"If I Can't Have You" - Yvonne Elliman

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Yvonne's version is GREAT. Kim Wylde's version however, is not. Poor Kim, after Kids In America she just kept running out and doing covers of songs people already knew & didn't care that she sang.

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 04:14 (twenty years ago)

Her other really good song is "Love pains." (It was certainly good enough for the Pet Shop Boys to choose it for Liza Minnelli to cover.)

― brittle-lemon, Tuesday, 28 June 2005 04:27 (twenty years ago)

i prefer liza's version actually.

― monsanto and yanni (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 04:28 (twenty years ago)

i was going to say what andy hart said above.
actually stephen pastel wrote it down on the back cover to their early singles compilation!

― joan vich (joan vich), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 09:42 (twenty years ago)

Kim Wylde did a version? Wow, never heard that.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:37 (twenty years ago)

Great song.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:42 (twenty years ago)

The "whoa-whoa-whoa" part is great! I would love to hear the Bee Gees' version, tho.

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:43 (twenty years ago)

I probably haven't heard it in a dozen years, but I just replayed the 'whoa-whoa' in my head, and that's good!

"I Don't Know How to Love Him" roolz. (best Lloyd Webber song, not that it's close)

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 13:07 (twenty years ago)

Kim Wylde did a version? Wow, never heard that.

It charted in Australia back in like 1993, but I can't remember how high it went. Not very, if memory serves. Her last gasp...

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 16:38 (twenty years ago)

I heard a Kim Wilde track in the Gap yesterday, "Chequered Love," and it was as bad as "Kids in America" is good (which is considerable).

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 16:40 (twenty years ago)

I've not heard that one, but the title alone brings on a 'bleuch' face. I never really did forgive her for covering The Supremes though. It was 3 minutes that could have been put to better use.

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 17:12 (twenty years ago)

As my introduction to the Supremes, Kim's "You Keep Me Hangin' On" earns my eternal gratitude.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 17:17 (twenty years ago)

Mebbe, but it was so needless. She didn't so much "make it her own" as take the song for a lifeless test drive.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 17:19 (twenty years ago)

hate on kim all you want, but "cambodia" roolz, foolz

― monsanto and yanni (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 19:01 (twenty years ago)

xpost: Hahahaha! "Lifeless test drive"!!! [wipes tear]

Ugh. "Cambodia" was NOT a favorite.

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 19:10 (twenty years ago)

(xxpost)

Kim's version was huge here in South Florida; it was right at home with the great freestyle shit on the radio like Company B and Expose. And then came Tiffany's "I Think We're Alone Now," which is delicious and slatternly.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 20:32 (twenty years ago)

Best song on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.

That would be "Jive Talkin"' - The Bee Gees' best ever post 1970 moment.

As for their work with other acts during the 70s, my favourite would be Samantha Sang's "Emotion". Some of Andy Gibb's singles were also OK.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:05 (twenty years ago)

Gasp! "Emotion". Now there's a song.

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 22:14 (twenty years ago)

i like how breezy this song is. for a heatbreak song it's pretty painless. i think i note this above.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 22:21 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, it's like she's getting ready to go out, putting on her best stuff, singing about how she won't ever be with anyone but him. Maybe she's manic?

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 22:22 (twenty years ago)

my comment above: it's an early entry though in that category of dance music that seems totally indifferent to the emotions ostensibly being revealed by the lyrics

a lot of post-1980s dance music is like this. really excited-sounding electronic dance tracks with ostensibly extremely-depressing lyrics.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 22:26 (twenty years ago)

Is "Nights On Broadway" on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack? I can't remember. In any case, if it is, it shits all over everything else like a mighty firehose of brown justice.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 22:56 (twenty years ago)

not a fIREHOSE though?

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 22:57 (twenty years ago)

Alex, have you ever thought of writing Hallmark cards for a living?

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 22:58 (twenty years ago)

What about a FIREHOUSE of brown justice? They're bringing their saggy spandex out to Conocti Harbor in a month or two....

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 22:58 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...

This is really a great tune. Love that brass and electric guitar break after the chorus.

― Joe (Joe), Friday, 15 July 2005 11:29 (twenty years ago)

I went perhaps 25 years without hearing this song and now I've heard it like five times in the past few months. Seriously, I say this as someone with abiding love for the SNF soundtrack--What happened?

Did some playlist computer spit this out as the Lost Song Due for Resurrection on those the "best mix of the 70s and 80s and today!!!!!" radio stations? Or did like some actual human decide it was good--something from the, god help us, "disco era" that people weren't sick of from a thousand campy weddings?

― The Mad Puffin (The Mad Puffin), Friday, 15 July 2005 12:28 (twenty years ago)

yeah, this is a good song.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Friday, 15 July 2005 12:33 (twenty years ago)

roy hay from culture club formed a band called "this way up " and they covered "if i can't have you" in 1987.
http://eil.com/shop/artistlist.asp?artistname=this-way-up-(roy-hay)

― hay roy, Friday, 15 July 2005 15:19 (twenty years ago)

This song always gives me good little chill-bumps.

― p.j. (Henry), Friday, 15 July 2005 15:38 (twenty years ago)

I heard this in a store maybe 3 weeks ago after not hearing it for many years. I stood, stunned - how could a song from that time and era possibly be that good?

― Hydrochloric Shaved Weirds (Bimble...), Sunday, 24 July 2005 20:01 (twenty years ago)

I mean I'm specifically speaking of disco. Many disco songs are fun to listen to, and many are crap, but how could a single song from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack still sound THAT good? That's what I'm getting at.

― Hydrochloric Shaved Weirds (Bimble...), Sunday, 24 July 2005 20:03 (twenty years ago)

many many songs from the saturday night fever soundtrack still sound that good. as do many other disco songs of that era.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Sunday, 24 July 2005 22:38 (twenty years ago)

was this recorded *for* the soundtrack or was it already a hit and was just stuck on there, like a few of the other tracks (i think)?

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Sunday, 24 July 2005 23:48 (twenty years ago)

Is this pretty much the only American #1 hit sung an Asian-American?

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Sunday, 24 July 2005 23:55 (twenty years ago)

I stood, stunned - how could a song from that time and era possibly be that good?

because it was written by the bee gees.

michael, isn't irene cara asian-american? perhaps? i dunno.

― hstencil (hstencil), Monday, 25 July 2005 01:59 (twenty years ago)

what about wang chung?

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Monday, 25 July 2005 03:06 (twenty years ago)

HAHA.

What about Black Eyed Pees?

― The Amazing Jaxon! (jaxon), Monday, 25 July 2005 03:08 (twenty years ago)

BLACK EYED POOS

― The Amazing Jaxon! (jaxon), Monday, 25 July 2005 03:08 (twenty years ago)

carl douglas kung fu fighting. though he might have been asian-euro?

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Monday, 25 July 2005 03:08 (twenty years ago)

o no wait hes from jamaica

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Monday, 25 July 2005 03:09 (twenty years ago)

and may have no asian blood at all

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Monday, 25 July 2005 03:09 (twenty years ago)

brown eyed poos!

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Monday, 25 July 2005 03:10 (twenty years ago)

Wikipedia says: Irene Cara (born Irene Escalera on March 18, 1959 in New York City) is an American-born singer actress of Cuban and Puerto Rican descent. So maybe not.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Monday, 25 July 2005 03:17 (twenty years ago)

i guess not yeah. i wasn't sure.

― hstencil (hstencil), Monday, 25 July 2005 03:18 (twenty years ago)

mariah carey's part syrian tho right?

― hstencil (hstencil), Monday, 25 July 2005 03:18 (twenty years ago)

so one time in college, my fratboy roommate's friend was in class w/at-the-time girlfriend of jerry seinfeld shoshana lowenstein. she's a rather attractive girl blessed with a large front end. in class the friend, syrus, says "i sure would fuck the shit out of her", and all of a sudden, she turns around and goes, "you'd what?!" he totally didn't realize she was sitting right in front of her. so a few days pass and he sees her on campus and says to her, "i'm soooo soooo sorry. i'm syrus" and she keeps going, "thanks for appologizing, i understand you're serious", and he says, "no i'm syrus" and it keeps going on back and forth like that for hours.

bad story, i'm drunk, syrian made me do it

― The Amazing Jaxon! (jaxon), Monday, 25 July 2005 03:26 (twenty years ago)

best not-good story ever.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Monday, 25 July 2005 17:46 (twenty years ago)

hstencil, with all due respect, there's something wrong w/ the Bee Gees' version of this song. I haven't A-B'd the two, but I think there's actually a wrong chord in the chorus -- "wrong" in the sense that it kind of sounds like what happens when you're plunking around on a guitar and think you have the chords...but don't.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 03:05 (twenty years ago)

I agree with hstencil. The Bee Gees nailed it.

― SoHoLa (SoHoLa), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 03:19 (twenty years ago)

Skipping 26 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

yeah classic. even her lipsyncing is lovely.

― tremendoid, Sunday, 9 March 2008 08:13 (eighteen years ago)

Is this pretty much the only American #1 hit sung an Asian-American?
-- Michael Daddino

not really

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU8vOQNvd3c

― gershy, Sunday, 9 March 2008 08:32 (eighteen years ago)

also, yvonne rules

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDFRVWMA8wY

― gershy, Sunday, 9 March 2008 08:35 (eighteen years ago)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3_2RNf_RaI&NR=1

― tremendoid, Sunday, 9 March 2008 08:50 (eighteen years ago)

Good god, gershy's link of "Can't Find My Way Home"...yikes. Is she in her own private Stairway to Heaven there or what? Bloody brilliant.

― Bimble, Sunday, 9 March 2008 09:52 (eighteen years ago)

Ah! I just realized the opening riff for that reminds me of "Naked Eye" by The Who!!! Must rip it to iPod forthwith!

― Bimble, Sunday, 9 March 2008 09:55 (eighteen years ago)

one year passes...

This song is better than all your grandmother's 78 records. Nominate this one for "best song ever".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Do14z5ycic

― Where's All The Hippies? Fuck off! (Bimble), Friday, 3 July 2009 11:10 (sixteen years ago)

No, I'm serious. I want 3000 page essays on why that song isn't the best thing that ever happened to your life. Dave Segal, don't let me down. Haha.

― Where's All The Hippies? Fuck off! (Bimble), Friday, 3 July 2009 11:13 (sixteen years ago)

one month passes...

I don't know if I could have fulfilled Bimble's request for a 3000 pg. essay on the subject matter but damn this really is one of my favorite songs of all time. <3

― ENBB, Wednesday, 12 August 2009 18:29 (sixteen years ago)

I think I'm the only one in the eorld what truly hates a Yvonne Elliman.

― cosmic abbigong (Abbott), Wednesday, 12 August 2009 18:48 (sixteen years ago)

She does sing v pretty on the verses tho.

― cosmic abbigong (Abbott), Wednesday, 12 August 2009 18:48 (sixteen years ago)

:-( Abbott.

― ENBB, Wednesday, 12 August 2009 18:50 (sixteen years ago)

the French horn is nice on this song, too...it's just Jesus Christ Superstar is one of my fave albums & I hate her character & songs in it SO MUCH (this will probably make you sad too)

― cosmic abbigong (Abbott), Wednesday, 12 August 2009 19:01 (sixteen years ago)

but this has been a beneficial thread insofar as it reminded me to listen to the JCSS OST

― cosmic abbigong (Abbott), Wednesday, 12 August 2009 19:02 (sixteen years ago)

fuck "I Don't Know How to Love Him" and its cloying ersatz longing

― cosmic abbigong (Abbott), Wednesday, 12 August 2009 19:04 (sixteen years ago)

I forgot she had a bit in "What's the Buzz," my self-protection mechanisms must have erased this bummer memory

― cosmic abbigong (Abbott), Wednesday, 12 August 2009 19:05 (sixteen years ago)

two years pass...

French horn is nice on this song, too..

classic brothers gibb touch.

― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Wednesday, 25 April 2012 01:36 (fourteen years ago)

It's basically a first draft for "Heartbreaker."

― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 25 April 2012 01:39 (fourteen years ago)

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