"Can We" is a song by American R&B trio SWV featuring guest vocals from

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...

and production by

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

and Elliott. The song was eventually included on SWV's third album, '' Release Some Tension'' (1997), but was originally a hit earlier in the year when it was included on the soundtrack to the 1997 film, '' Booty Call''. "Can We" received major airplay on urban radio stations in the United States, but it was not commercially available for the public to purchase as a cassette or CD single in the US. At the time of its release, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' prevented album cuts from entering any singles charts; however, because of its attachment to the ''Booty Call'' soundtrack, "Can We" was able to chart on ''Billboard'' Hot 100, making it to number 75. Outside the US, the song topped the

New Zealand Singles Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Mus ...

and peaked at number 18 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

Music video

A music video for the single was directed by Jesse Vaughan and premiered on music video stations in February 1997. The synopsis of the video primarily focuses on SWV, dressed in cheetah-print attire, dancing in front of matching backgrounds with their love interests. Missy Elliott is also featured in the video, where she is seen dancing in a newspaper-covered background.

Track listings

UK and European maxi-CD # Can We (LP version) – 4:51 # Can We (instrumental) – 4:49 # Can We (a cappella) – 4:49 # Can We (radio edit No. 1) – 4:15 # Can We (radio edit No. 2) – 4:15 # Can We (no rap radio) – 3:56 US 12-inch vinyl and maxi-CD # "Can We" (radio edit No. 1) – 4:19 # "Can We" (radio edit No. 2) – 4:19 # "Can We" (no rap radio) – 3:56 # "Can We" (LP version) – 4:51 # "Can We" (instrumental) – 4:49 # "Can We" (a cappella) – 4:49

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1997 singles 1997 songs Missy Elliott songs Number-one singles in New Zealand Song recordings produced by Timbaland Songs written by Missy Elliott Songs written by Timbaland SWV songs