Words & Music:
Billy Swan
If you've got a problem, I don't care what it is
If you need a hand, I can assure you this
I can help, I've got two strong arms, I can help
It would sure do me good to do you good,
Let me help
It's a fact that people get lonely, ain't nothing new
But a woman like you baby, should never have the blues
Let me help, I've got two for me, let me help
It would sure do me good to do you good
Let me help
When I go to sleep at night, you're always a part of my dream
Holding me tight and telling me everything I want to hear
Don't forget me baby, all you gotta do is call
You know how I feel about you, if I can do anything at all
Let me help
If your child needs a daddy, I can help
It would sure do me good to do you good,
Let me help
Recordingdate: 1975/03/10, first released on: Today (album)
Musicians
Musicians who contributed to the first recording of I Can Help:
(guitar)
(guitar)
(guitar)
(bass)
(drums)
(piano)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(clavinet)
Others*
(guitar)
(steel guitar)
(bass)
(vocals)
(percussion)
(baritone saxophone)
(sax)
(trombone)
(trumpet)
*Orchestra, overdubs
Availability
Find available albums with I Can Help.
Very similar to the original Billy Swan version, and from the Today album which I still enjoy listening too. Yes a good Elvis track
From one of my favorite albums (Today - 1975). Nothing spectacular, but a truly professional recording. Still very enjoyable to listen to and a worthy addition to one of the better 70's albums.
Wonderful recording. It reminds me of the first outing with my wife, filled (of course) with Elvis songs. This song became a sort of anchor for that day. Love the drive and the power one is exposed to.
Not one of my favorite songs...
Really like the song but it's almost identical to the Billy Swan version which makes me think Elvis wasn't really trying at this point. He would quickly knock out a few songs in the studio without investing his usual effort and then get back out on the road as soon as possible where he could pretend his problems didn't exist. But even bored Elvis kicks everybody else's ass. :)
I liked this song a lot when it was a hit by Billy Swan and again when I heard it by Elvis. But it hasnt sat well with me over time. Dont know why exactly. Maybe its the roller-rink organ that just hasnt aged well with me. Just sounds kind of dated in a corny way.
I like that one. Elvis should have even included it in his stage act...
I think this song is fantastic. Elvis' version is much better than Billy Swan's original.
Definitely harbours some Springsteenian qualities and can be considered a more straight-forward version of "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out" or "Livin' in the Future".
Love the Elvis version nothing against the original but Elvis beats it. That happen alot with Elvis you know that i am sure :P
I don't like the instrumental part over and over and over again... I don't know why, but it reminds me of "Sesame Street" (Don't ask, I really don't know...) Maybe a shorten version would have been better. I like the ending, like he did on "Winter Wonderland".
A strong performance from a very good album. I really like it, but it could have shortened a bit. The excitement for a listener is lost somewhere around the second instrumental part. But there is a power in Elvis´ voice in this one, so his voice was good at this time. As for the ending, I don´t like those endings, it was done too much, on too many songs. It was typical for Elvis, how many other artists have used endings like that, that you know of?
This is one of those songs that I used to really like back in the day, but it hasn't aged well with me. Nowadays I often hit the skip button when listening to the "Today" album. It's a good song, but nothing special.
A nice workman like vocal. My beef with this song it adds nothing new. So whats the point?
Always reminds me of "For The Heart" which is another of Elvis' 70's songs I do not like very much. It really isn't bad, but there's a whole group of tracks----"For The Heart", "Shake a Hand", "I Can Help", "Pledging My Love"....---they just bore me. They sort of have an artificial nostalgic 1950's "rock" to them, like you might hear a band at a wedding playing. Sort of along the lines of the Beatles "Oh Darling" (which I actually do like) with kind of an exaggerated Fats Domino beat. It just didn't work for me.
I liked the original and I liked Elvis' version back in the 70's. Both are terribly dated now with Elvis' version way over the top. Skip! There was better material for him to cover than this wasn't there?
Not many songs of Elvis I dont like ...this is one of them ... he sang it as if he was out of breath...
a great version of a great song.
An enjoyable track, but strictly album filler.
Elvis definitely sings this better than Billy Swan. No similarity there.
Billy Swan and Elvis did great versions of a song that I have always enjoyed. Again a bit different in style and delivery from his other recordings, I believe it could, if released as a single at the right time, have done well globally
I've always liked this song immensely and my favorite rendition of it is Elvis' rendition. I do like Billy Swan's rendition of it, but I like Elvis' rendition of it far more.
I LIke it a lot! It's a nice cover, stronger than the country flavoured original from Billy Swan. And fit's very well in the Today album. Great.
Elvis does a real nice job on this song. Love it ! Of note, I was reading some of the other posts on here, and, I am surprised that some people don't like the songs "For the Heart", and,"Pledging my Love", I so Love these songs, too !
Did you hear the ending on Swan's original? That's really awful. The Elvis ending always works for me. Maybe a minute to long, but as I don't listen to this one too often, 4 minutes is ok.
Felton Jarvis gave Billy Swan Elvis' socks that he wore while recording I can help. Strangly enough, Billy lost one of them. I would never loose one of Elvis' socks if I ever had one.
I remember hearing Billy Swan's version on radio during the song's hey day, but didn't know the song title at the time. Which is why there was such a WOW! factor when I heard Elvis sing it. His voice is much more uplifting than Swan's thin vocal. But as with some of you, it hasn't held it's appeal with me either. What I can't believe though is that after hearing Swan's version on iTunes, the keyboard melodies during the instrumental breaks are identical to that on Elvis' recording. A very unethical practice on Felton's part.
I've always loved Elvis' version of I Can Help. It's got the edge that I always felt Billy Swan's version didn't have.
I agree with some of the comments below; this song is definitely dated. No longer "rings my chimes"; and seems more like a throw-away song back when released and still to the present day.
Reached No. 30 in the UK singles chart in Dec 1983. To my ears it’s a song I normally skip. Not that it’s bad, I just feel it goes on too long. It’s performed well by Elvis and the band, it beats Billy Swans version but I have to be in the mood. Love the album.