"I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)" is a song written and originally recorded by

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

MGM Records MGM Records was a record label founded by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946 for the purpose of releasing soundtrack recordings (later LP albums) of their musical films. It transitioned into a pop music label that continued into the ...

. It hit number two on the ''

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 ...

'' country singles chart in 1951. In his autobiography, George Jones printed the first six lines of the song and stated, "Its lyrics couldn't be more simple - or profound."

Recording and composition

According to Colin Escott's 2004 book ''Hank Williams: The Biography'', fiddler

Jerry Rivers Jerry Rivers (August 25, 1928 – October 4, 1996) was an American fiddle player. Biography Jerry Rivers was born in Miami, Florida. He played fiddle with the Drifting Cowboys, a band who will be forever associated with their "frontman", the leg ...

always claimed that Hank wrote the song in the touring Sedan, and when he came up with the opening line, "Today I passed you on the street," and then asked for suggestions, steel guitarist Don Helms replied, "And I smelled your rotten feet." The song was recorded at Castle Studio in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, on March 16, 1951, and issued as MGM catalog No. 10961. Williams was backed on the session by members of his Drifting Cowboys band, including: Rivers, Helms, Sammy Pruett (electric guitar), Jack Shook (rhythm guitar), Ernie Newton or "Cedric Rainwater" aka Howard Watts (bass), and either

Owen Bradley William Owen Bradley (October 21, 1915 – January 7, 1998) was an American musician and record producer who, along with Chet Atkins, Bob Ferguson, Bill Porter, and Don Law, was one of the chief architects of the 1950s and 1960s Nashville sou ...

or producer Fred Rose on piano. It was released as the B-side of "

Howlin' at the Moon "Howlin' at the Moon" is a song written and recorded by Hank Williams. It rose to number 3 on the Hot Country Singles chart in 1951. The song also appeared on the soundtrack of alternate history TV series, '' For All Mankind''. Song history Th ...

", but on the strength of its simple language and passionate singing, soared to number two on the ''Billboard'' Country Singles chart. Williams sang the song with

Anita Carter Ina Anita Carter (March 31, 1933 – July 29, 1999) was an American singer who played upright bass, guitar, and autoharp. She performed with her sisters, Helen and June, and her mother, Maybelle, initially under the name The Carter Sisters an ...

on the ''Kate Smith Evening Hour'' on April 23, 1952. The rare television appearance is one of the few film clips of Williams in performance.

Chart performance

Notable cover versions

Many artists have

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 co ...

the song. Among the most successful are the following: * Guy Mitchell's 1951 version peaked at No. 28 on ''

'' charts. * Johnny Tillotson's 1962 rendition reached No. 24 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 8 on the Adult Contemporary chart. * Skeeter Davis recorded the track in 1965. Her version was released as a single and peaked at number 26 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Bubbling Under Hot 100 singles chart the same year. * Linda Ronstadt covered the song on her 1974 album '' Heart Like a Wheel'', reaching No. 2 on the U.S. Country chart. Her version won her the

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

for

Best Country Vocal Performance, Female The Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance was first awarded in 1965, to Dottie West. The award has had several minor name changes: *From 1965 to 1967 the award was known as Best Country & Western Vocal Performance - Female *In 1 ...

. *

Cat Power Charlyn Marie "Chan" Marshall ( ; born January 21, 1972), better known by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and model. Cat Power was originally the name of her first band, but has become her stage name as a ...

covered the song on their 1996 album ''

Myra Lee ''Myra Lee'' is the second album by Cat Power, the stage name and eponymous band of American singer-songwriter Chan Marshall. It was released in 1996 on the Smells Like Records label. The album was named after Marshall's mother. Recording The ...

'' as "Still in Love". * Elvis Presley recorded a demo of the song in 1961 which was not released until 1997 on his ''Platinum - A Life In Music'' box set.Platinum , A Life In Music , Elvis Presley 4 CD Set, retrieved 4 October 2022
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References

{{authority control 1951 songs 1951 singles 1962 singles 1974 singles Hank Williams songs Songs written by Hank Williams Linda Ronstadt songs Song recordings produced by Fred Rose (songwriter) MGM Records singles Cadence Records singles Capitol Records singles