"Can't Fight This Feeling" | ||||
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Single by REO Speedwagon | ||||
from the album Wheels Are Turnin' | ||||
B-side | "Break His Spell" | |||
Released | December 17, 1984 [1] | |||
Recorded | August 1984 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:54 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Songwriter(s) | Kevin Cronin | |||
Producer(s) | Kevin Cronin, Gary Richrath, Alan Gratzer | |||
REO Speedwagon singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Can't Fight This Feeling" on YouTube |
"Can't Fight This Feeling" is a power ballad [4] performed by the American rock band REO Speedwagon. The song first appeared on the 1984 album Wheels Are Turnin' . The single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and held the top spot for three consecutive weeks from March 9 to March 23, 1985. [5] It was the group's second and last number-one hit on the U.S. charts (the first being 1980's "Keep on Loving You", also written by Kevin Cronin) and reached number sixteen in the UK. [6] "Can't Fight This Feeling" has appeared on dozens of 'various artists' compilation albums, as well as several REO Speedwagon greatest hits albums. [7]
REO Speedwagon performed the song at the 1985 Live Aid concert; they were introduced by Chevy Chase. [8]
Cronin said that he wrote the verses years before, and had made a demo of it when he left REO Speedwagon briefly in the mid-70s. [9] Cronin finished writing the song in Hawaii while supposedly on a break from composing for the Wheels Are Turnin' album. [10] [11] According to REO Speedwagon drummer Alan Gratzer, the song is about a relationship Cronin had and it took Cronin several years to come up with all the lyrics. [12]
According to Cronin, the inspiration for the song was the hurt he felt when he became attracted to a woman who was part of his friend group. Cronin states that this woman was “…of course, going out with my friend, so I kept it to myself. There was a group of us who would hang out together...and she was always there. Eventually she and I were becoming friends, but there was no hanky-panky going on. The more I got to know her, the more I liked her, but I couldn't say anything about it.” [13]
Cronin said that he was only able to finish the song when he "couldn't fight the feeling anymore and made the move to kind of go for it." [13] He said he "knew those verses were something special because of the depth (of feeling). I felt for them. I couldn't force it." [13] Cronin said that when he did express his feelings to the woman, they ended up having a great relationship, and although it didn't last they remained friends. [13]
Cronin described the theme of the song as being about "that moment in time where...it gets too painful to be where you are and you know you have to change...but change is hard...and you overcome that fear of change." [11]
The other REO Speedwagon members referred to "Can't Fight This Feeling" as "that stupid ballad" until it became a charting hit. [11]
"Can’t Fight This Feeling" is in the key of A major.
Chicago Tribune critic Jan DeKnock said that the song "rode a pretty melody all the way to No. 1." [14] DeKnock also said that it was "the latest in a series of ballads that have found success on the dance-dominated charts with a tried and true formula: A melody that is pretty enough for adult contemporary listeners, with instrumentation that is strong enough for rock-oriented radio stations. [15] Billboard recommended the single, calling it a "midtempo rock ballad." [16] Rapid City Journal writer Mike Sanborn called it one of REO Speedwagon's "best ballads." [17] Palm Beach Post music writer Leslie Gray Streeter named it her 3rd greatest power ballad. [18] Arizona Republic writer Andrew Means noted that the song "has a similar tone of emotional frailty [as some ballads on Hi Infidelity ], which revives comparisons with such so-called 'corporate rock' entities as Foreigner and Journey." [19] Streeter attributes the song's success to its combination of "frighteningly candid emotion with searing rock guitar. [13] But Greg Kennedy of the Red Deer Advocate called it a "bland formula-fed composition." [20]
Austin American-Statesman writer Drew Carr felt that the performance of REO Speedwagon keyboardist Neal Doughty was particularly effective on this song. [21]
Two different music videos exist for the song. Both videos have been shown at various times on VH1 Classic (now known as MTV Classic).
The videotaped version was produced by MTV for a special on REO Speedwagon and features the band in the studio. It begins with Kevin Cronin playing the piano, attempting to find the key in which he can best sing the song (starting off in G major, he later decides he can sing it better in A). After Cronin exchanges some laughs with his bandmates, the original track of the song plays, with the band members miming their respective parts. It concludes with Cronin uttering the line, "That warmed the cockles of my cockles!" [22]
The second more famous version, directed by John Jopson, was considered a "more professional one" and makes various references to the life-cycle and shows the band singing the song. [23]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Canada (Music Canada) [48] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [49] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [50] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
"Can't Fight This Feeling" | ||||
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Single by Bastille featuring London Contemporary Orchestra | ||||
from the album Doom Days: This Got Out of Hand Edition | ||||
Released | November 19, 2019 | |||
Recorded | 2019 | |||
Length | 3:18 | |||
Label | Virgin EMI Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Kevin Cronin | |||
Bastille singles chronology | ||||
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In 2019, English indie pop band Bastille released a cover version of the song, featuring the London Contemporary Orchestra. It was released on November 19, 2019, by Virgin EMI Records. The song was selected as the soundtrack to the 2019 John Lewis Christmas advert. [51] [52]
Chart (2019–2020) | Peak position |
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Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders) [53] | 23 |
Euro Digital Song Sales ( Billboard ) [54] | 7 |
Scotland (OCC) [55] | 4 |
UK Singles (OCC) [56] | 39 |
REO Speedwagon, or simply REO, is an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. Their best-selling album, Hi Infidelity (1980), contained four US Top 40 hits and sold more than 10 million copies.
Hi Infidelity is the ninth studio album by American rock band REO Speedwagon, released on November 21, 1980, by Epic Records. The album became a big hit in the United States, peaking at number one on the Billboard 200, spending 15 weeks at number one. It went on to become the biggest-selling album of 1981, eventually being certified 10 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The Earth, a Small Man, His Dog and a Chicken is the thirteenth studio album by REO Speedwagon, and was released in 1990.
Wheels Are Turnin' is the eleventh studio album by REO Speedwagon, released in November 1984. It reached No. 7 on the Billboard 200. The lead single was "I Do' Wanna Know," which stalled at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100. The second single, "Can't Fight This Feeling," was REO's second and longest-running number one single. Other singles released were "One Lonely Night" and "Live Every Moment". These singles also reached the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, reaching #19 and #34, respectively. The singles from the album also had success on other Billboard charts: "Can't Fight This Feeling" and "I Do' Wanna Know" each reached #5 on the Mainstream Rock chart, with "One Lonely Night" reaching #17, and "Can't Fight This Feeling" and "One Lonely Night" reached #3 and #10, respectively on the Adult Contemporary chart.
"Keep On Loving You" is a ballad written by Kevin Cronin and performed by American rock band REO Speedwagon. It features the lead guitar work of Gary Richrath. The song first appeared on REO Speedwagon's 1980 album Hi Infidelity. It was the first REO Speedwagon single to break the top 50 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, reaching the number-one spot for one week in March 1981. The single was certified platinum for U.S. sales of over one million copies. It peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart.
You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can't Tuna Fish is the seventh studio album by REO Speedwagon, released in 1978. It was their first album to be co-produced by lead singer Kevin Cronin and lead guitarist Gary Richrath. The album was REO's first to make the Top 40, peaking at No. 29. The album sold over 2 million copies in the US, which led it to being certified 2× Platinum.
"Take It on the Run" is a song by American rock band REO Speedwagon off the band's ninth studio album Hi Infidelity (1980). The song was written by lead guitarist Gary Richrath. "Take It on the Run" was the follow-up single behind the group's number-one hit, "Keep on Loving You". The single went gold on April 17, 1989. "Take It on the Run" has appeared on dozens of "various artists" compilation albums, as well as several REO Speedwagon greatest-hits albums. The 2017 song "Messin' Around" by Pitbull featuring Enrique Iglesias interpolates "Take It on the Run".
Neal Allan Doughty is an American keyboardist, best known as a founding member of the rock band REO Speedwagon and the only member to have played on every album. He formed the band in the fall of 1966, with original drummer Alan Gratzer.
Kevin Patrick Cronin Jr. is an American musician who is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band REO Speedwagon. The band had several hits on the Billboard Hot 100 throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including two chart-toppers written by Cronin: "Keep On Loving You" (1980) and "Can't Fight This Feeling" (1984).
Good Trouble is the tenth studio album by REO Speedwagon, released in 1982 as a follow-up to Hi Infidelity. It peaked at #7 on the Billboard charts. The single "Keep the Fire Burnin'" gave the band a #7 hit on Billboard's Pop Singles Chart and a #2 hit on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, their highest-charting hit on this chart.
This article lists the discography of the American rock band, REO Speedwagon. The band formed in the autumn of 1967 by Neal Doughty and Alan Gratzer. REO Speedwagon released their debut album, R.E.O. Speedwagon, in 1971. They have undergone many changes of personnel over the years, And today, currently the members of the band as of January 2023 are Kevin Cronin, Bruce Hall, Dave Amato, and Bryan Hitt.
"The Heat Is On" is a song written by Harold Faltermeyer and Keith Forsey, and recorded by Glenn Frey for the American film Beverly Hills Cop (1984). The song was published as a single and as the sixth track of the album Beverly Hills Cop: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1984).
The Hits is a compilation album from REO Speedwagon. It contains hits such as "Can't Fight This Feeling" and "Keep on Loving You", as well as new tracks "Here with Me" and "I Don't Want to Lose You". "Here with Me" cracked the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. and the top ten on the Adult Contemporary chart; however, it would be the last single to feature drummer Alan Gratzer and guitarist Gary Richrath, as they each left the band within the year following this album's release. The album has sold over 4 million copies in the U.S. which led it to go 4× Platinum.
"Keep the Fire Burnin'" is a song by REO Speedwagon from their 1982 album Good Trouble. This single was the only track from the Good Trouble album to make the top ten on the pop charts, cresting at number seven.
"Don't Let Him Go" is a song written by Kevin Cronin. It was originally released as the opening song for REO Speedwagon's #1 album Hi Infidelity. It was also released as a single, reaching #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Don't Let Him Go" has appeared on several REO Speedwagon greatest hits albums.
"In Your Letter" is a song written by Gary Richrath that was first released on REO Speedwagon's 1980 album Hi Infidelity. It was released as the fourth single from the album and just made the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at #20. It also reached #26 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. It also had some chart success in Canada, reaching #34.
"Time for Me to Fly" is a song by American rock band REO Speedwagon, released in 1978 as the second single from the album You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can't Tuna Fish. It was written by lead singer Kevin Cronin and took 10 years to write. The song originally reached number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100, but later reached number 34 on the Digital Songs chart after being used in Netflix's Ozark. It also reached number 90 on the Canadian charts. The song has a BPM of 81 BPM and plays in 4/4 time signature. Cash Box praised the "melodic singing and acoustic guitar work...enveloping chorus and...catchy lyric." Record World said that it is "characteristic of the group's imaginative use of rock's common raw materials."
"One Lonely Night" is a song performed by the American band REO Speedwagon, written by keyboardist Neal Doughty. The song is the third single from the band's 1984 album Wheels Are Turnin'. It peaked at No. 19 on the US Billboard Hot 100, making it the second best performing single from the album in the United States, although very far from the success of "Can't Fight This Feeling".
"I Do' Wanna Know" is a song written by Kevin Cronin that was the lead single from REO Speedwagon's 1984 album Wheels Are Turnin'. It was more of a rocker reminiscent of the songs REO Speedwagon had released in the 1970s than the ballads the band had been successful with in the early 1980s. It had limited success on popular music charts, which was blamed for delaying sales of the album until the release of the follow-up single, the ballad "Can't Fight This Feeling." The video to the song was nominated for several awards.
"Live Every Moment" is a song written by Kevin Cronin that was first released on the band's 1984 album Wheels Are Turnin'. It was released as the fourth single from the album and reached the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.
...very few people have enjoyed such success in the field of wimpily overdriven arena-rock power balladry. Consider the band's second and final #1 hit.
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