I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)

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"I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)"
I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You) - Hank Williams and His Drifting Cowboys.jpg
Single by Hank Williams and His Drifting Cowboys
A-side "Howlin' at the Moon"
PublishedApril 25, 1951 (1951-04-25) Acuff-Rose Publications [1]
ReleasedMay 1951 [2]
RecordedMarch 16, 1951 [3]
Studio Castle Studio, Nashville
Genre Hillbilly, Honky-tonk, Country blues
Length2:26
Label MGM 10961
Songwriter(s) Hank Williams
Producer(s) Fred Rose
Hank Williams and His Drifting Cowboys singles chronology
"Ramblin' Man"
(1951)		"I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)"
(1951)		"Hey Good Lookin'"
(1951)

"I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)" is a song written and originally recorded by Hank Williams on MGM Records. [4] It hit number two on the Billboard country singles chart in 1951. In his autobiography, George Jones printed the first six lines of the song and stated, "Its lyrics couldn't be more simple - or profound."

Contents

Recording and composition

According to Colin Escott's 2004 book Hank Williams: The Biography, fiddler Jerry Rivers always claimed that Hank wrote the song in the touring Sedan, and when he came up with the opening line, "Today I passed you on the street," and then asked for suggestions, steel guitarist Don Helms replied, "And I smelled your rotten feet." [5] The song was recorded at Castle Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 16, 1951, and issued as MGM catalog No. 10961. [6]

Williams was backed on the session by members of his Drifting Cowboys band, including: Rivers, Helms, Sammy Pruett (electric guitar), Jack Shook (rhythm guitar), Ernie Newton or "Cedric Rainwater" aka Howard Watts (bass), and either Owen Bradley or producer Fred Rose on piano. [7] It was released as the B-side of "Howlin' at the Moon", but on the strength of its simple language and passionate singing, soared to number two on the Billboard Country Singles chart.

Williams sang the song with Anita Carter on the Kate Smith Evening Hour on April 23, 1952. The rare television appearance is one of the few film clips of Williams in performance.

Chart performance

Chart (1951)Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles2

Notable cover versions

Many artists have covered the song. Among the most successful are the following:

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References

  1. ↑ "Howlin' At the Moon". www.wikidata.org. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
  2. ↑ "Hank Williams 78rpm Issues". jazzdiscography.com. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
  3. ↑ "45cat.com". 45cat.com. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  4. ↑ Escott, Colin (2004). Hank Williams: The Biography. New York: Back Bay Books. p. 163. ISBN   0316734977.
  5. ↑ "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  6. ↑ Escott, Colin (2004). Hank Williams: The Biography. New York: Back Bay Books. p. 244. ISBN   0316734977.
  7. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954 . Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p.  317. ISBN   0-89820-083-0.
  8. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 241.
  9. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2011). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2010. Record Research. p. 221. ISBN   978-0898201888.
  10. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 300.
  11. ↑ Platinum | A Life In Music | Elvis Presley 4 CD Set, retrieved 4 October 2022
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