“I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love With You)” stormed the Billboard Country chart when Hank Williams released it in 1951…
…and again 23 years later, when Linda Ronstadt released her cover of it from her Heart Like a Wheel album.
Both times, though, “I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love With You)” stopped just one notch shy of the top slot, depriving Williams of what should have been a #1 single. (At least Ronstadt earned a Grammy for her performance.)
But even if “I Can’t Help It” didn’t add to Williams’ impressive collection of #1 country singles, it still carries special significance for fans and historians: It’s one of the very few songs Williams ever performed on television, and footage from his April 1952 performance with Anita Carter from the Kate Smith Evening Hour survives in remarkable condition.
Almost a quarter-century later, a young Bruce Springsteen immersed himself in Williams’ music, and while his music didn’t appear often in Bruce’s Darkness Tour set lists, Bruce often pulled out one or two (or three) of Hank’s songs during sound checks.
Before their Passaic show on September 20, 1978, Bruce decided to lead the band through a impromptu cover of “I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love With You).” It was brief, but the band was earnest–particularly Roy, whose zeal on a particular flourish momentarily cracked Bruce up.
Recognizing that Williams’ material didn’t really mesh with his set lists on that tour, Bruce mostly kept his covers reserved for sound checks, so we don’t have very many documents of those performances.
Fortunately, though, someone captured this one, making a recorded live performance of “I Can’t Help It” as much of a rarity for Bruce as a filmed one was for its original author.
I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love With You)
First performed: September 20, 1978 (Passaic, NJ) — soundcheck only
Last performed: September 20, 1978 (Passaic, NJ) — soundcheck only
