I Can't Make It
| "I Can't Make It" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 West German picture sleeve | ||||
| Single by Small Faces | ||||
| B-side | "Just Passing" | |||
| Released | 3 March 1967 | |||
| Recorded | 8 January 1967 | |||
| Studio | Olympic, London | |||
| Genre | Rhythm and blues | |||
| Length | 3:06 | |||
| Label | Decca | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers |
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| Small Faces singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Performance on Beat-Club | ||||
| "I Can't Make It" on YouTube | ||||
"I Can't Make It" is a song by the English rock band Small Faces. Released in March 1967, the single peaked at number 26 in the UK on the Record Retailer chart.
Song profile
When "I Can't Make It" was released in 1967, Small Faces had acrimoniously left the management of Don Arden and were signed to Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate label. However, due to contractual obligations, Decca released the song, and Immediate agreed to produce and license the song back to them until the issue was resolved.[1] The band refused to promote the single and as a direct result, the song only managed to climb to No. 26 in the charts.[2] The BBC also initially banned the song for the dubious sounding lyrics which they thought were of a sexual nature; the lyrics are actually ambiguous and it is left to the listener to decide their true meaning.[2]
The B-side, "Just Passing", is a short whimsical song only a minute long and is in the style of The Beach Boys song, "You Still Believe in Me".
In April 1967, Small Faces performed a live version of "I Can't Make It" on the well-known British television show, Morecambe and Wise, as well as their UK number-one single, "All or Nothing". The recording is notable for the particularly strong live vocal performance by Marriott. The episode was transmitted six months later.[3][4]
The song can be found on side two of the group's 1969 posthumous double-album The Autumn Stone. "I Can't Make It" and "Just Passing" were also released as bonus tracks on the deluxe editions of From the Beginning in 2012.[5] Furthermore, stereo mixes of both tracks are included on the deluxe editions of the band's 1967 eponymous album.[6]
Personnel
Personnel according to the 2025 re-issue of The Autumn Stone.[7]
- Steve Marriott – lead vocals, electric and acoustic guitars
- Ronnie Lane – bass, vocals
- Kenney Jones – drums, percussion
- Ian McLagan – piano, Hammond organ, vocals
Charts
| Chart (1967) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| UK (Disc and Music Echo)[8] | 27 |
| UK (New Musical Express)[9] | 21 |
| UK (Melody Maker)[10] | 24 |
| UK (Record Retailer)[11] | 26 |
See also
References
Citations
- ^ Hellier & Hewitt 2004, p. 140.
- ^ a b Hellier & Hewitt 2004, p. 141.
- ^ Hewitt, Paulo; Hellier, John (2004). Steve Marriott - All Too Beautiful... Helter Skelter. p. 147. ISBN 1-900924-44-7.
- ^ Hellier & Hewitt 2004, p. 147.
- ^ "Small Faces - From The Beginning (Deluxe Edition)". Discogs. 2012.
- ^ "Small Faces - Small Faces (Deluxe Edition)". Discogs. 2012.
- ^ Caiger 2025, p. 7.
- ^ Anon. (18 March 1967). "Top 50" (PDF). Disc and Music Echo. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 December 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2025 – via WorldRadioHistory.
- ^ Anon. (11 March 1967). "NME Top Thirty". New Musical Express. p. 7.
- ^ Anon. (1 April 1967). "Pop 30" (PDF). Melody Maker. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 August 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2025 – via WorldRadioHistory.
- ^ "I Can't Make It by Small Faces". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 17 December 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
Sources
- Caiger, Rob (2025). The Autumn Stone (CD). United Kingdom: Immediate. IMCD0102.
- Hellier, John; Hewitt, Paolo (2004). Steve Marriott: All Too Beautiful (1st ed.). United Kingdom: Helter Skelter. ISBN 1-900924-44-7. OCLC 936670338. Retrieved 20 October 2025 – via Internet Archive.