Why Can't We be Friends (song)
Encyclopedia
"Why Can't We Be Friends?" is a song by the band War
. 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 over forty times in under four minutes. It was played in space when NASA beamed it to the linking of Soviet cosmonauts and U.S. astronauts in 1975.
"Why Can't We Be Friends?" charted at number six in 1975.
(1993), BASEketball
(1998), Lethal Weapon 4
's (1998) end credits (combined with pictures of the cast and crew from all four movies), Cheats
(2002), Welcome to Mooseport
(2004), Cheaper by the Dozen 2
(2005), Bridge to Terabithia
(2007), College Road Trip
(2008), Semi-Pro
(2008), The Final Destination (2009) as well as the animated short, The ChubbChubbs!
(2002), and animated television series, The Simpsons
(in the 1996 episode "The Homer They Fall
") and King of the Hill
(in the 2006 episode "Hank Fixes Everything").
It was featured in a TV commercial for XM Satellite Radio
, and was used again for a 2010
ad for Pepsi Max
. It was also used in the television show Everybody Hates Chris
.
Tom DeLay
and Cheryl Burke
danced Samba
to it on Dancing with the Stars
, with DeLay's outfit representing Republicans
and Burke's representing Democrats
. The song is also used in the end credits of the 2010 film Cats and Dogs: Revenge of Kitty Galore.
War (band)
War is an American funk band from California, known for the hit songs "Low Rider", "Spill the Wine", "The Cisco Kid" and "Why Can't We Be Friends?". Formed in 1969, War was a musical crossover band which fused elements of rock, funk, jazz, Latin, rhythm and blues, and reggae...
. 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 over forty times in under four minutes. It was played in space when NASA beamed it to the linking of Soviet cosmonauts and U.S. astronauts in 1975.
"Why Can't We Be Friends?" charted at number six in 1975.
Use in film and television
"Why Can't We Be Friends?", in its various versions and sometimes versions created for the film itself, has been featured in a number of Hollywood films, including: Dazed and ConfusedDazed and Confused
"Dazed and Confused" is a song by Jake Holmes, which was covered by The Yardbirds, and later reworked by Led Zeppelin who hold a separate copyright on the song.-Jake Holmes:...
(1993), BASEketball
BASEketball
BASEketball is a 1998 American David Zucker comedy starring South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, along with Dian Bachar, Robert Vaughn, Ernest Borgnine, Yasmine Bleeth, and Jenny McCarthy...
(1998), Lethal Weapon 4
Lethal Weapon 4
Lethal Weapon 4 is a 1998 American action film directed by Richard Donner, starring Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Chris Rock and Jet Li. It is the third sequel in the Lethal Weapon series of films. -Plot:...
's (1998) end credits (combined with pictures of the cast and crew from all four movies), Cheats
Cheats (film)
Cheats is a 2002 comedy about four friends that have been cheating their way through high school, and have to face new challenges to avoid getting caught before going to college. The lead roles are Trevor Fehrman, Matthew Lawrence, and Mary Tyler Moore....
(2002), Welcome to Mooseport
Welcome to Mooseport
Welcome to Mooseport is a 2004 American comedy film directed by Donald Petrie and starring Ray Romano and Gene Hackman in his final film before retiring from acting...
(2004), Cheaper by the Dozen 2
Cheaper by the Dozen 2
Cheaper by the Dozen 2 is a 2005 film produced by 20th Century Fox. It is the sequel to the family comedy film Cheaper by the Dozen . Shawn Levy, the director of the first film, did not return as director for this sequel, which was instead directed by Adam Shankman . Levy was a producer of the film...
(2005), Bridge to Terabithia
Bridge to Terabithia (2007 film)
Bridge to Terabithia is a 2007 fantasy drama film directed by Gábor Csupó and adapted for film by David L. Paterson and Jeff Stockwell. The film is based on the Katherine Paterson novel of the same name, and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures in the US. The film stars Josh Hutcherson, AnnaSophia...
(2007), College Road Trip
College Road Trip
College Road Trip is a 2008 American family/comedy directed by Roger Kumble and starring Martin Lawrence, Raven-Symoné, Brenda Song, Margo Harshman, and Donny Osmond. The film centers on college-bound teen Melanie Porter , who goes on a road trip to different colleges with her father...
(2008), Semi-Pro
Semi-Pro
Semi-Pro is a 2008 American sports screwball comedy film from New Line Cinema. The film was directed by Kent Alterman and stars Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin and Maura Tierney. The film was shot in Los Angeles near Dodger Stadium , in Detroit and in Flint, Michigan...
(2008), The Final Destination (2009) as well as the animated short, The ChubbChubbs!
The ChubbChubbs!
The ChubbChubbs! is a 2002 American computer-animated comedy short film by Sony Pictures Imageworks. It was directed by Eric Armstrong, produced by Jacquie Barnbrook, and written by Jeff Wolverton....
(2002), and animated television series, The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
(in the 1996 episode "The Homer They Fall
The Homer They Fall
"The Homer They Fall" is the third episode of The Simpsons eighth season and originally aired November 10, 1996. After Homer Simpson realizes he has a bizarre medical condition that renders him unable to be knocked out, he decides to embark on a career as a boxer with Moe Szyslak as his manager. ...
") and King of the Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
(in the 2006 episode "Hank Fixes Everything").
It was featured in a TV commercial for XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
, and was used again for a 2010
2010 in television
2010 in television may refer to:*2010 in American television*2010 in Australian television*2010 in British television*2010 in Canadian television*2010 in Japanese television...
ad for Pepsi Max
Pepsi Max
Pepsi Max is a low-calorie, sugar-free cola, marketed by PepsiCo as an alternative to Pepsi and Diet Pepsi.It differs from Pepsi in that it contains aspartame, potassium benzoate, acesulfame potassium, calcium disodium EDTA and panax ginseng extract while it does not contain high fructose corn...
. It was also used in the television show Everybody Hates Chris
Everybody Hates Chris
Everybody Hates Chris is an African American television period sitcom inspired by the teenage experiences of comedian Chris Rock , while growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York . The show is set from 1982 to 1987; however, Rock himself was a teenager during years...
.
Tom DeLay
Tom DeLay
Thomas Dale "Tom" DeLay is a former member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1984 until 2006. He was Republican Party House Majority Leader from 2003 to 2005, when he resigned because of criminal money laundering charges in...
and Cheryl Burke
Cheryl Burke
Cheryl Stephanie Burke is a professional dancer. She is best known for being one of the professional dancers on ABC's Dancing with the Stars, where she was the first woman to win the show and the first person to win twice ....
danced Samba
Samba
Samba is a Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in Bahia and with its roots in Brazil and Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions. It is recognized around the world as a symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival...
to it on Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars (U.S. season 9)
Dancing with the Stars returned for a ninth season on September 21, 2009, on a three-night premiere. Executive producer Conrad Green confirmed to Entertainment Tonight that the 9th season would start off with 16 celebrities, with 3 double-eliminations halfway through the season...
, with DeLay's outfit representing Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and Burke's representing Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. The song is also used in the end credits of the 2010 film Cats and Dogs: Revenge of Kitty Galore.
Cover versions
- The song was later covered by Smash MouthSmash MouthSmash Mouth is an American rock band from San Jose, California. The band was formed in 1994, and was originally composed of Steve Harwell, Greg Camp, Paul De Lisle and Kevin Coleman as lead vocals, guitar, bass and drums respectively...
on their album Fush Yu MangFush Yu MangFush Yu Mang, released in 1997, is the first full length album from the San Jose, California rock band Smash Mouth. It includes their first major hit, "Walkin' on the Sun". The title of the album was taken from a line slurred by Al Pacino in Scarface...
. This version was used in trailers for Ice AgeIce Age (film)Ice Age is a 2002 American computer-animated film created by Blue Sky Studios and released by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Carlos Saldanha and Chris Wedge from a story by Michael J. Wilson. The story follows three Paleolithical mammals attempting to return a lost human baby to its parents...
(although it was not heard in the movie), on an episode of Lizzie McGuireLizzie McGuireLizzie McGuire is an American teen sitcom which premiered on the Disney Channel on January 12, 2001 and ended February 14, 2004. A total of 65 episodes were produced and aired. Its target demographic was preteens and adolescents...
, Cartoon Network UK commercials and in the movie BASEketballBASEketballBASEketball is a 1998 American David Zucker comedy starring South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, along with Dian Bachar, Robert Vaughn, Ernest Borgnine, Yasmine Bleeth, and Jenny McCarthy...
. - It was covered by ska/soul band The PietastersThe PietastersThe Pietasters are a seven-piece ska/soul band hailing from Washington, D.C., with additional members from Maryland and Virginia.- History :In 1990, a group of friends were attending college at Virginia Tech in the mountains of Virginia...
. - The MuppetsThe MuppetsThe Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson starting in 1954–55. Although the term is often used to refer to any puppet that resembles the distinctive style of The Muppet Show, the term is both an informal name and legal trademark owned by the Walt Disney Company in reference...
did a cover as part of the opening number on The Muppet ShowThe Muppet ShowThe Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
episode featuring guest star John DenverJohn DenverHenry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
. This version was set in the trenches of the First World War and featured various Muppets in costume from different periods of war (e.g. Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic WarsThe Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
). - It was covered by reggae artist Jacob MillerJacob MillerJacob Miller was a Jamaican reggae artist who first recorded with Clement Dodd. While pursuing a prolific solo career, he became the lead singer for reggae group Inner Circle with whom he recorded until his death in a car accident at the age of 27.-Biography:Jacob Miller was born in Mandeville,...
on his album Tenement Yard.
Use in other songs
- The song is mentioned in the Dave Matthews BandDave Matthews BandDave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...
song "Funny the Way It Is" from their 2009 album Big Whiskey and the Groogrux KingBig Whiskey and the Groogrux KingThe track listing was made available on April 14 on the Dave Matthews Band website, and the first single from the album, "Funny the Way It Is", was made available for free download on the Dave Matthews Band website for the week of 14 April 2009.-Little Red Bird:...
.
Chart positions (Smash Mouth version)
| Chart (1998) | Position |
|---|---|
| Netherlands Singles Chart | 89 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 39 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 29 |
| U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs | 28 |