The Band – Don’t Do It

Good Morning! I hope your Sunday is going well. This is such a groove song…a great way to start your day. 

This song I like the Band’s cover version the best and that is saying a lot because Marvin Gaye did the original version. The song was written by  Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland. The Holland–Dozier–Holland team wrote a number of hits through the sixties and seventies and continued on without Dozier for years. 

The Band covered this on their Rock of Ages live album released in 1972. I first heard this on the Last Waltz and it stuck with me. I usually like studio cuts over live but this one sounds really good. 

The song peaked at #34 in the Billboard 100 but was much more popular in Canada where it peaked at #11 in 1972. It also is included as a bonus track on the Cahoots album…a studio version. 

Don’t Do It

Baby don’t you do it, don’t do it
Don’t you break my heart
Pleeeeease don’t do it, don’t you break my heart

A sacrifice would make you happy if nothing for myself
Now you wanna leave me for the love of someone else
My pride is all gone whether I’m right or wrong
I need you baby to keep on keepin’ on

You know I’m trying to my best
Oh I’m trying to do my best
Don’t do it, don’t you break my heart
Pleeeeease don’t do it, don’t you break my heart

My biggest mistake was loving you too much and letting you know
Now you got me where you want me and you won’t let me go
If my heart was made of glass well then you’d surely see
How much heartache and misery, girl, you’ve been causing me

While I’ve been trying to do my best
Well I’ve tried to do my best
Don’t do it, don’t you break my heart

Pleeeeease don’t do it, don’t you break my heart

Go down to the river and there I be
I’m gonna jump in girl, but you don’t care bout me
Open up your eyes
Can’t ya see I love ya?
Open up you heart, girl
Can’t ya see I need ya?

Oh baby don’t do it, do it, do it
Don’t you break my heart
Pleeeeease don’t do it don’t you break my heart

My biggest mistake was loving you too much and letting you know
Now you got me where you want me and you won’t let me go
If my heart was made of glass well then you’d surely see
How much heartache and misery, girl, you’ve been causing me

While I’ve been trying to do my best
You know I’ve tried to do my best
Don’t do it, don’t you break my heart
Pleeeeease don’t do it, don’t you break my heart

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player.

25 thoughts on “The Band – Don’t Do It”

      1. That’s a nice tradition! One of the things I’ve done for the past five years or so is to listen to rock radio station Q104.3 “1,043 greatest rock songs of all time.”

        It starts with no. 1,043 on Thanksgiving and goes all the way to no. 1 sometime on Sunday evening. The ranking is based on listener submissions of their top 10 picks.

        While “Stairway to Heaven” has been the eternal no. 1 each year for the past 20 years they have been doing the countdown, it’s still fun and probably the only time during the entire year that you can hear 1,043 different songs in a row.😀

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      2. That is really cool of the station. I love any kind of list and/or countdown…that is cool.

        Oh there is more music thing…The Last Waltz and Arlo Guthrie Alice’s Restaurant…every Thanksgiving.

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      2. concert film….Maybe so…The only one I can think of is Ladies and Gentlemen the Rolling Stones

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    1. messenger… yea I have to go with the Band….it’s more clear….plus….Levon…and I love Marvin….99 percent I would go with Marvin but this is the version I know best also

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    1. I didn’t know it was a cover either until a few months ago…they do it so well. Same here Stephen… The Last Waltz and one listen to Alice’s Restaurant.

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