"How Can I Be Sure" | ||||
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Single by the Young Rascals | ||||
from the album Groovin' | ||||
B-side | "I'm So Happy Now" | |||
Released | August 28, 1967 | |||
Recorded | June 22, 1967 | |||
Studio | A&R Studios, New York | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:50 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | The Young Rascals | |||
The Young Rascals singles chronology | ||||
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Audio sample | ||||
"How Can I Be Sure" |
"How Can I Be Sure" is a popular song written by Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati, and originally recorded by the Young Rascals for their 1967 album Groovin' with a single release in August 1967 affording the group their fourth Top 10 hit.
"How Can I Be Sure" reached #4 on the Hot 100 in Billboard in October 1967, ranking as the most successful (Young) Rascals' hit featuring a lead vocal by Eddie Brigati. The single's B-side, "I'm So Happy Now" (also included on the Groovin' album), was written and sung by Rascals guitarist Gene Cornish. Featuring a unique guitar phase-out ending, it was the first Cornish-penned song to appear on a Rascals single.
Of a rock-oriented band such as the (Young) Rascals introducing a traditional pop-style song such as "How Can I Be Sure" Cavaliere has stated: "The only reason we were brave enough to do that was [that] the Beatles did 'Michelle' and 'Yesterday'." (Cavaliere had an especial awareness of the Beatles, having toured Europe with them in 1963 when he was a member of Joey Dee and the Starliters; the Rascals would also open for the Beatles at Shea Stadium 15 August 1965). [1] The track features the sounds of a trumpet, bass, piano, drums, and strings, suggesting the sounds of cabaret music as well as a concertina, chosen so as to add to the song the vibe of a French café. The song's musical styles include blue-eyed soul and pop. [2] [3]
"How Can I Be Sure" was one of several songs inspired by group founder Felix Cavaliere's girlfriend Adrienne Becchuri, a Pelham (New York) high school student Cavaliere met in 1966, the year he turned 24: (Felix Cavaliere quote:) "I fell madly in love with this woman who actually turned out to be a muse ...[R]eally the only reason she was in my life [was to] spark that kind of emotion and feeling that generates those types of songs." [4] Cavaliere and Buccheri remained a couple for a year, with Cavaliere first celebrating Buccheri in the blissful Rascals' hits "Groovin' " and "A Girl Like You", and then with the introspective "How Can I Be Sure" expressing doubts about the relationship — he and Buccheri had recently become engaged — and despite the positive resolution of the song Cavaliere did in fact discover that she was too young ((Felix Cavaliere quote:)"I woke up one day and said: 'What the hell am I doing? I'm going out with a kid.'"). [4]
"How Can I Be Sure" | ||||
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Single by Dusty Springfield | ||||
from the album The Dusty Springfield Anthology | ||||
B-side | "Spooky" | |||
Released | September 4, 1970 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 2:47 | |||
Label | Philips Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Felix Cavaliere, Eddie Brigati | |||
Producer(s) | Johnny Franz, Dusty Springfield | |||
Dusty Springfield singles chronology | ||||
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"How Can I Be Sure" was covered by British singer Dusty Springfield and released as a non-LP single in September 1970. It was rumoured that this recording and single release may have been prompted by her well received performance of the song on the Des O'Connor Show in May 1970. Dusty was hopeful that this single would fare better than her then-recent American recordings which were met with relative indifference in the UK (aside from the US and UK Top 10 hit "Son of a Preacher Man").
Despite several promotional television and radio appearances and glowing reviews from the press, the single only spent one week in the UK Top 40 and only four weeks total on the chart. The song was issued specifically for the British market and would not be issued in America until the release of The Dusty Springfield Anthology in 1997.
"Spooky" is a cover of the Classics IV hit and was recorded in January 1968 but left unused for almost three years until it featured as the B-side to this single.
Chart (1970) | Peak position |
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UK Singles Chart [13] | 36 |
"How Can I Be Sure" | ||||
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Single by David Cassidy | ||||
from the album Rock Me Baby | ||||
B-side | "Ricky's Tune" | |||
Released | May 1972 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 2:52 | |||
Label | Bell Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Felix Cavaliere, Eddie Brigati | |||
Producer(s) | Wes Farrell | |||
David Cassidy singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"How Can I Be Sure" on TopPop on YouTube |
In 1972 "How Can I Be Sure" was recorded for the album Rock Me Baby by David Cassidy (David Cassidy quote:) "Eddie Brigati and Felix Cavaliere [were] two of the great musical influences of my teenage years [when] I thought [the Rascals] were just about the best American pop band...[That song] brought back so many memories of that [time] for me." [14] (Another Rascals hit, the Cavaliere/Brigati composition "I've Been Lonely Too Long", was also remade by Cassidy for Rock Me Baby; concurrent with the album's recording, Cassidy's producer Wes Farrell would acquire ownership of the entire Rascals song catalogue.) [15] Released as the album's first single, "How Can I Be Sure" became the second of Cassidy's three Top 30 solo hits on the Billboard Hot 100 with a peak of #25, Cassidy's third Top 30 hit (and fifth and final Top 40 hit) being "Lyin' to Myself" eighteen years later in 1990. On the Billboard Easy Listening chart "How Can I Be Sure" peaked at #3. [16]
"How Can I Be Sure" would afford Cassidy a #1 hit on both the Irish Singles Chart and (for two weeks) the singles chart for the UK, being the second of Cassidy's overall 11 UK chart hits, six of which would reach the Top Ten, including his second #1 UK hit: the double A-side hit "Daydreamer"/"The Puppy Song" (#1 for three weeks in 1973). [17] "How Can I Be Sure" also charted with more moderate impact in Australia (#16), Canada (#22), Germany (#33), and the Netherlands (#13).
Chart (1972) | Peak position |
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Australia KMR [18] | 16 |
Ireland (IRMA) [19] | 1 |
UK Singles Chart [17] | 1 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [20] | 25 |
US Billboard Easy Listening [21] | 3 |
US Cash Box Top 100 [22] | 15 |
Chart (1972) | Rank |
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Australia [23] | 144 |
UK | 19 |
US (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual) [24] | 182 |
The Rascals are an American rock band, formed in Garfield, New Jersey, United States, in 1965.
Rock Me Baby is the second solo album release from David Cassidy. It was produced by Wes Farrell for Bell Records, and released in 1972. The album introduced some rock, soul and R&B flavors in a calculated move by Cassidy to expand beyond his teen idol image. AllMusic's Al Campbell wrote that the blue-eyed soul album was officially produced by Farrell, but the song selections and styles showed that Cassidy was also making decisions.
Edward Brigati Jr. is an American singer-songwriter. He was the co-lead vocalist, along with Felix Cavaliere, and percussionist in the rock group The Young Rascals from 1964 to 1970.
Felix Cavaliere is an American musician. He is best known for being the co-lead vocalist and keyboard player for The Young Rascals.
That's the Way Love Is is the tenth studio album by soul musician Marvin Gaye, released on January 8, 1970, on the Tamla (Motown) label. Built on the success of the title track originally taken from M.P.G., and much like Gaye's "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" after its success, was released with intent to sell albums based on the success of one particular single. Gaye was showing signs of disillusionment from the label's powers-that-be mentality but it didn't affect the singer's performance as he gave a powerful vocal in the title track and was especially impressive with his version of The Beatles' "Yesterday". He achieved some success with a cover version of "How Can I Forget?", which just missed out on the US Pop Top 40, making #41, and reached #18 on the R&B Charts. Its B-side, a cover of Jimmy Ruffin's "Gonna Give Her All the Love I've Got", made a separate chart entry, and peaked at #67 and #27 on the Pop and Soul Charts respectively. Gaye also recorded a version of Ruffin's "Don't You Miss Me a Little Bit Baby" for the album. The LP also features Gaye's rendition of the socially conscious tune "Abraham, Martin & John", which became a hit in the UK, peaking at #9 in June 1970. The single is widely regarded as a hint of what would follow a year later with his What's Going On. He also covered The Temptations' hits "I Wish It Would Rain" and "Cloud Nine".
"A Place in the Sun" is a 1966 soul single by American and Motown musician Stevie Wonder. Written by Ronald Miller and Bryan Wells, it was one of Wonder's first songs to contain social commentary. "A Place in the Sun" was his third Top Ten hit since 1963, hitting number 9 on the Billboard pop singles chart and number 3 on the R&B charts. Billboard described the song as a "folk-oriented release" to which Wonder gives an "exciting treatment." The Originals and The Andantes sang background vocals on the recording. Stevie Wonder also recorded a version of the song in Italian titled "Il Sole è di Tutti".
Freedom Suite is the fifth studio album by rock band The Rascals, released on March 17, 1969. It peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and also reached number 40 on the Billboard Black Albums chart, the last Rascals album to appear there.
"Groovin'" is a song written by the American singer songwriters Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati, initially recorded by their group the Young Rascals in 1967. Cavaliere was inspired to compose the song by his girlfriend Adrienne Buccheri, whom he only got to meet every Sunday amidst heavy touring and recording. Musically, the song differs from most of band's previous output, leaving the garage rock genre for Latin American influences, such as baião. Lyrically, "Groovin'" tells the tale of a narrator spending time with his partner on a Sunday afternoon. The song was arranged and recorded at the Talentmasters Studios, New York City in March of 1967.
"People Got to Be Free" is a song released in 1968 by the Rascals, written by Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati and featuring a lead vocal from Cavaliere.
Time Peace: The Rascals' Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album from the Rascals, released on June 24, 1968. It reached number one on the Billboard Pop Albums chart by September 1968. It also topped the Cash Box albums chart with a run in the Top 10 for 20 consecutive weeks
David Brigati is an American singer. He is sometimes known as "the fifth Rascal".
"A Beautiful Morning" is a song written by Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati and recorded by the Rascals. Coming out in early 1968, it was the group's first track released after shortening their name from the Young Rascals. The single was one of the earliest released in stereo, as 7-inch singles generally were in mono. Together with the Doors "Hello, I Love You", it's credited with changing the industry standard of singles.
Groovin' is the third album by the rock band the Young Rascals. The album was released on July 31, 1967 and rose to #5 on the Billboard Top LPs chart, number 7 on the R&B chart, and number 2 in Canada. Eight of the songs were released on singles with the title track reaching number 1 on the Pop chart in the U.S.
Lulu is a 1973 album by Scottish singer Lulu. It was her first album on Chelsea Records. Produced by American songwriter Wes Farrell, the lead single was "Make Believe World". It also included covers of "Groovin'", "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" and David Cassidy's "Could it Be Forever". The album failed to chart, although Lulu came back to prominence a few months later with the release of the hit single "The Man Who Sold the World". The single reached No.3 in the UK and became one of the singer's biggest hits, but was not included on this album. Although the album met with little chart success, reviews were good, with Allmusic retrospectively calling it "top class".
"I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" is a song written by Pam Sawyer and Laurie Burton in 1965. Originally envisioned to be recorded by a British Invasion artist, the song was extremely well liked by the American rock group the Young Rascals, and they subsequently recorded the song and released it as their debut single in November 1965 through Atlantic Records. Though only a marginal hit, reaching number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100, it largely established the band on the American music scene. It has since been included on several albums by the band, including their eponymous debut album, and several compilation albums, including Time Peace: The Rascals' Greatest Hits, on which it was the opening track.
Andy is the thirty-sixth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released in the fall of 1976 by Columbia Records. Williams is not as focused on covering pop hits and standards on this album and instead relies mainly on original or lesser-known songs. In the liner notes for the album's 2002 CD release, writer Richard M. Erickson explains that the album "was recorded at six different studios to accommodate Andy's touring schedule. One recording session was at a portable studio set up at a Marriott hotel."
The Very Best of The Rascals is a compilation album from the Rascals released on July 20, 1993 by Rhino/Atlantic. This compilation contains nearly all of their Atlantic singles, in chronological order, released from 1965 through 1970. The first nine singles are performed by the Young Rascals, while the last seven tracks are credited to the Rascals.
Song Sung Blue is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released on September 13, 1972, by Columbia Records and featured his renditions of mostly recent chart hits.
I Don't Know How to Love Him is the debut studio album by Australian-American pop singer Helen Reddy, released on May 10, 1971, by Capitol Records. I Don't Know How to Love Him included her first recording of "I Am Woman". The album made its first appearance on Billboard magazine's Top LP's chart in the issue dated June 5, 1971, and remained there for 37 weeks, peaking at number 100, and got as high as number 40 on the album chart in Canada's RPM magazine. On November 27, 1974, the album received Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America, and on March 29, 2005, it was released for the first time on compact disc as one of two albums on one CD, the other album being Reddy's eponymous follow-up that originally came out in the fall of 1971.
"I've Been Lonely Too Long" is a song written by Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati and performed by the Young Rascals. Released as a single in 1967, it reached #7 in Canada, while in the U.S. it reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, #17 on the Cashbox Top 100 chart, and #33 on the Hot R&B Singles chart. It was also featured on their 1967 album Collections, where the title is given as "Lonely Too Long".