Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow
"Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow", also known as "Baretta's Theme", is a song written by Morgan Ames and Dave Grusin, recorded by multiple artists during the summer of 1975. Merry Clayton's version was the first to chart, reaching #45 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
A version by Rhythm Heritage became a Top 20 hit in 1976. The band recorded it as a semi-instrumental number, with subdued vocals by Oren and Luther Waters. It was selected as the theme to the TV show Baretta, starring Robert Blake. "Baretta's Theme" was released as a single in the spring of 1976, reaching #20 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #15 in Canada.
Chart history
;Merry Clayton| Chart | Peak position |
| Canada RPM Top Singles | 71 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 45 |
| U.S. Billboard R&B | 42 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100 | 58 |
;Sammy Davis Jr.
| Chart | Peak position |
| U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 | 101 |
;Rhythm Heritage
| Chart | Peak position |
| Canada RPM Adult Contemporary | 22 |
| Canada RPM Top Singles | 15 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 20 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 14 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100 | 16 |
Other versions
- The Latin band El Chicano covered the song on their 1975 LP Pyramid of Love and Friends.
- Sammy Davis Jr.'s version of "Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow" was released in 1976. It reached #101 on the Billboard Bubbling Under chart.