"Can't Stand Me Now" is the first single from English rock band the Libertines' self-titled second album. The song was their biggest hit, and peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart and number 28 on the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...

. In the United Kingdom, it is their second highest-selling single after " Don't Look Back into the Sun".

History

The song was written by Carl Barât and

Pete Doherty Peter Doherty (born 12 March 1979) is an English musician, songwriter, actor, poet, writer, and artist. He is best known for being co-frontman of The Libertines, which he formed with Carl Barât in 1997. His other musical projects are indie b ...

with Mark Keds (also known as Mark Myers and credited on this track as Mark Hammerton) who was previously in a number of bands including

Senseless Things Senseless Things were an English pop punk band, formed in 1986 in London. The band released four studio albums and achieved two UK Top 20 hit singles before splitting up in 1995. Senseless Things reformed in 2017 to play several gigs includin ...

, the Wildhearts and Jolt. The song is autobiographical, documenting the breakdown of Doherty and Barât's relationship which led to the ultimate split of the band later in the same year.

Release

The song received some exposure in the United States; WFNX in Boston debuted the song by playing it twice back-to-back 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 Douglas Alexander Hart (born 2 May 1965) is a British musician and music video director. Career 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. He is no ...

Reception

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".

Cover artwork

The cover art features an orange X and yellow background (CD 1) / blue X and green brushed background (CD 2) cover art by Sophie Thunder. The CD is a black disc with the orange X graphic (CD 1) / white disc with the blue X graphic (CD 2) from cover art, track listing and Rough Trade logo in orange / blue, and black on white / white on black 'THE LIBERTINES' logo. The back cover is a silhouette, black-and-white photograph by Sophie Thunder of Pete and Carl standing in front of a window smoking a

cigarette A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the opp ...

Track listings

UK 7-inch single :A. "Can't Stand Me Now" (Doherty, Barât, Richard Hammerton) :B. "(I've Got) Sweets" (Doherty, Barât) UK CD single # "Can't Stand Me Now" (Doherty, Barât, Hammerton) # "Never Never" (Doherty, Barât) US CD single # "Can't Stand Me Now" (Doherty, Barât, Hammerton) # "Never Never" (Doherty, Barât) # "All at Sea" (Doherty) US maxi-CD single # "Can't Stand Me Now" (Doherty, Barât, Hammerton) # "Cyclops" (Doherty, Barât, Peter Wolfe) # "Dilly Boys" (Doherty, Barât) European maxi-CD single # "Can't Stand Me Now" (Doherty, Barât, Hammerton) # "Cyclops" (Doherty, Barât, Wolfe) # "Dilly Boys" (Doherty, Barât) # "Can't Stand Me Now" (video)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2004 songs 2004 singles The Libertines songs Rough Trade Records singles Songs written by Carl Barât Songs written by Pete Doherty Song recordings produced by Mick Jones (The Clash) UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles