Bob Telson sings Calling You (from Bagdad Cafe)

I wrote this song in 1987 for the movie Bagdad Cafe. The original version was sung by Jevetta Steele. In February 2016 Charles Dennis filmed me performing Calling You at Bar Lunatico, Brooklyn.

[@TheUrszulat]

This song could only have been written by a great soul. Haunting, mesmerising, and uplifting and profoundly melancholic too.

[@jasonzions7308]

In 1991, Canadian singer Holly Cole released her version on her album Blame It on My Youth (Holly Cole Trio). I'd thought that version was definitively powerful and evocative. It's still pretty amazing, but this performance... wow.

[@1dantown]

One of the best songs of the last 50 years.

[@ssoupayan]

This song always feels like written by a siren. Hauntingly beautiful while melancholy.

[@53pittmanjt]

This song is a gift you have left for the ages.

[@m.8065]

In all my years of life, no other song has ever touched my heart. Mourning my husband my heart.

[@stacykozusyn9852]

My heart goes out to you

[@johncalloway1129]

I have been mesmerized by this song for years. Stops me in my tracks...

[@fido652]

Bob, this was your moment of genius ! The chorus comes out of nowhere, hovering on that strange sequence of diminished chords that catch at the heart. Now you belong to the ages...

[@Jelam1]

One of my favorite songs, haunting and bittersweet 😌

[@markthompson9056]

Absolutely!

[@francescoamadio4311]

One of the advantages of listening to the actual author singing: for the first time ever I heard the third verse of this song. And it was awesome!

[@bobtelson2877]

Glad you liked verse 3! Here's the story: for the movie I only wrote the 2 verses you hear there. Many years later, I got a call from Barbra Streisand's producer that she wanted to record the song but requested that I write a 3rd verse! And so I did...

[@mariaroca5762]

One of the best songs ever written. This song has been with me always. What a gift. What a thing you did. You can leave this earth knowing that there are thousands of people out there with your song in their hearts and minds. When a song like this shows up it's a true miracle. Not to many of these...

[@lindalewis3145]

My favorite song ever!! It was the perfect most haunting song from the equally beautiful film, Bagdad Café. Levetta Steel's voice was so haunting, it will always be a personal favorite. Thank you Mr. Telson, I love your version as well!

[@josephballerini3730]

There is no other song like this. Such interesting chords and melody.

[@curtistisdale8150]

This is such a joy to see and hear 'The Originator' of "This Gem"... The harmonica in the radio/movie gives it a bit of dust road vibe....Your tone, and voice is just Beautiful.....Ms. Steele, took your words, feelings and really brought it to life....

[@pueraeternus111]

One of the greatest love songs ever written.

[@Pattyben12]

Siempre lloro al oír esta canción , es cómo si mi alma viviera en un segundo toda mi complicada vida .....😢😢😢😢😢❤❤❤❤

[@rasahndaniels6162]

Thank you writing for such a mesmerizing song. Your falsetto is great as well!

[@anamorphosys85]

Oh my god, what a treasure I've stumbled upon. It's always a treat to hear the song from the composer himself and in your case, it's nothing less than a feast for my ears. This song has always been in my heart for so many years, sung by many artists, notably Jevetta Steele, then Jeff Buckley, then Celine Dion, and now it seems it comes full circle with your interpretation. I can hear the longing, the melancholy in your voice so well that it resonates within my soul. Thank you Bob Telson for your song!

[@markthompson9056]

Tragic of Jeff's untimely accidental drowning in the Mississippi.

[@WilliamDuarte1]

Thanks Bob Telson, congrats from Brazil!

[@michaelperron7102]

One of the most beautiful song Ever in the Cinema Industry

[@FLeigh12]

Well. That was a surprise. I was going to scout out the songwriter of this monstrosity and chastise them. And THEN I found THIS version of the song. The mastermind himself.! --- I listened to two singers performing it, one was Celine, and still I hated it. I mean where is the melody..?. The chorus is everything, but this '' I I I am calling you '' is horrendous.!. BUT the beginning is masterful and gives you goose bumps. BEST VERSION OF THIS SONG.! ❤ ❤ ❤

[@ninadurante4472]

Bravissimo il mio grande amico Bob..sono orgogliosa di avere un amico come te..ma noi siamo diventati amici prima che io sapessi che eri un cantante famoso..grande Bob❤

[@bobtelson2877]

Tante grazie Nina. Abbraccio grande! Bob & Grace

[@Etombayambo]

A masterpiece. Bravo Bob

[@jeonseoulmusic1916]

Thank you. Bob Telson. 🙏

[@ericsutherlandmusic1664]

Thank you for this awesome music. I first saw Bagdad Cafe in the late 90's as a kid on the Independent Film Channel. The film description said it was rated R for nudity, and being an 11 year old boy, I was in for the duration. Little did I know, I was about to see one of the best indy films I'd ever see, and this song captured my attention completely, even at 11 year. It remains a favorite and is in my permanent rotating playlist :)

[@domrafones]

Masterpiece

[@carlosdossantos917]

It takes a very sensitive artist to do this song justice, not just a good singer. The lyrics, phrasing, and emotion are expertly written by this man. When done right, this song makes you think of deep, deep feelings and memories. Longing...

[@DemonHorrorProductions]

Thank you Bob Telson for such a beautiful song. Since I discovered the movie at a library in 2015 I listen to it in my car. The movie and song gave me hope when I was with my son who was 4 yrs. old at a time that we were almost homeless, jobless and all alone. No real help from my close relatives. Practically a stranger helped us at the end gave us shelter until I was able to get back on my feet. We are good friends now. My son calls him Uncle John.

[@iracemawerneck]

And you are such a great composer !And you sing with all your heart. Thanks!

[@elizbeer]

Greetings from Mexico 🇲🇽. Thanks for your gift to the world!!!

[@rondalancaster1747]

Absolutely mesmerizing

[@funwithFred]

A wonderful, wonderful song. Loved the film, and this song so captured the mood. It is great to see the songwriter perform the song.........lovely. Such a haunting lovely song......

[@yorkyorkshireterrier9514]

the best. He is the best. Seriously. The best performance Calling You (from Bagdad Cafe). The best timbre, voice, voice. I'm amazing. The perfect recording. My equipment receives this recording perfectly. He plays himself, sings himself. Genius. On jest najlepszy. Serio. Najlepsze wykonanie Calling You (from Bagdad Cafe). Najlepsza barwa głosu, siła głosu, czystość głosu. Jestem zachwycowna. Idealne nagranie. Mój sprzęt odbiera to nagranie idealnie. Sam gra, sam śpiewa. Geniusz.

[@Seventysongs]

I love her song since I first heard it in the movie Bagdad Café. Congrats, she's a jewel.

[@keithgardner5818]

Oh my god. I wish I had been there.

[@PushkarCarlotto]

This is an incredible piece if music, with such care of counterpoint and motivic development. Written by a true composer. And what a song! I can never forget the impact it had when I was in my teens. Thank you!

[@eduardomarochidesmeirelles4154]

What a great song and great performance! 👏👏👏

[@iracemawerneck]

This song is so beautiful! my heart starts to hurt, in the chorus...

[@jennifera6631]

Your song makes my heart fuller.❤️

[@bobtelson2877]

Thanks Jennifer- your reply, in turn, makes my heart fuller!

[@jennifera6631]

@@bobtelson2877 after reading your reply, I listened to your song again, this time with my eyes closed and mouthed the words as if your voice was coming from a place deep within me...........thank you Bob.

[@alonshimonshaikaspi5956]

For me the drop 2 voicing on the first GMaj7 Chord sets the haunting atmosphere of this masterpiece so well. I love this song... (sorry for the jargon use, and I may not even be correct but that harmony always fascinated me...) Every time I listen to this piano accompaniment I hear new wonderful things - I feel a transcription coming. Big big Bravo 👋👋👋👋👋

[@BenjaOM42]

One of my favorite songs of all time. Amazing singing and congratulations for writing such an Amazing song. Thank you !

[@foxibot]

I wondered who wrote this. It reminds me of someone who has lost a loved one and is calling to them and then they break through and the loved one hears them and calls back. Or when you have someone you love and maybe are separated by distance and you know they are in trouble, my Fiancé that has known me he spa long time since we were kids, and wasn’t with me at that time in our lives swears he woke up cause he heard me calling him in a dream and that I was in trouble, and he was right as afar as I was experiencing some great difficulty in that part of my life and was in some real danger, and so I believe he heard me across space and time and then we were reunited and he fought like crazy to get me to know he loved me.

[@dragonfliesnh4204]

I heard this song on American Horror Stories Season 11, episode 9. It was sung by Patti LuPone. It was quite a powerful and emotional scene. There is something about this song so I decided to see if there was a male cover of this. Upon my search I found this one here and you did an amazing job!

[@bobtelson2877]

Thanks for the good word- I also happened to write the tune, so not sure if it can be called a cover!

[@dragonfliesnh4204]

@@bobtelson2877 You're welcome! I don't know if there is better word to use than "cover". Your version is definitely all you and not a recorded audio that you are singing to. But when I searched with the term "male cover" yours came up and it was the best male version I found. 🥰

[@bobtelson2877]

@@dragonfliesnh4204 Nice!

[@kathleenrogers10]

Oh my word, masterpiece. I’ve been listening to the film version. This is a treat!

[@philhoggmusic]

Really a revelation! Thank you so much for this beautiful song and this great performance!

[@GoddessOfNurturingLove]

One of my favorites, thank you for writing such an absolutely beautiful song.🥹💕

[@yasmimlorena2281]

The best voice

[@deljames9750]

Magic moment 👌

[@debz6110]

Such a unique piece. Unforgettable!!!

[@olvinyldude]

I wish, one day to fix that Coffee Machine of theirs... It made me feel so bad for them!

[@angelaferraz2732]

Que espetáculo de música e voz!!!!

[@gaylachiriaco8667]

A unique and haunting melody. You sing it so beautifully. Perfect music for the film. I never grow tired of this beautiful song.

[@leadchick]

I was pleased to find Jevetta's version of the song from the movie here. But, I've got to admit, I'm surprised by the number of vocalists who have performed your song, Bob! I remember hearing it while watching the movie and being captivated by its magic. Thank you for posting your performance of the song you created. It's timeless!

[@Pattyben12]

Amazing ❤❤❤❤❤

[@vivifalabella]

I love your song so much. I went to Clasica y Moderna for your gig and farewell.

[@jamesevanperez536]

Wow. It was my first time hearing this song tonight. WOW!!! Ahh, what a beautiful piece! Thank you!! It's going to be fun and exciting to express this!

[@sereneamani1713]

JXP Did you listen to Jevetta Steele's rendition?

[@juliatymochko2331]

Thank you for third version of lyrics . Nobody never ever sing it because they don't know that version or they don't want to!? It was the real big surprise for me!!! I'm gonna walk through the dessert to find you.... Tell me, please when you sing- I'm calling you- what does it mean? You call for some you love?

[@bobtelson2877]

Hi Julia, thanks for your warm comments! Here, from an interview I did, are the answers to your questions: How do you write a song like Calling You? What was the directive? I wish I knew; I’d write another that good. Actually, in was a confluence of events: 1. I had my first opportunity to write for a movie - which became Bagdad Cafe. 2. My girlfriend in Vienna (I was in NY) and I were breaking up. I didn’t have enough energy to get out of bed all day. Finally, guilty about my three months of procrastination, I woke up one Saturday morning and said to myself, ‘today I’m gonna write that song’. So I sat at my piano and thought about the desert, the open land, the quiet, and in it the coffee machine, the hot dry wind, the baby crying… and began to play the four-note arpeggio, recalling Bach WTC, that spells out each chord in the verse, where the last three notes of each chord stay the same and only the bass note changes, giving the feeling of being in the same place but with different lighting. As the morning becomes noonday become dusk in Bagdad Cafe. But the chorus is where the emotion, the yearning, lie. The rich and sensuous harmonic movement had to happen, a chromaticism where before it was diatonic. And I sang “I am calling you” - probably because the only thing happening in m life at that moment was the 30-minute phone call to Vienna every other day. Didn’t get the girl, but I did get the song. Funny, really it’s mostly intuition. But as your fingers play something (maybe something you feel more than you know), you recognise the intention and how it works. In 90 minutes I had the whole song, even 90 per cent of the lyrics. When Barbra Streisand asked you to write another verse to Calling You, what was your reaction? I was honoured that she loved my song so much that she wanted her own personal verse to sing! Incidentally, the version I just sang for my new CD American Dreamers has that verse in it too, so I guess I do like it. The original verses are pure description, so finally in the new verse there’s action!

[@truthseekermia387]

This is the most haunting, beautiful cry of longing. This may be my most favorite piece of music in the world. Makes me feel to the bones of my soul. Thank you.

[@bobtelson2877]

Thank you Mia!

[@MsGagalin]

I'm happy to see who wrote this mesmerizing, beautiful song. My favorite version was sung by George Michael along with Lynn Mabry.

[@nzazzara3111]

Yes!!!

[@patrickhicks9880]

i used to work in a cinema when this film came out this song stopped me in my tracks i love it

[@MandaLynn_Fern]

Thank you so much for sharing your song! It’s very special to hear you perform it. Thanks to @philhoggmusic for sending us to your channel from his livestream :)

[@mariadagracamarquesgurgel2927]

You’re extraordinary singer and composer. I really would like to know you: you are soft and convey a lot of emotions

[@cvsop7338]

amazing song for ever......

[@Tlaxotlalichtli]

A masterpiece! What a beautiful song.

[@debz6110]

Just haunting!!!! absolutely remarkable. I could travel to another place in my mind!. Thank you!!!

[@bogartzen]

Roses, roses, roses Greetings from Norway

[@sereneamani1713]

bogartzen Ironic When I'm singing this song, I often make the mistake of saying from Vegas to Norway (instead of nowhere) lol

[@reginapontes5672]

It's my absolutely my favotite song on the cd BODY HEAT Jazz At The Movies. Wonderful job!

[@AnaLysator-H]

Der Song ist absolute Gott. Ich möchte es singen mit eigenem Text. Ich glaube Gott hat mich hergeschickt. Meine Stimme, muss es singen.

[@blackiefitzpatrick6611]

Thank you for the music Bob.

[@wangba]

You write soul-searing, heart-rendering music. You and Javetta Steele are magic.

[@DyEsp]

I was wary of listening to this version as I have loved Jevetta Steele's for 36 years, since seeing "Baghdad Cafe". But as I watched and heard your voice so purely and sweetly draw me in, I let myself drift on the current of the music, feeling the emotions the film engendered in a new way. Glad I took the time to listen to your song. (And the production was perfect for the piece)

[@violinchicklet]

Fell in love all over again

[@joaojunior6605]

Theo best Bob. Is Magic

[@bobtelson2877]

Thanks for the good word Stacy!

[@Sven.Bornemark]

Thank you soooo much for composing this wonderful, intelligent and uplifting song! It's been in my heart and on my repertoire since I first saw Bagdad Cafe. I love you!

[@judyt.5702]

Never heard the last verse before .💜🖤💗♥️Lovely

[@bobtelson2877]

The last verse didn't exist when I originally wrote the song. in 2002 Barbra Streisand sent me a message that she was going to record the song and asked if I could write a 3rd verse for her to sing. It was fun to dive back into that desert world again.

[@john_in_boston]

This recording is gorgeous. Depth, clarity, fire. Oh, and me? I've just been a mess since COLONUS '83, and in a very good way. THANK YOU, Bob Telson.

[@moya7433]

This song is YOURS!! Jevetta Steele's voice matches the content of the movie, but this is definitely YOUR song.

[@stacykozusyn9852]

Man oh man, that song makes me cry every time I hear it, it pierces my soul… I had forgotten all about it and then heard it on the radio for the first time in decades a few days ago. Thanks for this wonderful version.

[@mmorrisprods]

You da MAN!, Bob Telson.

[@chantalbeaupre931]

Magnifque!Je connaissais la version du film de 1987.L'auteur -compositeur interprète avec une grande sensibilité la version d'origine...

[@mindifihitonyourmum]

Love you dad, wherever you are.

[@kathrynfarmer3736]

My favorite song forever!!! You’re the greatest!❤️

[@brunoharmo]

Thanks you for this tune you composed !

[@siljasollien]

I Absolutely LOVE this BEAUTIFUL song of yours Bob! I sing it often when I play piano..... LOVE it! You are great!

[@bobtelson2877]

Thank you Sollien! I wrote that song a long time ago- if you'd like to hear what I'm doing now, go to bobtelson.com where you can hear my new album "Defying the Distances."

[@siljasollien]

@@bobtelson2877 First time I heard it - was when I saw the movie Bagdad Cafe..... that's a long time ago. But now - I have the sheets - and lyrics! I will check you out. I have some videos on youtube with my own music too. Feel free to check it out if you would like to. "I used to be" is a plain and simple one.... without anything else than my voice :)

[@olvinyldude]

Bob, such a great song here, you wrote...Thanx for sharing this for all...I love this film, you did amazing sing, as well... KEEP PLAYING THE MUSIC ! ! !

[@waltermartinez685]

Me Emociona , Saludos Bendiciones Arriba de Uruguay Walter Washington Martinez Gómez....🥲

[@angelaferraz2732]

Música maravilhosa!!! Bom demais ouvi-lo cantando!!!! Da pra fechar os olhos e sonhar…..

[@juliatymochko2331]

This is the most magical song I've ever heard and sang!!! So magical harmony, lyrics and special place in newberry springs,CA. Hope to be there some magical day!!!

[@Fedor8888888888888]

Great tune, really evocative. Another amazing rendition is the Jeff Buckley version, totally worth checking out.

[@diamondsareforever1011]

BeyondtheReal no you got to hear Arnold McCuller version it’s way better and the way he plays that piano Arnold use to be Phil Collins background singer his is more beautiful then this guy version it’s on you tube to check out you’ll be memorized how he plays that piano at the end it’s so beautiful and haunting 💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽

[@Average_Bloodborne_Enjoyer]

amazing!!! i always love to hear the true feeling behind any music!! and its only possible when the creator of the music sings

[@maryazimmet4595]

What a gorgeous solo.

[@kdl3996]

Hallo from Russia. The song - masterpiece. Not long ago I heard it by the first time by artist from Tbilisi - Gela Guralia. Fantastic performance.

[@marimdq]

Loving your voice and this wordeful song! A big hug from Argentina.

[@jodicoppernoll4901]

I just discovered this song in AHS/NYC and Patti Lupone's version. Such a beautiful, haunting, and moving song. Thank you so much for writing and sharing this song. It makes me feel so many things.

[@jooperino]

beautiful

[@user-wh4gi5uz1o]

Спасибо!

[@joannedeane3206]

Love this song and it is so wonderfully performed and sung with the jazzy notes.

[@centaviodehernandez]

Beautiful ❤️

[@paulromero3783]

I first saw this film back in 1988 when I was stationed in Rota Spain and I so loved the movie and watched it often. When the title pops up in my head this song is always playing! Thank you for writing such a beautiful melody!!! I think I'm going to rent theories tonight!!!