ln Waterford, O'Sullivan's father worked in a meat factory while his mother ran a sweet shop. In 1958, at the age of 11, he moved with his family to Swindon in England in search of a better life. He attended St. Joseph's Comprehensive school in Swindon. While there he developed an interest in both music and amateur boxing. Musically he began with the guitar and progressed to the piano. In the boxing ring he had nearly 50 bouts. Meanwhile his painting and drawing had won him a place at Swindon Art College. He started there in September 1963. His aim was to be a graphic designer. He played drums in his first group The Doodles and left them to join The Prefects while attending Swindon Art College. It was while at college that he met Rick Davies, who was later a member of Supertramp. While at college he began writing songs and sending out demo tapes, alas they were always returned unopened. The first song he remembers writing was Ready Miss Steady.
After finishing college, O'Sullivan moved to London in 1967 to try and further his musical career. He took a part-time job as a salesman at the C & A department store in Oxford Street. Mike Ward who also worked at C & A, had a contract with CBS and Gilbert went with him one day and played his tapes for some of the CBS executives. Gilbert signed a five year publishing contract with CBS which called for one single a year, and released two singles Disappear/You in 1967 and What Can I Do/You in 1968. Gilbert was disappointed that he was not allowed any input into the arranging or production of the singles. Neither single did well. Disillusioned with CBS, O'Sullivan signed with the Major Minor label and released I Wish I Could Cry/Mr. Moody's Garden in 1969.
O'Sullivan came to the attention of BBC Radio 1 disc jockey, John Peel, who gave him a slot on his radio show Top Gear, little of note resulted, and O'Sullivan spent part of 1969 applying to other record labels and management companies. It was at this time that O'Sullivan formulated his 'Bisto Kid' image; grey flannel suit, flat cap, school boy tie, football socks and hobnail boots. In search of a manager he sent some demo tapes to Gordon Mills, an ex-pop singer and himself a songwriter of repute, who had successfully guided the careers of Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck. Gordon Mills recognised something unique in the young Irishman and signed him for management as well as to a songwriting contract.
O'Sullivan made an irresistible impression with Nothing Rhymed, his first Top 10 hit and an introduction to his witty lyrics and original approach as a singer/songwriter. Signed to MAM Records, the label launched by Gordon Mills, who was also his record producer, great friend and surrogate older brother, O'Sullivan enjoyed four years of major success, incorporating a dozen more hit singles, ten of which reached the UK Top 10, and four Top 5 albums: Himself (1971), Back To Front (1972), I'm A Writer Not A Fighter (1973) and A Stranger In My Own Back Yard (1974).
Both Clair (written about Mills's infant daughter for whom Gilbert occasionally babysat) and Get Down were number one hit singles in Britain, and additionally, Back To Front topped the UK LP chart in 1972, emulating the success of the two million seller Alone Again (Naturally), a six week US chart-topper in 1972. O'Sullivan made his live debut in The National Stadium in Dublin in October of '72. Around this time, the singer jettisoned his so-called "Bisto Kid" image in favour of an endless series of collegiate-styled sweaters embossed with the letter "G". As quickly as O'Sullivan ascended to fame, however, his star began to fall , although singles like Ooh Baby and Happiness Is Me and You continued to chart, they sold increasingly fewer copies, and after 1973 his overseas popularity essentially ceased altogether. At home, he notched his final Top 20 hit with 1975's I Don't Love You But I Think I Like You. After a Greatest Hits album in 1976, and Southpaw in 1977, by which time the hit singles had dried up, disagreements over future direction led to a bitter split between O'Sullivan and Mills, which effectively sidelined the former as a recording artist for five years. The gruelling court case between O'Sullivan and his erstwhile manager, producer, music publisher and record company boss finally gave him control of his own recordings and the copyright in his songs, although it exacted an inevitable toll on his energy and his creativity during it's precedent-setting course.
Gilbert returned to CBS in 1980 and released Off Centre (1980) and Life & Rhymes (1982) but maintained a low profile during much of the 1980s, recharging his batteries and moving to Jersey, where he still lives with his wife and two children. Off Centre provided his 13th UK Top 20 single, What's In A Kiss?, after which legal proceedings monopolised his time. However, he continued writing songs, performing what he called "concepts within four walls" rather than starting back on the road before it was appropriate. He later recalled that the lyrics he wrote during that period were too heavily influenced by his personal emotions - having been extremely close to Mills before their disagreement, he was highly distressed to discover that his dear friend had been guilty of considerable financial greed at Gilbert's expense. Even so, he applied himself to his lonely creativity, working from 9 to 5 each day "just like Goffin & King and people like Neil Sedaka & Howard Greenfield at the Brill Building in New York used to do", although he later confessed "Really, the words were no good, because my mind was cluttered with all the problems". Lyrics have always been O'Sullivan's most unique facet, reflecting what's going on in his mind, and the strain under which he found himself was hardly conducive to much positive artistic or commercial creativity.
The first release for five years was Frobisher Drive and was only available in Germany. The same album with a slightly different track listing was released in the UK in 1989 under the title In The Key Of G, and included So What, his first chart single in almost a decade. Since the low-key comeback, the pace has increased, with five more albums. Gilbert also made a return to live performances in the early nineties, playing regularly in both Europe and Japan. In 1991, Gilbert was again in court, this time he sued American rapper Biz Markie and won the decision after Markie's unauthorized sample of "Alone Again (Naturally)" on his 1991 album I Need a Haircut. A 1992 single, Tomorrow Today had topped the Japanese charts for nine weeks, and this success led to a tour of Japan in early 1993 with his newly formed backing group, during which he recorded and filmed his first ever live album Tomorrow Today. Gilbert's newfound success in Japan led to the Japanese only release of The Little Album (1992) and Rare Tracks (1992). 1993's critical acclaimed Sounds Of The Loop (Daily Telegraph's Record Of The Week) included a duet with the legendary Peggy Lee on Can't Think Straight and even a solo version of the same song in Japanese. This album was recorded almost entirely at his home in Jersey in the Channel Islands.
By Larry (with a similar track listing to the Japanese released The Little Album) was released in 1994. Larry is a famous English cartoonist, much admired by Gilbert. Larry provided original cartoons for the album sleeve and booklet. Every Song Has It's Play was released the following year and was the soundtrack of the semi-autobiographical stage show that Gilbert had acted and sang in, in 1991. Singer Sowing Machine was released in 1997. The title is a humorous reaction by Gilbert to being constantly referred to as a singer/ songwriter. Irlish was released in 2000 and yielded three singles, Have It, Say Goodbye and Two's Company (Three Is Allowed). The album title Irlish, combination of the words Irish and English, appropriate for someone born in Ireland and raised in England. Gilbert's family was part of this migration. In 2001 The Official Gilbert O'Sullivan Website was launched as well as his own record label ByGum Records.
Gilbert continued to tour and he played a series of concerts in Ireland in 2001 and in the UK in 2002 to promote the Irlish album. A new studio album Piano Foreplay followed in 2003. In 2004 Rhino Handmade Records released a 3 CD anthology in the USA of Gilbert's music entitled Caricature: The Box. It contains 73 tracks which span the years 1967-2001. This is the first in-depth survey of Gilbert's lengthy career. It contains numerous singles and B-sides, tracks from 16 of his albums, and five previously unreleased tracks. A b-side collection entitled The Other Sides of Gilbert O'Sullivan was released in Japan in 2004 and contained many tracks available on CD for the first time. A series of concerts followed in Japan in June 2004 followed by a 20 date European Tour of the UK, Ireland, Norway and Denmark in November and December. In February 2005 a DVD/CD set of the 2004 Japanese show was released in Japan. Gilbert returned to Japan in June 2005 for a series of 13 shows. Gilbert spent the end of 2005 and the beginning of 2006 recording his next studio album "A Scruff At Heart" which was released in Japan on 25 October 2006.
Can't Get You To Love Me
Gilbert O'Sullivan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Grab a mad bull by the nose
I can stand still on an ant-hill
And not once get itchy toes
I can even for no reason
Be as nice as I am rude
But I can't get you to love me
What do I do?
I can stand up put my hand up
Where perhaps it shouldn't be
I can go down to a hoe-down?
Have one hell of a yippee!
I can also if you must know
Do whatever else I choose
But I can't get you to love me
I just can't get you to love me
What do I do?
All of my life I've been waiting
For a moment like this
And now that I've found it
You know something's amiss
Can't get you to love me...
I can tell tales hammer toe-nails
Write a letter to the Queen
I can easily and discreetly
Be as charming as obscene
When I feel light
I can take a fight
But I know one thing for sure
I just can't get you to love me
I just can't get you to love me
What do I do?
In Can't Get You To Love Me, Gilbert O'Sullivan expresses his frustration over the unreciprocated love of a person he desires. He begins by listing a series of impressive feats that he can accomplish, demonstrating his ability to do anything he chooses. However, the one thing he cannot do is get this person to love him back, despite all his efforts. He is perplexed and unsure of what to do next. The singer laments that he has been waiting for a moment like this all his life, but something is amiss, and he cannot force this person to love him. Throughout the song, Gilbert's confusion and desperation are palpable as he tries to come to terms with the situation.
The lyrics are playful, upbeat, and deeply emotional all at once, showing the complexity of romance and relationships. Although the song may appear to be a lighthearted ditty at first listen, Gilbert's yearning for love and the sheer impossibility of getting the person he wants to feel the same way is poignant and relatable. The sense of uncertainty and self-doubt within the lyrics is something that many people experience when dealing with unrequited love. Gilbert's tongue-in-cheek approach to the lyrics lightens the tone of the song and makes it easier for listeners to empathize with him.
Line by Line Meaning
I can mark time walk a straight line
I am able to march and follow a straight path without deviating.
Grab a mad bull by the nose
I am capable of taking on difficult tasks or challenges, no matter how dangerous they may be.
I can stand still on an ant-hill
I can remain calm and unflinching, even in the face of aggravating or uncomfortable situations.
And not once get itchy toes
I am capable of enduring pain or discomfort without complaint or distraction.
I can even for no reason
I am capable of being kind even when there's no benefit or reason to do so.
Be as nice as I am rude
I have the ability to show extreme kindness and respect as well as behave rudely.
But I can't get you to love me
Despite all of my qualities and strengths, I am unable to find love or affection from you.
I just can't get you to love me
I have tried all of my actions, and they all have failed to capture your love or affection.
What do I do?
I am lost and unsure of what my next steps should be in pursuing your love.
I can stand up put my hand up
I am able to present myself confidently and take charge of situations when necessary.
Where perhaps it shouldn't be
Sometimes, as much as I try to be in control, I may find myself in situations where I don't entirely belong.
I can go down to a hoe-down?
I am capable of letting go and having fun in unanticipated settings or situations.
Have one hell of a yippee!
I can let loose and enjoy myself in ways that might surprise or shock others.
I can also if you must know
There are other highly impressive things I can do if you require me to demonstrate them.
Do whatever else I choose
I am capable of achieving whatever goal or tasks I put my mind towards.
All of my life I've been waiting
I have been longing and searching for something or someone special for an extended period of time.
For a moment like this
I have been hoping for an opportunity exactly like the current situation with you.
And now that I've found it
I have at last discovered the unique opportunity I've been searching for and hoping for so long.
You know something's amiss
There is something off or not right with this moment, despite having finally found what I've been seeking.
Can't get you to love me...
Despite my best efforts, all of my actions have failed in earning your love or affection.
I can tell tales hammer toe-nails
I can be an engaging and impressive storyteller, even on the most mundane subjects.
Write a letter to the Queen
I am capable of composing eloquent and well-crafted messages or communications, even to those in the highest positions of power.
I can easily and discreetly
I can manage delicate or sensitive situations with tact and discretion that will make others feel comfortable.
Be as charming as obscene
I can present myself as both charming and likable or shocking and provocative, depending on the circumstances.
When I feel light
When I am in a buoyant mood or emotional state.
I can take a fight
I am able to stand up for myself and defend myself when required.
But I know one thing for sure
Despite all of my other skills and abilities, there is one thing of which I am certain.
I just can't get you to love me
I have tried everything and cannot seem to earn your love, which is the one thing I truly desire.
What do I do?
I am feeling lost and helpless with no idea of how to proceed in finding your love.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GILBERT O'SULLIVAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Martin Storey
Great song 😊
Snpfan
FUNKY
zzzdogutube
thanks