Spencer Davis (born 17 July 1939, Swansea, Wales) moved to Birmingham from London in 1960 to study.[1] In 1963, he recruited the Winwood brothers and started the Spencer Davis Group. The band performed regularly in the city and were signed to a recording contract after an appearance in a local club.
The group's first professional recording was a cover version of "Dimples", but they came to success at the end of 1965 with "Keep On Running", the group's first number one single. In 1966 they followed this with "Somebody Help Me" and "When I Come Home". For the German market the group released "Det war in Schöneberg, im Monat Mai" and "Mädel ruck ruck ruck an meine grüne Seite" (the first is from a 1913 Berlin operetta, the second is a Swabian traditional) as a tribute single for that audience, Spencer Davis having studied in West Berlin in the early 1960s.
By the end of 1966 and the beginning of 1967, the group released two more hits, "Gimme Some Lovin'" (which was re-released in a live, nine-minute version by Steve Winwood's Traffic in 1971) and "I'm a Man". These tracks proved to be their two best-known successes, especially in the U.S.
In 1967, Winwood left to form Traffic; his brother Muff moved into the music industry as A&R man at Island Records. In a so-called joint venture, the soundtrack to the film Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush featured both the Spencer Davis Group and Traffic.
Despite the Winwoods' departure, the Spencer Davis Group continued performing and released more singles, though not repeating earlier successes. These included "Time Seller" in July 1967; the b-side, "Don't Want You No More," also received radio airplay.
This was followed by "Mr. Second-Class" in late 1967, which was heavily played on Radio Caroline (at that time one of the two remaining pirate radio ships off the British coast) and the group's last minor hit, "After Tea", in 1968. The latter song was released at the same time by the German band The Rattles, providing competition that led finally to a temporary stop to all activities of the band. Davis continued working, however, producing some jazz-oriented albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Although short-lived, the Spencer Davis Group - particularly its incarnation with Steve Winwood - was influential, with many of the band's songs covered by other artists over the years. Notable among these are Chicago's 1969 version of "I'm a Man," The Allman Brothers Band's 1969 take of "Don't Want You No More," Three Dog Night's 1970 recording of "Can't Get Enough of It," The Blues Brothers' 1980 recording of "Gimme Some Lovin'" along with multiple live covers by the Grateful Dead, including a 1989 appearance of Spencer Davis himself with the Dead at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles on "I'm a Man".
I Can't Stand It
Spencer Davis Group Lyrics
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When you get all the love
I can't stand the pain of life
I can't even stand the shock.
But when I hear you say
That you will go away
And leave me someday
I can't stand itI can't stand it
When you stand close to me
You makes me kind of weak
And when you hold me tight
My poor heart skips a beat
And when I hear you say
That you will go away
And leave me someday
I can't stand it
When you're standin' close to me
You make me kinda weak
And when you hold me tight
My poor heart skips a beat
And when I hear you say
That you will go away
And leave me someday
I can't stand it
The lyrics to Spencer Davis Group's song "I Can't Stand It" reflect the singer's conflicting emotions related to love and the fear of losing it. The singer describes the pain of love, acknowledging that it hurts even when they receive love from someone else. They also describe their general dislike for life, perhaps indicating a sense of hopelessness or despair. However, the singer's emotions become more intense when they hear that their love interest plans to leave them, reflecting a deep fear of abandonment that amplifies all their other negative feelings.
Despite their general discomfort with love and life, the singer is unable to bear the thought of losing their partner. The intimacy of physical contact with the partner is both pleasurable and overwhelming, making the singer feel weak and their heart skip a beat. However, any pleasure derived from the closeness is overshadowed by the fear of being left alone. The repetition of the phrase "I can't stand it" throughout the song emphasizes the singer's sense of helplessness and emotional turmoil.
Overall, the lyrics suggest that the singer has difficulty managing their emotions and coping with the complex feelings that arise from loving someone. They are drawn in by the pleasure and comfort of physical and emotional intimacy, but the fear of abandonment looms heavily, causing them significant pain and distress.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't stand the pain of love
The emotional turmoil caused by loving someone deeply is unbearable and overwhelming.
When you get all the love
The unfairness of seeing someone else receiving love while being denied the same affection is excruciating.
I can't stand the pain of life
The struggles and challenges of everyday life seem unbearable and too difficult to bear.
I can't even stand the shock.
The shock of being let down or disappointed is too much to bear and causes a deep pain.
But when I hear you say
That you will go away
And leave me someday
I can't stand it
The thought of losing the person one loves is too much to bear, leaving a deep pain in the heart.
When you stand close to me
You makes me kind of weak
And when you hold me tight
My poor heart skips a beat
Being close to the one you love creates a feeling of vulnerability, and any physical touch creates an intense and overwhelming emotion.
And when I hear you say
That you will go away
And leave me someday
I can't stand it
The fear of losing the person one loves creates an unbearable pain and sadness in the heart.
I can't stand it
I can't stand it
The emotional pain caused by love is too intense and overwhelming to bear.
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Written by: LOU REED
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rickmartin5132
RIP Spencer Davis....Marquee Club fan. thanks for the music.
@keithrandall1492
The opening song of the night when I first saw them on this day in 1964, . I can still see and hear it. It was Steve's 16th birthday
@SylentEcho
First Spencer Davis goes, then Chad Stuart, then Gerry Marsden. :( All in a span of two months.
R.I.P
@polaroyds
Stevie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@monkimusic4813
soul sisters ....
@13towerofpower
I CAN´T STAND IT prvý hit skupiny SPENCER DAVIS GROUP, ktorý bol v UK rebríčku tri týždne od 5. novembra 1964 a obsadil 47.m. Bola to cover verzia piesne amerického R and B dua Soul Sisters z Harlemu, ktoré tvorili Theresia Cleveland a Ann Gissendanner a ktorá ako ich prvá pieseň skončila na jar 1964 v rebríčku Billboardu na 46.m.