"Can't Get You Off My Mind" is a song written and performed by American singer and songwriter

Lenny Kravitz Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. His debut album ''Let Love Rule (Lenny Kravitz album), Let Love Rule'' (1989) was characterized by a blend of Rock music, rock ...

. It was released in February 1996 by

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...

as the third single from his fourth studio album, ''

Circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...

'' (1995). The song was later included in the albums ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

'' (2000) and '' Lenny'' (2001) as a bonus track. There are two versions of the music video for the song: one was directed by

Matthew Rolston Matthew Russell Rolston is an American artist, photographer, director and creative director, known for his lighting techniques and detailed approach to art direction and design. Rolston has been identified throughout his career with the revival an ...

, the other by Jim Gable.

Background

The song was inspired by Kravitz's missing his then-girlfriend while being on tour. Also, he missed

his mother ''His Mother'' is a 1912 American silent film produced by Kalem Company. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with Gene Gauntier and Jack J. Clark in the leading roles. It was one of more than a dozen films produced by the Kalem Company filmed in Ir ...

who died in December 1995. He explained to ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' that he envisioned the song while he stayed at the Royalton Hotel in New York. The song was initially called "The Country Song." Kravitz also said to '' Q'', "...lyric was not a pastiche, man. It came out of me naturally, just as all my lyrics do. I don't analyze songwriting, I simply write... And anyway, when you are on tour a lot, as I was, life is a lonely highway, and I did get lonely out there on the open road, OK?".

Reception

Daina Darzin from ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' noted that Kravitz "is positively countrified on this languid, pretty

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

, which turns gracefully soulful in midstream. Mellifluous vocals, gently twinning harmonies and easy-going, soaring instruments make this a track that could work on any number of radio formats." ''

CD Review ''CD Review'' (formerly known as ''Digital Audio'' and ''Digital Audio and Compact Disc Review'') is a discontinued American monthly magazine that specialized in reviewing albums and audio electronics, especially compact discs. The magazine was ...

'' stated, "Kravitz is inspired by a lot more than just

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

and

Sly Stone Sylvester Stewart (March 15, 1943 – June 9, 2025), better known by his stage name Sly Stone, was an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He was the frontman of Sly and the Family Stone, playing a critical role in the development ...

, and the second half of ''Circus'' slows down to accommodate a little mood and melody . But the lovey "Can't Get You Off My Mind” has a little too calculated country feel". Paul Moody from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' felt it "is so lovestruck dumb you can't help but fall for it". Rob Wagner of '' The Tech'' added, "Obviously, Kravitz's touring with the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

has greatly influenced him. His song "Can't Get You Off My Mind" steals some chords from "

Wild Horses The wild horse (''Equus ferus'') is a species of the genus ''Equus'', which includes as subspecies the modern domesticated horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') as well as the endangered Przewalski's horse (''Equus ferus przewalskii'', sometimes tr ...

" by the Stones. I kept expecting to hear

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...

jump in." Kevin Powell of ''

Vibe Vibe, alternatively '' vibes,'' is short for ''vibration''. A "vibe" is an emotional reaction to the aura or energy felt to belong to a person, place or thing. Vibe may also refer to: People * DJ Vibe (born 1968), Portuguese DJ * Lasse Vibe (b ...

'' wrote, "With its country western texture, the song feels distant, as if Kravitz were somewhere deep in the sticks, chilling, dreaming about a woman he'd met at a local bar."

Charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control Lenny Kravitz songs 1995 songs 1996 singles Songs written by Lenny Kravitz Virgin Records singles