Bananarama - I Can’t Help It

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   This one just missed the Top 40, peaking at #47 in 1988, which is surprising based on the amount of airplay it received in the New York City area.  I'm trying to track down the best digital version of this track, but there seem to potentially be differences between the US and UK singles.  The UK single was released on London NAN15 and the label states a run time of 3:31.  The US single was London 886212 and states a run time of 3:38.  I haven't come across a CD version with the 3:38 run time.  I don't own either 45 and would be appreciative if someone could provide the timing of the U.S. single.  

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Ringmaster_D Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 08 July 2010 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 0	Post Options Post Reply Quote Ringmaster_D Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Bananarama - I Can’t Help It Posted: 17 December 2012 at 7:27pm
	This one just missed the Top 40, peaking at #47 in 1988, which is surprising based on the amount of airplay it received in the New York City area. I'm trying to track down the best digital version of this track, but there seem to potentially be differences between the US and UK singles. The UK single was released on London NAN15 and the label states a run time of 3:31. The US single was London 886212 and states a run time of 3:38. I haven't come across a CD version with the 3:38 run time. I don't own either 45 and would be appreciative if someone could provide the timing of the U.S. single.

NightAire Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 20 February 2010 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 0	Post Options Post Reply Quote NightAire Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 23 November 2015 at 11:41pm
	I'll second this request. EDIT: I have found two versions of this song, one about 5 to 10 seconds longer than the other, and the mixes seem identical until the end going into the fade. One sings "I can't help it / I'm captivated by your love" over and over and fades. The other sings "I can't help it" leaving a gap where the other sang "I'm captivated by your honey" and fades. The shorter version is missing "I'm captivated..." The longer version also runs faster than the shorter version. Both contain: 2x "I can't help it / help it / help it" 2x "I can't help it / I'm captivated by your honey" Then the short version has: 2x "I can't help it" and fades. The long version has: 3x "I can't help it / I'm captivated by your honey" and fades in the middle of the 3rd round. Unfortunately I can't speak to the sources of these songs, so I'm not sure how to tell you which version is the "real" single edit, or even if one of them is the LP version, or if these are the differences between the U.S. and U.K. singles. Edited by NightAire
	Gene Savage http://www.BlackLightRadio.com http://www.facebook.com/TulsaSavage Tulsa, Oklahoma USA

jimct Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 07 April 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 0	Post Options Post Reply Quote jimct Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 24 November 2015 at 6:21am
	Gene, I have just shot you out both a promo 45 dub and the version of the song from my GH Collection CD, for your analysis. We are all so used to having Pat describe the version contents for Top 40 hits that we've all lamented at some point about what version of a song we're curious about is on a CD, only to discover the song didn't peak high enough to qualify for the db. My best guess is that the "5-10 seconds shorter version" you are referring to us is the one included on the GH CD (possibly the UK 45v), while the U.S. 45 is the version that's running slightly longer. (And while I was at it, I also hooked up the OP (Dave) with a 45 dub - better late than never!)

NightAire Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 20 February 2010 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 0	Post Options Post Reply Quote NightAire Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 24 November 2015 at 11:26pm
	First, thank you Jim for providing me with comparison files. You are correct: the "short" version I have matches your GH Collection CD exactly, and the 45 dub exactly matches the "long" version I have... other than it keeps going long enough to complete the 3rd " / I'm captivated by you honey!" This is exactly what I needed to know; thank you so much! I still don't know where the short version originated (unless it was remixed for the GH), but knowing the longer version is the U.S. mix tells me all I need to know.
	Gene Savage http://www.BlackLightRadio.com http://www.facebook.com/TulsaSavage Tulsa, Oklahoma USA

crapfromthepast Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 14 September 2006 Location: United States Status: Online Points: 25	Post Options Post Reply Quote crapfromthepast Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 25 November 2015 at 6:29am
	The GH collection has an early fade of "Venus", so it's not surprising that it also fades "I Can't Help It" early. It's safe to say that GH is where this early fade originated, not with any of the record releases of "I Can't Help It" at the time.
	There's a lot of crap on the radio, but there's only one Crap From The Past.

Loveland Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 20 April 2013 Location: Sweden Status: Offline Points: 0	Post Options Post Reply Quote Loveland Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 11 March 2016 at 11:22am
	The recently-released Bananarama "In A Bunch" singles box set, includes the U.S. Single Version of "I Can't Help It", no need to recreate it. In North America, London Records released "I Can't Help It" as WOW's second single while the rest of the world issued "Love In The First Degree". North America then released "Love In The First Degree" as the third single, while the rest of the world issued "I Can't Help It" as the third single. Outside North America, "I Want You Back" was issued as the fourth and final single, while North America foolishly bypassed the single altogether.