Can't Have

Album: Climate Change (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Pitbull reflects on his rise from rags to riches on this immigrant-proud song.

    First we shine the shoes
    Then we own the shoe shop
    First we make the sandwich
    Then we own the restaurant
    First we clean the house
    Then we own every house on the block
    Not bad for some immigrants


    "If you don't know where you're from, you don't know where you're going," Pitbull told The Fader when asked about the track. "If you don't stand up for something, you'll fall for anything. That's what 'Can't Have' is all about – appreciation. Because the grass looks greener on the other side until you get to the other side."
  • The song samples Miami-based singer Steven A. Clark's 2015 song of the same title, retaining the original chorus and incorporating EDM/Trap beats into it.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Michael W. Smith

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."

Second Wind Songs

Second Wind SongsSong Writing

Some songs get a second life when they find a new audience through a movie, commercial, TV show, or even the Internet.

Jon Anderson

Jon AndersonSongwriter Interviews

Jon Anderson breaks down the Yes classic "Seen All Good People" and talks about his 1000 Hands album, which features Chick Corea, Rick Derringer, Ian Anderson, and many other luminaries.

Tommy James

Tommy JamesSongwriter Interviews

"Mony Mony," "Crimson and Clover," "Draggin' The Line"... the hits kept coming for Tommy James, and in a plot line fit for a movie, his record company was controlled by the mafia.

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"They're Playing My Song

The Prince-penned "Manic Monday" was the first song The Bangles heard coming from a car radio, but "Eternal Flame" is closest to Susanna's heart, perhaps because she sang it in "various states of undress."

Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers

Bill Medley of The Righteous BrothersSongwriter Interviews

Medley looks back on "Unchained Melody" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" - his huge hits from the '60s that were later revived in movies.