I reckon the late 20th Century fad for CDs as opposed to vinyl was really responsible for the demise of singles as a meaningful way for singers and bands to reach out to their fans. There always seemed to be a need to have a CD single extend out to three or four songs, with a running time of at least fifteen minutes, thus leading to all sorts of remixes and live versions which weren’t always loved by those making the music or those buying it.
It was much simpler when it was a 7″ piece of vinyl and nobody cared a jot about running lengths and value for money, as in the case of the two songs on today’s offering, which have a combined running time of four minutes.
As ever with this lazy series, writing wise, here’s wiki:-
I Can’t Stand Up for Falling Down is a song written by Homer Banks and Allen Jones. Originally recorded by soul duo Sam & Dave in 1967, the song was famously covered by new wave musician Elvis Costello with his backing band the Attractions in 1980 for their album Get Happy!!.
Costello’s version was drastically rearranged from the original, turning it from a slow soul ballad into an uptempo Northern soul-style dance track. It was one of three singles taken from the album in the UK. It was supposed to be released on the 2 Tone Records label in the UK, but even though copies were pressed, contractual difficulties eventually halted its release on that label. The single was eventually released on F-Beat Records, which was the charted release, reaching #4 on the charts over a stay of eight weeks.
mp3: Elvis Costello and The Attractions – I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down
At 2:05 in length, it certainly can’t be accused of taxing the patience of any listener. But it was a beast of a track in comparison to its b-side, which lasts just 1:56:-
mp3: Elvis Costello and The Attractions – Girls Talk
A song written by Elvis Costello, that had been a Top 10 hit for Dave Edmunds more than a year previously.
There’s actually a mistake on the reverse of the sleeve of this single as it refers to the track as Girl’s Talk, albeit the label in the centre of the single has the correct details.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
Elvis’s version is better than Sam and Dave’s but Dave’s version is better than Elvis’s.
– JTFL
The Dave Edmunds version of Girls Talk was streets ahead for me.
Didn’t know ‘I Can’t…’ was a cover; always liked it.
wow, I had no idea I always assumed it was an original Elvis song
I liked and like both songs. A friend’s brother was a BIG Elvis fan, he liked Costello too and that was my introduction. This single has two superb songs on it although I’d maybe question wiki’s “Northern-soul style” descriptor of I Can’t Stand Up…. and the description of Edmunds as “pub rock”. Pub? Maybe? I dunno? But rock? Nah!
Dave Edmunds version of Girls Talk pops! I recall him being a guest on lots of tv shows and always being so quiet and affable
Crumbs! The Two-Tone version is on sale on discogs £85. Yikes!
Flimflamfan
There is something about Dave Edmunds version which just makes it such an earworm..one of the earliest records I remember hearing on the radio and just loving from listen 1..
Got this when it came out, and concur absolutely on the Dave Edmunds’ version, which I’ve also got – absolute beaut. The story at the time (confirmed in Elvis’s autobiog) is that for the writing of Get Happy, EC went out and bought a literal shed-load of old Stax/Atlantic/Motown/Northern/whatever soul singles, and played his way through them, picking them apart for musical inspiration, song structure, hooks, lyrical conceits, and rebuilding them into the compositions for the album.
For the supporting tour in 1980, in keeping with the short-sharp lo-fi pop style of the music, Elvis and the Attractions booked a load of small club venues, well below the capacity of the major theatres they’d been playing, and in fact there wasn’t even an Edinburgh date, meaning I had to drive over to Dunfermline with some pals to see him at the Kinema Ballroom instead. Great gig! Clive Langer and the Boxes supported, and I’m pretty sure both bands shared the same gear, or most of it, because there was none of the usual interminable kerfuffle of changing sets and sound-checking before the Attractions came on. It was just wham, let’s get on with this party, no pissing about. Unforgettable!