"Can't Get Used to Losing You" is a song written by Jerome "Doc" Pomus and

Mort Shuman Mortimer Shuman (12 November 1938 – 2 November 1991) was an American singer, pianist and songwriter, best known as co-writer of many 1960s rock and roll hits, including " Viva Las Vegas". He also wrote and sang many songs in French, such as ...

, first made popular by

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

in a 1963 record release, which was a number-two hit in both the US and the UK. Twenty years later, British band The Beat took a

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

re-arrangement to number three in the UK.

Andy Williams recording

"Can't Get Used to Losing You" was recorded by Andy Williams in December 1962 and released in 1963. It peaked at number two in both the US and the UK. In the US, the single spent four weeks at number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart (behind " He's So Fine" by the Chiffons and "

I Will Follow Him "I Will Follow Him" is a popular song that was first recorded in 1961 by Franck Pourcel, as an instrumental entitled "Chariot". The song achieved its widest success when it was recorded by American singer Little Peggy March with English lyrics on ...

" by Little Peggy March) and topped the

Easy Listening chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary music, adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on ...

for four weeks, peaking on both in April 1963. Williams' recording peaked at number one on the '' Cashbox'' charts. Williams' vocals on the song's verses were double-tracked in unison, and overdubbed on the choruses so the listener hears Williams singing harmony with himself. The song appears on an album titled '' Days of Wine and Roses and Other TV Requests'' in North America and ''Can't Get Used to Losing You and Other Requests'' in the United Kingdom.

Charts

Other 1960s and 1970s covers

In 1963,

Patti Page Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 – January 1, 2013), better known by her stage name Patti Page, was an American singer. Primarily known for Pop music, pop and Country music, country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and b ...

recorded a version, with strings background, as part of the '' Say Wonderful Things'' album. In the same year,

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter and actor. His songs include " Diana", “ You Are My Destiny", “Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and " (You're) Having My Baby". Anka also wr ...

included it on the album ''Song I Wish I'd Written'', and Julie London performed it on '' The Wonderful World of Julie London.''

Bobby Rydell Robert Louis Ridarelli (April 26, 1942 – April 5, 2022), known by the stage name Bobby Rydell (), was an American singer and actor who mainly performed rock and roll and traditional pop music. In the early 1960s, he was considered a teen idol. ...

did his rendition the same year. In 1965,

Chad and Jeremy Chad & Jeremy were a British musical duo consisting of Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde, who began working in 1962 and had their first hit song in the UK with "Yesterday's Gone (song), Yesterday's Gone" (1963). That song became a hit in the United S ...

's cover appeared on their '' Before and After.'' Vic Laurens recorded in it 1963 in French on the Mercury label, title in French : Je ne peux pas t'oublier (I can't forget you.) Dandy and the Israelites performed it as

in 1970, whilst Danny Ray also released a reggae version in 1976.

The Beat version

The Beat (known as The English Beat in the USA) originally recorded their cover of "Can't Get Used to Losing You" as a track on their 1980 album '' I Just Can't Stop It''. It was not released as a single until three years later, just as the Beat announced that they were breaking up. The single was remixed slightly from the album track, and became the band's fifth and final top ten UK hit, and their highest-charting single release.

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...

, who singled out the song as his favorite Doc Pomus composition, had hoped to cover the song, but scrapped the idea after "the Beat beat me to it".

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. * Dave Wakeling – lead vocals; rhythm guitar * Ranking Roger – toasting; vocals * Andy Cox – lead guitar * David Steele – bass guitar * Everett Morton – drums * Saxa – saxophone

Charts

Other versions

British singer Colour Girl had a number 31 hit with her

UK garage UK garage, abbreviated as UKG, is a genre of electronic dance music which originated in England in the early to mid-1990s. The genre was most clearly inspired by garage house and jungle production methods, but also incorporates elements from ...

version in 2000.

References

{{authority control 1962 songs 1963 singles 1983 singles Songs with music by Mort Shuman Songs with lyrics by Doc Pomus Andy Williams songs The Beat (British band) songs Song recordings produced by Bob Sargeant Cashbox number-one singles Columbia Records singles Pop ballads

Andy Williams recording

Charts

Other 1960s and 1970s covers

The Beat version

Personnel

Charts

Other versions

See also

References