After our interesting delve into the word ‘Ain’t’ yesterday, I thought it might be interesting to follow that up with some songs using the word ‘Can’t’. The origin of the word is older easier to discover than ‘Ain’t’. It first appeared in 1597 as a contraction of the word ‘Cannot’. I was always told at school that ‘can’t’ should not be used in formal language and was therefore a type of slang. However song writers have not taken this approbation too seriously and so it appears regularly in their titles.
“Can’t Help Falling in Love” is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley for the album Blue Hawaii (1961). It was written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore and George David Weiss and published by Gladys Music, Inc. The melody is based on “Plaisir d’amour”, a popular French love song composed in 1784 by Jean Paul Egide Martini. The song was initially written from the perspective of a woman as “Can’t Help Falling in Love with Him”, which explains the first and third line ending on “in” and “sin” rather than words rhyming with “you”.
“Can’t Buy Me Love” is a song by the The Beatles that was released in March 1964 as the A side of their sixth single. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon-McCartney partnership. The song was included on the group’s album A Hard Day’s Night and was featured in a scene in the film of the same name. The single topped charts in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and Sweden. In the UK, it was the fourth highest selling single of the 1960s.
“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” is a song by the Rolling Stones, released in 1965. It was written by Mick Jagger and Kieth Richards and produced by Andrew Loog Oldham. Richards’ guitar riff—intended to be replaced by horns—opens and drives the song. The song was first released as a single in the United States in June 1965 and was also featured on the American version of the Rolling Stones’ fourth studio album, Out of Our Heads, released that July. “Satisfaction” was a hit, giving the Stones their first number one in the US. In the UK, the song initially was played only on pirate radio stations, because its lyrics were considered too sexually suggestive. It later became the Rolling Stones’ fourth number one in the United Kingdom.
“You Can’t Hurry Love” is a 1966 song originally recorded by The Supremes on the Motown label. Written and produced by Motown production team Holland-Dozier-Holland, the song topped the United States Billboard, made the UK top five. It was released and peaked in late summer and early autumn in 1966. Sixteen years later, it would become a number-one hit in the UK when Phil Collins re-recorded the song. It reached number one in the UK for two weeks beginning in January 1983 and reached number 10 on the US Billboard that same month.
“Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” is a 1967 song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. It was recorded as a single by Frankie Valli. The song was among his biggest hits, earning a gold record and reaching No. 2 on the Billboard for a week. Gaudio was a bandmate of Valli’s in the Four Seasons.
“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” is a song by the Rolling Stones on their 1969 album Let It Bleed. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it was named as the 100th greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in its 2004 list of the “500 Greatest Songs of all Time”. The song was originally released on the B-side of “Honky Tonk Women” in July 1969. Although it did not chart at the time, Lonndon Records re-serviced the single in 1973 and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” reached number 42 on the Billboard.
“U Can’t Touch This” is a song co-written, produced and performed by MC Hammer from his 1990 album Please Hammer Don’t Hurt’ Em. Along with Hammer, Rick James shares songwriting credits with Alonzo Miller because the song samples the prominent opening riff of “Super Freak”. It has been used or referenced in television shows, films, commercials and other forms of media. The song is notable as the winner of the Best R&B and Rap Solo Song and the first rap song to be nominated for Record of the Year at the 33rd Grammy Awards in 1991. It peaked at No. 1 in the Billboard and on the charts in several countries.
“Can’t Get You Out of My Head” is a song recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her eighth studio album Fever (2001). Parlophone Records released the song as the album’s lead single in September 2001. “Can’t Get You Out of My Head”, which was written and produced by Cathy Dennis and Rob Davis, is a dance and neo-disco song that is known for its “la la la” hook. Its lyrics are about Minogue’s obsession with her love interest. Music critics praised the song’s production and Minogue’s vocals and labelled it a highlight of Fever. The song peaked at number one on charts in 40 countries worldwide including every European country except Finland.
“Can’t Stop the Feeling!” is a song by American singer Justin Timerlake. It was released in May 2016, for it to be the lead single for the soundtrack to the film Trolls (2016), for which Timberlake voiced the character “Branch” and served as the executive music producer. It was written and produced by Timberlake, Max Martin, and Shellback. Timberlake gave his first televised performance of “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” during the interval act of the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 grand final.
