made clear), a bunch of dead motorcycle riders are resurrected and they rumble into town, seeking vengeance on everyone who took part in the death of their leader. If the bikers can kill every one of them, their leader will be resurrected. Finally, the ghost of Jack’s father (Dennis Thatcher) shows up and works with Jack to stop the bikers. It turns out that Jack and his father had a difficult relationship. Ryan had a difficult relationship with his father. Johnny was falsely accused of murdering his father. We’ve never met Micki’s father but he’s probably a jerk too.

The weird thing about this episode is that it didn’t feature a cursed antique. Instead, Jack and the crew went to a small town and supernatural stuff started happening shortly after they arrived. That’s okay, I guess. In theory, there’s nothing wrong with trying something new. But, at the same time, the cursed antiques were what set this show apart from all of the other supernaturally-themed television series out there. Personally, even when the antique’s curse makes no sense, I still enjoy seeing what the show comes up with.

This episode had a lot of atmosphere and a typically good performance from Chris Wiggins. The ghost bikers were never quite as intimidating as they should have been, despite all of the murders. If anything, they reminded me a bit too much of Sometime They Come Back. This episode was a change of pace and, as if often the case with things like this, it didn’t quite work. Here’s hoping next week will have a cursed antique!