Can We Still Be Friends

"Can We Still Be Friends"
Single by Todd Rundgren
from the album Hermit of Mink Hollow
B-side	"Out of Control" (US), "Determination" (UK)
Released	May 1978
Recorded	1978
Genre	Soft rock
Length	3:34
Label	Bearsville
Songwriter(s)	Todd Rundgren
Producer(s)	Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren singles chronology
"Good Vibrations" (1976) "Can We Still Be Friends" (1978) "Bang the Drum All Day" (1983)

"Can We Still Be Friends" is a song written and originally performed by Todd Rundgren.

Todd Rundgren version

Todd Rundgren released his version on his 1978 album Hermit of Mink Hollow. This was the only hit single on the album, reaching #29 on the US Billboard Hot 100,[1] and also peaking at #8 in Australia. The lyrics describe a relationship to which Rundgren and the woman to whom he is singing have made great efforts to fix, but simply cannot make it work. Rundgren explains this, but wishes to part amicably, asking several times if he and his partner can "still be friends." The song is generally assumed to be about Rundgren's breakup with long-time companion Bebe Buell in 1977. Rundgren played all the instruments and performed all the vocals on the track, as he did with the rest of the album.

In 1994, the song made a prominent appearance in the film Dumb and Dumber, for which Rundgren had composed the score. It also appears on the soundtrack for the 2001 film Vanilla Sky, and the TV series Nip/Tuck.

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Can We Still Be Friends"

Chart (1978)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[2]	8
United States (Billboard 100)	29

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "Can We Still Be Friends"

Chart (1978)	Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[3]	54

Robert Palmer version

"Can We Still Be Friends"
Single by Robert Palmer
from the album Secrets
B-side	"Too Good To Be True"
Released	9 November 1979[4]
Genre	Pop rock soul[5]
Label	Island
Songwriter(s)	Todd Rundgren
Producer(s)	Robert Palmer
Robert Palmer singles chronology
"Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)" (1979) "Can We Still Be Friends" (1979) "Johnny and Mary" (1980)
Audio video
"Can We Still Be Friends?" on YouTube

In 1979, "Can We Still Be Friends" became a hit again when Robert Palmer recorded a version for his album Secrets.

Chart performance

Chart (1979-80)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[6]	52
Dutch Top 40[7]	32

Mandy Moore version

"Can We Still Be Friends"
Song by Mandy Moore
from the album Coverage
Released	2003
Genre	R&B
Length	3:38
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Todd Rundgren
Producer(s)	John Fields
Audio
"Can We Still Be Friends" on YouTube

In 2003, Mandy Moore recorded her own version of the song from her third studio album Coverage, composed entirely of cover songs.

Other versions

• Colin Blunstone recorded a version on his 1979 album "Late Nights in Soho".
• Rod Stewart recorded the song as a track for his 1984 album Camouflage. His version is performed at a faster tempo than Rundgren's and Palmer's versions and features more prominent use of the synthesizer.
• Marc Jordan recorded the song as a track for his 1990 album COW.
• In 2001, Vonda Shepard's version appeared on a soundtrack for the television show Ally McBeal.
• Kate Markowitz recorded it for her 2003 album Map of the World.
• Argentine rock musicians Charly García and Nito Mestre, founding members of the band Sui Generis, recorded a Spanish version entitled "Yo soy su papá" ("I am his father"), which appeared on their 2000 album Sinfonías para adolescentes (Symphonies for Teenagers).
• Filipino singer, actress and TV host Toni Gonzaga covered the song as part of the soundtrack of the 2017 film of the same name starring Gerald Anderson and Arci Muñoz.

References

1. "Billboard Hot 100, Chart Listing For The Week Of sep 02 1978". Billboard. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
2. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 261. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
3. "Kent Music Report No 236 – 1 January 1979 > National Top 100 Singles for 1978". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 8 January 2022 – via Imgur.com.
4. "Music Week" (PDF). p. 32.
5. Deggans, Eric (January 1, 1998). "Robert Palmer". In Graff, Gary; du Lac, Josh; McFarlin, Jim (eds.). MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. p. 439.
6. "Billboard Hot 100, Chart Listing For The Week Of feb 16 1980". Billboard. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
7. "De Nederlandse Top 40, week 51, 1979". Retrieved September 25, 2022.