Songs Where Musicians Just Can’t, Vol. 2

Reading Time: 14 min read

Songs Where Musicians Just Can’t, Vol. 2 features music courtesy of Anthony Hamilton, Benedict Cork, Doja Cat, HER, Jennifer Lopez, and Troye Sivan.

Are you prepared to waste time in an entertaining way? Well, we have a contraction for you – CAN’T! Songs Where Musicians Just Can’t, Vol. 2 marks the second time in the history of The Musical Hype that we have explored songs where, well, those musicians just can’t! Back in 2017, we unveiled Songs Where Musicians Just Can’t, Vol. 1, where the only criteria was that the song title must feature the word – wait for it – CAN’T. Simple enough, right? Vol. 1 only featured 10 songs, but the sequel expands to 13. After all, it’s been more than six years since we embraced the CAN’T-ness. Songs Where Musicians Just Can’t, Vol. 2 features music courtesy of Anthony Hamilton, Benedict Cork, Doja Cat, H.E.R., Jennifer Lopez, and Troye Sivan among others. So, without further ado, we embrace the sheer power of CAN’T!!!

1. Jennifer Lopez, Can’t Get Enough

💿 This Is Me… Now • 🏷 Nuyorican Productions, Inc. • 🗓 2024

“You got my engine runnin’ / You got the keys to turn me on and on.” Ooh-la-la, Jennifer Lopez! “Can’t Get Enough”, an enjoyable promo single from her 2024 album, This Is Me… Now, commences with unique, pummeling drums that catch the ear. Post tone-setting drum riff, she begins to talk her stuff, asserting, “I just wanna / I just feel like, ooh / Every time I see ya / I just, ooh, hey.” J. Lo gives us ample personality early on. What is relatable is the theme – the modus operandi – love and sex. “Can’t Get Enough” was produced by a star-studded cast: Rogét Chahayed, Angel López, Jeff “Gitty” Gitelman, and Hit-Boy. The backdrop is fresh – inspiration for Lopez, who is, shockingly, 54 years young. Inspired by the instrumental, with its stellar groove, and more inspired by love, Jennifer asserts, “You know I can’t get enough (I love that shit).” It should be noted that shit earns a positive connotation – we’re not talking poo! The dedication is real, so much so that (1) “Don’t wanna share you with no one else” and (2) “I’m still in love / With you, boy.” Noted. From a vocal perspective, Lopez sings well, sounding clear and expressive. Ultimately, “Can’t Get Enough” marked a pleasant return from Jenny From the Block.

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2. Benedict Cork, “Reasons I Loved You (I Can’t Think Of One)”

💿 Notes on a Hopeless Romance • 🏷 Benedict Cork • 🗓 2024

“I made a list of the reasons I loved ya / And all of the shit that you did that was wrong.” Well, damn! English singer/songwriter Benedict Cork comes out on the marvelous “Reasons I Loved You (I Can’t Think of One)”, a single that graces his 2024 album, Notes on a Hopeless Romance. His lead vocals are radiant, characterized by ample expression and nuance. In the intro – the eventual chorus – he gets a lift courtesy of locked-in background vocals. He continues singing, “The bad came so easy, when I think of the reasons, I want ya, I can’t even think of one.” Word! The good news for Benedict is, I can think of lots of reasons why “Reasons I Loved You (I Can’t Think of One)” makes me beam with pride, and not merely because Cork is a member of the LGBTQ+ community!

So, what makes “Reasons I Loved You (I Can’t Think of One)” the sugar honey iced tea? The songwriting earns high marks, courtesy of Cork and Martin Luke Brown. Driving the narrative is those pesky matters of the heart. “You were kind, and I was young, how was I supposed to know? / I thought I was a fool to let you go,” Benedict sings in the first verse, later adding, “You were cruel, manipulating, every move we made / And I took it for love, it’s such a shame / Now I feel like a fool over again.” Love’ll make you do some stuff. At least Cork arrived at his senses, something captured superbly. Beyond the lyrics, the melodies are tuneful in the verses as well as the centerpiece, the chorus. The instrumental also earns high marks, particularly the warmth of the keys – that organ is epic! Cork produces alongside HOOST, yielding top-notch results. All in all, Benedict Cork ‘puts his foot’ into “Reasons I Loved You (I Can’t Think of One)”. Apologies for his love pain, but many thanks for turning that pain into music that makes me/us beam with pride!

Appears in 🔻:

Benedict Cork, Reasons I Loved You (I Can’t Think of One): Beaming with Pride 🏳️‍🌈 No. 5 (2024)

3. Doja Cat, “Can’t Wait”

💿 Scarlet • 🏷 Kemosabe / RCA • 📅 2023

“All the things I do / All the plans I move / All the men I shoo / Mm, boy, I can’t wait to get next to you.” “Can’t Wait” marks one of many songs from Scarlet, the 2023 album by Grammy winner Doja Cat fueled by a sample. In this case, the sample is the 1973 song, 🎵 “Impeach the President” by The Honey Drippers.  A selling point of the song includes the old-school, hip-hop beat. Like “Agora Hills”, one of the top songs from the LP, “Can’t Wait” embraces more R&B compared to the earliest songs. Even so, Doja still drops plenty of pointed, un-pitched bars. Thematically, the focus for Amala is her lover – she’s dedicated, baby! “I wanna be there for you when the going’s gettin’ hard,” she asserts in the first verse, adding, “When you’re feelin’ like the lowest thing that no one even wants.” #Real Love.

4. Troye Sivan, “Can’t Go Back, Baby”

💿 Something To Give Each Other • 🏷 Universal Music Australia Pty Ltd. • 📅 2023

Matters of the heart affect Grammy-nominated pop standout Troye Sivan on “Can’t Go Back, Baby,” the sixth track from his stellar 2023 album, Something To Give Each Other. Sivan seeks to rewind back, specifically “To the days when I thought I knew you.” That’s impossible, of course. Things ended badly it seems, as he mentions his ex- leaving the hotel while he was performing on TV.  Yikes! Even as the love pain stings, Troye recollects the good times had, specifically during the pre-choruses (“In the morning / Your hands around my waist, just us two / In the evening / On my mouth, could you still taste him?”). As far as the sound, “Can’t Go Back, Baby” incorporates a sample: “Back, Baby” by Jessica Pratt.  It plays a key role in the song, bringing something different and refreshing to the table for Sivan.

5. Four Tops, “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)”   

💿 Four Tops Second Album • 🏷 Motown • 📅 1965

“Sugar pie, honey bunch / You know that I love you / I can’t help myself / I love you and nobody else.” #ICONIC chorus! Ah, “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)” – one of, if not the greatest HONEY 🍯 songs of all-time! Four Tops were the stuff and “I Can’t Help Myself” ranks at the top of their illustrious catalog.  This mid-1960s joint, which appeared on Four Tops Second Album, peaked at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains the vibe of vibes nearly six decades later.  This Holland-Dozier-Holland (Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland) composition is an innocent soul song about L-O-V-E. Even though “In and out my life / You come, and you go,” ultimately, “When you snap your fingers or wink your eye / I come a-running to you.” Why? Sheer love, baby! Backed by those incredible Motown musicians, and produced by Dozier and Brian Holland, “I Can’t Help Myself” is that oldie you find that you can’t help listening to because it’s so enduring and timeless.   

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6. H.E.R., “I Can’t Breathe”

🎵 “I Can’t Breathe” • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2020 

“I can’t breathe / You’re taking my life from me / I can’t breathe / Will anyone fight for me?” Multi-Grammy award winning R&B singer/songwriter H.E.R. earned one of the biggest awards at the 63rd Annual Grammys winning Song of the Year for “I Can’t Breathe.” Written alongside Dernst “Dmile” Emile II (who also produces) and Tiara Thomas, “I Can’t Breathe” tackles a history of racist injustice in America, specifically reignited by the murder of George Floyd. As the chorus lyrics suggest, “I Can’t Breathe” is a heavy record.  Set in a minor key, expectedly, H.E.R. desires for this record to be more reflective, somber, and thought provoking.  This isn’t a song you should listen to and not take something away from it. Always a great songwriter, this record is by far her most timely, given the troubling situations inspiring it. It’s truly special and deserving of recognition. 

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7. Jack Harlow, “It Can’t Be”

💿 Jackman. • 🏷 Generation Now / Atlantic • 📅 2023

Jack Harlow delivers a compelling flow on “It Can’t Be,” the eight track from his brief, 2023 album, Jackman.. On this pleasant joint, Harlow enlists the services of Rashad Thomas behind the boards. In addition to Thomas’ contributions, the late great Bill Withers contributes to, via sample ( “I Love You Dawn”). Harlow serves up a catchy chorus:

“It must be my skin, I can’t think of any other reason I win (Ooh)

I can’t think of an explanation, it can’t be the years of work I put in

It can’t be the way that I stuck with the same friends

It can’t be the swag I got when I walk in, it can’t be.”

Simply put, IT CAN’T BE! Harlow references white privilege but argues against it being the reason for his success. Also memorable on “It Can’t Be” is Harlow addressing negative reviews, his youthfulness ( “I didn’t grow up on Brandy”), and “Havin’ dinner in Frankfort with Andy.” The Andy that Harlow is referencing is Andy Beshear, the 63rd governor of Kentucky. 

8. Ann Peebles, “I Can’t Stand The Rain”  

💿 I Can’t Stand The Rain • 🏷 Hi / Fat Possum • 📅 1974

Eight words: “I can’t stand the rain against my window.” Ann Peebles famously performed “I Can’t Stand The Rain”, which was released in 1973.  Fittingly, it appeared on Peebles’ album, also titled, I Can’t Stand The Rain (1974).  As you’d expect, this marked the biggest hit of her career, peaking at no. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 at the end of 1973.  It peaked at no. 6 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.  Unfortunately, the album wasn’t a success. Despite this, the song is a triumph – a prime example of the Memphis soul sound, cultivated by the late, great producer, Willie Mitchell. Peebles penned this classic alongside Bernard Miller and Don Bryant. The songwriting is elite, as Peebles expresses heartbreak: “Hey windowpane, do you remember / How sweet it used to be? / … Now that we’ve parted / There’s just one sound / That I just can’t stand.” Rain often receives a negative connotation and in the case of this ended union, the rain gets a bad name once more.  Also, the empty pillow in verse two isn’t Peebles’ friend either because that’s “Where his head used to lay.” Sigh.  The best moment is the beloved chorus, a big reason why Grammy-winning artists like Tina Turner and Seal have covered this gem.  Also, another Grammy winner, Missy Elliott sampled the classic for her own renowned joint, “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)”.  

“I can’t stand the rain against my window 

Bringing back sweet memories 

I can’t stand the rain against my window 

‘Cause he’s not here with me.” 

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9. Anthony Hamilton, “Can’t Let Go” 

💿 Ain’t Nobody Worryin’ • 🏷 Arista • 📅 2005

When it came time to follow-up Comin’ From Where I’m From, Anthony Hamilton needed another electrifying single.  Honestly, a “Charlene” only comes around, say, once in a lifetime.  The good news for Mr. Hamilton, however, is the fact that he showcased a level of consistency only a select few musicians have.  His 2005 album, Ain’t Nobody Worryin’, matched the quality of Comin’ From Where I’m From, and yielded a moderately successful neo-soul hit in “Can’t Let Go.” By moderate success, I’m referring to the performance on the Hot 100, peaking at no. 71, not the quality of the song itself.  In my eyes, “Can’t Let Go” is on that same, elite level as “Charlene,” even if “Charlene” packed more of a punch on the pop charts (peaked at no. 19).  What makes “Can’t Let Go” exceptional is the throwback soul, channeled vocally as well as instrumentally (Mark Batson is behind the boards).  The use of organ within the production comes directly from black gospel music – the chuuuch – giving the record a spirited vibe.  Here, Mr. Hamilton asserts, “No matter what the people say, I’m gonna love you anyway / You are my life, I can’t let go.” Matters of the heart and Hamilton are interlocked for sure. 

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10. BIA, “Can’t Touch This” 

💿 For Certain • 🏷 Epic • 📅 2021 

“My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard / And they’re like, it’s better than yours / Damn right, it’s better than yours / I can teach you, but I have to charge.” Does anybody remember this aughts classic? Well, if not, let me fill you in! It’s “Milkshake” by Kelis.  Why do I mention this R&B song when I’m supposed to write about the BIA ‘this’ song, “Can’t Touch This” (For Certain, 2021)? Well, BIA sampled the aughts gem in “Can’t Touch This,” featuring that stellar production by The Neptunes. Besides sampling “Milkshake,” BIA also lifts off the chorus, tweaking it to her liking in the second verse: “My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard (Oh) / in the foreign cars / And they’re like, it’s better than yours / Damn right, it’s better than yours.” Woo! It’s not all borrowing though! BIA brings ample personality to the verses and of course, the centerpiece, the chorus.  Over banging production by IRoccOnTheBeat, London Jae, and DJ Young Pharaoh, she spits:    

“No stylist, I don’t do repeats 

I got money, bitch, I’m knee-deep 

All hunnids, drippin’ in CC 

Might pop that pussy like FreakNik 

No mileage, boy, you can’t touch this 

No bodies, boy, you ain’t fuck shit 

I’m on islands, whippin’ them Porsches (Skrr) 

Run shit, and your nigga endorse it (Sheesh).” 

Woo! BIA doesn’t play around in the least! “Can’t Touch This” BE-OTCHES!   

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11. Perfume Genius, “Can’t Help Falling in Love”

🎵 “Can’t Help Falling in Love” • 🏷 Perfume Genius / Matador • 🗓 2016 

On his cover of “Can’t Help Falling in Love”, Perfume Genius (Mike Hadreas) makes the beloved Elvis Presley classic his own. Released in 2016, “Can’t Help Falling in Love” in Hadreas’ hands runs under two-and-a-half minutes (shorter than the original). Despite the brevity, there are plenty of selling points that make the cover special. Hadreas surprises early on.  Rather than the expected, smooth, legato backdrop, the lister is given a distinct, rhythmic, minimalist synth.  The minimal vibes, which are consistent throughout “Can’t Help Falling in Love” contrast with the original. Hadreas delivers enigmatic vocals which are cool, calm, and collected. His performance is incredibly sophisticated. He never perspires, yet despite being even-keel, he’s potent. Also, it’s worth noting that “Can’t Help Falling in Love” is set in G major, as opposed to D major, the original key. Something else that makes this cover unique is how it simultaneously sounds classic and contemporary. Sure, those driving synths are far removed from the piano arpeggiations of the 60s, but other elements of this subdued production still hearkens back to the past (the rich guitar), reminding us of the vintage nature of the song. “Can’t Help Falling in Love” gets a fresh interpretation in the hands of Perfume Genius, who is an incredible talent.

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12. Mary Mary, “Can’t Give Up Now”

💿 Thankful • 🏷 Sony BMG Music Entertainment • 📅 2000 

“I just can’t give up now / I come too far from where I started from.” “Can’t Give Up Now” ranks among the best tracks from the catalog of Grammy-winning gospel duo, Mary Mary. Appearing as the fifth track on their 2000, double platinum, debut album, Thankful, it features an urban sound, embracing the R&B of the era. Give Erica Campbell’s husband, producer Warryn “Baby Dubb” Campbell, credit for marvelous backdrop. Originally, “I Don’t Feel No Ways Tired”, the song Mary Mary transform was written by Curtis Burrell.  This new interpretation adds writing credits by Erica, Tina Campbell, and Warryn. Among many things that make “Can’t Give Up Now” uplifting are the encouraging lyrics. In the first verse, adversity is acknowledged, but even so, “But victory or defeat, it’s up to me to decide / But how can I expect to win if I never try.” Similarly, in the second verse, “But when my back is against the wall / And I feel all hope is gone / I’ll just lift my head up to the sky / And say help me to be strong.” It leads to the centerpiece, the chorus, where “Nobody told me the road would be easy / And I don’t believe He’s brought me this far / To leave me” 🙌 🙌 🙌. Some other notes regarding this 2000 gospel classic.  The vocals by both sisters are electrifying ⚡️, from the poised, expressive verses, to the high-flying riffs on the extended chorus 💪.  Also making the extended chorus epic are sublime choral vocals, superbly executed key changes, and, of course, the spirit! The musicianship is lofty, from the gang clapping to the break during the coda (the FINAL chorus).  

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13. Barry White, “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe”

💿 Can’t Get Enough • 🏷 UMG Recordings Inc. • 📅 1974

“My darling, I / Can’t get enough of your love, babe.” Word! Throughout his illustrious career, the late, great, Grammy-winning soul artist Barry White (1944 – 2023) landed six top-10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Only one of those top-10s reached no. 1: “Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe”. “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe” appeared as the fourth track from White’s 1974 LP, Can’t Get Enough. It goes without saying that this is one of White’s most beloved songs. It’s closest competition? Probably “You’re the First, The Last, My Everything”.

With love featured in its title, and the fact that Barry White is renowned for his magnificent baritone, delivering love songs, “Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe” is sexy as… you know! It begins with a spoken word intro, where White sets the tone over lush, picturesque production work. “As many times as we’ve loved and / We’ve shared love and made love /… It doesn’t seem to me like it’s enough…” Noted, Barry! Of course, that leads into the unforgettable chorus, excerpted at the top, where White adds, “Girl, I don’t know, I don’t know why / Can’t get enough of your love, babe.” White goes onto drop two verses, dedicating his love to her. “What am I gonna do? / How should I feel when everything is you?” he sings in the first verse, adding in the second, “Girl, what am I gonna do / Because you’re blowin’ my mind.” Ooh-wee! Superbly penned by and produced by White, marvelously arranged by him and Gene Page, and backed by the epic The Love Unlimited Orchestra, “Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe” will forever be one of the truly great disco/soul songs of the 1970s.

Appears in 🔻:

Barry White, Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 21 (2024)

Songs Where Musicians Just Can’t, Vol. 2 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Arista, Atlantic, Benedict Cork, Epic, Fat Possum, Generation Now, Hi, Kemosabe, Matador, Motown, Nuyorican Productions Inc., Perfume Genius, RCA, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, UMG Recordings, Inc., Universal Music Australia Pty Ltd.; Monika Grafik from Pixabay]

Songs Where Musicians Just Can’t, Vol. 2 | Playlist 🎧

Published by the musical hype on March 8, 2024March 8, 2024