Replacements – Can’t Hardly Wait

Dave from A Sound Day asked us to name a song that we feel should have been a hit but wasn’t. Coulda Been a Contender…  

When Dave asked the question…this band came to my head right away. The Replacements should have had a lot of hits. The songs I had to pick from were Alex Chilton, I Will Dare, I’ll Be You, Unsatisfied, Skyway, Bastards Of Young, Here Comes a Regular, and the one I ended up picking… Can’t Hardly Wait.

This song was first recorded for the 1985 album Tim but didn’t make the cut. It appeared on the 1987 album Pleased to Meet Me.  It was also featured in the movie Can’t Hardly Wait and on the soundtrack in 1998.

The original, found on the Tim demo sessions is about committing suicide. The record company felt that Pleased To Meet Me, with the suicide song “The Ledge,” didn’t need any controversy over having two songs about suicide, so the lyrics to this song were altered. Jim Dickenson produced it in Memphis at Ardent Studios. The same studio that Big Star used. He also dubbed some horns on this song which made it incredibly radio-friendly.

This new video was released this year for the new Pleased to Meet Me (2020 Remaster) version. It was originally shot in 1987 for “The Ledge;” however, that video was pulled from MTV for “objectionable song content,” so the band re-used it for the follow-up, “Alex Chilton.” This version comes with an HD resolution upgrade and remastered audio.

Alex Chilton is very radio-friendly but the subject is not.

Can’t Hardly Wait

I’ll write you a letter tomorrow
Tonight, I can’t hold a pen
Someone’s got a stamp that I can borrow
I promise not to blow the address again

Lights that flash in the evening
Through a crack in the drapes

Jesus rides beside me
He never buys any smokes
Hurry up, hurry up, ain’t you had enough of this stuff
Ashtray floors, dirty clothes, and filthy jokes

See you’re high and lonesome
Try and try and try

Lights that flash in the evening
Through a hole in the drapes
I’ll be home when I’m sleeping
I can’t hardly wait

I can’t wait
Hardly wait
I can’t wait
Hardly wait
I can’t wait
Hardly wait
I can’t wait
Hardly wait
I can’t wait
Hardly wait

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

18 thoughts on “Replacements – Can’t Hardly Wait”

  3. I didn’t think of this when you posted on Dave’s site but I recall back in my vinyl buying days that the record shop guy thought I’d like them. Never did follow his advice! But it’s good stuff.

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  4. A quite catchy tune, as was ‘Alex Chilton’ which at least I heard on radio back in the day. As you always say, they probably had the potential to be a lot bigger but were a few years ahead of the curve & a bit too willing to sabotage themselves.

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    1. Thank you! I love The Replacements…they saved me in the 80s as far as newer music…I listened to them more than the top 40.

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  7. I can kind of see why they never had a hit, while contemporaries like REM did. They could have enjoyed a fluke hit somewhere, but none of their songs really scream hit to me. Lots of great songs mind you, just not huge hooks.

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    1. Maybe I’m too close to them to see…but like this one… that simple guitar part sticks with me. Songs like Alex Chilton…the subject matter didn’t help….I loved it but I can see why it didn’t hit.

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  9. I adore this song but must admit I never got the suicide connection. I guess it’s more obvious in its original form. My two sons learned it and played it at my 60th birthday party. BTW – The Justin Townes Earle version of this song is amazing.

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