I Can't Tell You Why
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

"I Can't Tell You Why" is a song by the American rock band
Eagles Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...
that appeared on their 1979 album '' The Long Run''. It was written by band members Timothy B. Schmit,
Glenn Frey Glenn Lewis Frey (; November 6, 1948 – January 18, 2016) was an American musician. He was a founding member of the rock band Eagles, for whom he was the co-lead singer and frontman, roles he came to share with fellow member Don Henley, with ...
and Don Henley. Recorded in March 1978, it was the first song finished for the album and the first Eagles song to feature Schmit on lead vocals. Released as a single in February 1980, it became a ''Billboard'' top 10 hit in April, reaching number eight on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number three on the Adult Contemporary chart. It was the group's last top ten hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.


Background

Timothy B. Schmit provided the song title and composed the nucleus of "I Can't Tell You Why," which he then presented to Glenn Frey and Don Henley and they completed the song together. Henley described the finished song as "straight
Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), known professionally as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer. He is best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Tired of ...
" and said that Frey, an R&B fan from Detroit, was responsible for the R&B feel of the song. Frey said to Schmit: "You could sing like
Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he ...
. Let's not do a
Richie Furay Paul Richard Furay (born May 9, 1944) is an American musician and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member (with Buffalo Springfield). He is best known for forming the bands Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Bruce Palmer, and Dewey ...
, Poco-sounding song. Let's do an R&B song." Schmit describes the song as "loosely based on my own experiences." Schmit said: "I had some writing sessions with Don and Glenn and I threw out a bunch of my ideas and that one or "I Can't Tell You Why"stuck. I had omposeda pretty good part of it, not a huge part but enough for them to think 'That could be good' and go with it. So Don, Glenn and I finished it over a few all night sessions." He also said, "When it was being developed in the studio...I knew it was a great song. I hought'Yes! This is an amazing debut for me.' When we finally mixed it, we had a little listening party at the studio. As people were hearing it, Don turned to me and said, 'There's your first hit.'" Schmit sang the lead vocals, with Frey and Henley singing
counterpoint In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. The term originates from the Latin ...
. Schmit also played the bass on the track, which has a distinctive riff believed by Schmit to have been devised by Frey. According to Henley, Frey wrote the counterpoint part. In 1980, the band promoted the song with a music video featuring Schmit on bass guitar accompanied by Frey on the
electric piano An electric piano is a musical instrument that has a piano-style musical keyboard, where sound is produced by means of mechanical hammers striking metal strings or reeds or wire tines, which leads to vibrations which are then converted into ele ...
, although Frey recorded the guitar solos on the recording, with Henley on drums, Don Felder on electric guitar, Joe Walsh on
organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...
and Walsh's touring sideman Joe Vitale on ARP string synthesizer. Live versions of the song were released on the 1980 album '' Eagles Live'' and 1994's '' Hell Freezes Over''. Schmit also performed "I Can't Tell You Why" while on tour as a member of
Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band is a live rock music, rock Supergroup (music), supergroup founded in 1989 with shifting personnel, led by former The Beatles, Beatles drummer and vocalist Ringo Starr. History and description Since 1989, Starr ...
in 1992. Their performance of the song was included on the 1993 live album '' Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band Volume 2: Live from Montreux''.


Reception

''
Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...
'' said that "Schmit’s aching, near-falsetto vocal here adds immeasurable depth to the haunting quality of this love song, with a tastefully sparse instrumental." ''
Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...
'' said that "Tim Schmidt, the newest Eagle, lends his sweet falsetto and writing talents to this pretty love ballad." In 2017, ''
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 ...
'' ranked the song number six on its list of the 15 greatest Eagles songs, In 2019, ''
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. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' ranked the song number 11 on its list of the 40 greatest Eagles songs. ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Sterling Whitaker rated it as the Eagles 5th most underrated song, praising Schmit's "beautiful
falsetto Falsetto ( , ; Italian language, Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ...
" and Frey's "melodic" guitar solo.


Track listing

*7" single (45-1965/AS 12.418/K 12418/E-46608) *7" promo (E-46608)


Covers

* In 1989, former lead singer of The Manhattans, Gerald Alston covered ''I Can't Tell You Why'' for
Motown records Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...
. It reached number 52 on the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks. * In 1990, R&B singer Howard Hewett covered "I Can't Tell You Why" which is on his ''Very Best of Howard Hewett'' album. It peaked at number 24 on the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks. * In 1993, "I Can't Tell You Why" was covered by American
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
artist
Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He played in a number of local bluegrass music, bluegrass bands in the 1970s, and from 1978 to 1982, he achieved his first mainstream attention after ta ...
for the Eagles tribute album '' Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles''. Schmit sang backing vocals on the recording. This version went to number 42 on the
Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...
chart. * In 1995, R&B group
Brownstone Brownstone is a brown Triassic–Jurassic sandstone that was historically a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States and Canada to refer to a townhouse clad in this or any other aesthetically similar material. Ty ...
covered the song on their debut album, '' From the Bottom Up''. Their version reached number 54 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number 22 on the Hot R&B chart and number 27 in the UK top 75. * Alternative rock band Lazlo Bane covered the song for their 2007
cover album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
'' Guilty Pleasures''. * In 2015, Canadian jazz pianist and singer
Diana Krall Diana Jean Krall (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, including over six million in the US. On December 11, 2009, ''Billboard (magazi ...
covered the song on her album ''Wallflower''. Her version reached number 10 on the ''Billboard'' Smooth Jazz chart.


Personnel

* Timothy B. Schmit: lead vocals, bass guitar * Don Henley: drums, backing vocals * Don Felder: guitar *
Glenn Frey Glenn Lewis Frey (; November 6, 1948 – January 18, 2016) was an American musician. He was a founding member of the rock band Eagles, for whom he was the co-lead singer and frontman, roles he came to share with fellow member Don Henley, with ...
: guitar solos, backing vocals *
Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born Joseph Woodward Fidler; November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Best known as a member of the rock band Eagles (band), Eagles, his five-decade career includes solo work and stints in other ...
:
Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert, first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, sound was created ...
, Fender Rhodes electric piano, ARP String Synthesizer


Chart performance


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


References

{{authority control 1970s ballads 1978 songs 1980 singles 1993 singles 1995 singles Eagles (band) songs Vince Gill songs Brownstone (group) songs Songs written by Glenn Frey Songs written by Don Henley Asylum Records singles Song recordings produced by Bill Szymczyk Rock ballads Soul ballads