I Just Can't Stop Loving You

THE STORY BEHIND ' I Just Can't Stop Loving You '

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This beautiful ballad holds the distinction of being the very first single released from the Bad album. The story below details the legendary list of divas who turned it down, the "Cinderella moment" for the unknown singer who got the job, and the mysterious "spoken intro" that Michael deleted from history.

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When Michael Jackson was preparing to release Bad in 1987, the anticipation was deafening. The world expected him to come out swinging with a massive dance track or a funky video. Instead, Michael and Quincy Jones made a surprising strategic choice.

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They chose "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", a gentle, traditional ballad as the lead single.

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The logic was simple: they wanted to bridge the gap between Thriller and Bad. They knew the new album had a harder, edgier sound ("Bad," "Speed Demon"), but they didn't want to alienate the massive audience that loved his softer side. By releasing this track first, they eased the public back into Michael’s world with something safe and beautiful. It worked. The song shot to #1, setting the stage for the blockbuster era to follow.

 

"I Just Can't Stop Loving You" was always intended to be a duet. However, casting the female role proved to be a nightmare. Michael wanted a superstar to match his status. His wish list was a "Who's Who" of music legends, but amazingly, they all said no.

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1. Barbra Streisand: She was Michael’s first choice. They met to discuss it, but Streisand reportedly felt the song wasn't right for her or was too busy with her film projects.

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3. Whitney Houston: At the height of her rising fame, Whitney was offered the track. Her label, Arista (led by Clive Davis), famously turned it down because they didn't want to disrupt the momentum of her own album Whitney.

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5. Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul also declined.

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7. Agnetha Fältskog (ABBA): Michael even approached the blonde singer from ABBA, but the collaboration never materialized.

Michael was left with a beautiful song and no partner.

 

Enter Siedah Garrett. Siedah was a young, relatively unknown singer and songwriter who was signed to Quincy Jones’s publishing company. She had just achieved a miracle by co-writing "Man in the Mirror" for the album.

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One day, Quincy Jones called Siedah into the studio. He told her, "Michael likes your voice. We want you to sing a demo of this duet so we can hear how it sounds." Siedah went into the booth and gave it her all, thinking she was just laying down a guide track for Barbra Streisand or Whitney Houston.

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When she finished, she walked into the control room. Michael Jackson was sitting there. He looked at her and said, "I love it. Do you want to do it?" Siedah was confused. "Do I want to do what?" Michael smiled. "Do you want to sing the song with me? Be on the album?" Siedah Garrett went from being a background writer to singing the lead single on the biggest album in the world in the span of five minutes. It remains one of the greatest "Cinderella stories" in music history.

 

Face to Face The chemistry on the recording is palpable because it was real. Unlike many modern duets where artists record in separate cities, Michael insisted they record together.

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Michael and Siedah stood in the vocal booth face-to-face. The studio lights were dimmed. During the recording, Michael was playful. He would throw popcorn/peanuts at Siedah while she was singing to try and make her laugh. You can hear the smile in her voice.

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Siedah later recounted that she was terrified of messing up, but Michael’s gentle nature made it easy. Their voices blended perfectly, Michael’s high, clear tenor and Siedah’s soulful, gospel-tinged soprano created a texture that was pure silk.

 

If you listen to the song today on Spotify or on a modern CD, it starts with the music. However, if you bought the original vinyl or cassette in 1987, the song started very differently.

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The original version featured a 30-second spoken-word intro by Michael. Over a quiet synth pad, Michael whispered intimately: "I just want to lay next to you for a while... You look so beautiful tonight... Your eyes are so lovely... Your mouth is so sweet... A lot of people misunderstand me... That's because they don't know me at all..."

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It was meant to be sexy "bedroom talk." However, shortly after the release, Michael decided he hated it. He felt it was too vulnerable or perhaps a bit cringeworthy. He ordered a recall. Future pressings of the Bad album had the intro removed. Today, the version with the spoken intro is a collector’s item, though it can still be found on YouTube.

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The Spanish and French Versions Michael was determined to make Bad a global phenomenon. To ensure the single hit #1 in non-English speaking territories, he did something he had never done before: he recorded the song in Spanish and French.

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• Spanish: "Todo Mi Amor Eres Tú" (You Are All My Love).

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• French: "Je Ne Veux Pas La Fin De Nous" (I Don't Want the End of Us).

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Michael worked with a language coach to perfect his pronunciation. He sang these versions phonetically. The Spanish version is particularly beloved in Latin America and features a slightly different mix. These versions proved his dedication to his global fanbase.

 

"I Just Can't Stop Loving You" became a staple of Michael’s live shows. It provided the "romantic" segment of the concert.

• Bad & Dangerous Tours: He performed it with Siedah Garrett.

• HIStory Tour: Since Siedah wasn't on this tour, he performed it with Marva Hicks.

• This Is It: In the 2009 rehearsals, he was preparing to perform it with Judith Hill.

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The live performances were famous for the "ad-lib" section in the middle, where Michael would often stop singing and speak directly to the audience, saying "I love you" in the local language.

 

Released on July 20, 1987, the song became the first of five consecutive #1 hits from the Bad album. It proved that Michael didn't need a high-budget video (there was no official music video for this song) or a dance beat to dominate the charts. He just needed a melody.

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For Siedah Garrett, the song was a career-maker. She went on to tour the world with Michael and established herself as a legend in the industry, forever known as the woman who said "Yes" when Whitney Houston said "No."