Can't Stand Me Now
Encyclopedia
"Can't Stand Me Now" is the first single from The Libertines
' eponymous second album. The song was their biggest hit and peaked at #2 on the UK singles chart.
The song also received some exposure in the US; WFNX
in Boston debuted the song by playing it twice back-to-back even before its official radio airplay release.
The promotional video for the song was filmed at one of the band's gigs at the Kentish Town Forum at the end of 2003 and was directed by ex-The Jesus and Mary Chain
bassist Douglas Hart
.
The song was written by Carl Barât
& Pete Doherty
with Mark Keds (also known as Mark Myers and credited on this track as Mark Hammerton) who was previously in bands such as the Senseless Things
, The Wildhearts
and Jolt
.
Carl has said in an interview that he used to buy his bandmates harmonicas for Christmas, and towards the end of the song, Pete is heard playing a harmonica.
The song was also featured in the third episode of the Doctor Who
spin-off Torchwood
, "Ghost Machine
", in 2006.
It is featured in the EA Sports
game Rugby 2005. It also features on the UK version of SingStar Vol. 2.
In May 2007, NME
placed "Can't Stand Me Now" at number 13 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever.. NME also named the song as the best track of 2004. In October 2011, NME
placed it at number 26 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
The Libertines
The Libertines were an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât and Pete Doherty . The band, centred on the song-writing partnership of Barat and Doherty, also included John Hassall and Gary Powell for most of its recording career...
' eponymous second album. The song was their biggest hit and peaked at #2 on the UK singles chart.
The song also received some exposure in the US; WFNX
WFNX
WFNX is a New England commercial alternative rock radio station. The station began broadcasting on Monday, April 11, 1983. It was one of the first American commercial stations to play alternative rock and has become a leading radio station for breaking new alternative music.WFNX broadcasts on 101.7...
in Boston debuted the song by playing it twice back-to-back even before its official radio airplay release.
The promotional video for the song was filmed at one of the band's gigs at the Kentish Town Forum at the end of 2003 and was directed by ex-The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride, Glasgow in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid...
bassist Douglas Hart
Douglas Hart
Douglas Hart is a British musician and music video director.-Biography:Hart was the first bassist and founding member of the Scottish band The Jesus and Mary Chain, and played with the group from 1984 to 1991...
.
The song was written by Carl Barât
Carl Barât
Carl Ashley Raphael Barât is an English musician, actor and author. He was the frontman and lead guitarist of Dirty Pretty Things, and recently debuted a solo album, but is best known for being the co-frontman with Peter Doherty of the garage rock band The Libertines.-Early life:Carl Barât was...
& Pete Doherty
Pete Doherty
Peter Doherty is an English musician, writer, actor, poet and artist. He is best known musically for being co-frontman of The Libertines, which he reformed with Carl Barât in 2010. His other musical project is indie band Babyshambles...
with Mark Keds (also known as Mark Myers and credited on this track as Mark Hammerton) who was previously in bands such as the Senseless Things
Senseless Things
Senseless Things were a British indie punk band, who were active on the UK festival circuit in the late 1980s and early 1990s.-Career:Senseless Things formed around the musical partnership of songwriter Mark Keds and Morgan Nicholls , who as eleven year old schoolboys in Twickenham, Middlesex put...
, The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts are a British rock group originally formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as The Beatles and 1980s-era Metallica...
and Jolt
Jolt
Jolt may refer to:*Jolt Cola, a soft drink*Jolt gum, a caffeinated chewing gum from the makers of Jolt Cola*Jolt Online Gaming, a game server host, game network and broadband internet service provider...
.
Carl has said in an interview that he used to buy his bandmates harmonicas for Christmas, and towards the end of the song, Pete is heard playing a harmonica.
The song was also featured in the third episode of the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
spin-off Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
, "Ghost Machine
Ghost Machine (Torchwood)
"Ghost Machine" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Torchwood. It is the third episode of the first series, which was broadcast on 29 October 2006.-Synopsis:...
", in 2006.
It is featured in the EA Sports
EA Sports
EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
game Rugby 2005. It also features on the UK version of SingStar Vol. 2.
In May 2007, NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
placed "Can't Stand Me Now" at number 13 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever.. NME also named the song as the best track of 2004. In October 2011, NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
placed it at number 26 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
US CD 1 Specs.
- Cover Art - An orange X and yellow background cover art. [Pictured]
- Disc - Black disc with the orange X graphic from cover art, tracklisting and Rough Trade logo in orange, and black on white 'THE LIBERTINES' logo.
- Back Cover - a silhouette, black-and-white photograph of Pete and Carl standing in front of a window having a fagCigaretteA cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
. (Tracklisting appears in white text.)
US CD 2 Specs.
- Cover Art - A blue X and green brushed background cover art.
- Disc - White disc with the blue X graphic from cover art, tracklisting and Rough Trade logo in blue, and white on black 'THE LIBERTINES' logo.
- Back Cover - a silhouette, black-and-white photograph of Pete and Carl standing in front of a window having a fag. (Tracklisting in white text also on this version.)
Charts
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|