I Can't Stop Loving You

"I Can't Stop Loving You"
"I Can't Stop Loving You"
Single by Ray Charles
from the album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
B-side	"Born to Lose"
Released	April 1962
Recorded	February 15, 1962
Studio	United Recording, Hollywood, California
Genre	R&B, country soul
Length	2:37 (single version); 4:12 (album version)
Label	ABC-Paramount 10330
Songwriter(s)	Don Gibson
Producer(s)	Sid Feller
Ray Charles singles chronology
Audio sample
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"I Can't Stop Loving You"
"I Can't Stop Loving You"
Single by Don Gibson
from the album Oh Lonesome Me
A-side	"Oh Lonesome Me"
Released	1958
Recorded	December 30, 1957
Genre	Country
Length	2:37
Label	RCA Victor
Songwriter(s)	Don Gibson
Producer(s)	Chet Atkins
Don Gibson singles chronology

"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. At the time of Gibson's death in 2003, the song had been recorded by more than 700 artists.^[1]

Background[]

Gibson wrote both "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "Oh, Lonesome Me" on June 7, 1957, in Knoxville, Tennessee.^[1] "I sat down to write a lost love ballad," Gibson said in Dorothy Horstman's 1975 book Sing Your Heart Out, Country Boy. "After writing several lines to the song, I looked back and saw the line 'I can't stop loving you.' I said, 'That would be a good title,' so I went ahead and rewrote it in its present form."^[2]

Ray Charles 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, for five weeks. This version went to number one on the U.S. R&B and Adult Contemporary charts.^[4]^[5] Billboard ranked it as the No. 2 song for 1962.^[6] Charles reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1962, staying for two weeks.^[7]

The Ray Charles version is noted for his saying the words before the last five lines of the song on the final chorus: "Sing the song, children". Choral backing was provided by The Randy Van Horne Singers. It was ranked No. 164 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and No. 49 on CMT's "100 Greatest Songs in Country Music".

This recording was featured in Metropolis (2001 film), where it can be heard during the explosion of the skyscraper Ziggurat shortly after the climax.^[8]

Charts[]

Don Gibson[]

Note: This original recording was released as "I Can't Stop Lovin' You".^[9]

Chart (1958)	Peak position
Norwegian Singles Chart	2
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[10]	7
US Billboard Hot 100^[11]	81

Kitty Wells version[]

Chart (1958)	Peak position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[12]	3

Ray Charles version[]

Chart (1962)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100^[13]	1
U.S. Billboard R&B Singles	1
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[14]	1
UK Singles Chart^[3]	1
Australian Singles Chart	1
Norwegian Singles Chart	4

All-time charts[]

Chart (1958-2018)	Position
US Billboard Hot 100^[15]	125

Other versions[]

The song has been recorded by many other artists. Some recordings are titled as "I Can't Stop Lovin' You" (with or without an apostrophe).

1958: Kitty Wells on her album Kitty Wells' Golden Favorites; No. 3 on the Billboard magazine country chart
1961: Roy Orbison on his album Sings Lonely and Blue; charted in the Variety magazine Top 100 Listings
1962: Count Basie's recording, a Quincy Jones arrangement, won the 1962 Grammy Award for "Best Instrumental Arrangement".^[16]^[17]
1962: Ray Anthony recorded the song for the album Ray Anthony Plays Worried Mind
1963: Johnny Tillotson on his album Talk Back Trembling Lips (MGM Records – E 4188)
1963: Paul Anka on his album Songs I Wish I'd Written (RCA Victor – LSP-2744)
1964: Faron Young on his album Country Dance Favorites (Mercury Records - SR 60931)
1964: Frank Sinatra recorded the song for his album It Might As Well Be Swing, his second collaboration with Count Basie and his orchestra
1964: Jim Reeves on his last album The Jim Reeves Way which was released in 1965
1964: Ike & Tina Turner covered the song in 1964; released on their album Live! The Ike & Tina Turner Show in January 1965.
1965: Duke Ellington recorded the song for his album Ellington '66
1965: Andy Williams on his album Andy Williams' Dear Heart
1966: Pavel Novak, Czech singer
1967: Ronnie Dove on his LP Cry
1969: Elvis Presley performed the song live from 1969 till his final tours in 1977, first recording it on the RCA release Elvis in Person at the International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada
1969: Jerry Lee Lewis recorded it on the album Sings the Country Music Hall of Fame Hits, Vol. 2
Guy & Ralna included a recording of the song on their 1973 album Country Songs We Love to Sing; the duo also performed the song numerous times on The Lawrence Welk Show, on which they were regulars.
1974: Donna Hightower recorded in Spain it on her Columbia album "I'm In Love with Love" (also released as "I'm in Love with You" and "The One I Cried")
1974: Dolly Parton and Chet Atkins performed the song (to Atkins' guitar accompaniment) on The Porter Wagoner Show in 1974.
1972: Conway Twitty on his album of the same name; reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart^[18]
1977: Sammi Smith covered the song for her Mixed Emotions album. The song also reached No. 27 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart.^[18]
1978: Mary K. Miller reached No. 28 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart.^[18]
1981: Rez Band recorded a cover as their closing track on the platinum selling Mommy Don't Love Daddy Anymore, hitting the Christian Rock charts.
1981: Millie Jackson recorded an upbeat, disco-influenced version for her Just a Lil' Bit Country album. The song was also released as a single in the U.S. and charted #62 R&B.
1991: Van Morrison on his album Hymns to the Silence; also appears on a limited edition album Live at Austin City Limits Festival (2006)
2002: Anne Murray on her album Country Croonin'
2005: Martina McBride on her album Timeless
2014: Bryan Adams recorded a version for his album Tracks of My Years

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Edwards, Joe (5 November 2003). "Country Legend Don Gibson Dies". CBS News. Associated Press. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
^ Horstman, Dorothy (1975). Sing Your Heart Out, Country Boy (Third ed.). Country Music Foundation Press. p. 365. ISBN 0-915608-19-7.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 66. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 113.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 52.
^ Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1962
^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 139. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
^ Metropolis ending (2001) HD, retrieved 2021-07-25
^ "45cat Image".
^ "Don Gibson Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
^ "Don Gibson Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
^ "Kitty Wells Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
^ "Ray Charles Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
^ "Ray Charles Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
^ "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
^ The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (2004). The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Oxford University Press. p. 2500. ISBN 9780199840441.
^ Henry, Clarence Bernard (2013). Quincy Jones: His Life in Music. University Press of Mississippi. p. 82. ISBN 9781617038617.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 361.

External links[]

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

[associatedpress-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b Edwards, Joe (5 November 2003). "Country Legend Don Gibson Dies". CBS News. Associated Press. Retrieved 13 January 2018.

[horstman-2] Horstman, Dorothy (1975). Sing Your Heart Out, Country Boy (Third ed.). Country Music Foundation Press. p. 365. ISBN 0-915608-19-7.

[500_Number_One_Hits-3] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 66. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.

[4] Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 113.

[5] Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 52.

[6] Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1962

[British_Hit_Singles_&_Albums-7] Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 139. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.

[8] Metropolis ending (2001) HD, retrieved 2021-07-25

[9] "45cat Image".

[sc_Billboardcountrysongs_Don_Gibson-10] "Don Gibson Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.

[sc_Billboardhot100_Don_Gibson-11] "Don Gibson Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.

[sc_Billboardcountrysongs_Kitty_Wells-12] "Kitty Wells Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.

[sc_Billboardhot100_Ray_Charles-13] "Ray Charles Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.

[sc_Billboardadultcontemporary_Ray_Charles-14] "Ray Charles Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.

[15] "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.

[16] The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (2004). The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Oxford University Press. p. 2500. ISBN 9780199840441.

[17] Henry, Clarence Bernard (2013). Quincy Jones: His Life in Music. University Press of Mississippi. p. 82. ISBN 9781617038617.

[whitburn-18] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 361.

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show v t Don Gibson
Studio albums	Oh Lonesome Me No One Stands Alone That Gibson Boy
Collaboration albums	Dottie and Don
Notable singles	"Sweet Dreams" "Oh Lonesome Me" "I Can't Stop Loving You" "Blue Blue Day" "I'm Movin' On" "Just One Time" "Sea of Heartbreak" "Woman (Sensuous Woman)" "Snap Your Fingers" "The Fool"
Collaboration singles	"Rings of Gold" "Till I Can't Take It Anymore"
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show v t Conway Twitty
Studio albums	Sings Saturday Night with Conway Twitty Lonely Blue Boy The Rock & Roll Story I Can't See Me Without You Honky Tonk Angel I'm Not Through Loving You Yet Linda on My Mind The High Priest of Country Music Now and Then I've Already Loved You in My Mind Georgia Keeps Pulling on My Ring Cross Winds Heart & Soul Rest Your Love on Me Mr. T Southern Comfort Dream Maker Lost in the Feeling By Heart Don't Call Him a Cowboy Chasin' Rainbows Fallin' for You for Years Borderline Still in Your Dreams House on Old Lonesome Road Crazy in Love Even Now Final Touches
Collaboration albums	We Only Make Believe Lead Me On Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man Country Partners Dynamic Duo
Compilation albums	25 Number Ones
Notable singles	"It's Only Make Believe" "Mona Lisa" "Danny Boy" "Lonely Blue Boy" "What Am I Living For" "Next in Line" "I Love You More Today" "To See My Angel Cry" "Hello Darlin'" "Fifteen Years Ago" "How Much More Can She Stand" "I Can't See Me Without You" "(Lost Her Love) On Our Last Date" "I Can't Stop Loving You" "She Needs Someone to Hold Her (When She Cries)" "You've Never Been This Far Before" "There's a Honky Tonk Angel (Who'll Take Me Back In)" "I'm Not Through Loving You Yet" "I See the Want To in Your Eyes" "Linda on My Mind" "Touch the Hand" "This Time I've Hurt Her More Than She Loves Me" "After All the Good Is Gone" "The Games That Daddies Play" "I Can't Believe She Gives It All to Me" "Play Guitar Play" "I've Already Loved You in My Mind" "Georgia Keeps Pulling on My Ring" "Boogie Grass Band" "Your Love Had Taken Me That High" "Don't Take It Away" "I May Never Get to Heaven" "Happy Birthday Darlin'" "I'd Love to Lay You Down" "Rest Your Love on Me" "Tight Fittin' Jeans" "Red Neckin' Love Makin' Night" "The Clown" "Slow Hand" "We Did But Now You Don't" "The Rose" "We Had It All" "Lost in the Feeling" "Heartache Tonight" "Three Times a Lady" "Somebody's Needin' Somebody" "I Don't Know a Thing About Love (The Moon Song)" "Ain't She Somethin' Else" "Don't Call Him a Cowboy" "Between Blue Eyes and Jeans" "Desperado Love" "Fallin' for You for Years" "Julia" "I Want to Know You Before We Make Love" "That's My Job" "Goodbye Time" "Saturday Night Special" "I Wish I Was Still in Your Dreams" "She's Got a Single Thing in Mind" "House on Old Lonesome Road" "Fit to Be Tied Down" "Crazy in Love" "I Couldn't See You Leavin'" "Rainy Night in Georgia"
Collaboration singles	"After the Fire Is Gone" "Lead Me On" "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man" "Feelins'" "The Letter" "I Can't Love You Enough" "Making Believe" "Don't Cry Joni"
Related articles	Discography Discography with Loretta Lynn Joni Lee

show v t Van Morrison singles discography
1960s	1967 "Brown Eyed Girl" "Ro Ro Rosey" "Spanish Rose"
1970s	1970 "Come Running" "Crazy Love" "Domino" 1971 "Blue Money" "Call Me Up in Dreamland" "Wild Night" 1972 "Tupelo Honey" "(Straight to Your Heart) Like a Cannonball" "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" "Redwood Tree" 1973 "Gypsy" "Warm Love" "Bein' Green" 1974 "Bulbs" "Caldonia" "Gloria" 1977 "The Eternal Kansas City" "Moondance" 1978 "Wavelength" 1979 "Bright Side of the Road" "Full Force Gale"
1980s	1980 "You Make Me Feel So Free" 1982 "Cleaning Windows" "Scandinavia" 1984 "Dweller on the Threshold" 1985 "Tore Down a la Rimbaud" 1986 "Ivory Tower" 1987 "Did Ye Get Healed?" "Someone Like You" 1988 "Queen of the Slipstream "I'll Tell Me Ma 1989 "Have I Told You Lately" "Whenever God Shines His Light" "Orangefield"
1990s	1990 "Coney Island" "Gloria" "Real Real Gone" 1991 "Enlightenment" "I Can't Stop Loving You" "Why Must I Always Explain?" 1993 "Gloria" 1995 "Have I Told You Lately" "Days Like This" "Perfect Fit" 1996 "That's Life" 1997 "The Healing Game" "Rough God Goes Riding" 1999 "Precious Time" "Back on Top"
2000s	2002 "Hey Mr. DJ"