"Didn't We" is a song recorded by Irish singer and actor Richard Harris for his debut studio album, A Tramp Shining (1968). It was written and produced by Jimmy Webb and originally served as the B-side to Harris' 1968 single "MacArthur Park". "Didn't We" was then distributed as the record's single by Dunhill Records, also in 1968. A traditional pop song, Harris sings about his life in the past. Commercially, it charted at lower positions of both the United States and Canada, and in the higher ranks of their Adult Contemporary component charts. Harris featured "Didn't We" on several of his greatest hits albums, including The Richard Harris Collection: His Greatest Performances from 1973. That same year, the song was reissued as a promotional single paired alongside his 1971 single "My Boy".
American vocalist Barbra Streisand recorded a version of "Didn't We" in 1972 for her second live album, Live Concert at the Forum. It was originally performed at Four for McGovern, a concert benefitting George McGovern's ultimately unsuccessful 1972 presidential campaign. Streisand's monologue before and after the performance consisted of her acting as if she had taken marijuana. Her version peaked at number 82 in the United States, and also entered the Adult Contemporary charts in both the aforementioned country and Canada. She has since included an earlier version of "Didn't We" on her 2012 compilation album, Release Me. Other artists like Matt Monro and Frank Sinatra also recorded renditions of "Didn't We". Dionne Warwick recorded "Didn't We" for her 1970 album I'll Never Fall in Love Again.
Background and composition
"Didn't We" was originally featured as the B-side track to Harris's 1968 single "MacArthur Park". That same year, it was distributed as a standalone 7" record, serving as the second single from his debut studio album, A Tramp Shining (1968). Various formats exist, all of them including "Didn't We" as the A-side track; the United Kingdom release features "In the Final Hours" while the United States version has "Paper Chase" instead. It was reissued as a promotional single in 1973 and features Harris's 1971 single "My Boy". It was written and produced by Jimmy Webb, who Harris had collaborated previously with.
A traditional pop recording, "Didn't We" is written in the key of C major with Harris's vocals ranging from E4 to G5; it is accompanied by the instrumentation of a piano and a guitar. Lyrically, Harris recalls the past and opens the single by singing, "This time we almost made the pieces fit / Didn't we girl?".
Reception
AllMusic's Matthew Greenwald acclaimed the production of "Didn't We". He stated that it is "home to one of Jimmy Webb's most enduring melodies" and described its arrangement as elegant. In the 24 May 1969 edition of Billboard, an editor recognized "Didn't We" in the "Special Merit Spotlight" column, where the publication reports designated singles "deserving [of] special attention". The critic noted its potential "sales appeal" and singled out its programming as a highlight. Michael Feeney Callan, the author of a biography for Harris, wrote that the composition was one of the singer's more "intimate [and] orchestral tracks".
In mid 1969, "Didn't We" managed to chart on the major record charts in both the United States and Canada. On the Billboard Hot 100, it debuted at number 83 for the week ending June 7, 1969, becoming the week's highest new entry. Five weeks later, the single reached its peak position at number 63 and then departed the chart altogether the following week. On Canada's Top Singles compiled by RPM, it entered the chart at number 95 on June 16 of the same year, before rising to number 82 the following week and number 73 the week after that. It also peaked on the Adult Contemporary charts in both the United States and Canada, reaching positions 11 and nine, respectively.