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.
I cant help myself
Donnie Elbert Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know that I love you
Lord, I can't help myself
I love you and nobody else
In and out my life
You come and you go
Just leaving your picture behind
When you snap your fingers
Or wink your eye
I come running to you
I'm tied to your apron strings, woman
And there is nothing that I can do
Sugarpie, honeybunch
I'm weaker than a man should be
Lord, Lord, I can't help myself
I'm a fool in love, you see
Hey, hey, hey, babe
I wanna tell you
I don't love you, woman
Tell you that we're through
And I've tried, pretty baby
Every time I see your face
I get all choked up inside
When I call your name, girl
It starts the flame
Burning in my heart
Tearing it all apart
No matter how I try
My love, I cannot hide
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Sugarpie, honeybunch
You know that I love you, baby
Lord, I can't help myself
I'm a fool in love, you see
When you snap your fingers
Or wink your eye
I come running to you
Lord, I can't help myself
I love you and nobody else
Oh, Sugarpie, honeybunch
You know that I'm weak for you, baby
Good God, I can't help myself
I love you and nobody else
The lyrics to Donnie Elbert's "I Can't Help Myself" speak to a common feeling of being hopelessly in love with someone to the point where it feels like you have no control over your emotions or actions. The singer affectionately calls his love interest "Sugarpie, honeybunch" and admits that he loves her and nobody else. Despite the fact that she repeatedly leaves and re-enters his life, even leaving a picture behind that he kisses a thousand times, he can't help but be drawn back to her whenever she snaps her fingers or winks her eye. He feels tied to her apron strings and consumed by his love for her, admitting that he is weaker than a man should be and that he's a fool in love. Even though he may try to tell her that he doesn't love her or that they're through, he gets choked up inside every time he sees her and his love for her cannot be hidden.
Overall, this song is a testament to the power of love and how it can leave us feeling out of control and at the mercy of our own emotions. The singer can't help but be drawn back to the object of his affection, even if it means betraying his better judgment or sacrificing his own well-being for hers. The lyrics are a reminder that love can be both a source of great joy and great pain, and that sometimes we must make difficult choices in order to stay true to ourselves and our own needs.
Line by Line Meaning
Sugarpie, honeybunch
A term of endearment towards the person he loves
You know that I love you
He is expressing his deep love for the person
Lord, I can't help myself
He cannot control his feelings of love towards the person
I love you and nobody else
He is devoted solely to the person he loves
In and out my life
The person he loves comes and goes from his life
You come and you go
The person he loves is not consistent in their presence in his life
Just leaving your picture behind
The only thing left behind by the person he loves is a picture
And I've kissed it a thousand times
He cherishes the picture of the person and has kissed it many times
When you snap your fingers
The person he loves has control over him
Or wink your eye
A simple gesture from the person he loves can make him act
I come running to you
He immediately responds to the person he loves
I'm tied to your apron strings, woman
He is attached to the person he loves and has no control over his actions
And there is nothing that I can do
He has no control over his feelings for the person
I'm weaker than a man should be
His feelings for the person make him feel vulnerable
I'm a fool in love, you see
His love for the person makes him act foolishly
Hey, hey, hey, babe
A term of endearment towards the person he loves
I wanna tell you
He wants to express something to the person he loves
I don't love you, woman
He wants to deny his love for the person
Tell you that we're through
He wants to end the relationship with the person
And I've tried, pretty baby
He has attempted to deny his love and end the relationship
Every time I see your face
The person he loves has a strong effect on him
I get all choked up inside
He feels emotional and overwhelmed when he sees the person he loves
When I call your name, girl
He wants the attention of the person he loves
It starts the flame
Hearing her name triggers his feelings of love
Burning in my heart
His love for the person is intense and passionate
Tearing it all apart
His love is causing him emotional turmoil
No matter how I try
He has attempted to deny his love for the person
My love, I cannot hide
He cannot hide his true feelings of love for the person
Oh, Sugarpie, honeybunch
A term of endearment towards the person he loves
You know that I love you, baby
He is expressing his deep love for the person
Good God, I can't help myself
His feelings of love towards the person are overwhelming and uncontrollable
I love you and nobody else
He is devoted solely to the person he loves
Contributed by Xavier R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@madjidelbert5756
Thank you everyone for the love my father would appreciate you
@50CarolynMA
+Madjid Elbert Love his cover of this song...Had me dancin in my chair!
@willparrott100
Madjid Elbert This version is played over the Four Tops version on a local radio station when I travel to Columbia, SC. This is incredible! Thanks to your father for giving us such a true gem to enjoy, and to you for keeping his memory alive and well!
@grahamchambers9665
its a pleasure 'your dad was as good as any soul singer ive ever heard absolutely first class'' we had a lot of fun in the early 70s when we were teens 'I remember riding my bike rushing to get this record my mates went crazy when I played it at a party ''great memories'' great days'' r.i.p Donnie lost but never to be forgotten '' soulgray''
@codzydee1870
this is the best version your dads is xlent!
@VeeVee76
I love your dad's music he's my icon💙
@michaelmackin5934
most of us at 60 years old do not want to look too forward in time so i will look backwards to 1973 i was 17 and had no idea how so very lucky i was dancing to this sublime track at the Cats Whiskers club i n oldham way back then. God bless all my old pals you had to be there in the 1970s to fully understand
@stcar2
great era Michael, great music and great people
@malcolmcog
The Torch, Stoke. my introduction to soul music
@audreyharalambos2592
i was 16 loving the music and living life, they were the best days ever !!! 60 now and still loving motown and soul it never dates its just us that gets older lol xxx