Now That You Can't Have Me

"Now That You Can't Have Me" is the second and final single from Cosima De Vito's self-titled debut album, Cosima. Released in December 2004 following the success of "When the War Is Over", the single peaked at number forty-two on the ARIA Charts.

About the record

"Now That You Can't Have Me" was penned by songwriter Diane Warren and was produced by Khris Kellow (who produced Christina Aguilera's debut album). It was said that when Cosima first heard the song, she believed it destined for her.

The song is the sultry ode of a woman who no longer wants her ex-lover back. The chorus says "Now that you can't have me, that's when you want me. But baby, it's too late, time to set the record straight." The song is woman-empowering and documents the heartache of a relationship breakdown before refusing to accept her ex-lover's apology.

Reception

"Now That You Can't Have Me" proved to be an unsuccessful single. There was much controversy among Cosima fans at the time that mainstream radio refused to play the song. Indeed some radio stations labelled the song 'unsuitable' and not 'radio-friendly'. The song peaked at number forty-two on its debut and dropped out of the Top fifty thereafter and spent eight weeks in the top one hundred. This single continued the trend set by Cosima's debut album, charting high on debut but dropping quickly due to inadequate promotion. It is believed that the single could have charted higher initially, however distribution problems marred its release and many fans had to wait until the second week to purchase it. It was revealed that if the problems did not happen, the single would have debuted at #37. If all sales were combined, the single would have reached #28.

Music video

The music video for "Now That You Can't Have Me" was directed by Paul Joseph Sullivan and showed a different side to Cosima's image. Revealing a sultry, mysterious side, the clip used lots of shadows and lightning to heighten the dramatic effect. Cosima appears at time in a dark room with candles, suggesting witchcraft. The music video was initially very popular on shows such as Video Hits and was on high rotation. Its popularity peaked regrettably before the single was released and could have added to the reasons behind its low debut.

Charts