“Can’t Fight This Feeling” by REO Speedwagon
For the record, even though REO Speedwagon traces its formation all the way back to 1966, the act is still technically active to this day. Indeed one of its founders, pianist Neal Doughty, remains down for the cause, and a couple of his bandmates, vocalist Kevin Cronin and bassist Bruce Hall, who have been involved since the 1970s.
So with Epic Records releasing “Can’t Fight This Feeling” on 31 December 1984, those three were involved in this recording alongside the band’s guitarist and drummer at the time, who were respectively Gary Richrath (1949-2015) and Alan Gratzer.
It is Cronin who wrote this song, and he had begun working on it a decade earlier. He, Richrath and Gratzer produced it. And as originally issued, “Can’t Fight the Feeling” can be found on the band’s 11th studio album, “Wheels Are Turnin’”.
REO SPEEDWAGON, 1980S’ A-LISTERS
REO Speedwagon was really hot during the 1980s. They’ve only released four studio LPs since then. But as for “Wheels Are Turnin’” for instance, it has achieved RIAA double-platinum status, in addition to peaking at number 7 on the Billboard 200. That makes it the third most-successful album in the group’s catalog as “Hi Fidelity” (1980), a project they dropped earlier in the decade, has actually gone diamond.
Also REO Speedwagon’s “The Hits” compilation album, that came out in 1988, has thus far been certified quadruple-platinum.
“Can’t Fight This Feeling” was also a major hit on its own. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 as well as a couple of its counterparts of the day, the Cash Box Top 100 Singles and the Radio & Records Chart.
This song also reached number one in Canada. It made it onto the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart and proved to be an international success for this band from Illinois. (And just as a side note, Bastille covered this song in 2019, with that rendition faring particularly well in Scotland.)
A further testament to REO Speedwagon’s popularity during the 1980s was the band being invited to play at Live Aid, which was arguably the biggest musical event of that decade. And therein, after being introduced by Hollywood comedian Chevy Chase, “Can’t Fight This Feeling” is one of the two songs they played (with the other being 1978’s “Roll with the Changes”).
THE VIDEOS
It has been pointed out that there are two official videos to this track. The more-popular and may we say proper one was helmed by director John Jopson, who was a hot item himself around that time. But there is also another which features the band miming the song in a studio, with that clip being assembled by MTV.
THE ORIGIN OF “CAN’T FIGHT THIS FEELING”
Kevin Cronin has offered some deep explanations of this piece, including one where he went as far as to reference his “Irish-Catholic” upbringing. This song also at first had the esoteric title “My Guiding Light”. But the origin of the sentiments expressed therein aren’t really that profound in the grand scheme of things.
It all apparently began circa the mid-1970s, when Cronin would have been in his early-to-mid twenties. At the time he was in a social circle where, most simply put, he fell in love with a girl who was dating someone else in the clique.
So as the story goes, he kept his cool but wrote about his emotions, i.e. began writing this song. But he was only able to finish it after he did in fact submit to his feelings and proceeded to let that lady know that he was smitten by her.
The narrative which the lyrics revolved around do stick faithfully to that backstory. For instance, we are made aware that the addressee is a certain “girl”, i.e. the romantic interest of the vocalist. And the wording does depict the latter as someone who initially simply does not have the heart to let the former know that he is in love with her.
The Title
But concerning the title and thesis sentiment, eventually things reach a point whereby holding his feelings in is proving detrimental to the vocalist’s mental/emotional wellbeing. It’s as if he’s keeping these strong emotions inside to the point where he’s finna burst.
Indeed as relayed, Kevin has “forgotten what (he’s) fighting for”. Or more simply put, as far as he’s concerned the time has already passed to resolve this issue. And conclusively, what’s being implied is that he is expressing all of this to the addressee for the first time, finally revealing that he is head over heels for her.
THE THEORETICAL GENERAL APPLICABILITY OF “CAN’T FIGHT THIS FEELING”
This song doesn’t really have a general applicability per se because even as far as the chorus is concerned, the addressee is identified as being the vocalist’s “baby”.
But according to one of Cronin’s explanations, what we are actually dealing with here is the concept of “(overcoming) that fear of change”. In another instance, i.e. the aforenoted one where Kevin got to referring to his childhood and all, he said the premise behind this piece was based on being socialized in such a way that one has the tendency to “always keep a bright face”, as opposed to expressing how they really feel on the inside.
But he has also put forth, as plainly illustrated in the lyrics, that they are “about having a feeling and fighting it for so long until you finally have to surrender”. But to reiterate, the song does transmit that idea in what may be deemed an overt-romantic context.
“I can’t fight this feeling anymore
I’ve forgotten what I started fighting for
It’s time to bring this ship into the shore
And throw away the oars, forever”
A SONG THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO A CERTAIN FAN
My name is Sue, a freelance writer from the United States. “Can’t Fight This Feeling” is without a shred of doubt my favorite song. It had an immediate impact in my life for a couple of different reasons. At the time, I had been separated and recently divorced. I was sad, upset and broke.
A few friends that I had at the time would routinely visit me, and one day they brought someone new to my house.
His name was Danny, he was home on a short leave from the Navy. I had just gotten off the phone with someone and needed a ride to their place to pick up some items they had for my daughter for Christmas.
The only person with a large enough vehicle was Danny. He volunteered to take me over there to pick up the gifts. We spoke on the way and began a friendship that became so much more in just a short time.
It seemed we had so much in common, we were alike, yet different and we could talk about anything. We had fun, even when there was no fun to be had.
The next leave that Danny was able to take, he showed up at my door immediately. Our relationship picked up where it had left off, a very strong and close friendship.
When it came time for Danny to head back to the Sea, we were both sad. This friendship had grown into something that neither of us had expected. We had met each other at the worst times in our lives and found that we were not dead inside.
We began writing to each other almost daily. There, in the first letter that Danny had sent me was a portion of this song, which goes as follows:
“I can’t fight this feeling
And yet, I’m still afraid to let it flow
What started out as friendship has grown stronger
I only wish I had the strength to let it show.”
Obviously this was the beginning of the end for our relationship. This stanza was telling me that not only was I afraid, he was also. But, I did not see it that way, at the time. However, life did move on for both of us over that period of time.
We found that we had been there at the right time for each other and we always would be when we needed to be.
The words, “You’re a candle in the window on a cold dark winter’s night….” symbolizes how no matter what, we could call or turn to each other, even if just to talk.
He had been contemplating leaving the service to stay near me, since I would not travel, as I had a young child who also needed to be near her dad. It was a love that was perfect, but it happened at the wrong time.
