"I Can't Hold Back" is a song recorded by the rock band Survivor. It was the first hit single from their 1984 album ''

Vital Signs Vital signs (also known as vitals) are a group of the four to six most crucial medical signs that indicate the status of the body's vital (life-sustaining) functions. These measurements are taken to help assess the general physical health of a ...

'' (their first album with vocalist

Jimi Jamison Jimmy Wayne Jamison (August 23, 1951 – September 1, 2014) was an American singer. Best known as Jimi Jamison, he earned recognition as the frontman for the rock bands Target (American band), Target, Cobra (American band), Cobra, and Survivor ( ...

). The song peaked at #13 in December 1984 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and ranked #73 on the 1985 Year-End ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It also peaked at #1 for three weeks on the ''Billboard'' Top Rock Tracks chart.

Background

Like most of Survivor's hits, this song was written by guitarist Frankie Sullivan and keyboard player/guitarist Jim Peterik. While their relationship was becoming strained, they managed to set aside their differences during songwriting sessions. According to Peterik, the writing of this song was the high point of their collaborations, with Sullivan coming up with guitar riffs and Peterik forming melodies and writing most of the lyrics. Peterik had the title in mind for two years before they were able to craft it into a song. After Sullivan came up with a riff, Peterik sang the first line, "There's a story in my eyes." Sullivan then chimed in with the next line, "Turn the pages of desire." From there, they put together this song about a guy whose heart is filled with desire. Peterik says the pre-chorus on this song is what gives it a killer hook: "I can feel you tremble when we touch..." Jamison proved a worthy frontman and a photogenic face of the band, which helped the video for this song get significant airplay on MTV. Ron Nevison, who also worked on albums by

Heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide to t ...

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and

Night Ranger Night Ranger is an American hard rock band from San Francisco formed in 1979 that gained popularity during the 1980s with a series of albums and singles. Guitarist Brad Gillis and drummer Kelly Keagy have been the band's only constant members, ...

, produced the ''Vital Signs'' album. Peterik credits him for coming up with a very unusual arrangement on this track, mixing up sections to keep it interesting. The video, which was directed by Bob Radler, was shot in

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and partly based on a scene in the movie '' Risky Business''. Jamison's love interest in the clip is Lee Ann Marie, who can be seen riding a float in the movie ''

Ferris Bueller's Day Off ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' is a 1986 American teen comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by John Hughes and co-produced by Tom Jacobson. The film stars Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, and Alan Ruck with supporting roles by Jennifer ...

''. MTV, which had been on the air only three years, gave the video plenty of spins.

Charts

References

1984 songs 1984 singles Survivor (band) songs Songs written by Frankie Sullivan Songs written by Jim Peterik Song recordings produced by Ron Nevison Scotti Brothers Records singles {{1980s-rock-song-stub