I Can't Be with You
"I Can't Be with You" is a song recorded by Irish band the Cranberries. It was the third single from their second studio album, No Need to Argue (1994), except in North America, where it was released as the fourth and final single of the album. The song achieved minor chart success in most of the European countries where it was released, peaking at number 21 in their native Ireland. In Iceland, the song reached number one for a week in April 1995, becoming the Cranberries' third consecutive number-one single there.
"I Can't Be with You" | ||||
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Single by the Cranberries | ||||
from the album No Need to Argue | ||||
B-side | "(They Long to Be) Close to You" | |||
Released | 27 February 1995[1] | |||
Length | 3:08 | |||
Label | Island | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Stephen Street | |||
The Cranberries singles chronology | ||||
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Audio sample | ||||
"I Can't Be with You"
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Music video | ||||
"I Can't Be With You" on YouTube |
Critical reception
Chuck Campbell from Knoxville News Sentinel felt "I Can't Be with You" "is a mundane pining-away song".[2] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton complimented it as "another epic single" from the Cranberries, adding that O'Riordan's yodelling "sounds as hauntingly lovely as ever".[3]
Music video
The accompanying music video to "I Can't Be with You" was directed by Samuel Bayer who was also the director of several of the band's other hit singles: "Zombie", "Ode to My Family", and "Ridiculous Thoughts". The video shows lead singer Dolores O'Riordan wearing 1920s clothing, kneeling beside a bed and bathing a child in a small bathtub. She then appears walking through desolate buildings and streets with a wooden torch with an old man dressed as an angel often lurking in the background. Throughout the video the band is seen playing in grassland while wearing red suits. At the end of the video, the old man returns to the location where he was seen at the beginning of the clip. Parts of the video was filmed at Copped Hall in Epping.[4]
Track listings
- 7-inch single
- "I Can't Be with You"
- "(They Long to Be) Close to You" (Burt Bacharach, Hal David)
- CD single
- "I Can't Be with You"
- "(They Long to Be) Close to You"
- "Empty" (live on BBC Radio One FM Evening Session, 26 September 1994)
- Limited-edition CD single
- "I Can't Be with You" (live on BBC Radio One FM Evening Session, 26 September 1994)
- "Zombie" (acoustic)
- "Daffodil Lament" (live at Feile, Tipperary, 30 July 1994)
- Australian CD single (cardboard sleeve)
- "I Can't Be with You"
- "Empty" (live on BBC Radio One FM Evening Session, 26 September 1994)
- "I Can't Be with You" (live on BBC Radio One FM Evening Session, 26 September 1994)
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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References
- "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 25 February 1995. p. 43. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
- Campbell, Chuck (28 October 1994). "Bedtime' With Madonna Is A Bit Drowsy". Knoxville News Sentinel.
- Masterton, James (5 March 1995). "Week Ending March 11th 1995". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
- Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: The Cranberries - I Can't Be With You (Official Music Video). YouTube.
- "The Cranberries – I Can't Be with You". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 12. 25 March 1995. p. 15. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- "The Cranberries – I Can't Be with You" (in French). Les classement single.
- "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (1.4. '95 – 7.4. '95)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 1 April 1995. p. 24. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
- "The Irish Charts – Search Results – I Can't Be with You". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
- "The Cranberries – I Can't Be with You" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- "The Cranberries – I Can't Be with You" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- "The Cranberries – I Can't Be with You". Top 40 Singles.
- "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- "Árslistinn 1995". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 1996. p. 16. Retrieved 30 May 2020.