I Just Can't Be Happy Today Explained

I Just Can't Be Happy Today
Cover:	IJustCan'tBeHappyToday.jpg
Type:	single
Artist:	the Damned
Album:	Machine Gun Etiquette
Released:	16 November 1979^[1]
Recorded:	1979
Genre:	Post-punk
Length:	3:34
Label:	Chiswick CHIS 120Motown CHIS 115
Producer:	Roger Armstrong the Damned
Prev Title:	Smash It Up
Prev Year:	1979
Next Title:	White Rabbit
Next Year:	1980

"I Just Can't Be Happy Today" is a song by English punk rock band the Damned from their 1979 album, Machine Gun Etiquette. Released as a single in November on Chiswick Records, it peaked at No. 46 in the UK Singles Chart.

Production

The single was heavily edited for radio airplay, removing the spoken word monologue, though the version on the record is unaltered. The first track on the B-side, a cover of Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz", was recorded with Lemmy of Motörhead fame on bass guitar. "Turkey Song" was not credited on the sleeve.

Live performances

The Damned performed "I Just Can't Be Happy Today" alongside "Smash It Up" on the BBC2 television show The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1979, where they infamously trashed the stage towards the end of the song.^[2]

Track listing

1. "I Just Can't Be Happy Today" (Dadomo, Scabies, Sensible, Vanian, Ward) - 2:53
2. "Ballroom Blitz" (Chapman, Chinn) - 3:30
3. "Turkey Song" (Scabies, Sensible, Vanian, Ward) - 1:32

Production credits

Producers

• Roger Armstrong
• The Damned

Musicians

• Dave Vanian − vocals
• Captain Sensible − guitar, keyboards, vocals and Mandolin on "Turkey Song"
• Rat Scabies − drums
• Algy Ward − bass
• Lemmy − bass on "Ballroom Blitz"

Notes and References

1. Web site: Music Week. 56.
2. The Old Grey Whistle Test. DVD. Warner Home Video. 2003.