I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself

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"I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David. The song was recorded by Dusty Springfield and it reached No. 3 on the UK chart in 1964.

Composition and early versions

The song's life began in 1962 when Bacharach and David were songwriters at the New York songwriting factory the Brill Building.[1]

"I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself" was first recorded by Chuck Jackson in 1962.[1] This version was shelved and remained unreleased until it appeared on a 1984 compilation on the Kent record label called Mr. Emotion. According to the sleeve notes of that album, Jackson's vocals were substituted for Tommy Hunt's while the original backing track was retained.

The 1962 release by Tommy Hunt, which featured Hunt singing over the original Chuck Jackson backing track, listed Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller as producers. It was released as single Scepter 1236 (B-side "And I Never Knew") in May 1962, but did not chart. The song served as the title track for Hunt's sole album release on Scepter released in April 1963. The U.K. success of Dusty Springfield's June 1964 cover version led to Scepter's re-releasing the Tommy Hunt recording, at which time it reached the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart in Billboard with a number 119 peak.

Dusty Springfield version

Dusty Springfield recorded "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" in a session at Olympic Studios in Barnes, London with production credited to Philips Records owner Johnny Franz - although Springfield later stated her solo Philips tracks were self-produced - and arranged by Ivor Raymonde who conducted his orchestra; personnel on the session included Big Jim Sullivan on guitar and Bobby Graham on drums. Springfield, whose first solo recordings had included covers of the Bacharach/David compositions "Anyone Who Had a Heart" and "Wishin' and Hopin'Template:-" - had brought back "I Just Don't Know..." from an overnight trip to New York City where she met up with Bacharach in February 1964.

The third UK single release of Springfield's solo career - following the "Brill Building" Sound-alikes "I Only Want to Be With You" and "Stay Awhile" - "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" was Springfield's first UK single release to display her signature vocal style; rising to number 3 in the summer of 1964 the track remained Springfield's highest UK Singles Chart hit until she reached number 1 in 1966 with "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me", which was Springfield's only UK solo hit to chart higher than "I Just Don't Know...".

A concurrent US release of Springfield's "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" was preempted by the presence of Springfield's "Wishin' and Hopin'" in the US Top Ten over the summer of 1964. Springfield's "I Just Don't Know..." received a belated US release in October 1965 featured on a single with Springfield's current UK hit "Some of Your Lovin'"; that month Springfield made a promotional junket to the US which included performances of both of the single's tracks on the TV shows Hullabaloo and Shindig but neither side reached the Billboard Hot 100.

Charts

Chart (1964) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[2] 16
Template:Single chart
Dutch Singles Chart[3] 5
New Zealand Charts[4] 3
UK Singles Chart[5] 3

Dionne Warwick version

Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Main other Dionne Warwick recorded "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" at Bell Sound Studios in August 1966 with Burt Bacharach producing; released that September the track is from her third album, Here Where There Is Love on Scepter Records. The song was a moderate success reaching number 26 on the US Hot 100 and number 20 on US Hot R&B with its strongest evident regional success in Detroit going Top Ten there.

Warwick released three consecutive Bacharach/David songs as singles: "Message to Michael", "Trains and Boats and Planes", and "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself". Warwick's next Top 40 single, "Alfie", was also a Bacharach/David song; three of the four songs appeared on Warwick's 1967 album Here Where There Is Love.[6]Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Track listing

  • US 7" Vinyl Single
A: "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" – 2:50
B: "In Between the Heartaches" – 2:50

Notes

  • "In Between the Heartaches" - Published By – Blue Seas Music, Inc. / JAC Music Co., Inc. (ASCAP)
    "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" - Published By – Quartet Music Inc. (BMI) Belinda (Canada Litd.)[7]

Charts

Chart (1966) Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[8] 36
US Billboard Hot 100[9] 26
US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[10] 20
US Cashbox Top 100[11] 24

Marcia Hines version

Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Main other Marcia Hines recorded a version of the track and released it as the lead single from her second studio album, Shining (1976). The B-side "Trilogy" was included on her debut studio album, Marcia Shines (1975).

Track listing

7-inch Single (ZS-153)

Weekly charts

Chart (1975–76) Position
Australian Kent Music Report[12] 10

Year-end charts

Chart (1976) Position
Australian (Kent Music Report)[12][13] 23

See also

The White Stripes version

Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Main other In September 2003, "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" was released as a single by American alternative rock band the White Stripes. It was the second single released from their album Elephant, reaching the top 40 in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

The black-and-white music video, directed by Sofia Coppola, cinematographed by Lance Acord and choreographed by Robin Conrad, features Kate Moss pole dancing in black underwear.[14][15]

Track listings

UK CD single[16]

  1. "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself"
  2. "Who's to Say..."
  3. "I'm Finding It Harder to Be a Gentleman" (live on the John Peel Show)

UK 7-inch single[17]

A. "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself"
B. "Who's to Say..."

UK DVD single[18]

  1. "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" (audio)
  2. "Lafayette Blues" (audio)
  3. "Black Math" (filmed at the Masonic Temple, Detroit)

Charts

Template:Single chartTemplate:CbignoreTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chart
Chart (2003) Peak
position

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 1 September 2003 Template:Hlist XL [19]
Australia 15 September 2003 CD [20]
United States 19 January 2004 Active rock radio V2 [21]

Other versions

Linda Ronstadt recorded a version of the song and released it in late 1993 on her Winter Light album.

Colin Hay recorded a version of "I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself" in 2021 on his album also titled "I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself".

Bibliography

  • Serene Dominic. Burt Bacharach, Song by Song: The Ultimate Burt Bacharach Reference for Fans. Schirmer Trade, New York 2003. Template:ISBN

References

Template:Reflist

External links

Template:Dusty Springfield Template:Dionne Warwick Template:Marcia Hines Template:Navbox musical artist Template:Authority control

  1. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Dusty Springfield - Flavour of New Zealand. Flavour of New Zealand
  5. ↑ Dusty Springfield - UK Charts History. Official Charts
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ "I Just Don't Know"/"In Between the Heartaches" (7" Vinyl, Single) at Discogs
  8. ↑ RPM Archives. Dionne Warwick's Canada Singles History. Template:Webarchive
  9. ↑ Billboard Chart History. Dionne Warwick's Hot 100 History.
  10. ↑ Billboard Chart History. Dionne Warwick's R&B Singles History.
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
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