Can We Talk

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"Can We Talk"
Single by Tevin Campbell
from the album I'm Ready
ReleasedSeptember 21, 1993[1]
GenreR&B
Length4:45
LabelQwest
Songwriters
Producers
  • Babyface
  • Simmons
Tevin Campbell singles chronology
"One Song"
(1993)		 "Can We Talk"
(1993)		 "I'm Ready"
(1994)
Music video
"Can We Talk" on YouTube

"Can We Talk" is a song performed by American R&B singer-songwriter Tevin Campbell. It was written and produced by Babyface and Daryl Simmons, and released in September 1993, by Qwest Records, as the lead single from Campbell's second studio album, I'm Ready (1993). The song hit the top ten on the American pop charts, peaking at numbers nine and seven on the US Billboard Hot 100[2] and the Cash Box Top 100.[3] It also spent a total of three weeks at number one on the Billboard R&B chart.[4] It sold 500,000 copies and earned a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[5][6] The song was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and won the Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Single – Male. In 2026, the song was voted the second greatest R&B song of all time by Essence magazine, bested only by Stevie Wonder's 1977 hit "As".[7]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Can We Talk" was filmed by German film director Marcus Nispel.[8] Shot in New York City's Central Park, it features Campbell and friends traversing the park while he tries to catch the eye of his love interest.

Track listings

US single
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Can We Talk" (Edit)
  • Babyface
  • Simmons
4:21
2."Look What We'd Have (If You Were Mine)"
Walden4:40
US promo CD
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Can We Talk" (Remix Radio Version)
  • Babyface
  • Simmons
3:53
2."Can We Talk" (Full Remix)
  • Babyface
  • Simmons
  • Babyface
  • Simmons
  • Def Def[a]
  • Wells[a]
4:55
3."Can We Talk" (Let's Talkstramental Mix)
  • Babyface
  • Simmons
  • Babyface
  • Simmons
  • Def Def[a]
  • Wells[a]
4:26
4."Can We Talk" (Backward Beats Mix)
  • Babyface
  • Simmons
  • Babyface
  • Simmons
  • Def Def[a]
  • Wells[a]
4:21
5."Can We Talk" (Album Radio Edit)
  • Babyface
  • Simmons
  • Babyface
  • Simmons
  • Def Def[a]
  • Wells[a]
4:21
European CD maxi-single
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Can We Talk" (Edit)
  • Babyface
  • Simmons
  • Babyface
  • Simmons
4:21
2."Strawberry Letter" (Club Mix)Shuggie Otis
6:28
3."Strawberry Letter" (LP Version)Otis
  • Jones
  • Quincy D III[a]
4:07
4."Strawberry Letter" (QD III Mix With Rap)Otis
  • Jones
  • Quincy D III[a]
4:12

Notes

  • ^[a] denotes co-producer

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.[9]

  • Tevin Campbell – lead and background vocals,
  • Babyface – writer, composer, producer, all music and background vocals
  • Daryl Simmons – writer, composer and producer
  • Randy Walker – MIDI technician
  • Jim Zumpano, Donnell Sullivan – recording engineers
  • Rail Rogut, Steve Warner, Ulrich Wild – assistant engineers
  • Dave Way – mixing engineer
  • Ivy Skoff – production coordinator

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Can We Talk"
Chart (1993–1994) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[10] 12
Canada Retail Singles (The Record)[11] 19
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[12] 50
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[13] 26
US Billboard Hot 100[14] 9
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[15] 1
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[16] 14
US Rhythmic Airplay (Billboard)[17] 3
US Cash Box Top 100[3] 7

Year-end charts

1993 year-end chart performance for "Can We Talk"
Chart (1993) Position
US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard)[18] 75
1994 year-end chart performance for "Can We Talk"
Chart (1994) Position
Australia (ARIA)[19] 50
US Billboard Hot 100[20] 36
US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard)[21] 4
US Cash Box Top 100[22] 39

Certifications

Certifications for "Can We Talk"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[23] Gold 35,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[24] 3× Platinum 90,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[25] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[1] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Code Red version

"Can We Talk"
Single by Code Red
from the album Scarlet
Released1997
Length4:04
LabelPolydor
Songwriters
Code Red singles chronology
"This Is Our Song"
(1996)		 "Can We Talk"
(1997)		 "Is There Someone Out There"
(1997)

The song was covered by many other artists, most successfully by British boy band Code Red in 1996 for their debut album Scarlet. It was released as the album's third single in 1997, reaching number 29 on the UK Singles Chart.[26]

See also

References

  1. "American single certifications – Tevin Campbell – Can We Talk". Recording Industry Association of America.
  2. www.billboard.com Chart History (website has changed layout, link needs updating)
  3. "Top 100 Pop Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. LVII. January 22, 1994. p. 14. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 99.
  5. "Best-Selling Records of 1993". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 3. BPI Communications. January 15, 1994. p. 73. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  6. "American certifications – Campbell, Tevin – Can We Talk". Recording Industry Association of America.
  7. Shelby Stewart (August 11, 2026). "ESSENCE's 50 Greatest R&B Songs Of All Time, Explained". Essence. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
  8. "Tevin Campbell: Can We Talk (1994)". IMDb. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  9. Tevin Campbell - I'm Ready (CD liner notes) - Qwest/Warner Bros 9362-45388-2
  10. "Tevin Campbell – Can We Talk". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  11. "Hits of the World: Canada" (PDF). Billboard. February 26, 1994. p. 42. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
  12. "Top Singles. Volume 58, Issue 25 (1994-01-10)". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  13. "Tevin Campbell – Can We Talk". Top 40 Singles.
  14. "Tevin Campbell Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  15. "Tevin Campbell Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  16. "Tevin Campbell Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  17. "Tevin Campbell Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard.
  18. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1993". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 18, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  19. "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1994". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  20. "Billboard Top 100 - 1994". Archived from the original on 2009-03-01. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
  21. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  22. "The Cash Box Year-End Charts: 1994". Cash Box. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012.
  23. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 48.
  24. "New Zealand single certifications – Tevin Campbell – Can We Talk?". Radioscope. Retrieved August 28, 2026. Type Can We Talk? in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  25. "British single certifications – Tevin Campbell – Can We Talk". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Can We Talk Tevin Campbell in the "Search:" field.
  26. "Music Video". Youtube.com. 2006-02-02. Archived from the original on 2011-11-14. Retrieved 2011-12-26.