I Can't Stop Loving You
Encyclopedia
"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 30, 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
.
The song was covered by Ray Charles
in 1962, featured on Charles' Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
, and released as a single. Charles' version reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100
in 1962, as well as the U.S. R&B and Adult Contemporary charts. It was ranked #161 on Rolling Stone
's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and #49 on CMT
's 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music.
Don Gibson
Donald Eugene "Don" Gibson was an American songwriter and country musician. A Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, Gibson penned such country standards as "Sweet Dreams" and "I Can't Stop Loving You", and enjoyed a string of country hits from 1957 into the early 1970s.-Biography:Don Gibson was...
, who first recorded it on December 30, 1957, for RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
Victor Records. It was released in 1958
1958 in music
-Events:*February - 45,000 peoplein one week watch performances of "rokabirī" music by Japanese singers at the first Nichigeki Western Carnival....
as the B-side of Oh, Lonesome Me, becoming a double-sided country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
hit single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
.
The song was covered by Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
in 1962, featured on Charles' Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music is a studio album by American R&B and soul musician Ray Charles, released in April 1962 on ABC-Paramount Records. Recording sessions for the album took place in early to mid-February 1962 at Capitol Studios in New York City and at United Recording Studios...
, and released as a single. Charles' version reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in 1962, as well as the U.S. R&B and Adult Contemporary charts. It was ranked #161 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and #49 on CMT
CMT
- Medicine :* California mastitis test* Certified Massage Therapist* Cervical motion tenderness, a sign of pelvic inflammatory disease* Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease* Chemically modified tetracyclines* Circus Movement Tachycardia...
's 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music.
Don Gibson version
| Chart (1958) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 7 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 81 |
Kitty Wells version
| Chart (1958) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 3 |
Ray Charles version
| Chart (1962) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard R&B Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| U.K. Singles Chart | 1 |
| Australian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 4 |
Other cover versions
- Roy OrbisonRoy OrbisonRoy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
recorded the song for his 1961 album, Sings Lonely and Blue. This version charted in the Variety magazine Top 100 Listings.
- Frank SinatraFrank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
recorded the song for his 1965 album It Might As Well Be SwingIt Might as Well Be SwingIt Might as Well Be Swing is a 1964 studio album by Frank Sinatra, accompanied by Count Basie and his orchestra. It was Sinatra's first studio recording with Quincy Jones.This was Sinatra and Basie's second collaboration after 1963's Sinatra-Basie....
, his second collaboration with Count BasieCount BasieWilliam "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
& his orchestra. - Tom JonesTom Jones (singer)Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
sung this song live from 1966, recorded the song 1970, single only, US AC #3 and CAN AC #5 - Ella FitzgeraldElla FitzgeraldElla Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
recorded this song; her rendition can be found on some of her old recordings, and can be downloaded.
- Jerry Lee LewisJerry Lee LewisJerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
recorded a blues version of the song in 1969. However, when he returned to it in 1979, it took the form of country balladry, a la Gibson's original. - Martina McBrideMartina McBrideMartina McBride is an American country music singer and songwriter. McBride has been called the "Céline Dion of Country Music" for her big-voiced ballads and soprano range....
performed the song in Charles's style at a Grand Ole OpryGrand Ole OpryThe Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
tribute to him that originally aired on Great American CountryGreat American CountryGreat American Country , is a Nashville, Tennessee-based country music cable television network.-History:The station launched December 31, 1995 and Garth Brooks' video "The Thunder Rolls" was the first video to air on GAC....
TV on June 3, 2006. - In addition to the covers by Lewis and McBride, many other country singers either covered or have had success with the song. The two most successful covers were by Kitty WellsKitty WellsEllen Muriel Deason , known professionally as Kitty Wells, is an American country music singer. Her 1952 hit recording, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels", made her the first female country singer to top the U.S. country charts, and turned her into the first female country star...
(No. 3 in 1958 on the Billboard magazine country chartHot Country SongsHot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
and Conway TwittyConway TwittyConway Twitty , born Harold Lloyd Jenkins, was an American country music artist. He also had success in early rock and roll, R&B, and pop music. He held the record for the most number one singles of any act with 55 No. 1 Billboard country hits until George Strait broke the record in 2006...
(who reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart in September 1972).
- Van MorrisonVan MorrisonVan Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
, a lifetime fan of Charles, recorded a version for his 1991 album Hymns to the SilenceHymns to the SilenceHymns to the Silence is the twenty-first album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1991 It peaked at No. 5 in the UK...
and has performed it on numerous occasions in live concerts. His 2006 performance of this song at the Austin City Limits Festival appears on a limited edition album Live at Austin City Limits FestivalLive at Austin City Limits FestivalLive at Austin City Limits Festival by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison is a limited edition live album recorded from the Austin City Limits Festival concert at which he was the first night headliner on September 15, 2006...
.
- Connie FrancisConnie FrancisConnie Francis is an American pop singer of Italian heritage and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1950s and 1960s. Although her chart success waned in the second half of the 1960s, Francis remained a top concert draw...
recorded the song on her MGM album "Country Music Connie Style" in 1962.
- Ricky NelsonRicky NelsonEric Hilliard Nelson , better known as Ricky Nelson or Rick Nelson, was an American singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and actor...
also covered this song.
- Count BasieCount BasieWilliam "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
's 1963 instrumental version hit the Billboard Top 100.
- Japan's Nettai Tropical Jazz Big Band covered this song on their 2000 album, My Favorite, as an arrangement for a Latin Jazz Big Band.
- The Ray CharlesRay CharlesRay Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
version appeared on the soundtrack of the 2001 Japanese animeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
movie Metropolis where it was used instead of sound effects in the film's final scene. - Tom JonesTom Jones (singer)Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
performed the song live 1969 (This is Tom Jones TV show) and recorded single in 1970, #3 on USA AC, #5 on CAN AC... - Elvis PresleyElvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
performed the song live from 1969 til his final tours in 1977, most famously during his Aloha from HawaiiAloha from HawaiiAloha from Hawaii is a music concert that was headlined by Elvis Presley, and was broadcast live via satellite on January 14, 1973. It is the most watched broadcast by an individual entertainer in television history, viewed by an estimated 1.5 billion people worldwide. The concert took place at the...
satellite telecast.
- Jim ReevesJim ReevesJames Travis Reeves , better known as Jim Reeves, was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well-known for being a practitioner of the Nashville sound...
performed the song for his 1965 album 'The Jim Reeves Way'.
- Chucho AvellanetChucho AvellanetArmando Hipólito Avellanet González , nicknamed "Chucho" is a Puerto Rican singer and comedic actor...
performed a Spanish version of the song under the title "Jamas Te Olvidare".