I Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)
Encyclopedia
"Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)" was a UK
#1 single
in August 1975 for three weeks by The Stylistics
.
After splitting from record producer
Thom Bell
in 1974, songwriter
s/producers Hugo & Luigi
and George David Weiss
took over, with arrangement
s by Van McCoy
. Although the split with Bell proved disastrous in the U.S.
, The Stylistics continued to be popular in the UK and this was their first and only UK #1 single. The track reached #51 in the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100
chart
, and #18 on the corresponding U.S. R&B
chart.
In 1991, it was covered by the German singer Thomas Anders
, he also did a Spanish language
version of this.
In 1996, the song was covered by Irish boyband OTT.
In 2006, it was used as the base for a Japan
ese advertisement campaign by Gatsby
, to launch their new male hair styling product, 'Moving Rubber'. The campaign was successful due to the tune and that the commercial featured one of Japan's most popular celebrities
, Takuya Kimura
, of the pop
group
, SMAP
. They were also featured guests on SMAP's television show SMAP×SMAP
, one of the highest rated shows in Japan.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
#1 single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in August 1975 for three weeks by The Stylistics
The Stylistics
The Stylistics are a soul music vocal group, and were one of the best-known Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. They formed in 1968, and were composed of lead Russell Thompkins, Jr., Herbie Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith, and James Dunn. All of their US hits were ballads, graced by the...
.
After splitting from record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Thom Bell
Thom Bell
Thomas Randolph "Thom" Bell is an American songwriter and producer, best known as one of the creators of the Philadelphia style of soul music in the 1970s. He moved to Philadelphia as a child.-Biography:...
in 1974, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
s/producers Hugo & Luigi
Hugo & Luigi
Hugo & Luigi were an American record producing team, made up of songwriters and producers Luigi Creatore and Hugo Peretti, who shared an office in New York's Brill Building...
and George David Weiss
George David Weiss
George David Weiss was an American songwriter and former President of the Songwriters Guild of America.-Career:...
took over, with arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
s by Van McCoy
Van McCoy
Van Allen Clinton McCoy was an accomplished musician, music producer, arranger, songwriter, and orchestra conductor. He is known best for his 1975 internationally successful song "The Hustle", which is still played in dance halls and on radio to this day more than thirty years since his death...
. Although the split with Bell proved disastrous in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, The Stylistics continued to be popular in the UK and this was their first and only UK #1 single. The track reached #51 in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
, and #18 on the corresponding U.S. R&B
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart.
In 1991, it was covered by the German singer Thomas Anders
Thomas Anders
Thomas Anders is a German singer, composer and record producer. Anders was the lead singer of Germany's popular pop-duo Modern Talking in 1984–1987 and in 1998–2003.-Early years:...
, he also did a Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
version of this.
In 1996, the song was covered by Irish boyband OTT.
In 2006, it was used as the base for a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese advertisement campaign by Gatsby
Gatsby
Gatsby may refer to:* The Great Gatsby, a 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald and many adaptations thereof, and its central character Jay Gatsby* Gatsby Charitable Foundation, a grant-making trust based in London...
, to launch their new male hair styling product, 'Moving Rubber'. The campaign was successful due to the tune and that the commercial featured one of Japan's most popular celebrities
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
, Takuya Kimura
Takuya Kimura
, nicknamed , is a Japanese singer and actor. He is also a member of the Japanese idol group SMAP. Most of the TV dramas he starred in produced high ratings in Japan...
, of the pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, SMAP
SMAP
SMAP is a Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates. While originally consisting of six members, the current group members are Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori...
. They were also featured guests on SMAP's television show SMAP×SMAP
SMAP×SMAP
SMAP×SMAP is an ongoing weekly Japanese variety show on Kansai TV and Fuji TV starring the members of SMAP. The show began on April 15, 1996 and it airs from 22:00 to 22:54 every Monday...
, one of the highest rated shows in Japan.