Why Can't We Be Friends? (song): Difference between revisions
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| B-side = In Mazatlan |
| B-side = In Mazatlan |
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| released = April 1975 |
| released = April 1975 |
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| recorded = 1974 |
| recorded = 1974-1975 |
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| studio = |
| studio = |
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| venue = |
Revision as of 16:30, 12 June 2022
"Why Can't We Be Friends?" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by War | ||||
from the album Why Can't We Be Friends? | ||||
B-side | "In Mazatlan" | |||
Released | April 1975 | |||
Recorded | 1974-1975 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:50 | |||
Label | United Artists | |||
Songwriter(s) | Papa Dee Allen, Harold Ray Brown, B. B. Dickerson, Lonnie Jordan, Charles Miller, Lee Oskar, Howard E. Scott, Jerry Goldstein | |||
Producer(s) | Jerry Goldstein | |||
War singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
Why Can't We Be Friends on YouTube |
"Why Can't We Be Friends?" is a song by the funk band War from its 1975 studio album of the same name. The song has a simple structure, with the phrase "Why can't we be friends?" being sung four times after each two-line verse amounting to forty-four times in under four minutes. The song reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1975, and uniquely features each band member singing their own verse. It was played in outer space when NASA beamed it to the linking of Soviet cosmonauts and U.S. astronauts for the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project.[2] Billboard ranked it as the No. 23 song of that year.
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA)[9] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Smash Mouth version
"Why Can't We Be Friends?" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Smash Mouth | ||||
from the album Fush Yu Mang | ||||
Released | April 7, 1998 | |||
Recorded | 1996 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:46 (Album Version) 3:17 (Radio Edit) | |||
Label | Interscope | |||
Songwriter(s) | Papa Dee Allen, Harold Ray Brown, B. B. Dickerson, Lonnie Jordan, Charles Miller, Lee Oskar, Howard E. Scott | |||
Producer(s) | Eric Valentine | |||
Smash Mouth singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Why Can't We Be Friends?" on YouTube |
American pop rock band Smash Mouth covered the song on its debut album Fush Yu Mang on April 7, 1998, releasing it as the band's second single and was also featured in the 1998 films BASEketball and Wild Things.[11] The song was also featured in the Friendships trailer for Mortal Kombat 11.[12] It was also used in a trailer of Ice Age.[13]
Critical reception
Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Hot on the heels of 'Walkin' On The Sun' comes a wonderfully festive, anthemic rendition of War's pop/R&B chestnut. The song's original funk-flavored arrangement proves perfectly accessible to Smash mouth's pop/ska style. The heartfelt 'let's get along' tone of the lyrics remains as relevant as ever to today's social and political climate, and the band's rousing approach makes the message all the more user-friendly to the pop masses. Another sure-fire multi-format hit from the album Fush Yu Mang."[14]
Charts
Chart (1998) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[15] | 67 |
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[16] | 19 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[17] | 89 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[18] | 39 |
Spain (AFYVE)[19] | 5 |
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[20] | 29 |
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[21] | 28 |
References
- ^ a b c Melissa Ursula Dawn Goldsmith (22 November 2019). Listen to Classic Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre. ABC-CLIO. pp. 62–. ISBN 978-1-4408-6579-4.
- ^ Gabriel San Roman (December 23, 2010). "WAR Is the Answer (and the Question) for Lonnie Jordan". OC Weekly. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 332. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
- ^ "War Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
- ^ "War Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
- ^ "Top Singles – Volume 24, No. 14, December 27, 1975". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
- ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1975/Top 100 Songs of 1975". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
- ^ "American single certifications – War – Why Can't We Be Friends". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
- ^ "The 79 Best Alternative Rock Songs Of 1997". Spin. 2017-04-25. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
- ^ "Music — Why Can't We Be Friends? - Single by Smash Mouth". Amazon. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
- ^ "Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath - Official Friendships Trailer". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved May 18, 2020..
- ^ "Ice Age (2002) Trailer #1". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved Jun 24, 2019.
- ^ Flick, Larry (March 7, 1998). "Reviews & Previews: Singles" (PDF). Billboard. p. 61. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart Week Ending 24 May 1998". ARIA. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
- ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (26.2 – 5.3. 1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). February 27, 1998. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
- ^ "Smash Mouth – Why Can't We Be Friends" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
- ^ "Smash Mouth – Why Can't We Be Friends". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
- ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ^ "Smash Mouth – Why Can't We Be Friends". Singles Top 100. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
- ^ "Smash Mouth Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
External links
- 1975 songs
- 1975 singles
- 1998 singles
- War (American band) songs
- Smash Mouth songs
- Anti-war songs
- Songs written by Lonnie Jordan
- Song recordings produced by Jerry Goldstein (producer)
- Song recordings produced by Eric Valentine
- Music videos directed by McG
- United Artists Records singles
- ABC Records singles
- Interscope Records singles
- Songs against racism and xenophobia
- Songs about friendship