Four in the Morning (I Can't Take Anymore)

Album: Seven Wishes (1985)
Charted: 19
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This was written by Night Ranger lead singer Jack Blades, and like "25 Or 6 To 4" by Chicago, the title describes the time of day he wrote the song. Blades told Songfacts: "Literally, I wrote that song at 4 in the morning. I mean, I woke up, and I had an idea, (singing) 'I can't take anymore, I can't fake anymore, it's such a hard time loving you.' It woke me up, so I thought, well, that's kind of neat. And then I'm thinking, What am I gonna call this song? I really don't want to call it 'I Can't Take Anymore, I Can't Fake Anymore,' I didn't like that. And so when I was sitting there at 4 in the morning, I was thinking, (singing) 'Four in the morning came without a warning,' because it just woke me up, and there I was. And so I ended up with that as a verse."
  • Blades sings about being tormented by love in this song, but in real life he's romantically stable, it's just that song ideas are constantly popping into his head. Says Blades: "My wife always laughs at me. My wife who I've been married to for 32 years, so Mollie and I have been together since 1976 or something like that. She laughs about the fact that I always have a song in my head, whether it's a melody, whether it's a song of mine, whether it's a song 'California Dreamin'',' there's always music in my head. Which is kind of bizarre. There isn't a time when there's not one song floating around in my head, whether it be an old song, a new song, an idea or something. And she always thinks that's really, really funny, because it's hard for me just to be still. (laughs) Because there's chatter, there's music going on my head all the time."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine Band

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine BandSongwriter Interviews

Harry Wayne Casey tells the stories behind KC and The Sunshine Band hits like "Get Down Tonight," "That's The Way (I Like It)," and "Give It Up."

90s Music Quiz 1

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?

Producer Ron Nevison

Producer Ron NevisonSong Writing

Ron Nevison explains in very clear terms the Quadrophenia concept and how Heart staged their resurgence after being dropped by their record company.

Wedding Bell Blues

Wedding Bell BluesSong Writing

When a song describes a wedding, it's rarely something to celebrate - with one big exception.

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith

Steven Tyler of AerosmithSongwriter Interviews

Tyler talks about his true love: songwriting. How he identifies the beauty in a melody and turns sorrow into art.

Muhammad Ali: His Musical Legacy and the Songs he Inspired

Muhammad Ali: His Musical Legacy and the Songs he InspiredSong Writing

Before he was the champ, Ali released an album called I Am The Greatest!, but his musical influence is best heard in the songs he inspired.