The Meaning Behind “Why Can’t I?” by Liz Phair and Why She May Have Been Ahead of Her Time

When Liz Phair released her self-titled pop album in 2003, indie critics responded, “How could you?”

But she answered, “Why Can’t I?”

The Exit in Guyville singer made an album that foreshadowed a borderless future in which genres like “indie” and “pop” coexist and blend until the terms meaningfully vanish.

But in the early 2000s, people held these constructs like sacred texts one dared not challenge. So, the artist who wrote “F–k and Run” also made a pop record, and “Why Can’t I?” became her biggest hit.

The Best Part of Breaking Up

“Why Can’t I?” follows an affair between two people who are already in committed relationships. They hold hands and pretend to be a couple, but a guilty conscience threatens to stifle their feelings.

Get a load of me, get a load of you
Walking down the street, and I hardly know you (hardly know you)
It’s just like we were meant to be
Holding hands with you when we’re out at night
Got a girlfriend, you say it isn’t right (isn’t right)
And I’ve got someone waiting, too

Though the narrator is also in a relationship, she argues that finding new love might be the best part of a breakup. She remains hopeful and accepts the inevitability of their romance.

Isn’t this the best part of breaking up?
Finding someone else you can’t get enough of
Someone who wants to be with you, too

The Matrix

Phair wrote “Why Can’t I?” with Lauren Christy, Scott Spock, and Graham Edwards. Christy, Spock, and Edwards are known as the writing and production team The Matrix, and are famous for their work with Avril Lavigne and Britney Spears, among other pop stars.

Lavigne’s 2002 debut album Let Go introduced The Matrix to mainstream pop audiences. Furthermore, “Why Can’t I?” echoes the pop-rock sound of Lavigne’s smash hit album.

Indie Music Press Revolts

Music critics blasted Phair—then in her 30s—for chasing a teen pop trend, though publications like Pitchfork later revised their harsh reviews. Matt LeMay apologized on Twitter for his 0 out of 10 “condescending and cringey” review.

LeMay added, “In 2019, it is almost inconceivable that there would be *any* controversy around an established indie musician working on a radio-friendly pop album with radio-friendly pop songwriters. To a smug 19-year-old Pitchfork writer (cough) in 2003, it was just as inconceivable that an established indie artist would try to—or want to—make a radio-friendly pop album in the first place. The idea that ‘indie rock’ and ‘radio pop’ are both cultural constructs? Languages to play with? Masks for an artist to try on? Yeah. I certainly did not get that. Liz Phair DID get that—way before many of us did.”

Pitchfork eventually rescored Liz Phair 6 out of 10.

Trying to Make a Living Out Here

People love it when artists struggle. Moreover, indie music fans really love it when their songwriting heroes struggle. Fans and critics alike routinely buy into rock ‘n’ roll myths like some kind of impenetrable religion.

Much of that has gone away with social media, where artists now document their lives through candid selfies.

But 21 years ago, things were different.

In 2003, Phair released her self-titled album on Capitol Records. She made a business decision to write and record an unapologetically (teen) pop album. Her previous album, Whitechocolatespaceegg, sold considerably less than its Gold-certified predecessor Whip-Smart.

Meanwhile, Whip-Smart wasn’t as universally lauded as her masterpiece debut, Exit in Guyville. Phair needed to make next month’s rent.

Pressured by Capitol Records

Phair’s previous label, Matador Records, had parted ways with Capitol, and she suddenly found herself alone, signed to a massive record label with enormous expectations.

She explained to Stereogum that then-Capitol CEO Andy Slater told her, “I’m giving you a shot, and if you don’t take the shot, there’s nothing much I can do for you.”

Reflecting on her experience, Phair said the album “had great moments in it, but it didn’t really feel like mine, and that was something that Andy Slater put together.”

Nevertheless, Liz Phair debuted at No. 27 on the Billboard 200 and became her third Gold-certified album. “Why Can’t I?” is Phair’s only Top 40 (and highest-charting) single as of this writing.  

Chasing the Radio

There’s a jukebox in the music video for “Why Can’t I?” where Phair appears on each single. Her image changes with the artwork as the singles flip from one to the next.

It unwittingly reflects the throw-it-against-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks major label marketing approach in the early 2000s.

But Liz Phair may have been ahead of her time. We now live in a world where indie bands like The National and Bon Iver make records with pop icons like Taylor Swift. Likewise, The War on Drugs’ Adam Granduciel plays guitar on the Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus Cowboy Carter duet “II Most Wanted.”  

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Photo by Theo Wargo/WireImage for Clear Channel Entertainment