Can't Fight This Feeling: SAB Choral Octavo

Greg Gilpin's arrangement strips the original down to its emotional core while keeping the song entirely accessible to three-part choirs. The Glee connection gives instant credibility with students, and the straightforward SAB voicing means you're not sacrificing musicality for range limitations. This is the kind of repertoire that makes teenagers actually want to show up to rehearsal.

A moment of quiet realization that blooms into something undeniable. The arrangement honors the original's warmth while creating space for ensemble voices to land genuinely rather than oversinging. You'll hear vulnerability in the verses and gathered strength in the refrain.

Mixed choirs at the middle school, high school, and community levels who have singers with limited range flexibility but strong emotional maturity. This octavo works especially well for groups building confidence in contemporary repertoire or introducing students to arranged pop music in a concert setting.

• Lean into the vulnerability of the lyric during the verse sections; encourage singers to imagine the exact moment a friendship shifts into something deeper rather than treating it as a dramatic performance.
• Balance the soaring moments in the chorus without letting the Soprano line overshadow the harmonic foundation that the Alto and Bass parts provide.
• Use the recorded accompaniment to lock the interpretation of tempo and phrasing early in rehearsal, then gradually pull back the track as singers gain confidence with the melody.

Pair this with other contemporary songs that explore relationships and emotion to create a cohesive concert theme, or feature it as the centerpiece of a pop music showcase that celebrates what students actually listen to. It also serves beautifully as a concert closer when you want to end on a resonant, heartfelt note rather than high energy.

• Singing with lyrical intention and emotional restraint
• Balancing melody and harmony in three-part voicing
• Phrasing across longer musical phrases without breaking for breath inappropriately
• Interpreting contemporary popular song in an ensemble context