The “badass” song Patti Smith thought no one else had heard

We all have those obscure songs in our playlists or record collections that feel like they belong to us. They have barely any streams, it took months to track down a limited physical copy on Discogs, and your friends look at you with puzzlement when you mention the artist’s name. They’re hidden treasures in your repertoire of recommendations, only to be handed out to the closest of friends and family. Or, if you’re Patti Smith, to the most committed fans.

Like most artists, Smith was once one of those undiscovered gems before she became a leading figure in the New York punk scene. She spent her days busking around the city, honing her craft with spoken word projects and plays. But by the mid-1970s, she was no longer an obscure name as she began pairing her penchant for poetry with music.

Decades later, Smith is one of the most influential figures in the alternative scene. Between Horses and Just Kids, she became an enduring reference point, a voice of wisdom and a source of inspiration for countless young artists, young women, young poets, and young punks everywhere. She’s also a source of song suggestions, as she proved during a conversation with Shortlist.

Smith divulged several of those hidden gems in her list of recommendations, starting with “a song by a Scottish girl, it’s called John Anderson”. Though this is as far as Smith’s description goes, she seems to be referring to ‘John Anderson My Jo’, a poem by Robert Burns. “It’s a little song that a woman is singing about her husband who is now old, but was once beautiful,” Smith explained.

Keeping her recommendations almost too obscure, Smith didn’t divulge the name of the Scottish singer who turned the poetry into music. Fortunately, she did share the name of her second pick: ‘If I Can’t Have You’, duetted by Etta James and Harvey Fuqua. “It’s an awesome song,” Smith stated, “No one knows about it.”

It seems like a strange pick for an obscure track, given James’ mammoth legacy in music history, but this is one of the more underrated tracks in her discography. It’s nowhere near as well known as classics like ‘At Last’ and ‘A Sunday Kind of Love’, even though it appeared on her debut record alongside them. “I’ve asked a million people,” Smith stated, “do you know this song by Etta and Harvey?”

The obscurity of the song certainly doesn’t reflect its quality. The duet is a gorgeous collection of twinkling keys and jazz that serve to emphasise the perfect synergy of James and Fuqua’s voices. “The way you love me, the way you squeeze me,” they sing together, “The way you kiss me, if I can’t have you.” It’s the kind of song you immediately want to hear on vinyl in all of its fuzzy glory.

Smith described the song as both “very sensual” and “badass”, a combination that few singers could achieve but one that James entirely mastered. ‘If I Can’t Have You’ is sultry and sophisticated, a gorgeous back-and-forth of longing and love, but it’s also full of intent and purpose. James’ voice is truly badass, a quality that is only emphasised with Fuqua’s addition.

If you’re looking for a gorgeous new track to add to your playlist of obscurities and rarities, consider taking Smith’s recommendation and hit play on ‘If I Can’t Have You’.

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