Songfacts®:

• "Baby Talk" is the biggest hit for Alisha, a New York City dance singer born Alisha Ann Itkin. The song was written and originally recorded by Gregg Brown, a percussionist known for his work in the group Osibisa. His version, which has a soulful R&B sound, was released as a single in 1984 but got little attention. Alisha turned it into a freestyle jam and released it the following year. Her version went to #1 on the Dance chart.
• Isaac Hayes produced the original version of the song by Gregg Brown and also played keyboards and synthesizer on the track.
• The song plays on the double meaning of the title phrase. "Baby talk" is childlike cooing that can be either endearing or annoying, depending on the speaker. This song adds an invisible comma, asking, "Baby, talk to me." It's all about opening a line of communication so the couple can open up to each other and move things forward.
• Alisha's producer was Mark Berry, a big player in the East Coast freestyle music scene. He also worked A&R at Vanguard Records, Alisha's label.
• In the music video, Alisha performs at a club, where a special guy is in the audience. She's seemingly singing to him, hoping to make a connection. At the end, she gets her wish as he approaches her and says, "Hey, can we go somewhere and talk?"