"Can't Shake the Feeling" is a

pop-dance Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...

song written by

Stock Aitken Waterman Stock Aitken Waterman (abbreviated as SAW) are an English songwriting and record production trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, and Pete Waterman. The trio had great success from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s. SAW is considered ...

for British boys band Big Fun. It was the second single from their 1990 debut studio album '' A Pocketful of Dreams'' on which it is the third track. Released in November 1989 with two different covers, it enjoyed decent chart trajectories in European countries, although it was unable to meet the same success than Big Fun's previous hit "

Blame It on the Boogie "Blame It on the Boogie" is a song released in 1978 by English singer-songwriter Mick Jackson. It has been covered by numerous other artists, including The Jacksons. The song was performed on ''Musikladen'' (January 1979), ''Aplauso'' (February ...

". It became a top ten hit in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain and Finland, and a top 50 hit in Belgium, France and Germany.

Background and writing

The finished version of "Can't Shake the Feeling" was built around an

acid house Acid house (also simply known as just "acid") is a subgenre of house music developed around the mid-1980s by DJs from Chicago. The style is defined primarily by the squelching sounds and basslines of the Roland TB-303 electronic bass synthesiz ...

piano riff originated by

Matt Aitken Matthew James Aitken (born 25 August 1956) is an English songwriter and record producer, brought up in Astley, Greater Manchester, best known as the creative force behind the 1980s and early 1990s songwriting/production trio Stock Aitken Waterman ...

relatively late in the composition process, after the production team initially struggled to make earlier runs work.

Critical reception

A review in Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' considered "Can't Shake the Feeling" "one of SAW's better releases", adding it was "a punchy dance number with a lot of spirit that recalls stablemate

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...

's "

I Should Be So Lucky "I Should Be So Lucky" is a 1987 song performed by Australian recording artist and songwriter Kylie Minogue from her debut studio album '' Kylie'' (1988). Released on 29 December 1987 by Mushroom Records and PWL Records, the song became a worldw ...

Chart performance

"Can't Shake the Feeling" entered the UK Singles Chart at number 27 on 25 November 1989, climbed the following two weeks until reaching a peak of number eight, and charted for a total of nine weeks. In Ireland, it ranked from 30 November 1989 and for three weeks, with a peak at number seven. It was also a top ten hit in Finland and was a hit in Spain where it was much aired on radio, which allowed it to top the airplay chart. However, it achieved a moderate success in other European countries, becoming only a top 40 hit in Belgium (Flanders), and a top 50 hit in France and Germany. Similarly, it just entered the top 100 in Australia, stalling at number 97. On the

Eurochart Hot 100 The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...

, it started at number 86 on 2 December 1989, climbed to a peak of number 32 in its fifth week and fell off the top 100 after eight weeks of presence. On the European Airplay Top 50, it peaked at number 36 and remained on the chart for three weeks.

Formats and track listings

* 7" single, Cassette, 7" single (Big Fun – "Can't Shake the Feeling") (accessdate: 22 June 2022)., Cassette (Big Fun – "Can't Shake the Feeling") (accessdate: 22 June 2022). # "Can't Shake the Feeling" – 3:57 # "Don't Say It's Over" – 3:51 * CD maxi, CD maxi (Big Fun – "Can't Shake the Feeling") (accessdate: 22 June 2022). # "Can't Shake the Feeling" (12" version) – 6:07 # "Don't Say It's Over" – 3:51 # "Can't Shake the Feeling" (instrumental) – 3:51 # "I Feel The Earth Move" (7" version) - 3:29 * 12" single, 12 maxi (Big Fun – "Can't Shake the Feeling") (accessdate: 22 June 2022). # "Can't Shake the Feeling" (12" version) – 6:07 # "Don't Say It's Over" – 3:51 # "Can't Shake the Feeling" (instrumental) – 3:51 * 12" single, 12 maxi (Big Fun – "Can't Shake the Feeling") (accessdate: 22 June 2022). # "Can't Shake the Feeling" (remix) – 5:50 # "Don't Say It's Over" – 3:51 # "I Feel The Earth Move" (7" version) - 3:29

Credits and personnel

The following people contributed to "Can't Shake the Feeling": *Karen Hewitt, Yoyo - Engineer *Dave Ford - Mixing

Charts

References

{{Big Fun 1989 songs 1990 singles Big Fun (band) songs Song recordings produced by Stock Aitken Waterman Songs written by Mike Stock (musician) Songs written by Matt Aitken Songs written by Pete Waterman Jive Records singles