"Can I Have It Like That" | |||||||||||
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Single by Pharrell featuring Gwen Stefani | |||||||||||
from the album In My Mind | |||||||||||
Released | October 31, 2005 | ||||||||||
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Recorded | 2005 | ||||||||||
Genre | East Coast hip hop | ||||||||||
Length | 3:55 | ||||||||||
Label | Star Trak, Interscope | ||||||||||
Writer(s) | Pharrell Williams | ||||||||||
Producer(s) | Pharrell Williams | ||||||||||
Pharrell singles chronology | |||||||||||
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"Can I Have It Like That" is a song performed by rapper Pharrell Williams featuring Gwen Stefani. It was written and produced by Williams for his 2006 debut album In My Mind, and the song is the opening track. The song's hook comes from a one-line contribution from Stefani, used as part of a call and response in the chorus. "Can I Have It Like That" was released as the album's lead single in October 2005.
It was commercially unsuccessful in the United States, but fared somewhat better worldwide. The song received generally negative reviews from music critics. A rock remix of the song featured Travis Barker playing the drums and Pharrell playing the guitar. It was later put as one of the songs in NBA 2K15.
P. Diddy was originally designated to use the track that Williams created. Several other artists were also interested in using it, but Williams changed his mind and decided to use the song himself. In mid-2005, he worked with Stefani in Miami, Florida on her second solo album The Sweet Escape (2006). While she was in the booth recording "Breakin' Up", he told her that he had a song he thought would be his first single. Stefani asked to hear it, and he said that he wanted to record her for the track after the two finished working on "Breakin' Up". Stefani, however, insisted that they work on "Can I Have It Like That" then, and Williams recorded her performing the song's hook. She contributed one line, which she performed twice, to the song.
Williams' rap is in a throaty baritone, described as a "honey-coated version" of the styles of Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. He raps about his current lifestyle as well as his life and achievements. The rap is set over a rhythm section consisting of an irregular beat and a grinding bass. The track reflects Williams' minimalist style, and it is inflected with jazz music, including a trumpet part during the bridge.