Ray Charles – I Can’t Stop Loving You

I was introduced to Ray Charles’ music by my mom. She would play Georgia on My Mind nonstop. This was a country song that Ray Charles kicked some soul into and it worked more than anyone would have thought.

Willie Nelson said that Ray Charles did more for country music than anyone did at that time. This song was a massive hit worldwide in 1962.

The song was written by Don Gibson and this was the B side to his Oh Lonesome Me. Ray Charles finally got artistic control over his albums so he decided to shock everyone…an album full of Country and Western music with his own unique touch on it. The album was called Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music and it peaked at #1 on the Billboard Album Charts.

Ray Charles’ record company (ABC Records) didn’t release this as a single when the album came out. It was only when Tab Hunter heard this version and released a single…that ABC Records finally edited the song down to just over 4 minutes and released it after radio stations were playing it off the album. Charles was not happy when he heard Hunter’s version.

The song peaked at #1 on the Billboard 100, #1 in Canada, and #1 in the UK in 1962. I Can’t Stop Loving You won the Grammy for Best Rhythm and Blues Recording.

I Can’t Stop Loving You

(I can’t stop loving you)
I’ve made up my mind
To live in memories of the lonesome times
(I can’t stop wanting you)
It’s useless to say
So I’ll just live my life in dreams of yesterday
(Dreams of yesterday)

Those happy hours that we once knew
Though long ago, they still make me blue
They say that time heals a broken heart
But time has stood still since we’ve been apart, yeah

(I can’t stop loving you)
I’ve made up my mind
To live in memories of the lonesome times
(I can’t stop wanting you)
It’s useless to say
So I’ll just live my life in dreams of yesterday

(Those happy hours)
Those happy hours
(That we once knew)
That we once knew
(Though long ago)
Though long ago
(Still make me blue)
Still make me blue
(They say that time)
They say that time
(Heals a broken heart)
Heals a broken heart
(But time has stood still)
Time has stood still
(Since we’ve been apart)
Since we’ve been apart

(I can’t stop loving you)
I said I made up my mind
To live in memories of the lonesome times (sing the song, children)

(I can’t stop wanting you)
It’s useless to say
So I’ll just live my life of dreams of yesterday
(Of yesterday)

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, 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. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

36 thoughts on “Ray Charles – I Can’t Stop Loving You”

  1. Here’s a little VH trivia for ya Max. In the song Can’t Stop Loving You, Hagar sings the line “Hey Ray, what you said is true,
    I can’t stop lovin’ you.

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      3. Same here. The booking office had mistakenly put my phone number in the paper to buy tickets so I spent 3 days telling callers the right number over the phone – so I got a free ticket. The Jackson parents were there too.

        Liked by 2 people

      4. What a nightmare about the phone number. Was it in New Zealand?
        I just read a story about The Who…who had a terrible tour in the 60s in Austraila and the press and police were terrible to them.
        When they got to New Zealand…they were treated great…they were told “we know those Austraila ***** treated you terrible…don’t think of us as them”

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  4. Very interesting about the Tab Hunter version and the record company shenanigans. Yet no surprise. Epic song and even more epic performance from Ray Charles. No debate, in another 100 years people will still be listening to this song.

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    1. Yes they will but I never knew how big and important it was Randy. According to that documentary…it helped spread the word about country music.

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      2. No No No….I wasn’t going there Randy! Man if it’s 5 years it’s fine! lol.
        No I just meant I am learning a lot from that…its pretty cool. I should know this stuff since I live here.

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    1. LOL…now I can hear him singing them! This really helped Country music at the time…a number one global hit. That is why Willie Nelson said what he said.

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  8. Interesting background info on this. Of course I had to go out and listen to the Tab Hunter version :::GAG::: Ray does it just right, and those backup singers look like they are wearing elevated choir robes.

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