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

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Not all messages are displayed: show all messages (126 of them)

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)

mariah carey's part syrian tho right?

is she? iirc she's irish, puerto rican, and a quarter black.

― badass porcelain knives (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 03:31 (twenty years ago)

mariah carey's part syrian tho right?

I think you're thinking of Paula Abdul. And isn't she part Lebanese?

― Candicissima (candicissima), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 03:48 (twenty years ago)

some kind of middle eastern. but she's jewish too.

― badass porcelain knives (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 04:36 (twenty years ago)

And isn't she part Lebanese?

I've heard those rumors, too.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 05:00 (twenty years ago)

no way.

― hstencil (hstencil), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 17:30 (twenty years ago)

Way

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 19:16 (twenty years ago)

Is this pretty much the only American #1 hit sung an Asian-American?
-- Michael Daddino (epicharmu...), July 24th, 2005 5:55 PM. (epicharmus)

Not an Asian-American but "Ue O Muite" by Kyu Sakamoto is the only US #1 (1963) sung in Japanese.

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 19:23 (twenty years ago)

Why do you like Japan so much?

― The Amazing Jaxon! (jaxon), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 19:30 (twenty years ago)

Why do you like The Phillipines so much?

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 19:33 (twenty years ago)

I was just searching for the name of that Kyu Sakamoto song.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 19:36 (twenty years ago)

xpost - HAHAH

― The Amazing Jaxon! (jaxon), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 19:37 (twenty years ago)

There are a few Pacific-Asian artists who have had number one's, but I'm still searching for any from the continent.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 19:37 (twenty years ago)

"Tiny Bubbles" only hit #8
The Jets "Make It Real" only hit #4 !!!!

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 19:42 (twenty years ago)

Seriously, hstencil, check it out.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 19:44 (twenty years ago)

dude you do understand THE BEEGEES WROTE THE SONG, right?

― hstencil (hstencil), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 21:18 (twenty years ago)

Did Ofra Haza's "Galbi" chart well in the U.S. circa 1988?

― donut ferry (donut), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 21:30 (twenty years ago)

As for "If I Can't Have You".. i mean, I don't worship the song, but I can't understand how it could be so irritating. The SNF soundtrack is pretty nice that way.. the "worst" songs are as offensive as water.

I still think that "Calypso Breakdown" and "Jive Talkin'" are the best songs on the soundtrack.

― donut ferry (donut), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 21:32 (twenty years ago)

dude you do understand THE BEEGEES WROTE THE SONG, right?

Of course I do. I'm just saying, something's off with that arrangement harmonically.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 23:36 (twenty years ago)

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

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.