Can't Stand Losing You (song)
| "Can't Stand Losing You" | |
|---|---|
 Cover art for the 1978 7" single release of Can't Stand Losing You - the photo was taken on 1978-08-04 | |
| Recorded by The Police | |
| Released: | 1978-09-01
1979-06-22 (re-issue) |
| Recorded: | 1978-04-01 (unreleased) |
| Length: | 2:58 |
| Album(s): | Outlandos d'Amour |
| Label(s): | A&M |
| Writer(s): | Sting |
| Producer(s): | The Police |
| Studio(s): | Surrey Sound Studios |
| Released as single? | YES |
"Can't Stand Losing You" is a song written by Sting and recorded by The Police in 1978.
Contents
About the song
On the day that The Police finished recording Outlandos d'Amour (1978-01-29) Miles Copeland suggested the band should write three more songs and record them later. Can't Stand Losing You was probably one of the songs that came from that suggestion.
The Police recorded it on 1978-04-01, but it seems they weren't entirely happy with the result. They re-recorded it on 1978-06-16.
An alternate version of the song lasts 3:07 minutes and this is probably the version from April 1978. This is not just an early or different mix - it's a completely different version. The intro is longer than that of the LP version. Stewart's drum accents in the chorus are much trickier than those of the LP version. The instrumental part in the middle (which would become Reggatta de Blanc) is absent. The last chorus is also completely different: the additional C and Asus4 chords are not there yet.
The outro is much longer and sounds like the jamming part of a live version - with Sting singing Can't Stand Losing You in a question / answer fashion for a while - with additional guitar "solo" bits nowhere to be found on the LP version. The fade out of the coda ends with Sting singing the Dusty Springfield lines "I don't know what to do with myself".
The version we all know was tightened at the start and at the end - yet in the middle the "Reggatta" part was added and the third verse got more dramatic impact that way. The addition of the C and Asus4 chords in the final chorus was another attention grabber - the coda's "improvisational" style was left for live performances.
Personnel
Release History
Albums
Can't Stand Losing You appears on the following album releases:
| Cover art | Album title | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Outlandos d'Amour | 1978-11-17 | UK |
|
Message In A Box: The Complete Recordings | 1993-MM-DD | UK |
Singles
CD Singles
| Cover art | Catalog no. | Songs | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
AMCD 905 | "Roxanne" / "Canary In A Coalmine" / "The Bed's Too Big Without You" / "Can't Stand Losing You" | 1988-04-25 | United Kingdom |
7" Singles
| Cover art | Catalog no. | A-side song/B-side song | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
AMS 7381 | "Can't Stand Losing You"/"Dead End Job" | 1978-09-01 | UK |
| 40px | AM-2147 | "Can't Stand Losing You"/"No Time This Time" | 1979-11-XX | USA |
|
|
AMS 7381 | "Can't Stand Losing You"/"Dead End Job" | 1979-06-22 | UK |
|
AMP-1029 | "Roxanne"/"Can't Stand Losing You" | 1979-MM-DD | Japan |
|
|
AM 8622 (Forget Me Nots reissue) | "Roxanne" /"Can't Stand Losing You" | YYYY-MM-DD | USA |
|
|
AM 8622 (Memories reissue) | "Roxanne" /"Can't Stand Losing You" | 1985-MM-DD | USA |
|
|
AM 75021 8622 7 (Memories reissue) | "Roxanne" /"Can't Stand Losing You" | 1996-MM-DD | USA |
12" Singles
| Cover art | Catalog no. | A-side song(s)/B-side song(s) | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
SAMP 5 | "The Bed's Too Big Without You"/"So Lonely"/"Can't Stand Losing You"/"Roxanne"/"Message In A Bottle"/"Walking On The Moon" | 1980-MM-DD | UK |
Video
"SONG TITLE" appears on the following video and dvd releases:
| Cover art | Video title | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Video or dvd title | YYYY-MM-DD | Country |
Awards, nominations, and certifications
Awards
This section needs more information.
| Year | Winner | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| YYYY | WINNER (album, song, producer, etc.) | AWARD (Grammy, People's Choice, etc.) | CATEGORY |
Nominations
This section needs more information.
| Year | Nominee | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| YYYY | NOMINEE (album, song, producer, etc.) | AWARD (Grammy, People's Choice, etc.) | CATEGORY |
Certifications
This section needs more information.
| Country | Certifier | Classification | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| COUNTRY | CERTIFIER (RIAA, IFPI...) | CLASSIFICATION (Album, singles, foreign artist...) | CERTIFICATION (Gold, Platinum, Diamond...) |
Lyrics
Lyrics are property and copyright of their owners, and provided here for educational purposes only.
Called you so many times today And I guess it's all true what your girlfriends say That you don't ever want to see me again And your brother's gonna kill me and he's six feet ten I guess you'd call it cowardice But I'm not prepared to go on like this I can't, I can't I can't stand losing I can't, I can't I can't stand losing I can't, I can't I can't I can't stand losing you I see you've sent my letters back And my LP records and they're all scratched I can't see the point in another day When nobody listens to a word I say You can call it lack of confidence But to carry on living doesn't make no sense I can't, I can't I can't stand losing I can't, I can't I can't stand losing I guess this is our last goodbye And you don't care so I won't cry But you'll be sorry when I'm dead And all this guilt will be on your head I guess you'd call it suicide But I'm too full to swallow my pride I can't, I can't I can't stand losing I can't stand losing you
Quotations and trivia
The main cover photo was taken on 1978-08-04 and shows Stewart Copeland standing on a block of ice in Peter Gravelle's photo studio behind Tate Britain. The photo session for the image Stewart is holding in his hand (which is shown on the back of the 7") was done on 1978-07-20.
"Can't Stand Losing You" is featured in the video game Rock Band.
Reviews
Alternate and cover versions
An alternate version of this song from the Outlandos d'Amour sessions lasted 3:07 minutes and ended with Sting singing the Dusty Springfield lines "I don't know what to do with myself" at the end.
A cover version of Can't Stand Losing You appears on the following album release:
| Cover art | Artist | Album title | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Steel Pulse | Reggatta Mondatta | 1997-MM-DD | The Netherlands |
See also
External links
This section needs more information.
References
- Police, The. Outlandos d'Amour. (1978) [Audio recording], A&M Records.
- ThePolice.com. UltraStar Entertainment LLC. 31 May 2008. <http://www.thepolice.com/discog/?v=so&a=2&id=108>
- Craig Betts
