Song · Michael McDonald
“I Keep Forgettin'” by Michael McDonald
From the album If That's What It Takes (1982)
“I Keep Forgettin'” by Michael McDonald appears on 2 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 2020 and 2026. It was first released in 1982 on the album If That's What It Takes. Its best result is #289 on the WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #8,268 indie & aaa song of all time.
"I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)" came off If That's What It Takes, the 1982 album that was Michael McDonald's first solo outing away from the Doobie Brothers, and as a single it went to No. 4 on Billboard's pop chart, No. 7 R&B and No. 8 adult contemporary. McDonald wrote it with Ed Sanford, but it sat close enough to Chuck Jackson's 1962 "I Keep Forgettin'" that Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who wrote that one, got a credit too.
The band is stacked: Louis Johnson of the Brothers Johnson lays down that prominent bass line, with Jeff Porcaro on drums, Steve Lukather on guitar and Greg Phillinganes on clavinet, while McDonald plays Rhodes and synthesizer and sings lead, his sister Maureen behind him. Ted Templeman and Lenny Waronker produced, and Billboard heard a soulful midtempo ballad.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1949 | WXPN | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2020 |
| 2026 | 289 | WFPK | WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s | 498 |
Also listed as: I Keep Forgetting.
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