Introduction
There’s something undeniably intimate about hearing a song that was written over seventy years ago still feel fresh today. Hank Williams’s “I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You)” climbed to number two on the Billboard country charts upon its release in May 1951. Its lyrics—simple confessions of lingering love—are at once vulnerable and universal. When Charley Pride chose to cover it nearly three decades later, he tapped into that same vulnerability but added his own lived experience and warmth.
Williams wrote and recorded the song at Nashville’s Castle Studio on March 16, 1951, pairing it with the upbeat “Howlin’ at the Moon” as its A-side. The tune is a staple of honky-tonk and country blues, balancing a rolling melody with lyrics as direct as they are heartfelt: “I can’t help it if I’m still in love with you.” These few lines have echoed through generations, covered by artists from Linda Ronstadt to Johnny Tillotson.
In 1980, Pride paid homage to Hank Williams with the album There’s a Little Bit of Hank In Me, featuring his smooth, resonant take on the song. Pride’s baritone carries both strength and tenderness, wrapping listeners in a sense of shared experience—like confiding in a close friend under a porch light. His status as country music’s trailblazing Black superstar—inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000—imbues every lyric with additional significance.
What makes Pride’s version so compelling is its blend of authenticity and respect. He doesn’t merely replicate Williams’s phrasing; he inhabits the song, letting its well-worn truths resonate through his personal history. From the first gentle strum to the lingering final note, Pride invites us into a space of quiet confession, reminding us that love’s hold can span decades and transcend categories like genre, race, or era.
Charley Pride’s cover of “I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You)” stands as a testament to the song’s timeless quality and his own gift for making classic country feel deeply personal. Whether you’re a longtime fan or newly discovering this performance, let his warm delivery and honest spirit draw you in—because great music never loses its power to connect us.
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Lyrics
(I can’t help it if I’m still in love with you)
Today I passed you on the street and my heart fell at your feet
And I can’t help it if I’m still in love with you
Somebody else stood by your side and he looked so satisfied
I can’t help it if I’m still in love with you
A picture from the past came slowly stealing
As I brushed your arm and walked so close to you
Then suddenly I got that old time feeling I can’t help it if I’m still in love with you
It’s hard to know another’s lips are gonna kiss you
Oh and hold you just the way I used to do
Oh the heavens only know how much I miss you
I can’t help it if I’m still in love with you
No I can’t help it if I’m still in love with you