Help me identify a song from a movie.

Cafe Society
1

Everytime the original version comes on the radio, I think back to hearing a slow, sad version in a movie. I can’t identify the movie, but I can certainly feel the mood.

The song was “If I can’t have You.” It is a depressing song that is sung to a hip, upbeat rhythym. In the movie, it was sung slowly and quite mellow in the background while a female is giving some sad information. It was SO FREAKING DEPRESSING the way it was down. I can’t think of the movie. It is background music for either a painful breakup or someone telling another that they have a dreadful disease. Something in that vein.

Can anyone help with this obscure reference? The gauntlet is thrown!

2

Are you thinking of “Saturday Night Fever”?

3

I never saw SNF, or it’s sequel, Stayin’ Alive, but my Yahoo search says the song is in both movies. If I were to hazard a guess, though, it would be for Stayin’ Alive, simply because I think the upbeat version I hear on oldies radio is the one from the SNF soundtrack.

Don’t get me started on the notion that records made during the disco era can possibly be “oldies”.

4

Yahoo also reports the song appearing in Big Daddy, an Adam Sandler vehicle, IIRC, which I also didn’t see.

5

Hmmm…No on the Travolta flicks. Big Daddy? I have seen that movie and that is probably it. It is probably played when the kid is getting taken away. I’ll check.

6

Although I’ve never seen SNF, my husband was apparently subjected to it a total of five times by various dates who wanted to go see it in the theater, and claims it was in SNF.

He refuses to see Stayin’ Alive. I can’t imagine why…<insert evil grin here>

7

“The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai”? - it gets sung near the beginning of the film.

8

go to http://www.cdnow.com and search for the song. i think it’s called “if i cant have you” actually…

9

here ya go:

Bee Gees Greatest If I Can’t Have You
Tales Of The Brothers Gibb If I Can’t Have You
Big Daddy (Soundtrack) Soundtrack If I Can’t Have You
Jerry Braxton Jerry Braxton If I Can’t Have You
Brown Dots For Sentimental Reasons If I Can’t Have You
Charlotte Charlotte If I Can’t Have You
Edson Cordeiro Disco Clubbing V.2 If I Can’t Have You
Vol. 2-Disco Clubbing If I Can’t Have You
Cover Ups / Various Cover Ups / Various If I Can’t Have You
Dance Beat Collective Beegeetastic If I Can’t Have You
Yvonne Elliman Best Of Yvonne Elliman If I Can’t Have You
Enuff Z’nuff Tweaked If I Can’t Have You
Grease/Saturday Night Fever Ka Grease/Saturday Night Fever Ka If I Can’t Have You
Greatest Hits Of 1978 / Various Greatest Hits Of 1978 / Various If I Can’t Have You
Hot & Rare / Various Hot & Rare / Various If I Can’t Have You
Jesse Hultberg Jesse Hultberg If I Can’t Have You
Etta James Best Of If I Can’t Have You
Chess Box (3-CD set) If I Can’t Have You
Essential If I Can’t Have You
Her Best If I Can’t Have You
Love Songs If I Can’t Have You
Love Songs If I Can’t Have You
Karaoke Grease & Saturday Night Fever If I Can’t Have You
Marie Carmen Koppell Yearning If I Can’t Have You
Labelle Moon Shadow If I Can’t Have You
Something Silver If I Can’t Have You
Scooter Lee By Request If I Can’t Have You
Memories Of Times Square Recor Vol. 8 If I Can’t Have You
Real Roxanne Go Down But Don’t Bite It If I Can’t Have You
Jorge Rico Bee Gees On Panpipes If I Can’t Have You
Sand Rubies Sidewinder Sessions If I Can’t Have You
Saturday Night Fever (Soundtrack) Saturday Night Fever / London Cast Recording If I Can’t Have You
Soundtrack If I Can’t Have You
Themes From The Musical If I Can’t Have You
Slim Man End Of The Rainbow If I Can’t Have You
Carla Stephens My Loves 4 U If I Can’t Have You
Rhonda Stisi Under The Covers If I Can’t Have You
Sweetbox Sweet Box (+ Bonus Track) If I Can’t Have You
Various Artists-50 Mega Slammin’ Party Jams 50 Mega Slammin’ Party Jams If I Can’t Have You
Various Artists-Billboard Top Hits 1975-79-Billboard Top Hits If I Can’t Have You
1978-Billboard Top Hits If I Can’t Have You
Various Artists-Dancing Queens Dancing Queens If I Can’t Have You
Various Artists-Disco Nights Vol. 1-Divas Of Dance If I Can’t Have You
Vol. 10-Disco’s Greatest Movie If I Can’t Have You
Various Artists-Global Pride Collection Global Pride Collection If I Can’t Have You
Various Artists-Great R & B Duets Great R & B Duets If I Can’t Have You
Various Artists-Heading Back To Houston Heading Back To Houston 1950-5 If I Can’t Have You
Various Artists-Memories Of Time Square Memories Of Time Square If I Can’t Have You
Various Artists-No. 1 Hits Of The 70’S No. 1 Hits Of The 70’S If I Can’t Have You
Various Artists-Pop Collector’s Edition Disco If I Can’t Have You
Various Artists-Pure Series Vol. 1-Pure Disco If I Can’t Have You
Various Artists-South Beach Vol. 2-South Beach If I Can’t Have You
Various Artists-Ultimate Frenzy Cover Mix Frenzy If I Can’t Have You
Various Artists-Whole Lotta…Rock 1978-79 If I Can’t Have You
Various Artists (A) Afrodisiac If I Can’t Have You
Various Artists (Al) Almighty Classics V.2 If I Can’t Have You
Various Artists (Be) Beegeetastic If I Can’t Have You
Best Disco Album In World Ever V.2 If I Can’t Have You
Various Artists © Celebration Party If I Can’t Have You
Various Artists (Ch) Chess Story 1945-1975 (Limited Edition) (Remastered) If I Can’t Have You
Various Artists (Di) Disco Fever If I Can’t Have You
Disco Inferno If I Can’t Have You
Various Artists (Ma) Magic If I Can’t Have You
Various Artists (Q) Queer As Folk V.2 If I Can’t Have You
Various Artists (Si) Simply The Best: Disco If I Can’t Have You
Various Artists (St) Strange Games & Funky Things V.1 If I Can’t Have You
Dinah Washington Vol. 5-Complete On Mercury If I Can’t Have You
Whole Lotta Rock 1970-78 / Various Whole Lotta Rock 1970-78 / Various If I Can’t Have You
Kim Wilde Single Collection 1981-1993 If I Can’t Have You
Singles Collection 1981-93 If I Can’t Have You
Jackie Wilson He’s So Fine/Lonely Teardrops If I Can’t Have You
Reet Petite If I Can’t Have You
Various Artists (An) And They Danced The Night If I Can’t Have You -
Flamingos Best Of Flamingos If I Can’t Have You Etta James At Last If I Can’t Have You [Duet with Harvery Fuqua]

10

I believe that’s “Since I Don’t Have You”, as recorded by Art Garfunkel, Barbra Streisand, New Edition, and (firstly) a doowop group I can’t remember at the moment: