I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself

The song’s life began in 1962, when Bacharach and David were songwriters at New York songwriting factory the Brill Building.[1]

"I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself" was first recorded by Chuck Jackson in 1962.[2] This version was shelved and remained unreleased until it appeared on a 1984 compilation on the Kent record label called "Mr. Emotion". According to the sleeve notes of that album, Tommy Hunt's vocals were substituted for Jackson's whilst the original backing track was retained. The song was then recorded, also in 1962, by Tommy Hunt in a session produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, with Burt Bacharach arranging and conducting. It was released as single Scepter 1236 (B-side "And I Never Knew") in May 1962, but did not chart. The song served as the title track for Hunt's sole album release on Scepter released in April 1963. The success in the UK of the Dusty Springfield version of "I Just Don't Know..." in the summer of 1964 led to Scepter's re-releasing the original, at which time it reached the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart in Billboard with a #119 peak.

Dusty Springfield recorded "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" in a session at Olympic Studios in Westminster with production credited to Philips Records owner Johnny Franz - although Springfield later stated her solo Philips tracks were self-produced - and arranged by Ivor Raymonde who conducted his orchestra; personnel on the session included Big Jim Sullivan on guitar and Bobby Graham on drums. Springfield, whose first solo recordings had included covers of the Bacharach/David compositions "Anyone Who Had a Heart" and "Wishin' and Hopin' " - had brought back "I Just Don't Know..." from an overnight trip to New York City where she met up with Bacharach in February 1964.

The third UK single release of Springfield's solo career - following the "Brill Building" Sound-alikes "I Only Want to Be With You" and "Stay Awhile" - "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" was Springfield's first UK single release to display her signature vocal style; rising to #3 in the summer of 1964 the track remained Springfield's highest charting UK hit until she reached #1 in 1966 with "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" which would remain Springfield's only UK solo hit to chart higher than "I Just Don't Know...".

A concurrent US release of Springfield's "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" was preempted by the presence of Springfield's "Wishin' and Hopin'" in the US Top Ten over the summer of 1964. Springfield's "I Just Don't Know..." received a belated US release in October 1965 featured on a single with Springfield's current UK hit "Some of Your Lovin'"; that month Springfield made a promotional junket to the US which included performances of both of the single's tracks on the TV shows Hullabaloo and Shindig but neither side reached the Billboard Hot 100.

"I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself"
Single by Dionne Warwick
from the album Here Where There Is Love
B-side	"In Between the Heartaches"
Released	1966
Format	7" Vinyl
Recorded	August 1966
Genre	Pop, soul
Length	2:50
Label	Scepter
Songwriter(s)	Burt Bacharach and Hal David
Producer(s)	Burt Bacharach and Hal David
Dionne Warwick singles chronology
"Trains Boats and Planes" (1966) "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" (1966) "The Beginning of Loneliness" / "Another Night" (1966)

Dionne Warwick recorded "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" at Bell Sound Studios in August 1966 with Burt Bacharach producing; released that September the track is from her third album, Here Where There Is Love on Scepter Records. The song was a moderate success reaching #26 on the US Hot 100 and #20 on US Hot R&B with its strongest evident regional success in Detroit going Top Ten there.

After "Message to Michael" and "Trains and Boats and Planes" Warwick's "I Just Don't Know..." was her third consecutive single release comprising a previously recorded Bacharach/David song and Warwick's next Top 40 single "Alfie" would also fit in this category; three of the four appeared on Warwick's 1967 album Here Where There Is Love.

Marcia Hines recorded a version of the track and released it as the lead single from her second studio album, Shining (1976). The B-Side was "Trilogy" was included on her debut studio album, Marcia Shines (1975).

"I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself"
Single by The White Stripes
from the album Elephant
Released	1 September 2003
Format	CD, 7", DVD
Recorded	19 November 2001
Genre	Alternative rock, garage rock, blues rock
Length	2:46
Label	XL Recordings
Songwriter(s)	Burt Bacharach and Hal David
Producer(s)	Jack White
The White Stripes singles chronology
"Seven Nation Army" (2003) "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" (2003) "The Hardest Button to Button" (2003)

In 2003, "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" was released as a single by the American alternative rock band The White Stripes. It was the second single released from their album Elephant, reaching the top 40 in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

The black-and-white music video, directed by Sofia Coppola, cinematographed by Lance Acord and choreographed by Robin Conrad, features Kate Moss pole dancing in her black bra and her black underwear.[14][15]

• 1964: A French version of the song by Michèle Vendôme and Claude Carrère, "Oui, il faut croire", was released by yéyé-singer Sheila.
• 1967: A band from Gadsden, Alabama The BLEUS, recorded a version of the song at Muscle Shoals Studio, with Eddie Hinton producing, released on the AMY label. The recording met with great success in the southeast U.S.
• 1968: An Italian translation by Franco Migliacci, "Se mi vuoi bene", was recorded by Patty Pravo. The original English version was also recorded by Cissy Houston in the same year.
• 1970: In October 1970 a Richard Perry-produced version of the song was released as the first solo single by Gary Puckett; primarily supported by Easy Listening radio, the track reached #61 on the Hot 100 in Billboard magazine whose Easy Listening chart afforded Puckett's "I Just Don't Know..." a #14 peak.
• 1970: Isaac Hayes released his version in the same year.
• 1972: The Dells.
• 1978: Elvis Costello & The Attractions; Demis Roussos. Costello later wrote of his version, "It was a measure of how backwards things were in 1977 that some people actually thought I was making a joke when The Attractions and I began performing "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself". I was not being ironic. I was being extremely literal."[24]
• 1980: The Photos (featuring Wendy Wu).
• 1991: The Stylistics.
• 1994: Linda Ronstadt on Winter Light.
• 1997: The soundtrack to My Best Friend's Wedding included a version by Nicky Holland. In the film, Cameron Diaz sings the song in a karaoke scene.
• 2003: Steve Tyrell.
• 2006: The song was performed and included in the soundtrack for Shout! The Mod Musical.
• 2007: Trijntje Oosterhuis; Tina Arena.
• 2009: Scottish pop singer and songwriter Jimmy Somerville recorded the song for his album, Suddenly Last Summer.
• 2011: Ronan Keating recorded the song for his album, When Ronan Met Burt.
• 2012: Melanie C recorded the song for her musical-theatre-inspired album, Stages.
• 2016 Mari Wilson recorded the song on her album Pop Deluxe [25]

Although the recording year is unknown, a 2002 release of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles' Away We a Go-Go includes their version of "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself".

• Serene Dominic. Burt Bacharach, Song by Song: The Ultimate Burt Bacharach Reference for Fans. Schirmer Trade, New York 2003. ISBN 0-8256-7280-5

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
• White Stripes.net