"Can't Get Used to Losing You" is a song written by Jerome "Doc" Pomus and

Mort Shuman Mortimer Shuman (12 November 1938 – 2 November 1991) was an American singer, pianist and songwriter, best known as co-writer of many 1960s rock and roll hits, including "Viva Las Vegas". He also wrote and sang many songs in French, such as " ...

, first made popular by

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

in a 1963 record release, which was a number-two hit in both the US and the UK. Twenty years later, British band the Beat took a

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

re-arrangement to number three in the UK.

Andy Williams recording

"Can't Get Used to Losing You" was recorded by Andy Williams in December 1962 and released in 1963. It peaked at number two in both the US and the UK. In the US, the single spent four weeks at number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart (behind "

He's So Fine "He's So Fine" is a song written by Ronnie Mack. It was recorded by The Chiffons who topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for four weeks in the spring of 1963. One of the most instantly recognizable golden oldies with its ''doo-lang doo-lang doo-la ...

" by

the Chiffons :''The Chiffons also briefly recorded under the name The Four Pennies; for the British band of the latter name see The Four Pennies.'' The Chiffons are an American girl group originating from the Bronx, a borough of New York City, in 1960. Hist ...

and "

I Will Follow Him "I Will Follow Him" is a popular song that was first recorded in 1961 by Franck Pourcel, as an instrumental titled "Chariot". The song achieved its widest success when it was recorded by American singer Little Peggy March with English lyrics in ...

" by Little Peggy March) and topped the

Easy Listening chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...

for four weeks, peaking on both in April 1963. Williams' recording peaked at number one on the '' Cashbox'' charts. Williams' vocals on the song's verses were double-tracked in unison, and overdubbed on the choruses so the listener hears Andy singing harmony with himself. The song appears on an album entitled '' Days of Wine and Roses and Other TV Requests'' in North America and ''Can't Get Used to Losing You and Other Requests'' in the United Kingdom.

Charts

Other 1960s and 1970s covers

In 1963,

Patti Page Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 – January 1, 2013), known professionally as Patti Page, was an American singer and actress. Primarily known for pop and country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and best-selling female ar ...

recorded a version, with strings background, as part of the '' Say Wonderful Things'' album. In the same year,

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including " Diana", " Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and "(You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...

included it on the album ''Song I Wish I'd Written'', and Julie London performed it on ''

The Wonderful World of Julie London ''The Wonderful World of Julie London'' is an LP album by Julie London, released by Liberty Records under catalog number LRP-3324 as a monophonic recording and catalog number LST-7324 in stereo in November 1963. This was Julie London's final chart ...

.''

Bobby Rydell Robert Louis Ridarelli (April 26, 1942 – April 5, 2022), known by the stage name Bobby Rydell, was an American singer and actor who mainly performed rock and roll and traditional pop music. In the early 1960s he was considered a teen idol. Hi ...

did his rendition the same year. In 1965,

Chad and Jeremy Chad & Jeremy were a British musical duo consisting of Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde, who began working in 1962 and had their first hit song in the UK with " Yesterday's Gone" (1963). That song became a hit in the United States in the following y ...

's cover appeared on their '' Before and After.'' Dandy and the Israelites performed it as

in 1970, whilst Danny Ray released a ska version in 1976.

The Beat recording

The Beat (known as The English Beat in the USA) originally recorded their cover of "Can't Get Used to Losing You" as a track on their 1980 album '' I Just Can't Stop It''. It was not released as a single until three years later, just as the Beat announced that they were breaking up. The single was remixed slightly from the album track, and became the band's fifth and final top ten UK hit, and their highest charting single release ever.

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in 2020, and has twice been nom ...

, who singled out the song as his favorite Doc Pomus composition, had hoped to cover the song, but scrapped the idea after "the Beat beat me to it".

Charts

Other recordings

"Can't Get Used to Losing You" has been

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of copy ...

by Amen Corner,

Madeline Bell Madeline Bell (born July 23, 1942) is an American soul singer, who became famous as a performer in the UK during the 1960s and 1970s with pop group Blue Mink, having arrived from America in the gospel show ''Black Nativity'' in 1962, with the ...

Julie London Julie London (née Peck; September 26, 1926 – October 18, 2000) was an American singer and actress whose career spanned more than 40 years. A torch singer noted for her sultry, languid contralto vocals, London recorded over thirty album ...

Alton Ellis Alton Nehemiah Ellis (1 September 1938 – 10 October 2008)Godfather ...

Skeeter Davis Skeeter Davis (born Mary Frances Penick; December 30, 1931September 19, 2004) was an American country music singer and songwriter who sang crossover pop music songs including 1962's " The End of the World". She started out as part of the Davis S ...

Bobby Darin Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was an American musician and actor. He performed jazz, pop, rock and roll, folk, swing, and country music. He started his career as a songwriter for Connie ...

, Whitburn, Joel (2002). ''Album Cuts 1955-2001'', (Billboard Publications) Renegade Soundwave, Percy Faith, and

Chad & Jeremy Chad & Jeremy were a British musical duo consisting of Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde, who began working in 1962 and had their first hit song in the UK with " Yesterday's Gone" (1963). That song became a hit in the United States in the following ...

. In France

Dick Rivers Hervé Forneri (; 24 April 1945 – 24 April 2019), known professionally as Dick Rivers, was a French singer and actor who began performing in the early 1960s. He was an important figure in introducing rock and roll music in France. He was an a ...

did it as "''Je ne peux pas t'oublier''", with French lyrics, in 1963; also that year,

Pierre Lalonde Pierre Lalonde (January 20, 1941 – June 21, 2016) was a Canadian singer and television host. The son of Jean Lalonde, a popular singer in the 1940s, Lalonde attended high school in the United States but returned to Canada in 1960, where he wo ...

recorded it in Canada. In France also that year Vic Laurens, label Mercury with french lyrics " Je ne peux pas t'oublier in 1963. Italian pop singer John Foster also recorded it in 1963 as "Eri Un Abitudine". British singer

Colour Girl Rebecca Skingley, better known as Colour Girl, is a British singer. She appeared on several house and garage records in the 1990s into the 2000s, and scored several hits on the UK Singles Chart, including a cover of " Can't Get Used to Losing Y ...

had a number-31 hit with her

UK garage UK garage, abbreviated as UKG, is a genre of electronic dance music which originated in England in the early to mid-1990s. The genre was most clearly inspired by garage house, but also incorporates elements from dance-pop, R&B, and jungle. I ...

version in 2000.

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

heavily sampled the song in " Hold Up", from her 2016 album ''Lemonade''.

References

Citations Sources * {{DEFAULTSORT:Can't Get Used to Losing You 1962 songs 1963 singles 1983 singles Songs with music by Mort Shuman Songs with lyrics by Doc Pomus Andy Williams songs The Beat (British band) songs Song recordings produced by Bob Sargeant Cashbox number-one singles Columbia Records singles Pop ballads

Andy Williams recording

Charts

Other 1960s and 1970s covers

The Beat recording

Charts

Other recordings

See also

References