Why Can't We Be Friends? (song)

"Why Can't We Be Friends?" is a song by American funk band War, from their 1975 studio album of the same name. It 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 No. 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.

"Why Can't We Be Friends?"
Single by War
from the album Why Can't We Be Friends?
B-side"In Mazatlan"
ReleasedApril 1975
Genre
Length3:50
LabelUnited Artists
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Jerry Goldstein
War singles chronology
"Ballero"
(1974)		 "Why Can't We Be Friends?"
(1975)		 "Low Rider"
(1975)
Music video
Why Can't We Be Friends on YouTube

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified 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
ReleasedJanuary 12, 1998 (1998-01-12)[10]
Genre
Length
  • 4:46 (album version)
  • 3:17 (radio edit)
LabelInterscope
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
"The Fonz"
(1997)		 "Why Can't We Be Friends?"
(1998)		 "Can't Get Enough of You Baby"
(1998)
Music video
"Why Can't We Be Friends?" on YouTube

American pop rock band Smash Mouth covered the song on their debut album, Fush Yu Mang, and released it as the album's third single in January 1998.

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."[12]

Charts
Chart (1998) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[13] 67
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[14] 19
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[15] 19
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[16] 89
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[17] 39
Spain (AFYVE)[18] 5
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[19] 29
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[20] 28

References
  1. Melissa Ursula Dawn Goldsmith (November 22, 2019). Listen to Classic Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre. ABC-CLIO. pp. 62–. ISBN 978-1-4408-6579-4.
  2. Gabriel San Roman (December 23, 2010). "WAR Is the Answer (and the Question) for Lonnie Jordan". OC Weekly. Archived from the original on October 2, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  3. 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.
  4. "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. July 17, 2013. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  5. "War Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  6. "War Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  7. "Top Singles – Volume 24, No. 14, December 27, 1975". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  8. "Top 100 Hits of 1975/Top 100 Songs of 1975". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  9. "American single certifications – War – Why Can't We Be Friends". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  10. "Upcoming New Releases". Hits. Vol. 11, no. 575. January 9, 1998. p. 34.
  11. "The 79 Best Alternative Rock Songs Of 1997". Spin. April 25, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  12. Flick, Larry (March 7, 1998). "Reviews & Previews: Singles" (PDF). Billboard. p. 61. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  13. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart Week Ending 24 May 1998". ARIA. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  14. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (26.2 – 5.3. 1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). February 27, 1998. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  15. "Tipparade-lijst van week 20, 1998" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  16. "Smash Mouth – Why Can't We Be Friends" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  17. "Smash Mouth – Why Can't We Be Friends". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  18. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  19. "Smash Mouth – Why Can't We Be Friends". Singles Top 100. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  20. "Smash Mouth Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
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