“I Can’t Turn You Loose” was never intended to be the hit it became.
Otis Redding and co-writer Steve Cropper cobbled it together in minutes, built on the chassis of a now-classic Booker T. and the MGs riff. (You can clearly hear it in their single, “Time Is Tight.”)
Otis layered on that iconic horn riff, and they were off and running. They didn’t have to run far, though, because there are hardly any lyrics in the song–which is surprising, considering how much singing there is. That’s how good Redding was: he could pack so much passion into his performance that you’d never realize how insubstantial the song is without him.
Redding released it in 1965 as the B-side to “Just One More Day.” Neither side cracked the Billboard Hot 100, but “I Can’t Turn You Loose” outperformed its A-side on the R&B chart by four notches, peaking at #11. It went on to become one of his signature songs.
“I Can’t Turn You Loose” inspired an impressive slate of cover artists including Ike and Tina Turner, Mick Jagger, and Aretha Franklin–all spectacular stage presences themselves, which is what you need to be if you’re going to pull off the song like Otis could.
In 1989, Otis Redding was inducted into the fourth class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and when it came time for the all-star jam session, there was no way the assembled icons were going to pass up a chance to tackle “I Can’t Turn You Loose.”
Little Richard and Mick Jagger took turns on lead vocals that night, and if you pay close attention you’ll spot Bruce Springsteen on guitar.
And yes, I realize that’s a bit of a stretch to qualify for a Springsteen-centric blog, but I figure any time your week starts with watching a pair of iconic frontmen backed by an all-star band storming their way through a Stax classic, that sounds like a pretty good Monday to me.
I Can’t Turn You Loose
First performed: January 18, 1989 (New York City, NY)
Last performed: January 18, 1989 (New York City, NY)
