Can We Still Be Friends

Single infobox
Name = Can We Still Be Friends


Artist = Todd Rundgren
from Album = The Hermit of Mink Hollow
B-side = "Determination"
Released = 1978
Recorded = 1978
Genre = Pop rock
Length = 3:34
Label = Bearsville
Writer = Todd Rundgren
Producer = Todd Rundgren
Chart position = * #29 (United States)
Last single = "Good Vibrations"
(1976)
This single = "Can We Still Be Friends"
(1978)
Next single = "Bang the Drum All Day"
(1983)

"Can We Still Be Friends" is the name of a song written 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, becoming a #29 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The emotional lyrics describe a relationship in which Rundgren and the woman to which he is singing have given great effort, but which simply cannot work. Todd explains this, but wishes to part amicably, asking several times if he and his partner can "still be friends." In 1994, this song made a prominent appearance in the movie "Dumb and Dumber". It also appears on the soundtrack for the 2001 film "Vanilla Sky", and the TV show "Nip/Tuck.

Robert Palmer version

In 1979, "Can We Still Be Friends" became a hit again when Robert Palmer recorded a version for his album "Secrets". This version, which peaked at #52 on the Billboard Hot 100, is a fairly faithful rendition of the Todd Rundgren original.

Other versions

Rod Stewart remade this song as a track for his 1984 album "Camouflage". This version is performed at a faster tempo than Rundgren's and Palmer's versions and features more prominent use of the synthesizer. In 2001, Vonda Shepard's remake appeared on a soundtrack for the television show Ally McBeal. Mandy Moore recorded a version appearing on her 2003 album "Coverage", which is composed entirely of remakes. 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"), appearing on their 2000 album "Sinfonías para adolescentes" ("Symphonies for Teenagers").

Uses in film

"Can We Still Be Friends" appeared in the film "Vanilla Sky" and "Dumb and Dumber".