"Can't Fight the Moonlight" is a song written by

Diane Warren Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has won an Academy Honorary Award, Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and three consecutive ''Billboard'' Music Awards for Songwriter of the Year from 19 ...

and performed by American singer

LeAnn Rimes Margaret LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (born August 28, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She originally rose to success as a country music artist at the age of 13 and has since crossed over into pop, contemporary Christian, and o ...

. It is the

theme song Theme music is a musical composition which is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...

of the film '' Coyote Ugly''. Released as a single on August 22, 2000, the song reached the top 10 in 19 European countries, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, topping the charts in 12 of these territories, including the United Kingdom; it became Australia's best-selling single of 2001. In the United States, the song peaked at number 11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 2002. The song appeared on Rimes's '' I Need You'' (2002)

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...

and '' The Best of LeAnn Rimes'' (2004). The Graham Stack

radio edit In music, a radio edit, or a "clean version," is a modification, typically truncated or censored, intended to make a song more suitable for airplay. It may be censored for profanity, vulgarities, or subject matter; or adjusted for length, instr ...

of the song (known as the "Latino Mix" internationally) was included as a bonus track on ''I Need You'' and on ''More Music from Coyote Ugly'' (2003). The remix was also included on ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

'' (2003) as well as on the remix edition of her ''Best of'' album. A

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for the song was released in 2000 including clips taken from the ''Coyote Ugly'' film with Rimes performing at the "Coyote Ugly" bar.

Background

Rimes originally auditioned for the 2000 film '' Coyote Ugly'' to sing "Can't Fight the Moonlight" at the ending with Piper Perabo but, once Rimes watched some cuts of the film, she decided to provide the singing voice for all the songs sung by Perabo. In the film, the song has a fictional story of being written by main character Violet Sanford, which at the end of the film becomes her big break into the music business after Rimes records it. Rimes later shared with her audience of a 2017 concert that she really wanted “Can’t Fight The Moonlight”, but it was attached to Coyote Ugly. She agreed to sing for Piper Perabo on the movie because she so badly wanted to sing “Can’t Fight The Moonlight”.'' Coyote Ugly'' (

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

)

Touchstone Pictures Touchstone Pictures was an American film distribution label of Walt Disney Studios, founded and owned by The Walt Disney Company. Feature films released under the Touchstone label were produced and financed by Walt Disney Studios, and featured ...

. 2000. "Inside the Songs" bonus feature. (this would include " But I Do Love You", as well as two other tracks on the

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

). The vocals Rimes provided are altered in their pitch and vocal range in comparison to her natural vocal range; and, the closing scene, wherein she and Perabo's character sing, is effectively her duetting with herself. The song's lyrics were slightly changed for film. "Can't Fight the Moonlight" is a pop song of 3 minutes and 35 seconds. The song was written by American

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

-winning

songwriter A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

and performed by Rimes. The song's sheet music shows the key of

E-flat major E-flat major is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has three flats. Its relative minor is C minor, and its parallel minor is E minor, (or enharmonically D minor). The E-fla ...

with the first and second verses in

B minor B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative major is D major and its parallel major is B major. The B natural minor scale is: Changes need ...

. The song is produced by

Trevor Horn Trevor Charles Horn (born 15 July 1949) is an English record producer and musician. His influence on pop and electronic music in the 1980s was such that he has been called "the man who invented the eighties". Horn took up the bass guitar at an ...

with executive production by

Jerry Bruckheimer Jerome Leonard Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1943) is an American film and television producer. He has been active in the genres of action, drama, comedy, fantasy, horror and science fiction. After working in advertising out of college, Bruck ...

, Kathy Nelson and

Mike Curb Michael Curb (born December 24, 1944) is an American politician, record executive, and philanthropist who served as the 42nd Lieutenant Governor of California, lieutenant governor of California from 1979 to 1983. He is the founder of Curb Recor ...

. Orchestral arrangements were done by David Campbell with engineering and mixing done by Steve MacMillan. Additional engineering was done by Tim Weidner, Greg Hunt, Gary Leach and Austin Deptula. According to Warren it is the first song she had written with so many key changes. A review by ''

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 advertis ...

'' praised producer Trevor Horn by stating "Oh-so creatively produced by Trevor Horn with guitars, lush layers of harmony, and a funky albeit delicate hip-hop track (no, really), this easy-flowing midtempo popper is a sassy number, demonstrating that Rimes has crossed the line to adult-leaning lyrics."

Release

"Can't Fight the Moonlight" was first released on the soundtrack for ''Coyote Ugly'' on August 1, 2000. It was released in the US on a

CD single A CD single is a single (music), music single in the form of a compact disc (CD). Originally the ''CD single'' standard (as defined in the Rainbow Books, Red Book) was an 8 cm (3-inch) "mini CD" (''CD3''); later on the term referred to any si ...

on August 22, 2000, along with the song, " But I Do Love You" (also included on the soundtrack) as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

track. The song was later released on a maxi-single which included several remixes of the song. The song was also included on Rimes's 2002

, '' I Need You'', with the Graham Stack

Radio Edit In music, a radio edit, or a "clean version," is a modification, typically truncated or censored, intended to make a song more suitable for airplay. It may be censored for profanity, vulgarities, or subject matter; or adjusted for length, instr ...

of the song included as a bonus track. In 2003, the Graham Stack Radio Edit of the song would be included on the ''More Music from Coyote Ugly'' soundtrack on January 28, 2003. and Rimes' ''

'' album on November 18, 2003. In 2004, the song was included on '' The Best of LeAnn Rimes'', while the Graham Stack Radio Edit (known as the "Latino Mix" internationally) was released on the remixed edition. In 2014, a new remix of the song by The Alias was released on her second greatest hits remix album, ''Dance Like You Don’t Give a… Greatest Hits Remixes''. In 2018, Rimes released a live re-reimagined version of the song to digital download and

streaming services A streaming media service (also simply called a streaming service) is an online platform that allows users to watch or listen to content, such as film, movies, Television show, TV shows, music, or podcasts, over the internet. Instead of downloadi ...

that was later included on her '' Re-Imagined'' EP. In 2020, in celebration of the film's 20th anniversary, a new remix by Dave Audé was released.

Critical reception

Wendy Mitchell of Barnes & Noble.com praised the song calling it "ultra-catchy". Heather Phares of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

considered the song to be a "positively

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...

ian power ballad". A review in ''

'' about Rimes and the song stated that the song "is by far her most compelling pop offering yet–and one of the more intriguing compositions of late from songwriter superwoman Diane Warren."

Commercial performance

The song reached the top 20 in every country it charted in. In the United Kingdom, "Can't Fight the Moonlight" topped the UK Singles Chart for the week ending November 25, 2000, becoming Britain's 12th biggest-selling song of 2000. It sold over 530,000 copies in the United Kingdom and was the 55th best seller of the 2000s decade in the country. In the Republic of Ireland, it topped the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are ...

in November 2000 for two weeks. In Australia, "Can't Fight The Moonlight" topped the

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

in January 2001 and went on to become the biggest-selling single in Australia of 2001. It went triple platinum in Australia, selling over 210,000 copies. In New Zealand, it went to number one on the

New Zealand Singles Chart The Official Aotearoa Music Charts, formerly the Official New Zealand Music Chart (), is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The M ...

. In the US, the song spent two chart runs on the Billboard Hot 100. On its original chart run in 2000, "Can't Fight the Moonlight" stalled at number 71. It regained interest in late 2001 and 2002 and rose up the charts to number 11. It took 29 weeks to reach the top 40, a record at the time for longest time to reach the top 4. The song spent 42 weeks on the charts and sold 668,000 copies. Even though the song was not officially released to country radio, it debuted at number 61 on the ''Billboard'' Country Song chart due to airplay as an album cut. It topped the year end chart for Billboard's US Top Country Singles Sales, in 2000 and 2001, the only song to do so 2 years in a row. The single was certified gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. The single has sold over 2 million copies worldwide..

Music video

for the song was released in 2000 by

and directed by David McNally, the director of '' Coyote Ugly''. The video features Rimes wearing a white tank top and brown striped latex pants singing at the "Coyote Ugly" bar, and dancing with Izabella Miko and the other girls who worked at the bar in the film. The video also features various scenes taken from the film. The music video was included as a bonus feature on both the theatrical and uncut

releases of the film.

Live performances

On February 1, 2001, Rimes performed the song on ''Music in High Places''. The performance was later featured on the limited edition bonus

included with her ''

'' album. On April 10, she performed it live at the 7th Blockbuster Entertainment Awards. On May 9, she performed a "beat box-driven" version of the song live at the 36th

Academy of Country Music Awards The Academy of Country Music Awards, also known as the ACM Awards, were first held in 1966, honoring the industry's accomplishments during the previous year. It was the first country music awards program held by a major organization. The academy ...

, being accompanied by bare-chested dancers. Rimes also performed the song on Sessions@AOL.

Covers and samples

South Korean singer

Lee Hyori Lee Hyo-ri (; born May 10, 1979) is a South Korean singer. She debuted as a member of group Fin.K.L in 1998, which became one of the most popular girl groups in South Korea during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Aside from Fin.K.L, she has als ...

performed the song during 2003's

MBC Drama Awards The MBC Drama Awards () is an awards ceremony presented by Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) for outstanding achievements in Korean dramas aired on its network. It is held annually in December. Unlike its counterparts in KBS and SBS, MBC ...

. American singer Ava Max interpolated the song on her 2022 single "

Million Dollar Baby ''Million Dollar Baby'' is a 2004 American sports drama film directed, co-produced, scored by and starring Clint Eastwood from a screenplay by Paul Haggis. It is based on stories from the 2000 collection ''Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner' ...

Track listings

*Australian CD single # "Can't Fight the Moonlight" – 3:35 # " But I Do Love You" – 3:20 # "Can't Fight the Moonlight" (Graham Stack Radio Edit) – 3:35 # "Can't Fight the Moonlight" (Thunderpuss Club Mix) – 8:46 # "Can't Fight The Moonlight" (Sharp Club Vocal Mix) – 7:35 # "Can't Fight the Moonlight" (Almighty Mix) – 7:52 *European CD single # "Can't Fight the Moonlight" – 3:35 # "But I Do Love You" – 3:20 # "Can't Fight the Moonlight" (Graham Stack Radio Edit) – 3:35 * European CD maxi single # "Can't Fight the Moonlight" (Latino Mix) – 3:32 # "Can't Fight the Moonlight" (Thunderpuss Club Mix) – 8:45 # "Can't Fight the Moonlight" (Almighty Radio Edit) – 3:58 # "Can't Fight the Moonlight" (Sharp Radio Edit) – 3:38 * US CD and cassette single # "Can't Fight the Moonlight" – 3:35 # "But I Do Love You" – 3:20 * US maxi-CD single, US and UK digital download # "Can't Fight the Moonlight" (Graham Stack Radio Edit) – 3:35 # "Can't Fight the Moonlight" (Thunderpuss Radio Edit) – 3:36 # "Can't Fight the Moonlight" (Plasmic Honey Radio Edit) – 3:22 # "Can't Fight the Moonlight" (Almighty Mix) – 7:49 # "Can't Fight the Moonlight" (Sharp Club Vocal Edit) – 5:40 # "Can't Fight the Moonlight" (Thunderpuss Club Mix) – 8:46 # "Can't Fight the Moonlight" (Plasmic Honey Club Mix Edit) – 6:37 # "Can't Fight the Moonlight" (Sharp Pistol Dub) – 5:46 *Digital download – Re-Imagined # "Can't Fight the Moonlight" (Re-Imagined) ive– 4:40 * Digital download – Dave Audé Remix # "Can't Fight the Moonlight" (Dave Audé Mix) – 4:02 # "Can't Fight the Moonlight" (Dave Audé Extended) – 5:04 # "Can't Fight the Moonlight" – 3:36

Personnel

Personnel for "Can't Fight the Moonlight" adapted from the

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...

of the ''Coyote Ugly'' soundtrack. * Steve MacMillan – engineer, mixing *

Tim Pierce Tim Pierce (born 1958 in Albuquerque) is an American session guitarist. He has worked for artists such as Joe Cocker, Crowded House, Goo Goo Dolls, Michael Jackson, Beth Hart, Roger Waters, Alice Cooper, Johnny Hallyday, Phil Collins, and th ...

– guitar *

Jamie Muhoberac Benjamin Edward "Jamie" Muhoberac (born September 11, 1965) is an American session keyboardist with numerous credits. He is best known for his work with Seal and Was (Not Was). He is a touring member of New Jersey rock band My Chemical Romance. ...

– keyboards, bass *

Lee Sklar Leland Bruce Sklar (born May 28, 1947) is an American bassist and session musician. He rose to prominence as a member of James Taylor's backing band, which coalesced into a group in its own right, The Section (band), The Section, which supported ...

– bass * John Robinson – drums * Curt Bisquera – drums *

Alan Pasqua Alan Pasqua (born June 28, 1952) is an American rock and jazz pianist. He studied at Indiana University and the New England Conservatory of Music. His album ''Standards'' with drummer Peter Erskine was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2008. As a s ...

– piano * David Campbell – orchestra arrangement * Sue Ann Carwell – background vocals * LeAnn Rimes – lead vocals, background vocals * Niki Harris – background vocals * Tim Weidner – additional engineering * Greg Hunt – additional engineering * Gary Leach – additional engineering * Austin Deptula – additional engineering * Sara Lind – technical assistance * Robert Orton – technical assistance * Gavin Lurssen – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Can't Fight The Moonlight 2000 singles 2000 songs 2000s ballads APRA Award winners Curb Records singles Dutch Top 40 number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles LeAnn Rimes songs London Records singles Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Finland Number-one singles in Hungary Number-one singles in New Zealand Number-one singles in Romania Number-one singles in Scotland Number-one singles in Sweden Pop ballads Song recordings produced by Trevor Horn Songs written by Diane Warren Songs written for films UK singles chart number-one singles Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles