#2 The Soul Sisters - Theresa "Tresia" Cleveland and Ann Gissendanner were not sisters. They reorded "I Can't Stand It" in 1963. Late in 1963 they signed a deal with Henry "Juggy" Murray's New York City-based Sue Records, which billed itself as "The Sound Of Soul" when launched in 1957, but their timing couldn't have been worse from a commercial aspect. Because, when their initial release came out and began to chart early in 1964, they had run head long into the first waves of the British Invasion, which would soon shove aside on the more lucrative Billboard Pop Hot 100 all but the very best North American artists. Added to that was the decision by Billboard to suspend, from late 1963 and throughout 1964, the R&B charts, and while The Soul Sisters' singles may have been doing appreciably well in that market, there were no listings to reflect that. So it was that the otherwise great uptempo offering I Can't Stand It missed the Top 40 by peaking at # 46 Hot 100 in March/April 1964 on Sue 799 b/w Blueberry Hill. By the time their second single came out, Sue had changed their numbering system (trying to figure out their releases can be a nightmare), and so Good Times Tonight charted at # 98 Hot 100 in June 1964 on Sue 10-005 b/w Foolish Dreamer. Some pressings may also have had Some Soul Food as the B-side. Late that summer neither side of Loop De Loop/Long Gone on Sue 107 could dent the charts, and in October they had their final chart entry when Just A Moment Ago just got into the Hot 100 at # 100 on Sue 111 b/w I Won't Be Your Fooly Anymore.
In 1962 they first recorded as part of a trio called The Canjoes (along with Joe Louis Johnson) on Dap 208 (Speaking Of Love/Dance The Boomerang) without denting any national charts, before apparently turning up briefly at Guyden Records where, billed as The Soul Sisters with The Sweet Pea King Band, they may have released The Warm-Up/Because I Love You on Guyden 2066. However, this may NOT have been the same Soul Sisters. The same with 1963's I Can't Let Him Go/You Can't Be My Boyfriend on Kayo 5101. Confirmation is still needed on both discs.
There is also some suggestion that may have had a disc come out in 1964 as The Kolettes for Barbara Records - Who's That Guy?/Just How Much (Can One Heart Take?) - Barbara 1094, which was then picked up and distributed as Checker 1094. Again, was this the same duo recording elsewhere under another name to avoid contractual problems?
The 1996 release by Collectables essentially covers their one album for Sue "I Can't Stand It" (Sue LP-1022/STLP-1022) which originally contained Good Time Tonight; Loop De Loop; (The Night Time Is) The Right Time; I Can't Stand It; I Love You Baby; That's The Way I Feel; Foolish Dreamer; Some Soul Food; Blueberry Hill; and Long Gone. Here Collectables adds the "bonus" tracks Big Boy, Just A Moment Ago and Think About The Good Times. It has very good sound reproduction and informative notes written by Gene Redd. The cover art of the CD is identical to the LP.
Two of those bonus tracks - Think About The Good Times/(The Night Time Is) The Right Time came out as the single Sue 130 in early 1965 while another, Big Boy, was paired with So Much Love in 1967 on Sue 148. In between they released Give Me Some Satisfaction/Flashback as Sue 140 in 1966. It would have been nice had Collectables gone to 16 tracks and added So Much Love, Give Me Some Satisfaction, and Flashback. Ahh well!
It appears their only other original single was 1968's You Got 'Em Beat/A Thousand Mountains, which came out on the United Artists subsidiary Veep 1291.
I Can't Stand It
The Soul Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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 Soul Sisters's song, "I Can't Stand It," is an emotional tune about the pain and anxiety that love can bring. The opening lines set the tone of the song: "I can't stand the pain of love, when you get all the love, I can't stand the pain of life, I can't even stand the shock." Here, the singer is lamenting about the fact that love can be a painful experience when it's one-sided or unevenly distributed. The second verse paints a picture of how the singer feels when her love interest is near: "when you stand close to me, you make me kind of weak, and when you hold me tight, my poor heart skips a beat." These lines reveal that the singer is very much in love and feels physically and emotionally vulnerable around the person she loves.
However, the song takes a darker turn when the singer acknowledges that the person she loves might leave her someday: "But when I hear you say, that you will go away, and leave me someday, I can't stand it." This fear of abandonment is what drives the entire song. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes this point - the singer can't stand the pain of love because the thought of losing it is too much to bear.
Overall, "I Can't Stand It" is a raw and honest depiction of the complexities of love and how it can bring both joy and pain to people's lives.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't stand the pain of love
Love hurts too much for me to handle
When you get all the love
I can't bear to see someone else receive love when I'm not getting any
I can't stand the pain of life
The hardships of life are too much for me to bear
I can't even stand the shock.
Even small surprises can be overwhelming for me
But when I hear you say
That you will go away
And leave me someday
I can't stand it
The thought of losing you is unbearable
I can't stand it
I can't stand it
I can't take it anymore
When you stand close to me
You makes me kind of weak
Your presence has a powerful effect on me
And when you hold me tight
My poor heart skips a beat
Your touch excites me and takes my breath away
And when I hear you say
That you will go away
And leave me someday
I can't stand it
The fear of losing you is too much to bear
When you're standin' close to me
You make me kinda weak
Your proximity makes me feel vulnerable
And when you hold me tight
My poor heart skips a beat
Your embrace makes my heart race with excitement
And when I hear you say
That you will go away
And leave me someday
I can't stand it
The thought of you leaving me is unbearable
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Written by: LOU REED
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Julia Granese
That's my dad's song, peaked at #46 on the Pop Chart. Little trivia about this. My dad complained that he would've had a bigger hit if it weren't for the Beatles. I laughed to myself but when my first single released, it was the 20th anniversary of the Beatles coming to America. Long story short, I saw the Top 100 Chart and the Beatles had 13 songs in the top 100 at one time! The first 5 were Beatles and they had 8 other songs throughout the chart.
Anyway this song is still in my catalogue so go play it on Spotify, Pandora Amazon or wherever or license it for a movie or commercial y'all
anonyarena
It's one of the greatest songs that I've ever heard and I can never get enough of it!
Steven Kerry
Was your dad also part of The Radiants on Chess Records? His name sounds familiar to me as I bought a couple singles when I was a kid of The Radiants, and there was a McAllister involved with that group as I recall. Anyway, I loved this single by The Soul Sisters and bought it too; your Dad wrote a good one there..
Sam Twinney
Love it!!!
The Foshays
This song is so beautiful articulate soulful and a touch of bubble gum! Thanks for the clean cut! The Foshays Luv the Soul Sister's
Ceylon Muir
OMG, I am telling my age. I was 6 1/2 months old my mom said this group was on TV's American Band stand. She said I was standing in front of the sofa and began to dance to the middle of the floor and have been walking every since.. To you that posted this song thank you for the sweet memories..
Holly Bardoe
That song DOES get you up on your feet!!
Catmadwoman
Used to dance to this live by Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers in Kingsbury. Every Sunday night. Frankie Allen used to be in his band, then Roy Young joined him. Fantastic days. Probably only five bob to get in. Best teenage years.
Krystal Burton
Damn I haven’t heard this in years! Thank you for posting this!
Tony Russi
Love this , big on Miami POP radio. Similar to what Ike & Tina were doing on the same record label at the time.