No Can Do
"No Can Do" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Sugababes | ||||
from the album Catfights and Spotlights | ||||
B-side | "Spiralling" | |||
Released | 19 December 2008 | |||
Recorded | ||||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:10 | |||
Label | Island | |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Sugababes singles chronology | ||||
|
"No Can Do" is a song by British
The song received mixed reviews from critics, who were ambivalent towards its Motown influence. "No Can Do" peaked at number 23 on the
Background and release
Following the release of their fifth studio album,
"No Can Do" was released as the second and final single from Catfights and Spotlights.[3] When Digital Spy questioned group member Keisha Buchanan about her reaction to its release, she responded: "I'm really excited about it. I'm looking forward to people hearing another side to the album. This single has got a kind of Jackson 5 feel to it which I love. The whole album has got a really old-school, laid-back Motown sound, so hopefully 'No Can Do' will get more people interested in the album."[4][5] "No Can Do" was released as a digital download in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 19 December 2008.[6] The following day, it was made available as a CD single, which consists of three remixes of the track and a cover version of Keane's song "Spiralling".[7]
Composition and lyrics
"No Can Do" is an
Matthew Chisling of AllMusic noted that the song "[builds] on the recurring themes of enticing harmonies and vocal showcasing which are seen as the most dominant traits that the girls are showing off this time around".[15] The lyrics of "No Can Do" address the riddance of a boyfriend, following the group's "trademark super-energised big goodbye songs".[11][12] Buchanan stated during an interview with BBC's Sarah Jane Griffiths that the lyrics are "about your partner treating you really bad and you saying, 'Not any more. Or No Can Do'".[16]
Response
Critical reception
Critical reception for "No Can Do" was mixed. David Balls of
Entertainment.ie's Lauren Murphy regarded "No Can Do" and album track "Side Chick" as "feeble uptempo tracks that sound like they've been plucked at random from a pop factory conveyor belt".[8] A writer from the Daily Record commented that "as much as ['No Can Do'] is mainstream and poppy, it's hardly their most remarkable offering".[17] Popjustice considered the song to be "above average" but not the best track from the album,[18] while Fraser McAlphine of the BBC Chart Blog wrote that it "won't be the all-conquering pop superbeast that it could be".[5] A positive response came from AllMusic writer Matthew Chisling, who considered the song to be a "show-stopping [number]" and stated that it "work[s] as shimmering displays of subtle strength".[15] Virgin Media's Johnny Dee praised inclusion of the Motown beat, which according to him makes the song "feel retro and modern simultaneously.[13]
Commercial performance
"No Can Do" entered the
Music video
The
Live performances and impact
The trio first performed the song in November 2008 to promote the release of the
Formats and track listings
|
|
Credits and personnel
|
|
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Catfights and Spotlights.[2]
Charts
Chart (2009) | Peak position |
---|---|
Denmark Airplay (Tracklisten)[23] | 11 |
European Hot 100 (Billboard)[25] | 67 |
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[24] | 53 |
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[21] | 23 |
Release history
Country | Date | Format | Label |
---|---|---|---|
Ireland | 19 December 2008 | Digital download[6] | Island Records |
United Kingdom | |||
Ireland | Extended play[31] | ||
United Kingdom | |||
Ireland | 20 December 2008 | CD single[7] | |
United Kingdom |
References
- ^ a b Savage, Mark (14 October 2008). "Suga rush produces new album 'in weeks'". BBC News. BBC. Archived from the original on 30 September 2009. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g Catfights and Spotlights (album). Sugababes. Universal Island Records. 2008.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b c d "The raciest Sugababes video yet?". Digital Spy. 21 November 2008. Archived from the original on 21 May 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
- ^ "Sugababes". Digital Spy. 19 December 2008. Archived from the original on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
- ^ a b McAlphine, Fraser (20 December 2008). "Sugababes – 'No Can Do'". BBC Chart Blog. BBC. Archived from the original on 24 December 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
- ^ a b c "No Can Do" was released as a digital download in Ireland and the United Kingdom on 19 December 2008:
- "No Can Do – Single – Sugababes". Apple. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- "No Can Do – Single – Sugababes". iTunes Store (GB). Apple. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- "No Can Do – Single – Sugababes".
- ^ Amazon (UK). Archived from the originalon 4 March 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
- ^ a b "Sugababes – Catfights and Spotlights". Entertainment.ie. Entertainment Media Networks. 5 November 2008. Archived from the original on 4 June 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
- ^ Orange. Archived from the originalon 26 July 2010. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- ^ a b c Balls, David (18 December 2008). "Sugababes: 'No Can Do'". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- ^ a b Davies, Lucy (17 October 2008). "Sugababes – Catfights and Spotlights – Review". BBC Music. BBC. Archived from the original on 6 February 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
- ^ Johnston Publishing. 16 October 2008. Archived from the originalon 22 December 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
- ^ a b c Dee, Johnny. "Sugababes: Catfights And Spotlights review". Virgin Media. Virgin Group. Archived from the original on 21 May 2013. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
- )
- ^ a b Chisling, Matthew. "Catfights and Spotlights – Sugababes". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- ^ "Sugababes 'not into celebrity'". Newsbeat. BBC. 3 December 2008. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
- ^ "Staying in: Out on CD". Daily Record. 27 December 2008. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2013. (subscription required)
- ^ "No Can Do". Popjustice. Peter Robinson. Archived from the original on 3 October 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
- ^ "Chart Log UK: New Entries Update". Official Charts Company. 13 December 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
- ^ a b "Santa delivers good cheer for sales charts". Music Week. 5 January 2009. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
- ^ a b "Sugababes". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
- MTV UK. Archivedfrom the original on 13 October 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- ^ a b "Sugababes – No Can Do" (in Danish). Tracklisten. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
- ^ a b "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200907 into search. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ^ a b "European Hot 100". Billboard. 28 November 2009. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- ^ "The Life Browser". The Independent. 2 December 2008. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 21 May 2013. (subscription required)
- ^ "Biker Bakes". Daily Record. 22 November 2008. Archived from the original on 21 May 2013. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
- ^ Levine, Nick (9 January 2009). "Ones To Watch In 2009: VV Brown". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 4 March 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
- Wales Online. Media Wales. Archivedfrom the original on 21 May 2013. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
- ^ Balls, David (19 December 2008). "Keisha reveals her favourite Sugababes hits". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
- ^ a b "No Can Do" was released as an extended play in Ireland and the United Kingdom on 19 December 2008:
- "No Can Do – EP – Sugababes". iTunes Store (IE). Apple. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- "No Can Do – EP – Sugababes". iTunes Store (GB). Apple. Retrieved 9 April 2012.