Ranking All The Songs from The Can’t Hardly Wait Soundtrack
Any film that takes its name from a song by The Replacements is almost guaranteed to have an awesome soundtrack, and Can’t Hardly Wait certainly doesn’t disappoint on that score. Even if you haven’t seen the film (although if you haven’t, it’s worth doing, for no other reason than name-checking all the ‘before they were famous’ appearances from stars like Jason Segal and Breckin Meyer), the soundtrack is still worth checking out, boasting an eclectic mix of material that jumps effortlessly from funk to hip-hop, indie to punk. Here’s how we rank all the songs on the Can’t Hardly Wait soundtrack.
15. Can’t Get Enough of You Baby – Smash Mouth
Can’t Get Enough of You Baby was originally recorded by the Four Seasons for their 1965 album Working My Way Back to You and More Great New Hits. Thirty years later, Smash Mouth took it to number 14 on the Billboard Adult Top 40 after covering it for their album, Astro Lounge.
14. Farther Down – Matthew Sweet
Even if the name Matthew Sweet doesn’t ring any bells, there’s a very good chance you’ll have heard his music if you’ve turned on a TV set over the last 3 decades. Over the years, his songs have appeared in dozens of TV shows and movies, including Baywatch, National Lampoon’s Senior Trip, Flipper, Austin Powers: Man of Mystery, My Name Is Earl, The Simpsons, and, in 1998, Can’t Hardly Wait.
13. Swing My Way – K.P. & Envyi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqdlCBLSq94
Neither K.P. nor Envyi have ever had much luck in the charts, but the one time they did manage to break into the top 40 was with this No. 6 hit from 1998.
12. Tell Me What to Say – Black Lab
Black Lab might not be the best-known band around, but there’s a good chance you’ve heard them on a TV show or movie. Since the mid-1990s, they’ve featured on The Shield, Spider-Man, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Transformers, House. M.D., Varsity Blues, Can’t Hardly Wait, and a whole lot more besides.
11. I Walked In – Brougham
Brougham (a side project founded by Third Eye Blind’s Jason Slater and his childhood buddy Luke Oakson) weren’t around for long, but before they disbanded, they did at least manage to deliver one album, Le Cock Sportif (a title named by Spin magazine as the “worst rap-rock album title” ever), and one memorable song, I Walked In.
10. Graduate – Third Eye Blind
According to Third Eye Blind frontman Stephan Jenkins, Graduate is all about the band’s emotions and experiences after being signed to a major label. Released in August 1997 as the second single from their debut album, it reached number 14 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart.
9. Umbrella – Dog’s Eye View
Dog’s Eye View managed to make three albums over their decade-long career, but their only major hit was Everything Falls Apart, which reached number 8 on the Top 40 Mainstream charts and number 66 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1995. Umbrella is taken from their second album, Daisy, which passed largely unnoticed at the time of its release, but shouldn’t be missed by anyone with a passion for ’90s indie rock.
8. Turn It Up – Busta Rhymes
Turn It Up gave Busta Rhymes his third top ten hit in 1997, reaching number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number one on the rap chart, and number 2 on the dance chart. It also performed well internationally, reaching number 3 in Canada and number 2 in the UK.
7. High – Feeder
High was a turning point for Feeder, becoming their first single to be playlisted on Radio 1. The extra airplay did the trick, taking the band to the UK top 40 for the first time. Following its appearance on the Can’t Hardly Wait soundtrack, it became huge on college radio in the US, eventually working its way up to number 24 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and number 37 on the Modern Rock chart.
6. Dammit – Blink-182
This classic punk-rock gem from 1997 gave Blink-182 their breakthrough single, encouraged more covers than anyone could ever listen to, and inspired Scott Heisel of Alternative Press to describe it as the “perfect punk song.”
5. Hit ‘Em wit da Hee – Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott’s debut album, Supa Dupa Fly, was groundbreaking, to the extent that Rolling Stone have named it as one of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” Even if Hit ‘Em wit da Hee isn’t the star of the show, it’s still phenomenal enough to bear repeat listening.
4. Flash Light – Parliament
This funky number from Parliament spent a massive four months on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978, peaking at number 16. It’s since gone on to sell over 1 million records, becoming Parliament’s second platinum-selling single.
3. Paradise – Guns N’ Roses
The only song in Guns N’ Roses catalog more divisive than Welcome to the Jungle? Paradise City, a song named by Rolling Stone as one of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” and by Spin Magazine as one that “runs out of ideas halfway through its triumphant first refrain and yet still lasts for six more minutes.” Love it or hate it, there’s no denying it’s one of the most popular and well-known songs in the band’s back pages.
2. It’s Tricky – Run-DMC
Run-DMC stepped up their game massively on this classic hip-hop track from 1987. Ten years after its release, it introduced Run-DMC to a new audience when Jason Nevins’ remix took it back into the charts.
1. Can’t Hardly Wait – The Replacements
Even if it was terrible, it’d be rude to put the song that inspired the movie’s name anywhere else than first. Fortunately, this classic track from The Replacements deserves every inch of its place. The fact it’s got Big Star’s Alex Chilton on guitar seals the deal.
