About The Song
Don Gibson penned “I Can’t Stop Loving You” in 1957 while residing in a mobile home in Knoxville, Tennessee. His rendition of the song, released as RCA 47-7133, claimed the top spot on the country chart in 1958 and achieved sales exceeding a million copies, and the B-side, “Oh Lonesome Me,” was equally successful. In 1958, Kitty Wells also entered the charts with her version of the song on Decca 30551, reaching #8 on the country chart. In 1962, Ray Charles featured “I Can’t Stop Loving You” in his best-selling LP, “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music” (ABC-Paramount ABCS-410), which marked a significant milestone as the first Gold album for ABC-Paramount Records. His single release from this album reached the number one spot on the Hot 100 chart, the rhythm and blues chart, and the Easy-Listening chart. Consequently, “I Can’t Stop Loving You” emerged as the number one song of 1962 and a million-seller. Notably, even Count Basie recorded an instrumental rendition of the song (Reprise 20170).
Elvis Presley delivered renditions of “I Can’t Stop Loving You” during numerous live performances and notably during his 1973 TV special, “Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii.” The recorded versions of these live performances are the ones available for listeners.
Elvis Presley etched his name in television and entertainment history with the “Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii – Via Satellite” special. This unforgettable performance took place at the Honolulu International Center Arena on January 14, 1973. It was broadcast live at 12:30 AM Hawaiian time and transmitted via Globecam Satellite to several countries, including Australia, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, South Vietnam, and more. Additionally, it was shown on a delayed basis in approximately thirty European countries and was scheduled to be televised in the United States on April 4th on NBC. The live broadcast in January attracted impressive viewership figures, with 37.8% of viewers in Japan, 91.8% in the Philippines, and 70% in Hong Kong. The April showing in the United States was anticipated to attract 51% of the television viewing audience, surpassing even the viewership of the first moon landing. In total, the performance was set to be seen in approximately forty countries by an audience ranging from one billion to 1.5 billion people.
For this momentous show, Elvis commissioned a jumpsuit featuring an American Eagle design, delivering a patriotic message to his global audience. It was a unique occasion where one performer captured the world’s attention so profoundly. Elvis was in exceptional physical and vocal form during this performance, marking a pinnacle in his superstardom and one of the most memorable moments in his career. It’s worth noting that Elvis initially grappled with nervousness since he was the very first entertainer to undertake a satellite show, a groundbreaking achievement in the world of entertainment.
Video
Lyric
And I can’t stop loving you
I said, “I made up, made up my mind”
To live in memory
Of such an long lonesome timeI can’t stop wanting you
I said, “It’s useless to say”
So I’ll just live my life
In dreams of yesterdayNow those happy hours
All that we once knew
They’re so long ago (so long ago)
They still make, make me blueAh they say, “that time
It heals a broken heart”; oh yes, it does
Ah, but time has stood still
Since we’ve been apartAnd I can’t stop loving you
I said, “I made up, made up my mind”
To live in memory
Of such an long lonesome timeAnd I can’t stop wanting you
I said, “It’s useless to say”
So I’ll just live my life
In dreams of yesterday, oh yeah