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

[620 Soul Train]

No one can touch this one, not even Kim Wilde, which she did in 1993 (ha ha it flopped as well!). Yeah I know it's a disco song but it also hits home for a number of people.


#1 Hot 100
#60 R&B
#4 United Kingdom

[mst3k]

I love it... it's my favorite song on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (which is saying a lot, since I love most of the songs on it).

[reception]

I like it.

[prenatt1166]

UU-BRU Radio Playlist
[red]For Week Ending April 29, 1978[/red]

(Rank This Week, Last Week, Artist, Title)

01 03 Yvonne Elliman - If I Can't Have You
02 02 Wings - With A Little Luck
03 04 John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John - You're The One That I Want
04 01 Billy Joel - Moving Out
05 06 England Dan & John Ford Coley - Never Have To Say Goodbye
06 19 Abba - Take A Chance On Me
07 05 David Gates - Goodbye Girl
08 11 Jefferson Starship - Count On Me
09 07 Raydio - Jack And Jill
10 10 Andrew Gold - Thank You For Being A Friend

IICHY spent a single week at #1, ranking at #10 for 1978.
www.keystonehighways.com/uubru1978.html

Yvonne Elliman was the first female act to hit #1 on UU-BRU Radio Playlist.

:)

[Pet Shop Boy]

I liked KIm Wilde's version. By her standards it was quite succesful too, in the UK it gave her her final top 40 hit, after a string of flops this climbed to #16.

[prenatt1166]

Anyone familiar with Fred Bronson's Billboard Book Of Number One Hits[/i] may have already read this section on "If I Can't Have You". It is one of my favorite stories.

She started out as a fallen woman looking for a savior. She then redeemed herself in a stint with a fallen rock idol. But Yvonne Elliman was sanctified as a participant in disco's greatest hour.

Born December 29, 1951, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Yvonne learned how to play the piano from her father. She was part of a group in high school, We Folk, and after graduation she moved to London to try and find success in the music business. She was singing at a Kings Road club called the Pheasantry when Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber saw her and invited her to sing the role of Mary Magdalene for their rock opera Jesus Christ, Superstar.

When the album evolved into a stage production, Elliman stayed with the part for four years. Her original recording of "I Don't Know How to Love Him" was released as a single, and while it did respectably, charting at number 28 in June, 1971, it was surpassed by a cover version from Helen Reddy.

Yvonne Elliman's #1 hit "If I Can't Have You" appeared on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack as well as on Yvonne's second album for RSO Records, Night Flight. Released in March, 1978, Night Flight peaked at #40 on the Billboard Hot 200 and remained on the charts for 17 weeks. In 1997, Uni/Mercury released The Best of Yvonne Elliman (above), a 16-track compilation which contains all five of her Top 40 hits.

In 1974 Yvonne relocated to New York for rehearsals of the Broadway production of Jesus Christ, Superstar. There she met Bill Oates from Robert Stigwood's office and they were married soon after. Later that year, Elliman was at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida, when Eric Clapton was recording 461 Ocean Boulevard for RSO Records. He asked her to sing backing vocals on "I Shot the Sheriff," which led to joining the heavyweight guitarist for his fabled comeback tour.

She was signed as an artist in her own right to RSO. Her Rising Sun LP was produced by Steve Cropper, but yielded no hit singles. Teaming up with producer Freddie Perren, she recorded the Love Me album, which gave her two Top 20 hits: the sizzling title track written by Barry and Robin Gibb and a remake of Barbara Lewis' "Hello Stranger."

She told Rolling Stone she felt "like a traitor" for leaving Clapton. "My voice doesn't lend itself to screaming," Elliman told the magazine. "It really prefers to sing love ballads. I'm a complete romanticist as well. I like appealing to women. I like pulling their heartstrings."

She almost got her chance to pull a few heartstrings. When the Bee Gees were asked to score Saturday Night Fever, they had already written "How Deep Is Your Love" for Elliman, but Stigwood insisted the Bee Gees sing the ballad themselves.

Instead Yvonne was given the chance to belt out an uptempo disco tune, "If I Can't Have You." It entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 89 on January 28, 1978. When it went to number one 15 weeks later, it established three records:

1. It was the fourth number one single from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, the only motion picture to produce that many chart-topping 45s.

2. It was the fourth consecutive number one single to be written by Barry Gibb, breaking the record set by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, who penned three consecutive number ones in 1964.

3. It was the sixth consecutive number one single for RSO Records. No other label until that time had ever had more than two consecutive 45s reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100. RSO dominated the chart summit for 21 weeks in a row, and would log another 10 weeks at one before the last day of 1978.

The Bee Gees' version was good, and I am sure Yvonne Elliman would have done a great job on "How Deep Is Your Love", but I am glad things turned out the way they did.

:)

[620 Soul Train]

prenatt1166 said:

Anyone familiar with Fred Bronson's Billboard Book Of Number One Hits

[/i] may have already read this section on "If I Can't Have You". It is one of my favorite stories.

She started out as a fallen woman looking for a savior. She then redeemed herself in a stint with a fallen rock idol. But Yvonne Elliman was sanctified as a
participant in disco's greatest hour.

Born December 29, 1951, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Yvonne learned how to play the piano from her father. She was part of a group in high school, We Folk, and after graduation she moved to London to try and find success in the music business. She was singing at a Kings Road club called the Pheasantry when Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber saw her and invited her to sing the role of Mary Magdalene for their rock opera Jesus Christ, Superstar.

When the album evolved into a stage production, Elliman stayed with the part for four years. Her original recording of "I Don't Know How to Love Him" was released as a single, and while it did respectably, charting at number 28 in June, 1971, it was surpassed by a cover version from Helen Reddy.

Yvonne Elliman's #1 hit "If I Can't Have You" appeared on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack as well as on Yvonne's second album for RSO Records, Night Flight. Released in March, 1978, Night Flight peaked at #40 on the Billboard Hot 200 and remained on the charts for 17 weeks. In 1997, Uni/Mercury released The Best of Yvonne Elliman (above), a 16-track compilation which contains all five of her Top 40 hits.

In 1974 Yvonne relocated to New York for rehearsals of the Broadway production of Jesus Christ, Superstar. There she met Bill Oates from Robert Stigwood's office and they were married soon after. Later that year, Elliman was at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida, when Eric Clapton was recording 461 Ocean Boulevard for RSO Records. He asked her to sing backing vocals on "I Shot the Sheriff," which led to joining the heavyweight guitarist for his fabled comeback tour.

She was signed as an artist in her own right to RSO. Her Rising Sun LP was produced by Steve Cropper, but yielded no hit singles. Teaming up with producer Freddie Perren, she recorded the Love Me album, which gave her two Top 20 hits: the sizzling title track written by Barry and Robin Gibb and a remake of Barbara Lewis' "Hello Stranger."

She told Rolling Stone she felt "like a traitor" for leaving Clapton. "My voice doesn't lend itself to screaming," Elliman told the magazine. "It really prefers to sing love ballads. I'm a complete romanticist as well. I like appealing to women. I like pulling their heartstrings."

She almost got her chance to pull a few heartstrings. When the Bee Gees were asked to score Saturday Night Fever, they had already written "How Deep Is Your Love" for Elliman, but Stigwood insisted the Bee Gees sing the ballad themselves.

Instead Yvonne was given the chance to belt out an uptempo disco tune, "If I Can't Have You." It entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 89 on January 28, 1978. When it went to number one 15 weeks later, it established three records:

1. It was the fourth number one single from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, the only motion picture to produce that many chart-topping 45s.

2. It was the fourth consecutive number one single to be written by Barry Gibb, breaking the record set by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, who penned three consecutive number ones in 1964.

3. It was the sixth consecutive number one single for RSO Records. No other label until that time had ever had more than two consecutive 45s reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100. RSO dominated the chart summit for 21 weeks in a row, and would log another 10 weeks at one before the last day of 1978.

The Bee Gees' version was good, and I am sure Yvonne Elliman would have done a great job on "How Deep Is Your Love", but I am glad things turned out the way they did.

:)





[/quote]

I have the book and I have a long ways to go! Thanks for sharing I think i will read about this one. (Say why did I not look this up anyway, duh! Just made a topic about it. I look every significant number one song that comes to mind.

[Deleted]

I hate it.

[johnnywest]

It's pretty good. I like it.

[WotUNeed]

I love this song

[Hervard]

Funny that this song would be bumped up today because at work, I heard the Bee Gees version of this song. Of course, they don't hold a candle to this song, which is definitely one of 1978's best hits.

[Girls, girls, girls, girls...]

Fantastic!

[colson]

I loved it!!! Even though the chorus is very repetitive, it just sticks in your head and you can't stop singing and besides, Yvonne's mixed with the background singers sound real soulful. I'm not surprised this went to #1 back in '78.

[busyboy]

I agree that this is somewhat repetitive, but I can't help but love it.

[lolhey]

No shame in admitting my love for this song, def. one of the best disco songs for me (and generally speaking). I also enjoy the Bee Gee's version of this as well. Oh and Hayley Jensen's Australian Idol version of this is divine as well, lmao.

[🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲]

Love this so much!

[Cody Wants Out...]

The BEST single from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, hands down!

[leonagwen]

I never got sick of this, still love this today.

[jenglisbe]

Whenever I hear this one, it gets stuck in my head for days.

[Dreams]

Ahah that song is one of my mom's favorites! It suuuucks.

[Ezekiel 23:20–21]

This is such an amazing song. It's a great vocal.

[Soulsista]

I love this.

[♛ The Manticore ☯]

Great song and a classic.

[areyoureadytojump]

I heard this on the radio today.

[🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲]

#343 on Billboard's 500 Greatest Pop Songs

You Know What It Is: The Gibb Brothers’ — and maybe all of disco’s — most heart-rending moment, a beautiful and surprisingly dignified monument to total romantic despair and defeatism.

Hollywood Nights: Impossible to hear “If I Can’t Have You” and not think of poor Annette, the tragic not-quite-heroine of 1977 disco drama Saturday Night Fever, showing up to Tony’s dance studio to proposition him with a fistful of condoms — only to drop them from her hand after he cruelly rebuffs her.

Coming Around Again: Certainly one of DJ Khaled’s more inspired lifts to swipe the majestic string lead-in to the “Can’t Have You” verse for the hook to his star-studded 2007 single “Brown Paper Bag.”