I Could Never Miss You (More Than I Do)
Encyclopedia
"I Could Never Miss You (More Than I Do)" was the fourth and final US Top 40 hit for Lulu
.
, a 1978 album release on Elton John
's Rocket Records
. The song was composed by Neil Harrison
and co-produced by Mark London
. London had been the co-writer of Lulu's major hit, "To Sir, With Love
" and was also the husband of Lulu's longtime manager, Marion Massey
. The other co-producer was Lem Lubin, who had previously been associated with the bands Unit 4 + 2
and Christie
.
Although "I Could Never Miss You" was not issued as a single off Don't Take Love For Granted the track garnered some attention being covered in 1980 by both Melba Moore
(as "I Could Never Miss You More").
and Bobbi Walker
Alfa Records
released the Lulu original as a single backed with "Dance to the Feeling in Your Heart" in the summer of 1981.
By then, Lulu's US profile had been raised somewhat by her participation in two ATV
series devoted to rock and roll
music show: Oh Boy had aired in the US in the autumn of 1980 while Let's Rock ran over the summer of 1981. Also the early 1980s saw a considerable boost in the popularity of easy listening
music as exemplified by the success of the comparable Sheena Easton
.
"I Could Never Miss You" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100
in August of 1981, rising to a #18 peak in October. This marked Lulu's first appearance in the US Top 20 since "To Sir, with Love" in 1967.
"I Could Never Miss You" - whose Cash Box peak was #14
- also reached #2 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart
.
The US success of "I Could Never Miss You" only translated into a glimmer of interest in Lulu's native UK, where the single peaked at #62 in the final week of 1981 – it would mark Lulu's sole UK charting between "Take Your Mama For a Ride" in 1975 and "Shout" in 1986.
"I Could Never Miss You" also charted low in Australia
at #71, although this was somewhat offset by a 16 week run.
Canada's RPM magazine
ranked "I Could Never Miss You" with a #10 peak. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/index-e.html The track had its strongest chart impact in New Zealand
with an April 1982 peak of #3, which remains the highest post-1960s' peak on a national Pop chart for a solo recording by Lulu (tying with the 1974 UK chart peak of "The Man Who Sold the World
").
Shirley Bassey
recorded a Spanish rendering of "I Could Never Miss You" entitled "Nadie Más Te Quiso (Como Yo]" (Nobody loves you more [than me]) for her 1989 Spanish language
album La Mujer whose producer Leonardo Schultz wrote the new lyrics. In additon, Syd Dale
recorded an instrumental version of the song on his album Love Isn't Just For The Young
Lulu (singer)
Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, OBE , best known by her stage name Lulu, is a Scottish singer, actress, and television personality who has been successful in the entertainment business from the 1960s through to the present day...
.
History
"I Could Never Miss You" first appeared on Don't Take Love For GrantedDon't Take Love For Granted
Don't Take Love For Granted is an album released in the autumn of 1978 by Lulu on Elton John's Rocket Records.-History:The album, which marked a return to recording for Lulu after a six year absence, was produced by Mark London - composer of Lulu's career record "To Sir With Love" and Lem Lubin...
, a 1978 album release on Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
's Rocket Records
Rocket Records
The Rocket Record Company was a record label founded by Elton John, with Bernie Taupin, Gus Dudgeon and Steve Brown among others, in 1972. The name is from the hit, "Rocket Man"...
. The song was composed by Neil Harrison
Neil Harrison
Neil Harrison is a British member of The Beatles tribute band, The Bootleg Beatles, in which he plays John Lennon.-The Bootleg Beatles:Following the final show of the West End musical Beatlemania, which Harrison joined at the age of 28, Harrison formed The Bootleg Beatles with fellow cast members...
and co-produced by Mark London
Mark London
Mark London is a soundtrack composer, songwriter and producer. He is particularly notable as the co-writer of the song "To Sir With Love".-History:...
. London had been the co-writer of Lulu's major hit, "To Sir, With Love
To Sir, with Love (song)
"To Sir With Love" is the theme from the 1967 film To Sir, With Love. The song was written by Don Black and Mark London."To Sir With Love" was initially recorded by Lulu for the film of the same name...
" and was also the husband of Lulu's longtime manager, Marion Massey
Marion Massey
Marion Massey is most notable as one of the early female managers of music artists. In particular, Marion Massey is the person who discovered singer Lulu, at the age of fourteen, and who managed her for twenty-five years thereafter.-History:...
. The other co-producer was Lem Lubin, who had previously been associated with the bands Unit 4 + 2
Unit 4 + 2
Unit 4 + 2 were a British pop band, who had a number one hit in the UK Singles Chart in 1965 with the song "Concrete and Clay". The track topped the UK chart for one week.-Early days:...
and Christie
Christie (band)
Christie were an English rock band formed at the end of the 1960s. They are best remembered for their UK chart-topping hit single, "Yellow River" released in 1970.-Career:...
.
Although "I Could Never Miss You" was not issued as a single off Don't Take Love For Granted the track garnered some attention being covered in 1980 by both Melba Moore
Melba Moore
Beatrice Melba Smith , known by her stage name, Melba Moore is an American disco, R&B singer and actress. She is the daughter of saxophonist Teddy Hill and R&B singer Bonnie Davis.-Early life:...
(as "I Could Never Miss You More").
and Bobbi Walker
Alfa Records
Alfa Records
, originally Alfa Music, was established in 1969 by composer and record producer Kunihiko Murai. It was formed into an independent record label known as Alfa Records in 1977.- History :The company faced much hardship in the 1990s...
released the Lulu original as a single backed with "Dance to the Feeling in Your Heart" in the summer of 1981.
By then, Lulu's US profile had been raised somewhat by her participation in two ATV
Associated TeleVision
Associated Television, often referred to as ATV, was a British television company, holder of various licences to broadcast on the ITV network from 24 September 1955 until 00:34 on 1 January 1982...
series devoted to rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
music show: Oh Boy had aired in the US in the autumn of 1980 while Let's Rock ran over the summer of 1981. Also the early 1980s saw a considerable boost in the popularity of easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
music as exemplified by the success of the comparable Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton is a Scottish recording artist. Easton became famous for being the focus of an episode in the British television programme The Big Time, which recorded her attempts to gain a record contract and her eventual signing with EMI Records.Easton rose to fame in the early 1980s with the pop...
.
"I Could Never Miss You" debuted 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 August of 1981, rising to a #18 peak in October. This marked Lulu's first appearance in the US Top 20 since "To Sir, with Love" in 1967.
"I Could Never Miss You" - whose Cash Box peak was #14
- also reached #2 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
.
The US success of "I Could Never Miss You" only translated into a glimmer of interest in Lulu's native UK, where the single peaked at #62 in the final week of 1981 – it would mark Lulu's sole UK charting between "Take Your Mama For a Ride" in 1975 and "Shout" in 1986.
"I Could Never Miss You" also charted low in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
at #71, although this was somewhat offset by a 16 week run.
Canada's RPM magazine
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
ranked "I Could Never Miss You" with a #10 peak. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/index-e.html The track had its strongest chart impact in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
with an April 1982 peak of #3, which remains the highest post-1960s' peak on a national Pop chart for a solo recording by Lulu (tying with the 1974 UK chart peak of "The Man Who Sold the World
The Man Who Sold the World
The Man Who Sold the World is the third studio album by David Bowie. It was originally released on Mercury Records in November 1970 in the United States and in April 1971 in the UK. The album was Bowie's first with the nucleus of what would become the "Spiders from Mars", the backing band made...
").
Shirley Bassey
Shirley Bassey
Dame Shirley Bassey, DBE , is a Welsh singer. She found fame in the late 1950s and was "one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century"...
recorded a Spanish rendering of "I Could Never Miss You" entitled "Nadie Más Te Quiso (Como Yo]" (Nobody loves you more [than me]) for her 1989 Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
album La Mujer whose producer Leonardo Schultz wrote the new lyrics. In additon, Syd Dale
Syd Dale
Syd Dale was born in York, England. He was a self taught composer and arranger of funk, easy listening and library music. His music played an important role on TV, radio and advertising media of the 1960s and 1970s. It is still extensively used today.Syd Dale started as an apprentice engineer at...
recorded an instrumental version of the song on his album Love Isn't Just For The Young