French
DeutschI Can (Blue song)
| "I Can" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Blue | ||||
| from the album Roulette | ||||
| Released | 1 May 2011 | |||
| Recorded | 2010–2011 | |||
| Genre | Pop, dance-pop | |||
| Length | 3:01 | |||
| Label | Blueworld | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Duncan James, Lee Ryan, Ciaron Bell, Ben Collier, Ian Hope, Liam Keenan, StarSign[1] | |||
| Producer(s) | Ronny Svendsen, Hallgeir Rustan | |||
| Blue singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
I Can | ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "I Can" on YouTube | ||||
 "I Can" | |
|---|---|
| Eurovision Song Contest 2011 entry | |
| Country | |
| Artist(s) | |
| Language | English |
| Composer(s) |
|
| Lyricist(s) |
|
| Finals performance | |
| Final result | 11th |
| Final points | 100 |
| Entry chronology | |
| ◄ "That Sounds Good to Me" (2010) | |
| "Love Will Set You Free" (2012) ► | |
"I Can" is a song released by British boy group Blue, taken from their fourth studio album, Roulette. It was the United Kingdom's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, in Düsseldorf, Germany. It was written by group members Duncan James and Lee Ryan with Ciaron Bell, Ben Collieer, Ian Hope, Liam Keenan, and NoThwegian production team StarSign.
"I Can" finished in 11th place and scored 100 points.[2] It peaked at number sixteen on the UK Singles Chart, and reached the top ten in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It also charted in Belgium, Ireland, and Scotland.
Critical reception
[edit]Digital Spy 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."[3]
Promotion
[edit]During an appearance on BBC Breakfast 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".[4] 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".[5] This was followed by another guest appearance, singing "Breathe Easy" on the Spanish national final Destino Eurovisión on 18 February.[5] The band performed the song for the first time on 11 March 2011 on The Graham Norton Show.[6]
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 Does 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.[7] 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.[8]
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.[9] Blue performed the song on Paul O'Grady Live on 29 April and on the So You Think You Can Dance UK results show.
Eurovision Song Contest
[edit]It was the first time in Eurovision Song Contest history that the British entry has been decided internally by the BBC. An 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.[10]
Bulgaria gave the song 12 points (the highest possible score), Italy 10 points, Malta 7 and Turkey 6. Overall, if the jury vote had not been counted the song would have finished in 5th place as it did from televotes.[11]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Can" (StarSign Radio Edit) |
|
| 3:01 |
| 2. | "I Can" (Original Mix) |
|
| 3:09 |
| 3. | "I Can" (Instrumental) |
|
| 3:01 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Can" (Original Mix) |
|
| 3:03 |
| 2. | "I Can" (Funky Viva Remix) |
|
| 3:07 |
| 3. | "All Rise" (Acoustic Version) |
| 4:25 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Can" (Radio Edit) |
|
| 3:01 |
| 2. | "I Can" (Funky Viva Remix) |
|
| 3:07 |
Notes
- ^a signifies an additional producer
Charts
[edit] Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
Release history
[edit]| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 1 May 2011 | Digital download | Blueworld | [8] |
| 2 May 2011 | CD single | [12] | ||
| Germany | 13 May 2011 | Digital download | Island Records | [13] |
| CD single | [14] |
References
[edit]- ^ "Blue - I Can (United Kingdom 2011) | Participant Profile | Eurovision Song Contest - Malmö 2013". Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
- ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 2011 Final". Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ "Blue: 'I Can' - Music Singles Review - Digital Spy". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
- ^ "Boy band Blue reveal Eurovision 'anthemic blues' song". BBC. 9 February 2011. Archived from the original on 10 February 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
- ^ a b "Blue's Eurovision Campaign - Update 1". BBC Eurovision. 18 February 2011. Archived from the original on 21 February 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
- ^ Montebello, Edward. "News - Exclusive: Blue speaks to esctoday.com". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 14 February 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
- ^ ""I Can" official music video". YouTube. Archived from the original on 5 December 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
- ^ a b c "iTunes - Music - I Can - EP by Blue". iTunes. Archived from the original on 17 January 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
- ^ "Daily Mirror: Boyband Blue strip for Eurovision". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- ^ "Eurovision 2011 Scoreboard". Eurovision. Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ^ Storvik-Green, Simon. "Blue to represent the United Kingdom in Düsseldorf". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 2 February 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
- ^ a b "I Can: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon UK. Archived from the original on 19 January 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
- ^ a b "iTunes - Musik – „I Can (Special Version) - Single" von Blue". iTunes. Archived from the original on 17 January 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
- ^ a b "I Can: Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon Germany. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
- ^ "Blue – I Can" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
- ^ "Blue – I Can" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
- ^ "Blue – I Can" (in French). Ultratip.
- ^ "Blue – I Can" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
- ^ "Chart Track: Week 20, 2011". Irish Singles Chart.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Blue – I Can". Swiss Singles Chart.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Liste der erfolgreichsten Hits 2011". RTL Television (in German). RTL Group. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
