Song of the Day (165): Don’t Do It – The Band

Song of the Day (165) - Don’t Do It by The Band

Here’s yet another Holland-Dozier-Holland song that Marvin Gaye first recorded and made it a hit. Gaye called the song “Don’t You Do It’ and it is some beautiful R&B, but I will forever link this song to the Band with Levon Helm on the vocals. His voices the mix of joy and misery that comes with love:

My biggest mistake was loving you too much and letting you know
Now you got me where you want me and you won’t let me go
If my heart was made of glass, well, then you’d surely see
How much heartache and misery, girl, you’ve been causing me

Baby don’t you do it, don’t do it
Don’t you break my heart
Please don’t do it, don’t you break my heart

The Band recorded multiple versions of “Don’t Do It” throughout their career:

  • It appears on their 1972 live album “Rock of Ages”. That’s the version I share here.
  • They performed as the encore in “The Last Waltz,” the concert film made with Martin Scorsese.

#Songoftheday #spreadinghappiness #theband #dontdoit

YouTube: https://youtu.be/-c_E-W3yhHY?si=9YQQlla5mg1OAQxx

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4W8BdL5Ads2wqBb1CgC2yw?si=ba212f75337a4111