The Story Behind The Song: How The Libertines created ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’
The story of The Libertines is one of dramatic peaks and disastrous troughs. The band formed in London in 1997 when Carl Barât and Pete Doherty grew close after being introduced to each other by Doherty’s elder sister, Amy-Jo Doherty. The pair immediately hit it off and constructed a sturdy friendship on a foundation of musical ambition.
Following their well-received 2002 debut album, Up the Bracket, The Libertines encountered their first significant hurdle, thanks to Doherty’s troublesome relationship with the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. By 2003, Doherty’s drug addiction struggle and associated antics saw him missing studio sessions and rehearsals, creating palpable tension within the band. The Libertines saw no option but to continue without the estranged Doherty for much of the year.
This dark period struck a nadir when Doherty was found guilty of burgling Barât’s apartment to fund his addiction. The co-lead vocalist was sentenced to a six-month prison term, which was ultimately cut to two months on appeal. In a remarkable show of clemency, Barât buried the hatchet almost immediately.
When The Libertines returned with their second, self-titled studio album in August 2004, the sleeve came emblazoned with an image of Barât and Doherty. Capturing a poignant moment in the band’s history, the photograph was taken on October 8th, 2003, backstage at the Tap ‘n’ Tin Club in Kent. That night, the venue hosted The Libertines’ reunion gig that would later be fondly remembered as ‘The Freedom Gig’. Remarkably, the event unfolded mere hours after Doherty had been released from prison.
Uncannily emblematic of the pair’s relationship, the cover art sees Barât embracing his troubled bandmate in a protective manner. Meanwhile, Doherty appears either enveloped in the emotional weight of the moment or teetering on the edge of a chemically induced stupor, his vulnerability accentuated by Barât’s protective stance. Meanwhile, both proudly exhibit their matching tattoos of the band’s name, inked in Barât’s handwriting.
The story of Barât and Doherty’s friendship up to this point is artistically preserved in the album’s lead single, ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’. Throughout the song, the pair trade verses, addressing the other in ruminations on their difficult situation. The lines, “Have we enough to keep it together? / Or do we just keep on pretending / And hope our luck is never ending now,” reveal the band’s deliberation amid Doherty’s estrangement and prison sentence.
The song also notably hears Doherty examine his afflictions, referring to heroin as “brown”. “No, you’ve got it the wrong way round / You shut me up and blamed it on the brown / Cornered the boy kicked out at the world / The world kicked back a lot fuckin’ harder now,” Doherty sings in the second verse.
Two decades on, The Libertines remain an item, following additional ups and downs, including more prison sentences for Doherty and a couple of hiatuses. ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’ remains one of The Libertine’s most beloved songs and a true relic of the 2000s indie rock revival period. Fortunately, Barât and Doherty’s friendship appears stronger than ever amid the latter’s newfound stable sobriety.
Speaking to Q magazine in 2008, bassist John Hassall discussed ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’ as a cathartic essential for fans and the band members themselves. “The song that stands out is ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’,” he said. “Maybe the only thing Pete and Carl could honestly sing about was the situation, what they felt about each other. Almost a sort of therapy in itself.”
Listen to The Libertines’ ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’ below.
