I Can (Blue song)
Encyclopedia
"I Can" is a song by British
pop group Blue. It was the United Kingdom
's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011
which was held in Düsseldorf
, Germany
. The song came 11th scoring 100 points. It is the first time in Eurovision Song Contest
history that the British entry has been decided internally by the BBC
. The announcement was made on 29 January 2011 through the BBC News
and official Eurovision Song Contest
websites. It finished in 11th place in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011. Bulgaria gave the song 12 points (the highest possible score), Italy 10 points, Malta 7 and Turkey 6. The single was released on 1 May 2011 as a digital download, with the physical release the day after. "I Can" peaked at number 16 on the UK Singles Chart
, becoming Blue's lowest-charting single in the UK. The song was written by group members Duncan James
and Lee Ryan
with Ciaron Bell, Ben Collier, Ian Hope, Liam Keenan, and Norwegian production team StarSign. It was produced by Ronny Svendsen
and Hallgeir Rustan, the latter who previously produced several of Blue's hit singles.
gave the song three stars out of five, and wrote: "I've never lost anything quite like this/ No second chances if I don't find it," the band continue over juddering synths that give way to a fist-clenching, Blue for 2011 chorus that sadly just misses the spot - the watered down production suggesting they aren't as cocksure of this plan as they claim. [...] Still - call them crazy, but there's enough here to suggest they might just pull the whole thing off."
on 9 February 2011, Blue confirmed that the song was written before they were asked to represent the UK in Düsseldorf, and described it as "a mix of pop, anthem and typically Blue sounding". On 12 February 2011, Blue began their promotional tour with an appearance on Malta Eurosong 2011
. As 'I Can' had not yet finished production, the group sang their previous hit "If You Come Back
". This was followed by another guest appearance, singing "Breathe Easy
" on the Spanish national final Destino Eurovisión
on 18 February. The band performed the song for the first time on 11 March 2011 on The Graham Norton Show
. A promotional video for the song has also been released by BBC One with the blue London skyline in the background. They appeared at various events including at Comic Relief Presents Glee Club on 17 March 2011 and on the Italian
version of Top of the Pops
on 21 March. The official music video was launched on 14 April 2011. The BBC aired a special one-hour documentary entitled Eurovision - Your Country Needs Blue on 16 April 2011, to mark their preparations for the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest. The single was released on 1 May 2011. Blue also appeared nude in British gay monthly Attitude
in the magazine's annual Naked issue. Blue was featured both on the cover and in an inside major article in promotion of the British bid to Eurovision. Blue performed the song on Paul O'Grady Live
on the 29 April and on the So You Think You Can Dance UK
results show.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
pop group Blue. It was the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011
Eurovision Song Contest 2011
The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the 56th annual Eurovision Song Contest and was won by Eldar & Nigar performing "Running Scared" for Azerbaijan. The event took place in the Esprit Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany, following Germany's win in the previous year...
which was held in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The song came 11th scoring 100 points. It is the first time in Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
history that the British entry has been decided internally by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. The announcement was made on 29 January 2011 through the BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
and official Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
websites. It finished in 11th place in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011. Bulgaria gave the song 12 points (the highest possible score), Italy 10 points, Malta 7 and Turkey 6. The single was released on 1 May 2011 as a digital download, with the physical release the day after. "I Can" peaked at number 16 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, becoming Blue's lowest-charting single in the UK. The song was written by group members Duncan James
Duncan James
Duncan Matthew James Inglis is an English singer, actor and television presenter. He is best known as a member of the boyband Blue.-Early life:...
and Lee Ryan
Lee Ryan
Lee Ryan is an English singer-songwriter, actor and member of the British boy band Blue.-Early life:...
with Ciaron Bell, Ben Collier, Ian Hope, Liam Keenan, and Norwegian production team StarSign. It was produced by Ronny Svendsen
Dsign Music
Dsign Music is a songwriting/production company based in Trondheim, Norway. It was formed in 2006 by Robin Jenssen, Anne Judith Wik, Nermin Harambašić and Ronny Svendsen. The team was signed to Universal Music Publishing Group in 2008...
and Hallgeir Rustan, the latter who previously produced several of Blue's hit singles.
Critical reception
Digital SpyDigital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
gave the song three stars out of five, and wrote: "I've never lost anything quite like this/ No second chances if I don't find it," the band continue over juddering synths that give way to a fist-clenching, Blue for 2011 chorus that sadly just misses the spot - the watered down production suggesting they aren't as cocksure of this plan as they claim. [...] Still - call them crazy, but there's enough here to suggest they might just pull the whole thing off."
Promotion
During an appearance on BBC BreakfastBBC Breakfast
BBC Breakfast is the morning television news programme simulcast on BBC One and the BBC News channel. It is presented live from BBC Television Centre in White City, West London, and contains a mixture of news, sport, weather, business and feature items...
on 9 February 2011, Blue confirmed that the song was written before they were asked to represent the UK in Düsseldorf, and described it as "a mix of pop, anthem and typically Blue sounding". On 12 February 2011, Blue began their promotional tour with an appearance on Malta Eurosong 2011
Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011
Malta participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf, Germany, selecting their entry through the national selection Malta Eurosong 2011, organised by Maltese broadcaster Public Broadcasting Services .-Changes in Selection:...
. As 'I Can' had not yet finished production, the group sang their previous hit "If You Come Back
If You Come Back
"If You Come Back" is a song by Blue, released as the third single from their debut album All Rise. It was number one in the UK. It sold over 1 million singles worldwide. The song was produced by Ray Ruffin & co-written by multi platinum singer-songwriter Nicole Formescu ,[Ray Ruffin]], Lee...
". This was followed by another guest appearance, singing "Breathe Easy
Breathe Easy
"Breathe Easy" is a song written by Lars Halvor Jensen, Martin Michael Larsson and Lee Ryan and released by the British boyband Blue. The song was included on their third studio album, Guilty. It was released as a single on 22 March 2004 in both the United Kingdom and the United States...
" on the Spanish national final Destino Eurovisión
Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011
Spain participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf, Germany and selected their entry through a televised national final, organised by the Spanish broadcaster Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española...
on 18 February. The band performed the song for the first time on 11 March 2011 on The Graham Norton Show
The Graham Norton Show
The Graham Norton Show is a British comedy chat show that is broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom. It was originally shown on BBC Two from February 2007 to May 2009 until it moved to BBC One from October 2009...
. A promotional video for the song has also been released by BBC One with the blue London skyline in the background. They appeared at various events including at Comic Relief Presents Glee Club on 17 March 2011 and on the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
version of Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
on 21 March. The official music video was launched on 14 April 2011. The BBC aired a special one-hour documentary entitled Eurovision - Your Country Needs Blue on 16 April 2011, to mark their preparations for the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest. The single was released on 1 May 2011. Blue also appeared nude in British gay monthly Attitude
Attitude (magazine)
Attitude is a British gay lifestyle magazine owned by Vitality Publishing. It is sold worldwide as a physical magazine and a digital download for the iPad and iPhone via the App Store. The first issue appeared in May 1994....
in the magazine's annual Naked issue. Blue was featured both on the cover and in an inside major article in promotion of the British bid to Eurovision. Blue performed the song on Paul O'Grady Live
Paul O'Grady Live
Paul O'Grady Live was a British comedy chat show hosted by Paul O'Grady, that began airing on 10 September 2010 on ITV1 and ITV1 HD/STV HD/UTV HD in the United Kingdom. The show is a Friday night chat show that features a mixture of celebrity guests, airing at 21:00. The show culminates with...
on the 29 April and on the So You Think You Can Dance UK
So You Think You Can Dance (UK)
So You Think You Can Dance is a televised dance competition and reality show that launched in the United Kingdom in January 2010 and similar to the version of the program that has began airing in the USA in 2005. The show is broadcast on BBC One. The content of the show is similar premise to the...
results show.
Track listing
- Digital Download
- "I Can" (StarSign Radio Edit) – 3:01
- "I Can" (Original Mix) – 3:09
- "I Can" (Instrumental) – 3:01
- "I Can" (Video) - 3:11
- CD Single
- "I Can" (Radio Edit) – 3:03
- "I Can" (Funky Viva Remix) – 3:07
- "All RiseAll Rise (song)"All Rise" is the debut single from UK pop-R&B band Blue. The song instantly became a hit worldwide and help them break the charts in the UK and Australia. The track was released in May 2001 and peaked at #4 in the UK, #3 in Australia, #1 in New Zealand and #15 in Ireland. Some of the instrumental...
" (Acoustic Version) – 4:25
- German CD Single
- "I Can" (StarSign Radio Edit) – 3:01
- "I Can" (Funky Viva Remix) – 3:06
- "I Can" (Video) - 3:11
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Latvia (EHR European Hit Radio European Hit Radio is one of the very first commercial radio stations in Baltic States. This radio focuses on reflecting the current situation in European music charts... ) |
2 |
| Lithuania (M1) | 1 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 1 May 2011 | Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
Blueworld |
| 2 May 2011 | CD single CD single A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s... |
||
| Germany | 13 May 2011 | Digital download | Island Records Island Records Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group... |
| CD single |