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 I Go With You
Gilbert O'Sullivan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was such a fool to say
All the things I said about you just to make you jealous
But I've learnt my lesson then
Now I'm prepared to start again
If I promise to be true
Can I go with you
All the boys I know are found
Trying to be the one to hold you by the hand
But I feel if it's O.K.
Only one thing I can say
If I promise to be true
Can I go with you
Can I take you by the hand
Can I love you
Please tell me
Please tell me
Can I go with you
If you think I'm a fool
Let me tell you there's no rule
That can stop me wanting you
And I do, so help me
I won't feel like having fun
'Til you say that I'm the one
So if I promise to be true
Can I go with you
If I promise to be true
Can I go with you
The lyrics of Gilbert O'Sullivan's song “Can I Go With You” portray a pure and vulnerable feeling of a young man in love. The singer falls for someone, probably a girl, on their first encounter. He clearly shows his ingenuity by boasting about himself to make her jealous. However, he quickly realizes his mistake and learns a lesson that by impressing or boasting, he might end up making things worse. He comes clean and admits his vulnerability by expressing his willingness to start anew and be true to his beloved. He seeks validation from his lover and asks for her hand in a relationship, to date her and be with her whenever she is around. The singer understands that there are other boys who are interested in her, but he can only be true and honest with her. Hence he asks her to give him a chance to prove himself as her deserving partner.
The lyrics of this song entail the classic theme of unrequited love, and the emotional predicament of a young lover who waits for approval from the singer or heroine. The lyrics describe the agony of the singer who is eager to know if his feelings are reciprocated or not. By requesting permission to go with the girl, one can assume that the singer is probably a representation of the ideal woman in O'Sullivan's mind. He shows that his interest lies purely in being emotionally linked with his beloved, and he seeks her love in return. This song touches upon the struggles that young people face when they are looking for love or seeking approval from their romantic interests.
Line by Line Meaning
The day you came my way
The moment you entered my life
I was such a fool to say
I regret that I said some unkind things before
All the things I said about you just to make you jealous
I did and said foolish things because I wanted to get your attention
But I've learnt my lesson then
I realize that my actions were wrong and I have since changed
Now I'm prepared to start again
I am willing to reset and begin anew
If I promise to be true
If I vow to be honest and faithful
Can I go with you
May I accompany you and spend time with you
Whenever you're around
Every time you're near me
All the boys I know are found
All the other guys I know just try to win your attention
Trying to be the one to hold you by the hand
Trying to be the man who captures your heart and your love
But I feel if it's O.K.
But if you permit me
Only one thing I can say
There's only one thing I will say
Can I take you by the hand
Can I hold your hand
Can I love you
Can I express my love to you
Please tell me
I'm begging you to tell me
If you think I'm a fool
If you believe that I am foolish
Let me tell you there's no rule
I want to say that there are no restrictions
That can stop me wanting you
No obstacle can prevent me from desiring you
And I do, so help me
I do want you, please believe me
I won't feel like having fun
I won't find enjoyment in anything else
'Til you say that I'm the one
Until you acknowledge me as the one you choose
So if I promise to be true
Thus, if I make a solemn oath to be honest
Can I go with you
Will you allow me to accompany you
If I promise to be true
If I swear to be truthful
Can I go with you
Can I come with you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: O'SULLIVAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jorge Antonio Mota Mota
DELÍCIA DE MELODIA ! NOS REMETE AOS MARAVILHOSOS ANOS SETENTA, QUANDO SE CURTIA E SE VALORIZAVAM MÚSICAS ROMÂNTICAS DE QUALIDADE COMO ESTA "PÉROLA" DO MAGNÍFICO "GILBERT O´SULIVAN" ! PARABÉNS PELA POSTAGEM E PELO BOM GÔSTO ! (JORGE MOTA - SÃO PAULO)
UncleHarry
To show just how deeply embedded his tunes are, it's been 3 months or so since I came to this site to play this tune.
I woke up very early this morning due this this song just ringing in my head!! Had no music on last night, nothing.the tune just erupted back into my brain from listening to it 3 months ago!! I could not get back to sleep as the song, played over and over in my head....unbelievable.
Thomasn Marthinussen
One of those excellent OSullivan songs which should have been released as a single.
chris james
should have been number 1 in the charts FANTASTICAL
chris james
gilbert should be knighted for his songwriting and contribution to the art of music
Martín Verdún Marín
Los Angeles la bordan pero esta también es preciosa
Pietro Bausano
Querido Martín tremendo tema para mi !!!!Gilbert es mi artista favorito y el escribió todas sus canciones letra y música-El tiene una simpatía especial por España y tanto es así que en 2015 grabó su álbum Latin Ala G ! en tu país!!! Espectacular para mi este Can I Go With You, poco difundido en las emisoras de radio- Un abrazoooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yuri Nosarev
Very Fine Song!!! Mr. O' Sullivan You Are A Greatest!!!
From Russia with love!
Pietro Bausano
My friend Yura : Gilbert AMAZING!!!!!!!!!Please listen : Our Own Baby-1978 and No Telling Why-1977- You tell me what you thought- Thank you!!!! A hug!!!!!
Rosa Mercado
writing songs seems to come naturally to mr. gilbert o sullivan. it's like he is humming his way to life the whole time.