Elbert was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, but when aged three his family relocated to Buffalo, New York. He learned to play guitar and piano as a child, and in 1955 formed a doo-wop group, the Vibraharps, with friend Danny Cannon. Elbert acted as the group's guitarist, songwriter, arranger, and background vocalist, making his recording debut on their single "Walk Beside Me". He left the group in 1957 for a solo career, and recorded a demonstration record that earned him a recording contract with the King label's DeLuxe subsidiary. His solo debut "What Can I Do?" reached #12 in the U.S. R&B chart, and he followed it up with the less successful "Believe It or Not" and "Have I Sinned?", which became a regional hit in Pittsburgh.
He continued to release singles on DeLuxe, but with little commercial success, and also played New York's Apollo Theater and toured the chitlin' circuit of African-American owned nightclubs. After completing an album, The Sensational Donnie Elbert Sings, he left DeLuxe in 1959, joining first Red Top Records, where in 1960 he recorded "Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You)", and then Vee-Jay Records, where he had another regional hit with "Will You Ever Be Mine?," which reportedly sold 250,000 copies in the Philadelphia area but failed to take off nationwide. His career was also interrupted by a spell in the US Army, from which he was discharged in 1961. He then recorded singles for several labels, including Parkway, Cub and Checker, but with little success. However, although the 1965 Gateway label release of "A Little Piece of Leather" failed to chart in the US, the record became a #27 pop hit when released on the London label in the UK several years later in 1972, and remains a Northern soul favorite.
Elbert relocated to the UK in 1966, where he married. There, he recorded "In Between The Heartaches" for the Polydor label in 1968, a cover version of The Supremes' hit "Where Did Our Love Go?". and an album of Otis Redding cover versions, Tribute To A King. His 1969 Deram release "Without You" had a rocksteady rhythm, and went to the top of the Jamaican charts. He returned to the US the same year, and had his first US chart hit in over a decade with the Rare Bullet label release "Can't Get Over Losing You," which reached #26 on the Billboard R&B chart. Following the success of that record, "Where Did Our Love Go?" was released on the All Platinum label, and became his biggest hit, reaching #15 on the US pop charts, #6 on the R&B charts, and (in 1972) #8 in the UK. Its follow-up "Sweet Baby" reached #30 on the R&B chart in early 1972.
Elbert then signed with Avco-Embassy, where he entered the recording studio with the successful production team of Hugo & Luigi. Although his cover of The Four Tops' "I Can't Help Myself" reached #14 on the R&B chart, Elbert balked at the label's insistence that he record material associated with Motown. He returned to All Platinum and had a run of minor R&B hits, but left after he claimed authorship of Shirley & Company's R&B chart-topper "Shame Shame Shame" which was credited to label owner Sylvia Robinson. For 1975's "You Keep Me Crying (With Your Lying)," Elbert finally formed his own label, and "I Got to Get Myself Together," appeared on an imprint bearing his surname, but it was among his final recordings.
By the mid-1980s Elbert had retired from performing, and became director of A&R for Polygram's Canadian division. He suffered a massive stroke and died in 1989, at the age of 52.
Can't Get over Losing You
Donnie Elbert Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Things ain't like what they used to be
Since you've been gone, yeah
Everything wrong is happening to me
And, baby, baby, baby
Lord, I just can't seem to find my way
Cause since you've been gone, baby
And, oh, when your
Friends mention your name
The hurting comes back
Again and again and again
And when I pass the house
That we used to stay
It's lonely and vacant
And, Lord, I'm the same old way
So, baby, baby, baby
Lord, I just can't get over losing you
Since you've been gone baby
I just can't seem to find my way
I just can't get over losing you
(Can't get over losing you)
Just don't know what to do with myself
(Can't get over losing you)
I just can't find my way, baby
(Can't get over losing you)
Lord, I just don't know
What to do with myself
(Can't get over losing you)
Donnie Elbert's song "Can't Get Over Losing You" is a heart-wrenching ballad that expresses the pain and confusion after a devastating lost love. The lyrics start with the singer addressing their lover and lamenting the change in their life after they left. The opening line, "Things ain't like what they used to be" hints at the unhappy state they're in since the breakup. They go on to say that since the lover left, everything just seems to be going wrong, symbolized by the "cloudy day" they refer to. This indicates a struggle with both external circumstances as well as internal turmoil.
The chorus expresses the depth of the singer's sorrow. They admit that they can't seem to find their way since their lover left. Every mention of their name by mutual acquaintances brings the "hurting" back, again and again. And passing the old house where they used to live only reminds the singer of the loneliness and pain that they're feeling. The repetition of "baby" and "Lord" throughout the song suggests a cry for help, perhaps from a higher power, as the singer feels lost and overwhelmed.
Overall, the song is a mournful meditation on lost love and the pain that comes with it. The lyrics convey the post-breakup stages of grief - denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, and show the depth of the singer's struggle to attain acceptance.
Line by Line Meaning
I said, baby, baby, baby
Addressing an absent lover with affection and longing
Things ain't like what they used to be
Life has changed since the lover left
Since you've been gone, yeah
Acknowledging that the cause of the change is the absence of the lover
Everything wrong is happening to me
The absence of the lover is causing pain and hardship
And, baby, baby, baby
Continuing to address the absent lover with affection and longing
Lord, I just can't seem to find my way
Feeling lost and directionless without the lover
Cause since you've been gone, baby
Attributing the feelings of being lost to the lover's absence
Every day is a cloudy day
Life is bleak and joyless without the lover
And, oh, when your
Reflecting on the pain caused by memories of the lover
Friends mention your name
When the lover is discussed by mutual acquaintances
The hurting comes back
Re-experiencing the pain of the loss
Again and again and again
The pain is persistent and recurring
And when I pass the house
Recalling memories of shared experiences with the lover
That we used to stay
Remembering the time spent living together
It's lonely and vacant
Feeling isolated and empty without the lover
And, Lord, I'm the same old way
Acknowledging that the pain and feelings of loss remain after all this time
So, baby, baby, baby
Returning to the beginning, addressing the absent lover with affection and longing
Lord, I just can't get over losing you
Expressing the inability to move on from the loss of the lover
Since you've been gone baby
Repeatedly emphasizing the source of the pain and hardship
I just can't seem to find my way
Reiterating the feeling of being lost without the lover
I just can't get over losing you
Repeating the main sentiment of the song
(Can't get over losing you)
Refrain to emphasize the theme of the song
Just don't know what to do with myself
Feeling aimless and despondent without the lover
Lord, I just don't know
Acknowledging the powerlessness and despair
What to do with myself
Feeling stuck and helpless in the face of the loss
(Can't get over losing you)
Refrain to emphasize the theme of the song
Contributed by Colin J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jeff K
Can't Get Over Losing You Lyrics
I said, baby, baby, baby
Things ain't like what they used to be
Since you've been gone, yeah
Everything wrong is happening to me
And, baby, baby, baby
Lord, I just can't seem to find my way
Cause since you've been gone, baby
Every day is a cloudy day
And, oh, when your
Friends mention your name
The hurting comes back
Again and again and again
And when I pass the house
That we used to stay
It's lonely and vacant
And, Lord, I'm the same old way
So, baby, baby, baby
Lord, I just can't get over losing you
Since you've been gone baby
I just can't seem to find my way
I just can't get over losing you
(Can't get over losing you)
Just don't know what to do with myself
(Can't get over losing you)
I just can't find my way, baby
(Can't get over losing you)
Lord, I just don't know
What to do with myself
(Can't get over losing you)
Jo B
They don't make em like this anymore. Quality!
Sheila Palmer
Frank Milhouse you go
Frank Milhouse
You are soooooooooo right
Nicole Greene
This is my cousin, Donnie Elbert. I was a toddler when he passed away. But my mother shared many great stories of his life and musician life. So glad he knew me while he was alive. I'm blessed to know him more through his music especially since I'm a musician as well. Blessings of this legacy. 🙏🏾🎹🎵
MRS. GALLARDO NARCISA
SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE " I CAN'T GET OVER LOOSING YOU "
MY HUSBAND MY FOREVER!!!
EDDIEBOY GALLARDO 11/28/1958 - 08/22/2019
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
Tina Davies
God bless you Mrs Gallardo,keep all your beautiful memories and good days till you meet again.
Sharon Johnson
I feel u deep in my ❤
Rosa Johnson
cried many tears listening to this Song. Love it .
melvyn best
The man was awesome
LifeWorks, ndh enterprises,llc.
I love his version of where do our love go. aw! That was my man moaning at my name.