Let's Be Friends is a single from Canadian singer-songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen. It additionally serves as the thirteenth track on the Japanese bonus edition of Dedicated Side B (2020).
The song was first released on February 7th 2020 as a Valentine's Day single. It received an official lyric video upon release, which garnered over 4.9 million views on YouTube as of July 2022. [1]
Lyrics[]
Verse 1
Call out your persuasions
I got the feeling that you don't know what to say, it's a
A black dress occasion
Nobody's dying, it's a dinner, not a date, but I
Feel young and inspired
That this is over and I'm hoping you'll agree, so I
Phase out and smile over
That little phrase, "It isn't you, baby, it's me"
Pre-Chorus
So take the tarot card
And tell a fortune gold
The past heartbreaks, the lies we told, we tell again
Chorus
Let's be friends, then never speak again (Ooh)
It's cool (Cool), we can just pretend
We're friends and never speak again (Never speak again)
See you soon, hope we can remain good friends
Verse 2
You take it, the bottle down
Man, this is easier than how I thought it'd go
You smiling like a devil
You tell me you were coming here to let me know that
It's over when it's over
And it's over, baby
Pre-Chorus
So take the tarot card (Take the tarot card)
And tell a fortune gold
The past heartbreaks, the lies we told, we tell again
Chorus
Let's be friends, then never speak again (Ooh)
It's cool (Cool), we can just pretend
We're friends and never speak again (Never speak again)
See you soon, hope we can remain good friends
Post-Chorus
Catch you later
Never gonna see you again
See you never
Let's be friends
Catch you later
Never gonna see you again
See you never
Interlude
I had a really nice time with you
I mean, you're sort of a dick sometimes
But someone out there is surely gonna love a dick
Uh, check, please
Chorus
Let's be friends, then never speak again (Ooh)
It's cool (Cool), we can just pretend
We're friends and never speak again (Never speak again)
See you soon, hope we can remain good friends
Post-Chorus
Catch you later
Never gonna see you again
See you never
Let's be friends
Catch you later
Never gonna see you again
See you never
Let's be friends
Outro
Let's be friends
Let's be friends
Not really though
Song Credits[]
Writing and production[]
- Written by: Ben Romans • CJ Baran • Carly Rae Jepsen
- Produced by: Ben Romans • CJ Baran
Instrumentation[]
- Keyboard: Ben Romans
- Guitar: Ben Romans
- Drums: CJ Baran
Additional credits[]
- Programming: CJ Baran
- Mixing: Mitch McCarthy
- Mastering: Randy Merrill
Publishing info[]
- Published by Jepsen Music Publishing (SOCAN) • MXM Music AB (SIM) • Universal Music Corporation (ASCAP) • Wondershow Songs (BMI)
Writing and development[]
Let's Be Friends was reportedly written and recorded in 2017, during the initial Dedicated writing sessions, with the final version of the song being unchanged from the original recorded demo. [2]
Jepsen says the track was a close-cut for making the original album, but she was unsure about its inclusion. She described it as a 'bratty' song and thought Want You In My Room fulfilled a similar role in the body of the album and ultimately decided to shelve it for the time being. [3]
Regarding the concept behind the song, Jepsen stated 'I think it's a common lie we tell each other when we have that break up conversation, like 'let's be friends, it did not work romantically but let's keep in touch.' And we rarely mean it, and if we do, it's a once in a lifetime friendship.' [4]
Announcement and release[]
Let's Be Friends was first teased by Jepsen through a series of Instagram posts each day between February 3rd and February 5th before it was officially announced. Upon release, Let's Be Friends was debuted live at the O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester as part of The Dedicated Tour. [5][6][7][8]
Jepsen says it made sense to release the song with Valentine's Day approaching, and loved the concept of having an 'anti-Valentine's Day Valentine's Day song' harbouring a strong dislike of the holiday. 'With Valentine's Day on the rise, we just joked about how the song went in the completely opposite direction.' [3][4]
At the time of release, Jepsen was unsure if the song would be included on Dedicated Side B or not. Ultimately, it would fail to make the cut for the standard track listing but find its way onto the Japanese edition of the album, released on June 17th 2020. [4][9]
[]
| Released | |
|---|---|
| Dedicated | Julien • No Drug Like Me • Now That I Found You • Want You In My Room • Everything He Needs • Happy Not Knowing • I'll Be Your Girl • Too Much • The Sound • Automatically In Love • Feels Right • Right Words Wrong Time • Real Love • For Sure • Party For One |
| Dedicated Side B | This Love Isn't Crazy • Window • Felt This Way • Stay Away • This Is What They Say • Heartbeat • Summer Love • Fake Mona Lisa • Let's Sort The Whole Thing Out • Comeback • Solo • Now I Don't Hate California After All • Let's Be Friends • Always On My Mind |
| Other releases | Feels Right (Pride Remix) • The Sound (Live in Lapland, Finland) • Don't Speak (Spotify Singles) Let's Be Friends • Me and the Boys in the Band • It's Not Christmas Till Somebody Cries |
| Leaked | Little of Mine • White Lie • Hold Back • Disco Darling • Favourite Night • Love & Paranoia • Can We Again • Very Best Friend • Feel Fine • Miss U Kiss U • Depends On You • Long Distance Lover • It's Like This • Addict • Shy Up • The Sky Looks • New Song • Pink and Blue • Ricochet • Dedicated • Three Cheers • You Were My Party • All To Myself • Eternal Summer • Cheated In My Head |
|---|---|
| Unleaked | Never Been Loved • Bold Type • Affect Your Body • Crybaby • Back of My Heart • Naked • On The Weekend • Miscellaneous untitled songs |
References[]
- ↑ Carly Rae Jepsen - Let's Be Friends (Official Lyric Video). YouTube. February 7th, 2020. Retrieved June 5th, 2021.
- ↑ @BlackoutZone 'Exactly like 2017 demo welp,' ATRL. February 6th 2020, Retrieved August 29th 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Loud and Quiet Carly Rae Jepsen – Midnight Chats Episode 87. YouTube. March 13th, 2020. Retrieved June 5th, 2021.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Davanger, Christer 730 met the icon Carly Rae Jepsen: - I am the worst to beat up with people. 730. March 15th, 2020. Retrieved June 5th, 2021.
- ↑ SafaV4 Carly Rae Jepsen - Let's Be Friends (Debut) O2 Victoria Warehouse Manchester on 7th February 2020. YouTube. February 7th, 2020. Retrieved June 5th, 2021.
- ↑ @carlyraejepsen "See ya never! 💘" Instagram. February 3rd, 2020. Retrieved June 5th, 2021.
- ↑ @carlyraejepsen "Catch you later! 💘" Instagram. February 4th, 2020. Retrieved June 5th, 2021.
- ↑ @carlyraejepsen "Let’s Be Friends 💘 (not really though)..." Instagram. February 5th, 2020. Retrieved June 5th, 2021.
- ↑ CDJapan : Dedicated Side B [Japan Bonus Track...]. CDJapan. June 17th, 2020. Retrieved June 5th, 2021.