Can't Be Sure
1989 single by The Sundays
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"Can't Be Sure" is the debut single by British indie pop group the Sundays.[1][2] It was the first (and in the United Kingdom, only) single to be released from their album Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, which was released a year later. The B-side was "I Kicked a Boy", which also appeared on the album. The 12" single contained an additional, non-album track, "Don't Tell Your Mother". The single reached number 45 on the UK Singles Chart and number 74 in Australia, and it was voted number one in John Peel's Festive Fifty for 1989.[3]
| "Can't Be Sure" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Single by The Sundays | ||||
| from the album Reading, Writing and Arithmetic | ||||
| B-side | "I Kicked a Boy" "Don't Tell Your Mother" | |||
| Released | January 1989 | |||
| Recorded | 1989 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:22 | |||
| Label | Rough Trade | |||
| Songwriters |
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| Producers |
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| The Sundays singles chronology | ||||
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Lyrical content
The song's lyrical theme is "desire", treated as a general concept rather than being directed towards anything or anyone in particular.[4]
- And did you know desire's a terrible thing?
- The worst that I can find
- Did you know desire's a terrible thing?
- But I rely on mine.
By the song's closing refrain, the song's narrator appears to have come to terms with, if not necessarily resolved, the dichotomy:[4]
- And it's my love, And it's my life
- And though I can't be sure if I want any more
- It will come to me later.
Charts
| Chart (1989–1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[5] | 74 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[6] | 45 |
