"How Can I Be Sure" is a popular song written by

Felix Cavaliere Felix Cavaliere (born November 29, 1942) is an American musician. He is best known for being the co-lead vocalist and keyboard player for The Young Rascals. Although he was a member of Joey Dee and the Starliters, known for their hit " Pepperm ...

and

Eddie Brigati Edward Brigati Jr. (born October 22, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter. He was the co-lead vocalist, along with Felix Cavaliere, and percussionist in the rock group The Young Rascals from 1964 to 1970. Prior to his stint with The Young Ra ...

, and originally recorded by

the Young Rascals ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

for their 1967 album ''

Groovin' "Groovin" is a song written by the American singer songwriters Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati, initially recorded by their group the Young Rascals in 1967. Cavaliere was inspired to compose the song by his girlfriend Adrienne Buccheri, whom ...

'' with a single release in August 1967 affording the group their fourth Top 10 hit. "How Can I Be Sure" reached #4 on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

in ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' in October 1967, ranking as the most successful (Young) Rascals' hit featuring a lead vocal by

. The single's

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

, "I'm So Happy Now" (also included on the ''Groovin'' album), was written and sung by Rascals guitarist

Gene Cornish Gene Cornish (born May 14, 1944) is a Canadian-American musician. He is an original member of the popular 1960s blue-eyed soul band The Young Rascals. From 1965 to 1970, the band recorded eight albums and had thirteen singles that reached Bill ...

. Featuring a unique guitar phase-out ending, it was the first Cornish-penned song to appear on a Rascals single.

Background

Of a rock-oriented band such as the (Young) Rascals introducing a

traditional pop Traditional pop (also known as vocal pop or pre-rock and roll pop) is Western culture, Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known ...

-style song such as "How Can I Be Sure" Cavaliere has stated: "The only reason we were brave enough to do that was

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

did ' Michelle' and ' Yesterday'." (Cavaliere had an especial awareness of the Beatles, having toured Europe with them in 1963 when he was a member of

Joey Dee and the Starliters Joey Dee and the Starliters (also credited as Joey Dee and the Starlighters) is an American popular music group. The group is best known for their million-selling recording " Peppermint Twist" (1961).The group's most notable lineup is consider ...

; the Rascals would also

open Open or OPEN may refer to: Music * Open (band), Australian pop/rock band * The Open (band), English indie rock band * ''Open'' (Blues Image album), 1969 * ''Open'' (Gerd Dudek, Buschi Niebergall, and Edward Vesala album), 1979 * ''Open'' (Go ...

for the Beatles at

Shea Stadium William A. Shea Municipal Stadium ( ), typically shortened to Shea Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City.concertina A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It consists of expanding and contracting bellows, with buttons (or keys) usually on both ends, unlike accordion buttons, which are on the front. The ...

, chosen so as to add to the song the vibe of a French café. The song's musical styles include

blue-eyed soul Blue-eyed soul (also called white soul) is rhythm and blues (R&B) and soul music performed by white artists. The term was coined in the mid-1960s, to describe white artists whose sound was similar to that of the predominantly black Motown and St ...

and

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

. "How Can I Be Sure" was one of several songs inspired by group founder

's girlfriend Adrienne Becchuri, a Pelham (New York) high school student Cavaliere met in 1966, the year he turned 24: (Felix Cavaliere quote:) "I fell madly in love with this woman who actually turned out to be a

muse In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...

... ally the only reason she was in my life as tospark that kind of emotion and feeling that generates those types of songs." Cavaliere and Buccheri remained a couple for a year, with Cavaliere first celebrating Buccheri in the blissful Rascals' hits "

and "A Girl Like You", and then with the introspective "How Can I Be Sure" expressing doubts about the relationship — he and Buccheri had recently become engaged — and despite the positive resolution of the song Cavaliere did in fact discover that she was too young ((Felix Cavaliere quote:)"I woke up one day and said: 'What the hell am I doing? I'm going out with a kid.).

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Dusty Springfield version

"How Can I Be Sure" was covered by British singer

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), better known by her stage name Dusty Springfield, was a British singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano voice, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop mus ...

and released as a non-LP single in September 1970. It was rumoured that this recording and single release may have been prompted by her well received performance of the song on the

Des O'Connor Desmond Bernard O'Connor (12 January 1932 – 14 November 2020) was an English comedian, singer and television presenter. He was a long-time TV chat-show host, beginning with '' The Des O'Connor Show'' in 1963, which ran for ten years as we ...

Show in May 1970. Dusty was hopeful that this single would fare better than her then-recent American recordings which were met with relative indifference in the UK (aside from the US and UK Top 10 hit "

Son of a Preacher Man "Son of a Preacher Man" is a song written and composed by American songwriters John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins and recorded by British singer Dusty Springfield in September 1968 for the album '' Dusty in Memphis.'' Springfield's version was produ ...

"). Despite several promotional television and radio appearances and glowing reviews from the press, the single only spent one week in the UK Top 40 and only four weeks total on the chart. The song was issued specifically for the British market and would not be issued in America until the release of ''The Dusty Springfield Anthology'' in 1997. ;Track listing *Side A: "How Can I Be Sure" (2:47) *Side B: "Spooky" (2:44) " Spooky" is a cover of the

Classics IV The Classics IV is an American band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, United States, in 1965. The band, founded by Dennis Yost, is known mainly for the hits " Spooky", " Stormy", and " Traces" (released 1967–69), which have become cover stand ...

hit and was recorded in January 1968 but left unused for almost three years until it featured as the B-side to this single. ;Charts

David Cassidy version

Background

In 1972 "How Can I Be Sure" was recorded for the album '' Rock Me Baby'' by

David Cassidy David Bruce Cassidy (April 12, 1950 – November 21, 2017) was an American actor and musician. He was best known for his role as Keith Partridge in the 1970s musical-sitcom ''The Partridge Family''. After completing high school, Cassidy purs ...

(David Cassidy quote:) "Eddie Brigati and Felix Cavaliere

ere Ere or ERE may refer to: * ''Environmental and Resource Economics'', a peer-reviewed academic journal * ERE Informatique, one of the first French video game companies * Ere language, an Austronesian language * Ebi Ere (born 1981), American-Nigeria ...

two of the great musical influences of my teenage years

hen Hen commonly refers to a female animal: a female chicken, other gallinaceous bird, any type of bird in general, or a lobster. It is also a slang term for a woman. Hen, HEN or Hens may also refer to: Places Norway *Hen, Buskerud, a village in R ...

I thought he Rascalswere just about the best American pop band...

hat song A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

brought back so many memories of that imefor me." (Another Rascals hit, the Cavaliere/Brigati composition "

I've Been Lonely Too Long "I've Been Lonely Too Long" is a song written by Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati and performed by the Young Rascals. Released as a single in 1967, it reached #7 in Canada, while in the U.S. it reached #16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, # ...

", was also remade by Cassidy for ''Rock Me Baby''; concurrent with the album's recording, Cassidy's producer

Wes Farrell Wesley Donald Farrell (December 21, 1939 – February 29, 1996) was an American musician, songwriter and record producer, who was most active in the 1960s and 1970s. Career Farrell was born in New York, United States. Farrell's catalogue incl ...

would acquire ownership of the entire Rascals song catalogue.) Released as the album's first single, "How Can I Be Sure" became the second of Cassidy's three Top 30 solo hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with a peak of #25, Cassidy's third Top 30 hit (and fifth and final

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

hit) being "Lyin' to Myself" eighteen years later in 1990. On the ''Billboard''

Easy Listening chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary music, adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on ...

"How Can I Be Sure" peaked at #3. "How Can I Be Sure" would afford Cassidy a #1 hit on both the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are ...

and (for two weeks) the singles chart for the UK, being the second of Cassidy's overall 11 UK chart hits, six of which would reach the Top Ten, including his second #1 UK hit: the

double A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...

hit " Daydreamer"/"

The Puppy Song "The Puppy Song" is a Harry Nilsson song that appeared on his album '' Harry'' released in August 1969. Nilsson originally wrote this song at Paul McCartney's request for Mary Hopkin, an 18-year-old singer that McCartney had signed to Apple Records ...

" (#1 for three weeks in 1973). "How Can I Be Sure" also charted with more moderate impact in Australia (#16), Canada (#22), Germany (#33), and the Netherlands (#13). ;Track listing *Side A: "How Can I Be Sure" (2:52) *Side B: "Ricky's Tune" (3:24)

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other versions

*In late 1967, American singer

Lesley Gore Lesley Gore (born Lesley Sue Goldstein, May 2, 1946 – February 16, 2015) was an American singer and songwriter. At the age of 16, she recorded her first hit song " It's My Party", a US number one in 1963. She follow ...

recorded a version for her 8th studio album, ''Magic Colors''. Intended to be released that December, the project was instead shelved, and would remain unreleased until 2011. *In 1967 French singer

Nicoletta Nicoletta is a name and feminine given name derived from the Greek ''Nikolaos'', most often used in Italy, Sweden, Denmark and Norway. Nicoletta is also a surname. Given name * Nicoletta (singer), full name Nicoletta Grisoni, French singer, kn ...

sold two million copies of the song, rendered as "Je ne pense qu'à t'aimer", the version which subsequently inspired

's version. *Also in 1967 a distinct French-language rendering, "A Paris la Nuit", was recorded by Quebec singer

Michel Pagliaro Michel Armand Guy Pagliaro (born 9 November 1948) is a Canadian rock singer, songwriter and guitarist from Montreal, Quebec. Although he writes and records predominantly in French, Pagliaro has reached international success mainly with material ...

with his band Les Chanceliers. *

Daryl Braithwaite Daryl Braithwaite (born 11 January 1949) is an Australian singer. He was the lead vocalist of Sherbet (1970–1984 and many subsequent reunions). Braithwaite also has a solo career, placing 15 singles in the Australian top 40, including ...

released a version in October 1994 as the lead from his album '' Six Moons: The Best of 1988–1994''. It peaked in Australia at #55 on the

ARIA charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA beca ...

References

{{authority control 1967 singles 1970 singles 1972 singles The Rascals songs Dusty Springfield songs David Cassidy songs RPM Top Singles number-one singles UK singles chart number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Songs written by Felix Cavaliere Songs written by Eddie Brigati 1967 songs Atlantic Records singles Bell Records singles Philips Records singles Stax Records singles Song recordings produced by Wes Farrell