How Can I Be Sure

"How Can I Be Sure"
Cover of the 1967 Italy single
Single by The Young Rascals
from the album Groovin'
B-side	"I'm So Happy Now"
Released	August 28, 1967
Format	7" single
Genre	Blue-eyed soul pop
Length	2:50
Label	Atlantic
Writer(s)	Felix Cavaliere Eddie Brigati
Producer(s)	The Young Rascals
The Young Rascals singles chronology
"A Girl Like You" (1967) "How Can I Be Sure" (1967) "It's Wonderful" (1967)
Music sample "How Can I Be Sure"

"How Can I Be Sure" is a popular song written by Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati, and originally recorded by The Young Rascals on their 1967 album Groovin'. It became their fourth Top 10 hit in the United States, peaking at No. 4. This was the group's highest charted record with Eddie Brigati singing lead vocals. The song featured the sounds of a trumpet, bass, piano, drums, and strings, giving the feeling of cabaret music as well as a concertina, chosen to add the feel of a French cafe. The songs musical styles include blue-eyed soul and pop.^[1][2]

The lyrics of the chorus go:

How can I be sure?

In a world that's constantly changing,

How can I be sure?

... I'll be sure with you.

The song came out of the experience with transcendental meditation that the Rascals were involved in.

That same year, French singer Nicoletta sold two million copies of the song, as "Je ne pense que t'aimer", the version which subsequently inspired Dusty Springfield's version.

That same year Quebec singer Michel Pagliaro (lead singer of the band Les Chanceliers) released a cover of this song in French ("A Paris la Nuit").

The Rascals single's B-side, "I'm So Happy Now" (also included on the Groovin' album), was written and sung by Rascals guitarist Gene Cornish. Featuring a unique guitar phase-out ending, it was the first Cornish-penned song to appear on a Rascals single.

Dusty Springfield version

"How Can I Be Sure"
Single by Dusty Springfield
from the album The Dusty Springfield Anthology
B-side	Spooky
Released	September 4, 1970
Format	7" 45 RPM
Genre	Pop
Length	2:43
Label	Philips Records
Writer(s)	Felix Cavaliere, Eddie Brigati
Producer(s)	Johnny Franz, Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield singles chronology
"I Wanna Be A Free Girl" (1970) "How Can I Be Sure" (1970) "Lost" (1970)

"How Can I Be Sure" was covered by British singer Dusty Springfield and released as a non-LP single in September 1970. It was rumoured that this recording and single release may have been prompted by her well received performance of the song on the Des O'Connor Show in May 1970. Dusty was hopeful that this single would fare better than her then-recent American recordings which were met with relative indifference in the UK (aside from the US and UK Top 10 hit "Son of a Preacher Man").

Despite several promotional television and radio appearances and glowing reviews from the press, the single only spent one week in the UK Top 40 and only four weeks total on the chart. The song was issued specifically for the British market and would not be issued in America until the release of The Dusty Springfield Anthology in 1997.

Tracklist

• Side A: "How Can I Be Sure" (2:43)
• Side B: "Spooky" (2:42)

"Spooky" is a cover of the Classics IV hit and was recorded in January 1968 but left unused for almost three years until it featured as the bside to this single.

Charts

Chart (1970)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart	36

David Cassidy version

"How Can I Be Sure"
Single by David Cassidy
from the album Rock Me Baby
B-side	Ricky's Tune
Released	1972
Format	7" 45 RPM
Genre	Pop
Length	2:52
Label	Bell Records
Writer(s)	Felix Cavaliere, Eddie Brigati
Producer(s)	Wes Farrell
David Cassidy singles chronology
"Could It Be Forever" (1972) "How Can I Be Sure" (1972) "Rock Me Baby" (1972)

"How Can I Be Sure" was revived in 1972 with a version from David Cassidy, which became a major hit on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on the Easy Listening chart. ^[3] In the UK, "How Can I Be Sure" spent two weeks at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in September and October 1972.^[4]

Tracklist

• Side A: "How Can I Be Sure" (2:52)
• Side B: "Ricky's Tune" (3:24)

Charts

Chart (1972)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart[4]	1
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening chart	3
US Billboard Hot 100	25

Other versions

The song has also been covered by artists including P.F. Sloan, Helen Reddy, Gloria Estefan, Percy Faith, Shelby Lynne, Lesley Gore, Akiko Yano, Daryl Braithwaite, Nicoletta and Tony Hadley in his album Passing Strangers (2006).

References

1. Erikka Haa (1997). Soul. Friedman/Fairfax Publishers. ISBN 978-1-56799-544-2.
2. Brock Helander (1999). Rocking Sixties. Schirmer Books. ISBN 978-0-02-864873-6.
3. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 50.
4. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 278. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics