Can We Still Be Friends – Todd Rundgren | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#29) & Adult Contemporary (#45); 1976
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
Some say that behind every successful man is a loving woman (and, in the case of musicians, usually beautiful). Bebe Buell fit the bill perfectly. While still in her teens, Bebe moved from Virginia to New York City where she hooked up with Todd Rundgren.
Through a photographer friend of Todd’s, Bebe’s beauty landed her a Playboy centerfold pictorial in 1974. No one-man-woman, Bebe also “dated” Rod Stewart, Jimmy Page, and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith.
Her whirlwind affair with Tyler resulted in the birth of a daughter, Liv, in 1977, whom Todd supported even though he wasn’t her father. Ultimately, Todd’s relationship with Bebe fell apart, a painful experience reflected in the music on The Hermit Of Mink Hollow.
Todd poured his hurt into tracks such as Hurting For You and the single, Can We Still Be Friends. Apparently, they could because Todd took on the dad role for Liv, who didn’t find out Tyler was her birth father until she was nine.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Todd Rundgren
Lyrics Written by:
- Todd Rundgren
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).