You Can't Win (song)

Last updated
"You Can't Win"
MichaelJacksonYouCantWin.jpg
Single by Michael Jackson
from the album The Wiz: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
A-side "You Can't Win (Pt. 1)"
B-side "You Can't Win (Pt. 2)"
ReleasedJanuary 11, 1979
Genre
Length7:17
Label Epic
Songwriter(s) Charlie Smalls
Producer(s) Quincy Jones
Michael Jackson singles chronology
"Ease on Down the Road"
(1978)		"You Can't Win"
(1979)		"A Brand New Day"
(1979)

"You Can't Win" is an R&B, pop and soul song written by Charlie Smalls and performed by American recording artist Michael Jackson, who played Scarecrow in the 1978 musical film The Wiz , [1] [2] an urbanized retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz . [3] The movie featured an entirely African American cast and was based on the 1975 Broadway musical The Wiz .

Contents

After the original soundtrack version was recorded, Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones went back into the studio and re-recorded the track. It was the re-recording that was released in January 1979 as the second single from The Wiz: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack , following the release of "Ease On Down the Road" in 1978, and was Michael's first solo chart single on Epic Records (despite the fact that the soundtrack album for The Wiz was released by Motown and the now-defunct MCA Records). The 7-inch version split the song in half, with "Part 1" as the A-side and "Part 2" as the B-side; the full-length version was released as a 12-inch single and later was included on The Ultimate Collection in 2004.

The single only charted in the United States, where it reached number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 42 on the R&B singles chart. Since its release, the song has been well received by music critics. The song has been performed by contemporary singers such as Jill Scott and Charles Grigsby.

In 1982 "Part 2" of "You Can't Win", in which Michael Jackson repeatedly sings the line "Can't get outta the game", was vocally overdubbed, and the resulting track was titled "Can't Get Outta the Rain"; it became the B-side of "The Girl Is Mine", the first single from Jackson's landmark album Thriller . Despite "Can't Get Outta the Rain" being melodically identical to "You Can't Win", as well as lyrically identical except for the word "rain", Jackson and Quincy Jones are credited as the song's composers, not Charlie Smalls. [4]

Composition

"You Can't Win" was originally written and performed during the pre-Broadway Baltimore run of the stage version of The Wiz in 1974, sung by the chorus of Winkies, the Wicked Witch's slaves. The number was cut from the musical before the official Broadway opening and wasn't performed again until the movie version was under consideration, 3 years later. The producers resurrected the song as a solo for Michael Jackson to replace "I Was Born on the Day Before Yesterday", which had been Scarecrow's solo in the Broadway musical. "You Can't Win" and its corresponding scene in the movie allude to mistreatment of African Americans. Jackson stated in his 1988 autobiography Moonwalk that the lyrics to "You Can't Win" are about humiliation and helplessness, feelings, he stated, that many people have experienced at one point in their life. The singer added that the song was also about "the feeling that there are people out there who don't actively hold you back as much as they work quietly on your insecurities so that you hold yourself back". [5] "You Can't Win" opens with the lines, "You can't win, you can't break even, and you can't get out of the game. People keep sayin', things are gonna change, but they look just like they're staying the same." William F. Brown, who wrote the book for the Broadway musical, stated that such verses made "You Can't Win" a "black message song". [6] Musically, the track has been described as an R&B, pop and soul song by Renée Graham of The Boston Globe . [7] According to the sheet music published on Musicnotes.com by Alfred Music Publishing, the track was performed in common time, with a tempo of 80 beats per minute. It adds that the song is composed in E major with a range from B3 to C♯5. [8]

In The Wiz

The scene that corresponds with "You Can't Win" in The Wiz begins with Dorothy Gale (played by Diana Ross) stumbling upon a scarecrow being heckled by crows while stuck in the air on a pole. Dorothy remains hidden while the crows mock Scarecrow for asking to be let down. They state that he will remain on the pole because that is his role and there is nothing to get down for. The crows tell Scarecrow that even if he was let down, he would not be able to walk as he is a "straw paper dummy". Scarecrow tries to reason with the birds by reading relevant quotations from figures such as Francis Bacon and Cicero as a rationale to be freed. The crows do not relent, however, and make him recite their "Crow Commandments": "Thou shall honor all crows", "Thou shall stop reading all bits of paper and literature" and "Thou shall never, never get down off of this here pole". In addition, the birds tell Scarecrow to sing the crow anthem, "You Can't Win". After the song concludes, Dorothy comes out of hiding and releases Scarecrow from the pole. Together, they then dance their way down the yellow brick road in search of The Wiz, singing "Ease on Down the Road" as they go. [9] [10]

The song is also heard in The Wiz Live! , replacing "I Was Born on the Day Before Yesterday".

Analysis

Elwood Watson, author of Pimps, Wimps, Studs, Thugs and Gentlemen: Essays on Media Images of Masculinity, states that The Wiz offers an "important allegorical treatment of ordinary African American men living in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement". Watson writes that while the crows do not intend to cause physical harm to Scarecrow, the beginning of their scene recalls experiences of the ritual lynching of black men in the United States. The author states that the crows' refusal to allow Scarecrow to read literature was reminiscent of laws that forbade black slaves from being educated. Watson writes, "Scarecrow's desire for knowledge that will help him interpret the discourses and institutions that shape his life signifies on the slave narrative. With its emphasis on literacy and freedom, African American slave narratives document that for many African Americans literacy was understood as an essential path to freedom." [11] Watson continues:

The Crows' insistence that reading is useless, even dangerous for Scarecrow because it only leads to discontentment takes on an especially haunting reminder of the ways in which the residues of slavery continue to injure contemporary African Americans. The Crows reinforce Scarecrow's subjection at their hands through a song whose refrain "you can't win child, you can't get out of the game" that aims to disabuse Scarecrow of any aspirations toward freedom ... Their insistence that "reading is stupid" suggests that a Eurocentric education does not promise liberation from "the game" that race and racism create ... The Crow's dismissal of education and western thought fails because they do not offer Scarecrow an alternative that will emancipate him. The Crow's attempt to discipline Scarecrow by displacing his hope with nihilism. For The Crow's so-called book of knowledge is less valuable than what they perceive to be real knowledge-street smarts. Though they are not tethered to a pole, they are seemingly unable or as their commandments and anthem suggests, unwilling to find opportunities than their present location provides. The Crow's chorus to Scarecrow's song is revealing for what it says about their loss of hope ... The Crow's are even more disadvantaged than Scarecrow because, unlike him, they are hopeless. The Crow's chorus, like The Crow Commandments, reflects their disillusionment with their inability to realize the promise of upward mobility. [11]

Watson continued his analysis, writing that despite the crows' attempts to erode Scarecrow's confidence, "[he] gives no indication that he intends to abort his efforts to liberate himself physically and intellectually." Watson concluded his study of Scarecrow and his scene by stating, "His encounter with Dorothy will help him to realize, contrary to The Crow's assertions, that Scarecrow's pursuit of knowledge can indeed help him to win opportunities for improving his life." [11]

Release and reception

In January 1979, "You Can't Win" was released as the second single from The Wiz: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack , a double album distributed by Motown Records in September 1978. [12] [13] The single was issued after the September 1978 release of "Ease on Down the Road", a duet between Jackson and Diana Ross, who played protagonist Dorothy Gale in The Wiz. [14] "You Can't Win" was distributed under Epic Records, and was Jackson's first solo single issued by the company after Epic executives signed him and his brothers to the label in 1976. [13] [15] "You Can't Win" entered Billboard 's R&B singles chart on January 20, 1979. It reached number 42 and remained in the chart for ten weeks. [12] A month later, on February 24, 1979, it entered the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number 81. The single stayed in the chart for three weeks. [12] [16] In May 1979, "You Can't Win" was released in Britain, as was a 7" picture disc of the song. The single failed to enter the British charts. [17] When Jackson's Off the Wall was first released in August 1979, the picture disc supplemented the album. [18]

Since its release, "You Can't Win" has received positive reviews from music critics. A journalist from the Kansas City Star said that the song was the best one from The Wiz. [19] Kenny Mack of the Santa Monica Daily Press asserted that Jackson's "famous vulnerability and the power of his voice on 'You Can't Win' combined for perfect casting" in the film. [20] The Boston Globe's Renée Graham stated in 2005, "Halfway through the [song], Jackson lets out a whoop, and the tune evolves from a pop-soul confection into a true R&B delight, spiced with barking horns and hand-claps as funky and loose as anything Jackson has ever done." [7] Writer Geoff Brown wrote in his book Michael Jackson: A Life in Music that the singer's performance of "You Can't Win" in The Wiz was "one of the few bright moments in a drab remake of The Wizard of Oz". [21] Margo Jefferson wrote in the biography On Michael Jackson that the entertainer sang the song in the film with "rough, gospel edges of desperation". She added, "The torment feels genuine. It's a painful scene." [22] After Jackson's death in 2009, Edmund W. Lewis of The Louisiana Weekly said that he was "still amazed at the quality of [the singer]'s performance in The Wiz". He added, "As the scarecrow, he sang the hell out of [the song]." [23]

Legacy

"You Can't Win" has been referenced and performed on several occasions. In the 1982 blockbuster film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial , a snippet of the song is heard on a car radio. [13] In 2001 Jill Scott performed the song during the Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special celebration. [24] In 2003, during the second season of American Idol , contestant Charles Grigsby sang "You Can't Win" for a movie theme night. [25] [26] An Entertainment Weekly writer said that the song choice was "oddly appropriate", as the hopeful was eliminated from the competition after the performance. [27] Decades after the release of "You Can't Win", William F. Brown stated that the song had been dropped from his theater productions of The Wiz. He said this was because the musical was not a black message show, but a show for everybody to enjoy. He expressed the opinion that "You Can't Win" was no longer relevant, stating, "[It's] all changed. Black people can win." [6]

Track listings

Limited edition picture disc – 7-inch single [28]

Remixes

Tony Moran mixes

Charts

Chart (1979)Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100 [12] [29] 81
US Billboard Hot Soul Singles [12] 42

Notes

  1. 1 2 Jones (2002), pp. 229–259
  2. 1 2 Radcliffe, Joe (March 25, 1978). "'Wiz' composer tapes LP". Billboard . Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  3. ↑ Brooks, p. 30
  4. ↑ "Michael Jackson / Paul McCartney – The Girl Is Mine". Discogs. 25 October 1982. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  5. ↑ Jackson, p. 140
  6. 1 2 Klein, Alvin (February 7, 1993). "Dorothy and Wiz Hip-Hop Into the 90's". The New York Times . Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  7. 1 2 Graham, Renée (November 16, 2004). "The thriller is back with 'Ultimate' set". The Boston Globe . Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  8. ↑ "You Can't Win – Michael Jackson Digital Sheet Music (Digital Download)". MusicNotes.com. Alfred Publishing Co. Inc. 4 September 2006. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  9. ↑ The Wiz. Motown Productions and Universal Pictures. (1978)
  10. ↑ Campbell, p. 40
  11. 1 2 3 Watson, pp. 72–74
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Grant, p. 42
  13. 1 2 3 Grant, p. 374
  14. ↑ Grant, p. 40
  15. ↑ White, p. 261
  16. ↑ Bronson, Fred (March 13, 1993). Chart beat. Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  17. ↑ Grant, p. 44
  18. ↑ Jones (2005), p. 64
  19. ↑ "Are they ready to ... act?". Kansas City Star . February 18, 2005. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  20. ↑ Mack, Kenny (July 1, 2009). "Remembering the King of Pop". Santa Monica Daily Press . Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  21. ↑ Brown, p. 71
  22. ↑ Jefferson, p. 51
  23. ↑ Edmund W., Lewis (June 29, 2009). "Irreplaceable". The Louisiana Weekly . Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  24. ↑ Grant, p. 375
  25. ↑ Jensen, Kurt (March 3, 2003). "'Idol' bumps Grigsby". USA Today . Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  26. ↑ "Female fans achin' for Aitken". Charlotte Observer . March 23, 2003. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  27. ↑ "Charles, the Second". Entertainment Weekly . July 3, 2003. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  28. ↑ "Michael Jackson - You Can't Win (Chanson)". LesCharts.com. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  29. ↑ "Michael Jackson Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.

Related Research Articles

<i>The Wiz</i> 1974 musical based on the 1900 book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) in the context of contemporary African-American culture. It opened on October 21, 1974, at the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre in Baltimore, and moved to Broadway's Majestic Theatre with a new cast on January 5, 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephanie Mills</span> American musician (born 1957)

Stephanie Mills is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to stardom as "Dorothy" in the original seven-time Tony Award winning Broadway run of the musical The Wiz from 1974 to 1979. The song "Home" from the show later became a Number 1 U.S. R&B hit and her signature song. During the 1980s, she had five Number 1 R&B hits, including "Home", "I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love", "I Feel Good All Over", "(You're Puttin') A Rush on Me" and "Something in the Way ". She won a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her song "Never Knew Love Like This Before" in 1981. Her albums What Cha Gonna Do with My Lovin, Sweet Sensation and Stephanie went gold or platinum, all through 20th Century Fox Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thriller (song)</span> 1983 single by Michael Jackson

"Thriller" is a song by the American singer Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records in November 1983 in the UK and on January 23, 1984 in the U.S., as the seventh and final single from his sixth studio album, Thriller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough</span> 1979 single by Michael Jackson

"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" is a single written, recorded and sung by American singer Michael Jackson. Released under Epic Records on July 10, 1979, the song is the first track on Jackson's fifth studio album Off the Wall (1979). It was the first solo recording over which Jackson had creative control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siedah Garrett</span> American singer and songwriter

Deborah Christine "Siedah" Garrett is an American singer and songwriter who has written songs and performed backing vocals for many recording artists in the music industry, such as Michael Jackson, the Pointer Sisters, Brand New Heavies, Quincy Jones, Tevin Campbell, Donna Summer, Madonna, Jennifer Hudson among others. Garrett has been nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Original Song, and won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards for co-writing "Love You I Do" for the 2006 musical film, Dreamgirls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Girl Is Mine</span> 1982 single by Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney

"The Girl Is Mine" is a song recorded by American singer Michael Jackson and English singer and musician Paul McCartney. The track was written and co-produced by Jackson and produced by Quincy Jones. It was released as the first single for Jackson's sixth solo album, Thriller (1982). The song was recorded at Westlake Studios, Los Angeles, from April 14 to 16, 1982. The year before, Jackson and McCartney had recorded "Say Say Say" and "The Man" for the latter's fifth solo album, Pipes of Peace (1983). Although "The Girl Is Mine" was released as a single, Jackson and McCartney never performed the song live.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Just Can't Stop Loving You</span> 1987 single by Michael Jackson

"I Just Can't Stop Loving You" is a 1987 duet ballad by American singers Michael Jackson and Siedah Garrett, and was released as the first single on July 20, 1987, by Epic Records from his seventh album, Bad. The song was written by Jackson, and co-produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. The presence of Garrett on the track was a last-minute decision by Jackson and Jones, after Jackson's first two choices for the duet both decided against participating. Garrett, a protégé of Jones's who co-wrote another song on Bad, "Man in the Mirror", did not know that she would be singing the song until the day of the recording session. It became her first hit since Dennis Edwards' 1984 song "Don't Look Any Further". Garrett remains known primarily for her work with Jackson to this day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Way You Make Me Feel</span> 1987 single by Michael Jackson

"The Way You Make Me Feel" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records on November 9, 1987, as the third single from his seventh studio album, Bad. It was written and composed by Jackson and produced by Quincy Jones and Jackson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Man in the Mirror</span> 1988 song by Michael Jackson

"Man in the Mirror" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. It was written by Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. It was released on February 6, 1988, as the fourth single from Jackson's seventh solo album, Bad (1987).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dirty Diana</span> 1988 single by Michael Jackson

"Dirty Diana" is a song by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. It is the ninth track on Jackson's seventh studio album, Bad (1987). The song was released by Epic Records on April 18, 1988, as the fifth single from the album. It presents a harder rock sound similar to "Beat It" from Thriller (1982) and a guitar solo played by Steve Stevens. "Dirty Diana" was written and co-produced by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones. The song's lyrics pertain to groupies. "Dirty Diana" has a moderate tempo and is played in the key of G minor.

<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">Ease on Down the Road</span>

"Ease on Down the Road" is a song from the 1975 Broadway musical The Wiz, an R&B re-interpretation of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The Charlie Smalls–composed tune is the show's version of both "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" and "We're Off to See the Wizard" from the 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz. In the song, performed three times during the show, Dorothy and her friends the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion dance their way down the Yellow Brick Road and give each other words of encouragement.

<i>The Wiz</i> (film) 1978 film by Sidney Lumet

The Wiz is a 1978 American musical adventure fantasy film directed by Sidney Lumet. Adapted from the 1974 Broadway musical of the same name, the film reimagines the classic 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum with an African-American cast. Dorothy, a twenty-four year old New York City schoolteacher from Harlem finds herself magically transported to the urban fantasy Land of Oz. On her travels seeking help from the mysterious Wiz, Dorothy befriends a Scarecrow, a Tin Man, and a Cowardly Lion.

<i>The Wiz</i> (soundtrack) 1978 soundtrack album by Diana Ross, Michael Jackson & various artists

The Wiz is the original motion picture soundtrack album for the 1978 film adaptation of the Broadway musical The Wiz. Although the film was produced for Universal Pictures by Motown Records' film division, the soundtrack album was issued on MCA Records as a two-LP collection. Chiefly produced by Quincy Jones, The Wiz soundtrack features non-sync cast performances by the stars of the film, including Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Mabel King, Theresa Merritt, Thelma Carpenter, and Lena Horne.

<i>Off the Wall</i> 1979 studio album by Michael Jackson

Off the Wall is the fifth studio album by the American singer Michael Jackson, released on August 10, 1979, by Epic Records. It was Jackson's first album released through Epic Records, and the first produced by Quincy Jones, whom he met while working on the 1978 film The Wiz. Several critics observed that Off the Wall was crafted from disco, pop, funk, R&B, soft rock and Broadway ballads. Its lyrical themes include escapism, liberation, loneliness, hedonism and romance. The album features songwriting contributions from Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Rod Temperton, Tom Bahler, and David Foster, alongside three tracks penned by Jackson himself.

A Brand New Day (<i>The Wiz</i> song) 1979 single by The Wiz Stars featuring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson

"A Brand New Day", also known as "Everybody Rejoice", is a song from the 1974 Broadway musical The Wiz written by American R&B singer and songwriter Luther Vandross. In the play, the song is sung to celebrate after Dorothy has killed Evillene, the tyrannical Wicked Witch of the West. Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow sing the song with the newly freed Winkies, who were ruled and enslaved by Evillene. It was later featured in the 1978 film version, sung by cast members Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, and Ted Ross. Given the all-Black cast of The Wiz, the song's many references to freedom and new possibilities certainly invoked the struggles and history of Blacks in America. In the onscreen version of the song, Nipsey Russell can even be heard exclaiming "Free at last!"—a reference to civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. The song's opening line is sung by Luther Vandross, the song's composer.

"Home" is a song from the 1975 Broadway musical, The Wiz. It was written by Charlie Smalls and was performed by Stephanie Mills in the stage production and by Diana Ross in the 1978 film adaptation and released on the soundtrack album in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">We Are the World 25 for Haiti</span> 2010 Artists for Haiti song

"We Are the World 25 for Haiti" is a charity single recorded by the supergroup Artists for Haiti in 2010. It is a remake of the song "We Are the World", which was written by American musicians Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and was recorded by USA for Africa in 1985 to benefit famine relief in Africa. Initially, in late 2009, it had been suggested to Richie and Quincy Jones—producer of the original "We Are the World"—that a re-cut version of the song be re-released under the title "Live 25". Following the magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake in Haiti in early 2010, which devastated most of the country and killed thousands of people, it was agreed that the song would be re-recorded by new artists, in the hope that it would reach a new generation and help benefit the people of Haiti.

<i>Diana Ross Sings Songs from The Wiz</i> 2015 studio album by Diana Ross

Diana Ross Sings Songs from The Wiz is an album by Diana Ross, released by Motown Records/Universal on November 27, 2015. The album features Ross' versions of songs from the film version of the musical The Wiz, in which she starred along with Michael Jackson. The songs were originally recorded in 1978, produced by Ross, Suzanne de Passe and Grammy Award winner Lee Holdridge. Motown originally planned to release the album in 1979 but it was cancelled following low box office returns and highly negative critical response to the film.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.