Cherrybaby: What's in a Name?

This is Wally and Leslie wondering what they've gotten themselves into with this orchard thing.

After Wally and I made an offer on our orchard last summer, our next thought was, “What will we name it?”   As usual, a song popped into my head - Cherry Oh Baby - and I said, “Let’s call it Cherrybaby.”  I know. It’s corny that I think that way, but there it is:  Cherrybaby.  It's doubly fitting, perhaps, because Wally and I are total novices at the cherry-growing business.

As a brand strategist, Wally advises clients about how to develop their brand.  Now we get to do it for ourselves.  We know we will have a business that is also a place – an orchard.  And we probably will want to play around with various products made from the crop; in the farming business, that’s called ‘value-added’ merchandise.  So, ultimately our brand will be both a place and a product.  

We’re years off still, and we haven’t done a creative brief or held any focus groups, but the first thing we did was secure the urls we might want to use. And as of now, we’re thinking of this structure:

• Business name:  Cherrybaby Orchards
• Product name:  Cherrybabies
• Alternate Product name (would allow us to segment product lines):  Cherubs
• Tag Line:  Made with love at Cherrybaby Orchards in Cashmere, WA.

All from a song.  Whatever.   

Control-click this link to hear the UB40 hit from 1983 and see below for the interesting history of this song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naUDVTM0d5c&feature=related

Cherry Oh Baby History -

Written by Jamaican singer-songwriter Eric Donaldson, Cherry Oh Baby won the Jamaican Festival Song Competition in 1971 - the first of Donaldson’s six wins, and the one to launch his career.  The song has staying power; it has been covered over the years by more than thirty artists, including the Rolling Stones and UB40 on their classic 1983 release, Labour of Love, which is where I first heard it. Here are the lyrics:

Cherry oh, Cherry oh, baby,
Don't you know I'm in need of thee?
If you don't believe it's true,
What have you left me to do?
So long I've been waiting,
For you to come right in.
And now that we are together,
Please make my joy run over.

[Chorus]
Oh oh ee oh oh ee oh,
Oh oh ee oh ee oh ee oh.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Cherry, oh, Cherry, oh, baby,
Don't you know I'm in love with you?
If you don't believe I do,
Then why don't you try me?
I'm never gonna let you down,
Never make you wear no frown.
If you say you love me madly,
Then Babe, I’ll receive you gladly.