Gill was born in Norman, Oklahoma, the home of the University of Oklahoma Sooners and learned to play several instruments, including banjo and guitar before he started high school at Oklahoma City's Northwest Classen High School. After he graduated, he played in a number of bluegrass bands. He debuted on the national scene with the country-rock band Pure Prairie League in 1979, appearing on that band's album Can't Hold Back. Gill is the lead singer on their hit song, "Let Me Love You Tonight" (1980), which he was still performing in concert years later - thus, he said, confusing many fans who knew him only from his subsequent solo work. Gill appeared on two subsequent albums along with his then-wife Janis Oliver.
Departing Pure Prairie League in 1981, Gill joined Rodney Crowell’s backing band The Notorious Cherry Bombs, where he met and worked with Tony Brown and Emory Gordy Jr., both of whom would later produce many of his future solo albums.
Signing as a solo artist with RCA Records in 1983, he first charted while on that label. In 1989 he switched to MCA Records where he recorded his breakthrough hit "When I Call Your Name." His 1998 album The Key received great critical acclaim. His other albums include Next Big Thing (2003) and Let's Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye (2000). The Guitar Slinger Songfacts says that Gill released his twelfth studio album, Guitar Slinger, on October 25, 2011 via MCA Nashville. It was his manager, Larry Fitzgerald, who came up with the title, as he felt there was something different the way Gill was playing the guitar on the record.
Gill hosted the CMA Awards every year from 1992 to 2003. In 2004 he received a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. In 1997, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
He married country singer Janis Oliver (of Sweethearts of the Rodeo fame) in 1980. The couple have one daughter, Jennifer Jerene Gill, born 5 May 1982. Vince and Janis separated in the mid-1990s and eventually divorced in June 1998. Vince later began dating and eventually married Christian/pop singer Amy Grant in March of 2000. They have one daughter, Corrina Grant Gill born 12 March 2001.
Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler was a fan of Gill's, and had asked Gill to join the band full time. Gill turned down the invitation but did sing backup on one song ("The Bug") from Dire Straits' album On Every Street.
Gill has also sung duets with numerous artists, including Dolly Parton ("I Will Always Love You"), Reba McEntire ("Oklahoma Swing," "The Heart Won't Lie," "It Just Has to Be That Way"), Amy Grant ("House of Love"), and Barbra Streisand ("If You Ever Leave Me"); his other credits as a backup vocalist have included "Girls With Guitars" by Wynonna Judd (written by Mary-Chapin Carpenter, who, coincidentally, had a country hit with her cover of "The Bug") and "Nothing Left Behind Us" by Richard Marx.
I Can't Tell You Why
Vince Gill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Up all night
Tearin' our love apart
Aren't we the same two people
Who lived through years in the dark
Every time I try to walk away
Somethin' makes me turn and stay
I can't tell you why
When we get crazy
It just ain't right
(Try to keep your head on, girl)
'Cause girl I get lonely too
You don't have to worry
Just hold on tight
(Don't get caught in your little world)
'Cause I love you
Nothin's wrong as far as I can see
We make it harder than it has to be
I can't tell you why
No, baby, I can't tell you why
I can't tell you why
Every time I try to walk away
Somethin' makes me turn around and stay
I can't tell you why
No, baby, I can't tell you why
I can't tell you why
I can't tell you why, yeah
No, baby
Ooooh, I can't tell you why
Vince Gill's "I Can't Tell You Why" is a classic ballad about a couple who can't seem to leave each other despite fighting and tearing their love apart. The opening lines indicate that the couple is up all night and it seems like they are going to end their relationship. However, they can't seem to leave each other. It raises the question of whether the couple is the same two people who've been through years in the dark. The lyrics can be interpreted that they have been through a lot together but still haven't attained the peace they are seeking.
The first verse is about how it's difficult for the singer to leave their partner behind. The singer is confused about why they can't walk away. The second verse is primarily focused on the problems that they root for themselves. The singer admits that when they get crazy, it's not right, and it must be kept under control. The chorus says that the singer cannot tell why they are attracted to their partner despite their fights and struggles. It concludes by saying that the singer loves the partner.
The song is all about how the couple always makes it harder than it could be. It shows that their circumstances are not to blame. They should look inwards to the issues that they create for each other. The overall message of the song is that two people, despite all the problems or differences, can still protect each other, and there is always a chance that they will rekindle a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Look at us baby
Reflecting on the current state of their relationship with the person they're singing to.
Up all night
Spending countless hours dealing with the turmoil their relationship is going through.
Tearin' our love apart
Acknowledging that their actions towards each other are causing damage to their relationship.
Aren't we the same two people
Questioning why their relationship is going through such a rough patch when they used to be so close and compatible.
Who lived through years in the dark
Remembering the hardships they faced in the past, and how they persevered through them together.
Every time I try to walk away
Acknowledging that they have tried to leave the relationship multiple times.
Somethin' makes me turn and stay
Expressing the pull they feel towards staying, despite their struggles.
I can't tell you why
Admitting that they don't know why they keep coming back and staying, despite the difficulties.
When we get crazy
Recognizing that their fights and arguments escalate quickly and inconsistently.
It just ain't right
Understanding that this type of behavior in a relationship is not healthy or sustainable.
(Try to keep your head on, girl)
Giving advice to their partner to stay level-headed during their arguments.
'Cause girl I get lonely too
Revealing that they are not immune to feeling lonely, and need their partner just as much as their partner needs them.
You don't have to worry
Assuring their partner that they shouldn't worry about losing them completely.
Just hold on tight
Encouraging their partner to hold onto the relationship, even when things are tough.
(Don't get caught in your little world)
Warning their partner to avoid getting too caught up in their own thoughts and emotions.
'Cause I love you
Reaffirming their love for their partner, and that it is the reason they are staying despite the disagreements.
Nothin's wrong as far as I can see
Believing that their relationship is not fundamentally flawed, and that they can work through the problems together.
We make it harder than it has to be
Admitting that they are causing unnecessary difficulty in their relationship.
No, baby, I can't tell you why
Repeating the chorus, and emphasizing that they still cannot explain their reason for staying in the relationship.
Yeah
Emotional emphasis for dramatic effect.
No, baby
Reaffirming that they are speaking to a significant other that they are close to.
Ooooh, I can't tell you why
Final repetition of the chorus, and emphasizing once again that they cannot explain why they stay in the relationship.
Lyrics © EB MUSIC SERVICES, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DON HENLEY, TIMOTHY B. SCHMIT, GLENN LEWIS FREY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@daveworley3981
That's definitely great I love this saxophone on this and the guitar Vince Gill's voice in this is outrageous this is an incredible song The eagles did a great job but I got to say Vince Gill's got it
@Noomz-of-Earl
Vince Gill has always been very humble about his association with the Eagles but he deserves our praise for helping to keep their music going. This man has so much talent...and so much respect for his peers.
@user-ir5od2gv7q
He brought the house down, when he and the other contributig artists to common thread album performed in Tennessee.
@anneis46
Vince Gill has a fabulous voice.
@theresaturnbach610
This is my favorite Eagles song and I love this version. !
@jdcool038
The sax solo as opposed to the original guitar is so sensual
@MC-hy7yu
Great voice
@RELopez-mk4ic
Was dating a beautiful brunette Belinda Hosey in 1993. It was a tough relationship. She finally walked away from me. Still love this song!
@jakespivey3716
I have to say it, it's better than the original, especially on the high notes, sweet.
@louissmith4218
Fantastic🎉