95 Songs of Summer, #50 - "Why Can't We Be Friends?"

I think I mentioned in my post on "Spill the Wine" that the band War became a staple of the Billboard Top 40 for a period of several years.  Songs like "Slippin' Into Darkness," "The World Is A Ghetto," "Cisco Kid," and "Low Rider" showcased a band that was comfortable doing heavy songs, doing light songs, fast songs, slow songs...in other words, a versatile band that deserved its stardom.

This song was all over the radio during a typically hot August in 1975 (actually I have no idea what the weather was like, but am just assuming that it was hot, since it is always hot in Sacramento in August).  Part of the fun in listening to it was trying to decipher the often very clever lyrics.  Musically, this was the sound of a band having a lot of fun, complete with a reggae lilt.

"Why Can't We Be Friends," War, from the summer of 1975.