"I Can't Stay Mad at You" is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was originally recorded by American country artist, Skeeter Davis, becoming her second top-ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963. "I Can't Stay Mad at You" followed on the popular success of Davis' earlier 1963 crossover hit "The End of the World". The song was one of the first Goffin-King compositions to be recorded by a country music performer.
"I Can't Stay Mad at You" was written by songwriting duo, Gerry Goffin and Carole King. They had previously enjoyed pop successes as songwriters including, "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" and "Take Good Care of My Baby". King would eventually embark on a successful recording career in the early 1970s. The song was recorded in April 1963 in Nashville, Tennessee, United States at the RCA Victor Studio, alongside producer Chet Atkins. Six other songs were recorded during the session, including a cover of "I Will Follow Him". This was the first song Davis had recorded by the Goffin-King pair and was one of the first of their songs to be recorded by a country artist.
According to Allmusic critic, Richie Unterberger, "I Can't Stay Mad at You" was recorded in the popular "girl group" musical style. It included heavy choruses backed by a "wall-of-sound" that the Goffin-King pair was used to writing songs for. Unterberger also explains that the song displays similarities to Neil Sedaka's pop hit, "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do", stating, "I Can't Stay Mad at You" begins with a whole verse worth of ultra-catchy doo wop syllables ("Shooby Dooby Doo Bob") that, frankly, is highly reminiscent of the similar patterns used in Neil Sedaka's #1 1962 hit "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" (written by Sedaka and Howard Greenfield). In fact, the whole song is fairly reminiscent of that previous Sedaka hit, though "I Can't Stay Mad at You" is, to its credit, a little brighter and more exuberant." The song features a string section featuring violins being played in a high register.
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