"I Can't Let Go" is a song co-written by Al Gorgoni and Chip Taylor, who also wrote "

Wild Thing Wild Thing or Wild Things can refer to: Books and comics * Wild Thing (comics), a 1999 Marvel Comics superheroine in the MC2 alternate future * ''The Wild Things'', a 2009 novel written by Dave Eggers Film and television * ''Wild Thing'' (film), ...

". "I Can't Let Go" was originally recorded by

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 Stax ...

singer Evie Sands' on George Goldner's Blue Cat label, which was popular in New York City in 1965. The song became popular in 1966 for the group the Hollies, who charted at number two in the UK Singles Chart with their version. Linda Ronstadt covered the song in 1980 and had a number 31 hit on the US ''Billboard''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' 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), radio play, and online streaming ...

chart.

The Hollies version

Background

"I Can't Let Go" is the Hollies' first 1966 single, and their last with original bassist

Eric Haydock Eric Haydock (born Eric John Haddock; 3 February 1943 – 5 January 2019) was a British musician, best known as the original bass guitarist of The Hollies from December 1962 until July 1966. He was one of the first British musicians to play a F ...

. It peaked at number two in the UK and number 42 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the US. It is ranked as the 37th biggest British hit of 1966. The Hollies' version was praised by Paul McCartney, who thought Graham Nash's soaring tenor in the chorus was a trumpet. ''

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 advertise ...

'' described the song as a "pulsating number with driving dance beat." After "I Can't Let Go" was recorded Haydock was replaced by Bernie Calvert, who played on the band's next single ("Bus Stop").

Chart performance

Linda Ronstadt version

Background

Linda Ronstadt released the most successful American version in 1980 from her platinum-certified album, ''

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''. Released as the disc's third single, it was produced by Peter Asher and was issued on Asylum Records. Ronstadt's cover of "I Can't Let Go" reached number 27 on the

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was 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 ...

Top 100 and number 31 on the ''

chart in the summer of 1980. Archived a
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Wayback Machine

Chart performance

Other versions

* The Dickies included this song (under the name "Can't Let Go") on their 1998 all-covers album, ''Dogs from the Hare That Bit Us''. * Les Fradkin covered the song on his 2006 album, ''Goin' Back''. *Canadian rock band Sloan covered this song on their ersatz-live album, '' Recorded Live at a Sloan Party.''

References

{{authority control 1965 songs 1966 singles 1980 singles The Hollies songs Linda Ronstadt songs Parlophone singles Songs written by Chip Taylor Songs written by Al Gorgoni Imperial Records singles Asylum Records singles