I Can't Go for That

"I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)"
Single by Hall & Oates
from the album Private Eyes
Released	1981
Format	7", 12"
Recorded	1981
Genre	Pop, Dance-pop
Length	3:55 (45 Single) 3:39 (7" DJ edit) 3:50 (7" remix) 5:09 (album version) 6:04 (12" single)
Label	RCA
Writer(s)	Daryl Hall, John Oates and Sara Allen
Producer	Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates singles chronology
"Private Eyes" (1981) "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" (1981) "Did It in a Minute" (1981)

"I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" is a 1981 song recorded by Daryl Hall and John Oates.

It was the fourth number-one hit single of their career on the Billboard Hot 100 and the second hit single from their album Private Eyes. It features Charles DeChant on saxophone.

On January 30, 1982, "I Can't Go for That" ended a 10-week run at the top of the Hot 100 by Olivia Newton-John's song, "Physical".

Thanks to heavy airplay on urban contemporary stations, "I Can't Go for That" also topped the U.S. R&B chart, a rare feat for a non-African American act. The song also went to number one on the Hot Dance Club Play chart for one week in January 1982.

Beyond being a number one hit in its own right, "I Can't Go for That" continues to bear influence. The song has been covered by a number of recording artists including Brian McKnight, The Nylons, Les Go (with Alfredo Alias), Donny Osmond, East End, Kansascali, and Orson. "I Can't Go for That" was voted number six on VH1's list of "The 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s".

According to the Hall and Oates biography, Hall upon learning that "I Can't Go For That" had gone to number one on the R&B chart, wrote in his diary, "I'm the head soul brother in the U.S. Where to now?"

"I Can't for That (No Can Do)" is one of the 14 Hall and Oates songs that have been played on the radio over one million times, according to BMI.

The JP/PAL Version of Sonic CD's Boss music beat is sampled from this song.

The song was featured in an episode of the hit British comedy show The Mighty Boosh.

The single 45 version is actually not just an edit of the song but an edit of the dance mix rather than the version from "Private Eyes".

A hip-hop favorite

The original track is one of the most sampled songs by R&B and hip-hop groups over the past twenty-five years. The following is a partial list:^[1]

• 1989 - "Say No Go" - De La Soul
• 1993 - "V.S.O.P" - Above the Law
• 1996 - "So Deep" - Dan-e-o
• 1997 - "I'll Do Anything" - Heavy D
• 1998 - "I Can't Go for That" - 2 Live Crew
• 1999 - "Can't let go - C-Note
• 2001 - "Traffic" - Stereo MC's
• 2002 - "4 Myself" Mac Dre ft. Devious and Dubee
• 2003 - "Sunrise" - Simply Red
• 2004 - "I Can't Go For That/Happy People Remix" - Notorious B.I.G. / R. Kelly ("Happy People" samples Spandau Ballet's "True")
• 2005 - "Wait Til I Get Home" - C-Note
• 2006 - "Give and Go" - Girl Talk
• 2006 - "Crazy" - Gnarls Barkley"
• 2006 - "Can't Go On" - Örten

Some songs have included a vocal interpolation of the chorus, including:

• 1996 - "My Crew Can't Go for That" - Trigger tha Gambler
• 2000 - "Can't Go for That" - Tamia
• 2006 - "No Can Do" - Tech N9ne

Other songs have included a re-recorded variation of the song's famous descending arpeggio, including:

• 2000 - "After Party" - Koffee Brown

See also

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)

References

1. ^ "SamplesDB - Hall & Oats's Tracks". http://www.samplesdb.com/db/H/Hall+-aam-+Oates. Retrieved on April 4, 2009 (2009-04-04). 

External links

• Video on VH1 Classic website