"I just felt something come over me and I said, ‘Now we're gonna do our first number one record. It's called Baby Come Back – hope you like it": The story of the classic yacht rock single that Clive Davis rejected but the world fell in love with

American rock group Player, USA, 25th November 1977. Left to right: singer Peter Beckett, guitarist J.C. Crowley, touring keyboard player Wayne Cook, bassist Ronn Moss and drummer John Friesen. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images).

In the wake of his death, much has been written this week about Clive Davis’s ability to identify a hit when he heard it, but even legendary talent-spotters get it wrong sometimes.

Such was the case with '70s soft-rock outfit Player, and a 1977 song of theirs that would end up topping the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for three consecutive weeks. Prior to this, Davis had the chance to sign the band and release said song, but he elected to pass.