"I Can't Quit You Baby" is blues song written by Willie Dixon and first recorded by

Chicago blues Chicago blues is a form of blues music developed in Chicago, Illinois. It is based on earlier blues idioms, such as Delta blues, but performed in an urban style. It developed alongside the Great Migration of the first half of the twentieth cent ...

artist Otis Rush in 1956. It is a slow twelve-bar blues ensemble piece, with lyrics about the consequences of an adulterous relationship which is difficult to end. "I Can't Quit You Baby" was Rush's first recording and

Cobra Records Cobra Records (together with its Artistic subsidiary) was an independent record label that operated from 1956–1959. The label launched the careers of Chicago blues artists Otis Rush, Magic Sam, and Buddy Guy and "signaled the arrival of a new ...

's debut single. It became a record chart hit as well as a

blues standard Blues standards are blues songs that have attained a high level of recognition due to having been widely performed and recorded. They represent the best known and most interpreted blues songs that are seen as standing the test of time. Blues ...

. Rush updated the song in 1966 with a modified arrangement, which was adapted by

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

for their 1969 debut album.

Original song

According to biographer Mitsutoshi Inaba "the song subject is the consequences of adultery and the feeling that a man cannot give up a relationship": In his autobiography, Willie Dixon explained that "I Can't Quit You Baby" was written about a relationship Rush was preoccupied with at the time; Dixon used this to draw out an impassioned performance by Rush. Despite being solely credited to Dixon, Rush felt that the song's identity is very much his own: Inaba added: "Otis' passionate vocal melody with alternations of natural voice, falsetto, shouts, and growls, is his singing style indeed". The song is notated in the key of A major in 12/8 time with a "slow blues" tempo. Rush's original version consists of four twelve-bar vocal sections with lead guitar fills. It was Rush's first recording and took place in Chicago around July 1956. Accompanying Rush on lead guitar and vocal are

Big Walter Horton Walter Horton (April 6, 1921 – December 8, 1981), known as Big Walter (Horton) or Walter 'Shakey' Horton, was an American blues harmonica player. A quiet, unassuming, shy man, he is remembered as one of the premier harmonica players in the hi ...

on harmonica,

Red Holloway James Wesley "Red" Holloway (May 31, 1927 – February 25, 2012) was an American jazz saxophonist. Biography Born in Helena, Arkansas,Daniel E. Slotnik"Red Holloway, Swinger of the Sax, Dies at 84" ''The New York Times'', February 28, 2012 ...

on tenor sax,

Lafayette Leake Lafayette Leake (June 1, 1919 – August 14, 1990) was an American blues and jazz pianist, organist, vocalist and composer who played for Chess Records as a session musician, and as a member of the Big Three Trio, during the formative years of Chic ...

on piano, Wayne Bennett on second guitar, Dixon on bass, and Al Duncan on drums. "I Can't Quit You Baby" was a vehicle for arranger-producer Dixon to launch Rush and

, as it was the first single for both. In this regard, it was a success, reaching number six on ''Billboard's'' Rhythm & Blues Records chart in 1956. Otis Rush revisited "I Can't Quit You Baby" several times over the years. His 1966 re-recording for the 1966 blues compilation ''

Chicago/The Blues/Today! ''Chicago/The Blues/Today!'' is a series of three blues albums by various artists. It was recorded in late 1965 and released in 1966. It was remastered and released as a three-disc album in 1999. In 1965 Samuel Charters at Vanguard Records ask ...

Vol. 2'' uses an altered arrangement with an unusual turnaround (

tonic chord Tonic may refer to: * Tonic water, a drink traditionally containing quinine * Soft drink, a carbonated beverage *Tonic (physiology), the response of a muscle fiber or nerve ending typified by slow, continuous action * Tonic syllable, the stressed ...

followed by a half-step above the tonic chord) and staccato guitar fills. Most cover versions are based on Rush's Vanguard rendition.

Led Zeppelin versions

English rock band

recorded "I Can't Quit You Baby" for their 1969 debut album ''

''. According to music journalist

Cub Koda Michael "Cub" Koda (born October 1, 1948 – July 1, 2000) was an American rock and roll singer, guitarist, songwriter, disc jockey, music critic, and record compiler. ''Rolling Stone'' magazine considered him best known for writing the song " ...

, their rendition is "a note-for-note copy of Otis Rush's" 1966 Vanguard version, although with different instrumentation and dynamics. It also incorporates a break during the guitar solo where Jimmy Page plays a four-bar unaccompanied set-up before relaunching into the solo. Although biographer Keith Shadwick notes Page's fluff on the turnaround coming out of the solo, he concludes the song "ends up as one of the most successful pieces on the first album, with no flat spots and a perfectly symmetrical form, all within the classic blues tradition". Led Zeppelin regularly performed "I Can't Quit You Baby" in concert from 1968 to early 1970. Two live versions from 1969 are included on the 1997 '' BBC Sessions''. A performance of the song on January 9, 1970, at Royal Albert Hall is included on the 2003 ''

'' DVD (an edited version of this performance was released on the 1982 '' Coda'' album). In 1970, the song was dropped from Led Zeppelin's typical concert lineup as they incorporated material from ''

Led Zeppelin III ''Led Zeppelin III'' is the third studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 5 October 1970. It was recorded in three locations. Much of the work was done at Headley Grange, a country house, using the Rolling Stones Mobil ...

'' into their shows, with "I Can't Quit You Baby" essentially being replaced by "

Since I've Been Loving You "Since I've Been Loving You" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in 1970 on the album ''Led Zeppelin III''. Overview "Since I've Been Loving You" was one of the first songs prepared for the ''Led Zeppelin III'' album. The s ...

". It was however revived as part of the "

Whole Lotta Love "Whole Lotta Love" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It is the opening track on the band's second album, '' Led Zeppelin II'', and was released as a single in 1969 in several countries; as with other Led Zeppelin songs, no single was ...

" medley during some Led Zeppelin concerts in 1972 and 1973. The song was rehearsed by the surviving members of Led Zeppelin for the May 14, 1988, Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary Celebration, but was not performed during the event. In a contemporary review for the ''Coda'' album,

Kurt Loder Kurtis Loder (born May 5, 1945) is an American entertainment critic, author, columnist, and television personality. He served in the 1980s as editor at ''Rolling Stone'', during a tenure that ''Reason'' later called "legendary". He has contribute ...

of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' found the ''Coda'' version of "I Can't Quit You Baby", "tossed off a sound check n 1970, "perfectly captures the bluesmania of the period, complete with a classically overwrought guitar solo."

Recognition and influence

"I Can't Quit You Baby" is a

that has been recorded by more than 30 artists. Rush's original Cobra single was inducted into the

Blues Foundation The Blues Foundation is an American nonprofit corporation, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, that is affiliated with more than 175 blues organizations from various parts of the world. Founded in 1980, a 25-person board of directors governs the ...

Hall of Fame in 1994 that noted "a Willie Dixon production revealing Rush as an extraordinary talent with an impassioned approach."

References

External links

"I Can't Quit You Baby" Partial list of versions
{{authority control 1956 songs 1956 singles Otis Rush songs Led Zeppelin songs Songs written by Willie Dixon Blues songs Song recordings produced by Jimmy Page Cobra Records singles

Original song

Led Zeppelin versions

Recognition and influence

See also

References

External links