Can't Get Along (Without You)
Encyclopedia
"Can't Get Along" is a single from indie
band Hard-Fi
, taken from their second album Once Upon a Time in the West
. It was released on 4 November 2007. Richard Archer
has said that he thought it to be one of his best songs and TV presenter Tim Lovejoy
said that it was one of the best records he had ever heard. However, despite all this, the single only managed to reach #45 in the UK Singles Chart
which made it their worst charting single to date until June 2011 where "Good For Nothing" peaked six places lower at 51. On the other hand the single has had an unexpected success in Peru
reaching #1 in its second and third week.
and was actually originally written with Archer
's original band Contempo. It was originally going to be featured on Stars of CCTV
but Richard Archer says it just didn't feel right despite him believing it to be a great track capable of reaching #1. They re-recorded it for Once Upon a Time in the West and this time "it just felt right" Archer says enthusiastically.
It has a very notable soul influence, Archer explains that Hard-Fi
are big fans of soul music
and that the genre runs through the "DNA
" that makes up their music.
The single version is slightly different, it doesn't have the countdown at the beginning and explicit language is replaced with more appropriate words. It was mixed by Mark 'Spike' Stent.
The song's story, as Archer explains,
The song has been listed for 2 weeks on the UK Singles Top 75. It entered the chart on #45, its last appearance was on #70 which during that week was the largest free faller.
on the band's MySpace page on 1 October 2007.
The video directed by Rozan & Schmeltz, premiered on Channel 4
at 12:30pm just after Hollyoaks
on 8 October 2007, much like Suburban Knights
.
format to make it possible to hear the track on an MP3 Player such as Apple's iPod
or on a PC.
On 24 December 2007, this issue was resolved as on the iTunes Store
a new Once Upon a Time in the West
package was released featuring the original track listing plus "These Four Walls and I" along with the never before released "Suburban Knights (Acoustic)
" and the full length mix of the Suburban Knights Steve Angello & Sebastian Ingrosso mix
.
. It entered the chart at #45 on 18 November 2007, where it dropped to #70 the following week making it the biggest free faller of the week.
Indie (music)
In music, independent music, often shortened to indie music or "indie" is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing....
band Hard-Fi
HARD-Fi
Hard-Fi are an English indie rock band formed in Staines, Surrey in 2003. The band's members are Richard Archer , Ross Phillips , Kai Stephens and Steve Kemp .They achieved chart success with their third single, "Hard to Beat" and then followed by other successful singles such as...
, taken from their second album Once Upon a Time in the West
Once Upon a Time in the West (album)
Once Upon a Time in the West is the second studio album by English indie rock band Hard-Fi. It was released on 3 September 2007 on Necessary/Atlantic and Warner Music UK. It reached #1 in the UK Album Chart in the first week of its release, unlike its predecessor Stars of CCTV, which took around...
. It was released on 4 November 2007. Richard Archer
Richard Archer
Richard John "Rich" Archer is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, principal songwriter and main composer of indie rock band Hard-Fi. Hard-Fi have produced several top 10 hits and two #1 albums. The influence of Archer's hometown of Staines is often...
has said that he thought it to be one of his best songs and TV presenter Tim Lovejoy
Tim Lovejoy
Timothy Paul Lovejoy is a British television presenter most famous for hosting Saturday morning football programme Soccer AM alongside Helen Chamberlain for over a decade.- Career :...
said that it was one of the best records he had ever heard. However, despite all this, the single only managed to reach #45 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
which made it their worst charting single to date until June 2011 where "Good For Nothing" peaked six places lower at 51. On the other hand the single has had an unexpected success in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
reaching #1 in its second and third week.
History
This R&B swagger is the oldest song on Once Upon a Time in the WestOnce Upon a Time in the West (album)
Once Upon a Time in the West is the second studio album by English indie rock band Hard-Fi. It was released on 3 September 2007 on Necessary/Atlantic and Warner Music UK. It reached #1 in the UK Album Chart in the first week of its release, unlike its predecessor Stars of CCTV, which took around...
and was actually originally written with Archer
Richard Archer
Richard John "Rich" Archer is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, principal songwriter and main composer of indie rock band Hard-Fi. Hard-Fi have produced several top 10 hits and two #1 albums. The influence of Archer's hometown of Staines is often...
's original band Contempo. It was originally going to be featured on Stars of CCTV
Stars of CCTV
Stars of CCTV is the debut album by English indie rock band Hard-Fi. It was first released on 4 July 2005 on Necessary/Atlantic and Warner Music UK...
but Richard Archer says it just didn't feel right despite him believing it to be a great track capable of reaching #1. They re-recorded it for Once Upon a Time in the West and this time "it just felt right" Archer says enthusiastically.
It has a very notable soul influence, Archer explains that Hard-Fi
HARD-Fi
Hard-Fi are an English indie rock band formed in Staines, Surrey in 2003. The band's members are Richard Archer , Ross Phillips , Kai Stephens and Steve Kemp .They achieved chart success with their third single, "Hard to Beat" and then followed by other successful singles such as...
are big fans of soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and that the genre runs through the "DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
" that makes up their music.
The single version is slightly different, it doesn't have the countdown at the beginning and explicit language is replaced with more appropriate words. It was mixed by Mark 'Spike' Stent.
"Soul music is in the DNA of Hard-Fi. We love all that 1960s soul. It’s got a beat you want to dance to and a melody you want to sing along to but it also says something that touches you emotionally. We’ve always wanted to write great songs that people can connect with and be positive and passionate rather than negative and cynical".
The song's story, as Archer explains,
"Is about a man whose life falls to pieces when he leaves the girl he loves. He thinks it's the best thing to do but it's obviously not. He realises what he's done and tries to go back and fix it. Parts of it are autobiographical, you want to make a good story and spice it up a bit. Everyone's been through a situation like that".
The song has been listed for 2 weeks on the UK Singles Top 75. It entered the chart on #45, its last appearance was on #70 which during that week was the largest free faller.
Music video
The video was first announced through a blog written by guitarist Ross PhillipsRoss Phillips
Ross Phillips is an English musician. He is the guitarist of indie rock band Hard-Fi and also provides backing vocals for frontman Richard Archer. Phillips previously worked in a local hi-fi shop in his home town of Staines...
on the band's MySpace page on 1 October 2007.
Last week we shot a video for the next single "Can't Get Along". In a nutshell the video is Rich being chased around Berlin by a big, rock hard looking German with a tache. Us 3 make some small cameo appearances, but other than that we sat around laughing at Rich, drinking beer and eating sausages. Happy days. This video has got it all; People smashing through windows, jumping through hedges, car chases and birds. What more could you want? Rich even did his own stunts!
Other than making videos we have begun our quest to take over the modern world. So far so good - Sell out tours of the UK (Thanks to everyone who came, we had a right laugh), NUMBER 1 ALBUM (Thanks so much to everyone who brought it) and various European shows that have been fucking great.
Next stop is Australia. We're all looking forward to it. I might buy a surf board.
The video directed by Rozan & Schmeltz, premiered on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
at 12:30pm just after Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks is a long-running British television soap opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill...
on 8 October 2007, much like Suburban Knights
Suburban Knights
"Suburban Knights" is the first single from British band Hard-Fi's second album Once Upon a Time in the West. The physical format of the single was released on 20 August 2007, the digital version was released on 6 August 2007...
.
Track Listing Controversy
The track "These Four Walls And I" is available only through vinyl, this has sparked many complaints on the official fan forum as many complained that it is virtually impossible for them to get hold of the track as they do not own a vinyl player and even if they did, it would cost them too much hassle and money to convert the song to MP3MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
format to make it possible to hear the track on an MP3 Player such as Apple's iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
or on a PC.
On 24 December 2007, this issue was resolved as on the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
a new Once Upon a Time in the West
Once Upon a Time in the West (album)
Once Upon a Time in the West is the second studio album by English indie rock band Hard-Fi. It was released on 3 September 2007 on Necessary/Atlantic and Warner Music UK. It reached #1 in the UK Album Chart in the first week of its release, unlike its predecessor Stars of CCTV, which took around...
package was released featuring the original track listing plus "These Four Walls and I" along with the never before released "Suburban Knights (Acoustic)
Suburban Knights
"Suburban Knights" is the first single from British band Hard-Fi's second album Once Upon a Time in the West. The physical format of the single was released on 20 August 2007, the digital version was released on 6 August 2007...
" and the full length mix of the Suburban Knights Steve Angello & Sebastian Ingrosso mix
Suburban Knights
"Suburban Knights" is the first single from British band Hard-Fi's second album Once Upon a Time in the West. The physical format of the single was released on 20 August 2007, the digital version was released on 6 August 2007...
.
Charts
"Can't Get Along (Without You)" has been listed for 2 weeks on the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. It entered the chart at #45 on 18 November 2007, where it dropped to #70 the following week making it the biggest free faller of the week.
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 45 |
| UK Download Chart | 61 |