"Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" is a song written, recorded, and produced by American musician Barry White. Released in June 1974 as the first single from his third album, Can't Get Enough (1974), the song topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and BillboardR&B charts.[2] It became one of White's signature tunes and achieved gold record status in the US. It was also his second American chart-topper, after "Love's Theme".
The record begins with White speaking the first few lines over the intro music, "I've heard people say that too much of anything is no good for you, Baby. But I don't know about that."[3] White performed this song live on two TV shows: The Midnight Special in 1974, and on Soul Train on May 24, 1975.[4]
In 1993, the song was covered by American singer, songwriter, and actress Taylor Dayne as "Can't Get Enough of Your Love". When Dayne submitted her planned third album to Arista Records, label president Clive Davis strongly suggested that she remake the Barry White classic to serve as the album's lead single (replacing Dayne's choice, the self-penned "I'll Wait" which was the planned title cut; the album's title was amended to Soul Dancing).
Produced by David Cole and Robert Clivillés of C+C Music Factory, Dayne's "Can't Get Enough of Your Love" became a US dance club hit, peaking at number two on the BillboardHot Dance Club Songs chart. However, the track evinced a sharp drop in Dayne's profile on the Billboard Hot 100 with a number 20 peak; Dayne's first seven singles had all reached the top 10 but her eighth single, "Heart of Stone", peaked at number 12. "Can't Get Enough of Your Love" was her final top 40 hit with the follow-up single, "Send Me a Lover", being her last Hot 100 entry. The song also reached number 14 on the US Cash Box Top 100.
The track had more impact for Dayne internationally. In Australia, it spent three weeks at number two in August 1993 and was the 19th-best-selling single of 1993, receiving a Platinum certification for sales of at least 70,000 copies. The song also reached number eight in Canada, where it was the 67th-best-selling single of the year. Elsewhere, the song reached the top 20 in Belgium, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Jose F. Promis from AllMusic complimented Dayne's cover version as "excellent" and "dance-lite".[23]Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Long-absent pop dynamo takes a page from Barry White's book of R&B/disco classics, and gives it a faithful reading. Her boisterous delivery occasionally overpowers the instrumentation, though she is ultimately quite effective in conjuring up feelings of nostalgia."[24] Dave Obee from Calgary Herald remarked that "she even makes a Barry White song sound masculine."[25] Troy J. Augusto from Cash Box described it as a "bouncy cut that recalls, of all things, '70s disco but does so with enough of the singer's powerful presence to cancel the questionable musical vibe." He added that the song's approach "is lighter than writer Barry White's original, orchestrated version but strong delivery from Dayne makes up for lack of depth otherwise apparent in this read of tune."[26]
Nick Krewen from The Hamilton Spectator said her remake "is strong enough to claim ownership".[27] Connie Johnson from Los Angeles Times felt that here, Dayne "does her one better, with a campy, deluxe version" of White's song.[28] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton wrote, that "summery soul being the order of the day and may well give her her first Top 20 hit for 5 years."[29]James Hamilton from Music Week's RM Dance Update viewed it as "soulful".[30] Mike Joyce from The Washington Post found that Dayne's update of the disco classic "proves disarming."[31]
A music video was produced to promote the single, directed by Randee St. Nicholas,[32] featuring Dayne performing in the middle of a dancing crowd of people. The video was later made available on Dayne's official YouTube channel in 2009, and had generated almost six million views as of early 2024.[33]
The song appears in several episodes of the Fox TV series The Simpsons, including "Whacking Day" (April 29, 1993) and "The Last Temptation of Homer" (December 9, 1993). White was a big fan of the series. He recorded a version specially for "Whacking Day", in which he also appeared as a guest star.
In 1993, Dayne's version made an appearance in season one, episode three of The Nanny, "My Fair Nanny", playing in the background during the later part of Maggie's party.
