I Can Help

Last updated

"I Can Help"
I+Can+Help.jpg
Single by Billy Swan
from the album I Can Help
B-side "Ways of a Woman in Love" [1]
ReleasedJuly 1974 [2]
Recorded1974
Genre
Length2:58 (single edit)
4:01 (album version)
Label Monument
Songwriter(s) Billy Swan
Producer(s) Chip Young and Billy Swan
Billy Swan singles chronology
"I Can Help"
(1974)
"I'm Her Fool"
(1975)

"I Can Help" is a song written [4] and performed by Billy Swan. Released in July 1974, [2] the song was a big crossover smash, reaching No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Country Singles charts late that fall. Although Swan had other charting singles on both the Hot 100 and country charts, the song is generally recognized as being Swan's only major hit single release. [5] However, Swan had continued success as a songwriter for other artists and as a session musician.

Contents

Production

Billy Swan secured his own recording deal with Monument Records, after his return to Nashville in August 1973. From the time he secured the deal, Swan began the composition of "I Can Help" in a music room which his wife, Marlu, had converted from a closet inside the small duplex that they shared close to Centennial Park. [2] Swan has revealed that he used a "Rock" preset, from his Rhythm Master drum machine, when writing the song; [2] "It played 16ths and sounded like a sock cymbal, so I just started playing these chords along with it, and the song came in about 20 minutes. I didn't always write that quickly, but from my experience the ones that come quickly are the good ones. "Lover Please" was like that, and so was "Everything's the Same". With "I Can Help" I actually wrote the three verses first, and since I needed something to put between the second and third verse I then came up with the bridge. The whole thing just came out of the air, including the words." [2]

"I Can Help" was written during March 1974, and also during that time Swan recorded it with producer and engineer Chip Young at the Young'un Sound studio in Murfreesboro. The distinctive keyboards were played by Swan on a portable Farfisa belonging to Memphis session musician Bobby Emmons while Young's German Shepherd puppy, Bowser, tugged on his pants leg. [2] The vocals were recorded with a Neumann U 47, while Swan's Farfisa, Mike Leech's bass and Reggie Young's guitar, were all recorded direct. Dennis Linde and Johnny Christopher, who performed for the song on acoustic guitars, were each miked with Sony ECM lapel mics, while the setup for Hayword Bishop's drums comprised another pair of ECMs overhead on the cymbals, an Electrovoice RE15 on the toms, an RE20 on the kick and a Shure SM58 on the snare. [2] Keyboardist Bobby Wood was also booked for the session, but after hearing the track and realising he wasn't needed he joined Emmons and Young in the control room. Emmons and Young suggested overdubbing handclaps at the end to convey an in-studio party atmosphere, as well as adding some bridge-section backing vocals by Lea Jane Berinati and the Holliday Sisters. [2] Swan recalls, "Chip was excited after he recorded that part, but I went out there and listened to it, and I said, 'Boy, I don't know.' I listened to it over and over, until finally I said, 'Hey, man, nothing else will work.' It was actually a great solo, so that just shows you where my head is at. That part was so perfect, and today a lot of people remember the song because of that solo." [2]

The album version contains a false ending with the clapping followed by a reasonably extended cadenza on the organ, which then is followed by an instrumental repeat of the ending, followed by another brief organ cadenza, which afterwards is then followed by another instrumental repeat of the ending before the song's fade.

Release

Swan's version of "I Can Help" was released toward the end of July 1974. To make more money from the song's commercial success, the co-producers returned to Young'un Sound to record more material for an I Can Help album. This included covers of "Don't Be Cruel", "Shake, Rattle and Roll" and Swan's own "Lover Please". [2]

However, the success of the song led the record company to argue about which would be the first single on the album. "Everyone at the record company had actually wanted 'The Ways of a Woman in Love' to be the first single," Young recalls. "I said, 'No, wait a minute. That's not the hit. The hit is "I Can Help".' However, [Monument Records president] Fred Foster then hired a guy who was supposed to know the ins and outs of the business, and he said, 'There aren't any hits here. We've gotta re-cut a bunch of stuff.' I said, 'No, we don't have to re-cut a bunch of stuff.' It was a battle from then on." [2]

Chart performance

In addition to being a No. 1 country and pop hit, "I Can Help" reached No. 6 on Billboard's Hot Adult Contemporary Singles chart and No. 6 on the United Kingdom's Record Retailer chart. In addition, the song was a hit throughout most of Europe and also reached No. 1 in Australia. "I Can Help" was so successful in Norway that it charted for 37 weeks on the Norwegian charts (VG-lista Top 10), making it the 4th best-performing single of all time in that country. [6]

"I Can Help" is certified gold for sales of 1,000,000 units by the Recording Industry Association of America. [7] In U.K., it has "Silver" certification, and in France, it has sales about 700,000.

At the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) Jukebox Awards in 1975, the song was awarded "Jukebox Pop Record of the Year" for being the year's highest-earning pop music song played on jukebox machines in the United States. [8]

Weekly singles charts

Cover versions

Many other artists have performed covers of the song, among them: [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Billboard Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales, online streaming, and radio airplay in the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Rich</span> American musician (1932–1995)

Charles Allan Rich was an American country singer. His eclectic style of music also blended influences from rockabilly, jazz, blues, soul, and gospel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crazy (Willie Nelson song)</span> Willie Nelson song popularized by Patsy Cline

"Crazy" is a song written by Willie Nelson and popularized by country singer Patsy Cline in 1961. Nelson wrote the song while living in Houston, working for Pappy Daily's label D Records. He was also a radio DJ and performed in clubs. Nelson then moved to Nashville, Tennessee, working as a writer for Pamper Music. Through Hank Cochran, the song reached Patsy Cline. After her original recording and release, Cline's version reached number two on Billboard's Hot Country Singles, also crossing to the pop chart as a top 10 single.

The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in Billboard magazine. Billboard biz, the online extension of the Billboard charts, provides additional weekly charts, as well as year-end charts. The two most important charts are the Billboard Hot 100 for songs and Billboard 200 for albums, and other charts may be dedicated to a specific genre such as R&B, country, or rock, or they may cover all genres. The charts can be ranked according to sales, streams, or airplay, and for main song charts such as the Hot 100 song chart, all three data are used to compile the charts. For the Billboard 200 album chart, streams and track sales are included in addition to album sales.

Country pop is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends genres like rock, pop, and country, continuing similar efforts that began in the late 1950s, known originally as the Nashville sound and later on as Countrypolitan. By the mid-1970s, many country artists were transitioning to the pop-country sound, which led to some records charting high on the mainstream top 40 and the Billboard country chart. In turn, many pop and easy listening artists crossed over to country charts during this time. After declining in popularity during the neotraditional movement of the 1980s, country pop had a comeback in the 1990s with a sound that drew more heavily on pop rock and adult contemporary. In the 2010s, country pop metamorphosized again with the addition of hip-hop beats and rap-style phrasing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Can't Stop Loving You</span> 1957 song by Don Gibson

"I Can't Stop Loving You" is a popular song written and composed by country singer, songwriter, and musician Don Gibson, who first recorded it on December 3, 1957, for RCA Victor Records. It was released in 1958 as the B-side of "Oh, Lonesome Me", becoming a double-sided country hit single. At the time of Gibson's death in 2003, the song had been recorded by more than 700 artists, most notably by Ray Charles, whose recording reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Swan</span> American musician and songwriter

William Lance Swan is an American country singer-songwriter, best known for his 1974 single "I Can Help".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pickup Man</span>

"Pickup Man" is a song written by Howard Perdew and Kerry Kurt Phillips, and recorded by American country music artist Joe Diffie. It was released in October 1994 as the second single from the album Third Rock from the Sun. The song was his longest-lasting number-one hit, having spent four weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart between December 1994 and January 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">When a Man Loves a Woman (song)</span> 1966 single by Percy Sledge

"When a Man Loves a Woman" is a song written by Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright and first recorded by Percy Sledge in 1966 at Norala Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama. It made number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B singles charts. Country singer John Wesley Ryles had a minor hit with his version of the song in 1976. Singer and actress Bette Midler recorded the song and had a Top 40 hit with her version in 1980. In 1991, Michael Bolton recorded the song and his version peaked at number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the Billboard Adult Contemporary Singles chart.

Billboard Year-End charts are cumulative rankings of entries in Billboard magazine charts in the United States in any given chart year. Several hundred Year-End charts are now published by Billboard, the most important of which are the single or album charts based on Hot 100 and Billboard 200 respectively.

<i>Jesus Was a Capricorn</i> 1972 studio album by Kris Kristofferson

Jesus Was a Capricorn is the fourth album by Kris Kristofferson, released in 1972 on Monument Records. The album cover pictures Kristofferson and his soon-to-be wife Rita Coolidge. "Why Me" reached #1 on the Country singles charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Why Me (Kris Kristofferson song)</span> 1973 single by Kris Kristofferson

"Why Me" is an American country and gospel song written and recorded by American country music singer and songwriter Kris Kristofferson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Do It ('Til You're Satisfied)</span> 1974 single by B. T. Express

"Do It ('Til You're Satisfied)" is a popular song by funk group B. T. Express, written by songwriter Billy Nichols.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Please Mr. Please</span> 1975 single by Olivia Newton-John

"Please Mr. Please" is a song written by Bruce Welch and John Rostill, both members of British pop singer Cliff Richard's backing band, The Shadows. Welch had originally recorded the song himself in 1974 with no commercial success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muni Long</span> American singer and songwriter (born 1988)

Priscilla Renea Hamilton, known professionally as Muni Long, is an American singer and songwriter from Gifford, Florida. Under her birth name, she signed with Capitol Records to release her debut studio album Jukebox (2009), which was met with positive critical reception despite failing to chart. She then spent the following decade co-writing songs for other artists, including the hit singles "Promise This" for Cheryl, "California King Bed" for Rihanna, "Worth It" for Fifth Harmony, "Love So Soft" for Kelly Clarkson, "Imagine" for Ariana Grande, "Who Says" for Selena Gomez & the Scene, and the global hit "Timber" for Pitbull.

The Smeezingtons were an American songwriting and record production team consisting of Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence, and Ari Levine formed in 2009. The Smeezingtons were established in Los Angeles, California; the trio primarily served as the producers for the singles and albums of Mars, with additional work for diverse range of artists. Eventually, the trio split, and Mars and Lawrence formed a successor production trio with Christopher Brody Brown called "Shampoo Press & Curl".

<i>Back to the Country</i> 1975 studio album by Loretta Lynn

Back to the Country is the twenty-fifth solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on February 3, 1975, by MCA Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Young Girls</span> 2013 single by Bruno Mars

"Young Girls" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars. It was composed by Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine, a songwriting and record production trio known as the Smeezingtons, as well as Jeff Bhasker, and Emile Haynie, with additional songwriter credits by Mac Davis, for Mars's second studio album Unorthodox Jukebox (2012). It is a midtempo, doo-wop-influenced pop ballad that garnered comparisons to Mars's "It Will Rain" and Lana Del Rey's music. Its instrumentation includes drums, synths, piano and elements of electro music. The song was released as the first promotional single and later as the fifth overall single from Unorthodox Jukebox, being first serviced to contemporary hit radio in Australia on November 26, 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">When I Was Your Man</span> 2013 single by Bruno Mars

"When I Was Your Man" is a song by American singer and songwriter Bruno Mars from his second studio album, Unorthodox Jukebox (2012). Atlantic Records released the song as the third promotional single and as the second official single, taken from the album, to mainstream radio in the United States on January 15, 2013. "When I Was Your Man" was written by Mars, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine and Andrew Wyatt. The former three produced the track under the name the Smeezingtons. The track was inspired by the time Mars was worried about losing his girlfriend, Jessica Caban.

"Lover Please" is a 1962 song written by Billy Swan and first recorded by the Rhythm Steppers in 1960. It is most known for the version performed by Clyde McPhatter on his 1962 album Lover Please! which set it up to reach No.7 on the U.S. pop chart. Overseas, it reached No.6 in Norway. The song ranked No.41 on Billboard magazine's Top 100 singles of 1962.

References

  1. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 412. ISBN   978-0-89820-177-2.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Buskin, Richard. Classic Tracks: Billy Swan "I Can Help". Sound on Sound. November 2007. Accessed from December 21, 2012.
  3. Breihan, Tom (June 13, 2019). "The Number Ones: Billy Swan's "I Can Help"". Stereogum . Retrieved June 20, 2023. Billy Swan's "I Can Help" is a weird little #1 hit, a lazy old-timey rockabilly shuffle...
  4. "The Billboard Book of Number One Hits" by Fred Bronson, 4th ed.
  5. "One Hit Wonder Central - #songs.artist#: #songs.song_title#". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved 2015-01-14.
  6. "BEST OF ALL TIME – SINGLES". VG-lista . Hung Medien. Archived from the original on November 2, 2014. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
  7. "Recording Industry Association of America". Recording Industry Association of America . June 8, 2007. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved 2016-10-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. "Freddy Fender captures top JB awards, will play for MOA stage show". Play Meter . Vol. 1, no. 10. October 1975. p. 22. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  9. "Billy Swan Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  10. "Billy Swan Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  11. "Billy Swan Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  12. "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. December 28, 1974. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  13. 1 2 "National Top 100 Singles for 1975". Kent Music Report. December 29, 1975. Retrieved January 15, 2022 via Imgur.
  14. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989" . Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  15. "BILLY SWAN". Official Charts. December 14, 1974. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  16. "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. July 17, 2013. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  17. Steffen Hung. "Forum - Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts - 1980s (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved 2016-10-09.
  18. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". Offiziellecharts.de (in German). Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  19. "Cover versions of I Can Help written by Billy Swan". SecondHandSongs.
  20. "Elvis Presley - Today Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic . Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  21. "Loretta Lynn - Back to the Country Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic . Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  22. "Tom Jones - Tender Loving Care Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic . Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  23. "www.discogs.com". Discogs.com. 1994. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  24. Liebig, Lorie (September 29, 2023). "Lindsay Lou Details the Inspiration Behind 'Queen of Time' with Track by Track". Americansongwriter.com. Retrieved October 5, 2023.