Westerberg saw U2 perform at Uncle Sam's nightclub in Minneapolis in April 1981 on the backend of U2's first international tour. Named the Boy Tour in promotion of the band's first studio album, it started September 6, 1980, and ended June 9, 1981.
U2 played "I Will Follow" twice the night Westerberg saw them. He appreciated the sound but took umbrage with lyrics he interpreted as a statement about youth in general. This was a misinterpretation on his part because Bono wrote "I Will Follow" for his deceased mother, but Songfacts didn't exist in 1981, so there was no way for him to know that.
Westerberg immediately wrote "Kids Don't Follow" in response to the show. The song leads off Stink, the 1982 EP they made following their debut album, Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash. He wrote "I Will Dare" a couple years later in 1983 as the Replacements' second studio album, Hootenanny, was being mastered. He felt it was the best song he ever wrote and wanted to get it on the album, but it was too late in the process, so it ended up on their next one, Let It Be.
"I Will Dare" has a few layers of meaning. In addition to sniping at Bono, it's a statement about the Replacements themselves. In Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements, Westerberg says, "Part of it has to do with the band: we'll dare to flop, we'll dare to do anything."
It was also "a kind of love song," according to Westerberg. An unnamed confidant in Trouble Boys says they believe that Westerberg might have been messing around with some ladies that he shouldn't have at the time.
The timing worked out well because "I Will Dare" wound up being the opening track on Let It Be, the band's 1984 breakthrough album.
The words "I will follow" are contained entirely between the titles of the two response songs "I Will Dare" and "Kids Don't Follow," though Westerberg never claimed to have intended this.
Westerberg plays mandolin on this song.
The Replacements 2017 album For Sale: Live at Maxwell's 1986 includes a performance of "I Will Dare."
Peter Buck of R.E.M. hung out with the band during recording of Let it Be. They spent much of the time getting drunk together, but Buck also helped out with the record. The band used Buck's 12-string electric Rickenbacker on the song. Bob Stinson came up with the riff that was played, but he struggled to get out the solo, so Buck did it. Buck based the feel of his performance on Zal Yanovsky of the Loving' Spoonful.
While Buck's contributions to this song didn't raise any obvious resistance from Stinson, the general direction of Let It Be did. Westerberg's songwriting was tending towards more melodic, accessible songs with no room for Stinson's characteristic thrashing solos. Stinson's resistance to the band's evolution was quiet for now, but a rift had been opened. Two years later, following the release of their next album, Tim (1985), he left the band for good.
The Replacements released "I Will Dare" before the rest of Let It Be. The song was wildly popular on college radio stations across the country and got some play on big-city commercial stations. It wasn't enough to crack any charts, but indie music getting mainstream play was rare in those days.
Part of the song's success was due to its promotion. The Replacements' label, Twin/Tone, was in a significant upward transition. Using money earned after their act The Suburbs took off earlier that year, they moved out of cofounder Paul Starks' basement and into a set of offices in South Minneapolis. They were able to bring in new staff and to devote more time to the business, which led to a proper promotional buildup for the single and its attendant album. It was a new thing for the Replacements.
"I Will Dare" remains a favorite for Replacements fans. Many consider it their signature song. It's highly acclaimed among music journalists as well: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included this song on their 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll list.
I Will Dare
The Replacements Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How old am I?
Let's count the rings around my eyes
How smart are you?
How dumb am I?
Don't count any of my advice
Oh, meet me any place or anywhere or anytime
If you will dare, I might dare
Call me on Thursday, if you will
Or call me on Wednesday, better still
Ain't lost yet, so I gotta be a winner
Fingernails and a cigarette's a lousy dinner
Young, are you? Ooh-ooh-ooh
Come on
Meet me any place or anywhere or anytime
Now, I don't care, meet me tonight
If you will dare, I will dare
Meet me any place or anywhere or anytime
Now, I don't care, meet me tonight
If you will dare, I will dare
How young are you?
How old am I?
Let's count the rings around my eyes
How smart are you?
How smart are you?
How dumb am I?
Dumb am I?
Meet me any place or anywhere or anytime
Now I don't care, meet me tonight
If you will dare, I will dare
Meet me any place or anywhere or anytime
Now I don't care, meet me tonight
If you will dare, I will dare
The lyrics of "I Will Dare" by The Replacements are all about daring to take a chance on love, even though it might not be the wisest choice. The opening lines of the song - "How young are you? How old am I? Let's count the rings around my eyes" - suggest a sense of weariness and world-weariness, a feeling of having been around the block a few times. The singer seems to be questioning the age and wisdom of both himself and his potential lover, wondering whether they are really ready to take a chance on each other.
The chorus of the song, which repeats the phrase "meet me anyplace or anywhere or anytime", suggests a sense of desperation and urgency, a need to find love and connection no matter what. The phrase "If you will dare, I will dare" suggests an equal willingness to take risks and make things happen despite the odds.
The final lines of the song, which repeat the opening lines, suggest a sense of being caught in a cycle of longing and searching, of trying to find something elusive and hard to grasp. The overall effect is one of melancholy and longing, tempered by a sense of reckless abandon and willingness to take chances.
Line by Line Meaning
How young are you?
Let's establish the age difference between us
How old am I?
Let's determine my age
Let's count the rings around my eyes
Let's use the wrinkles around my eyes as a way to measure my age
How smart are you?
Let's determine your intelligence
How dumb am I?
Let's measure my own intelligence against yours
Don't count any of my advice
Don't take my guidance on this matter
Oh, meet me anyplace or anywhere or anytime
Let's be spontaneous and meet up wherever, whenever
Now I don't care, meet me tonight
I'm not concerned about the details, just meet with me tonight
If you will dare, I might dare
If you're willing to take a risk, maybe I will too
Call me on Thursday, if you will
If you want to contact me, try Thursday
Or call me on Wednesday, better still
Actually, Wednesday might be a better day to call
Ain't lost yet, so I gotta be a winner
I haven't failed yet, so I must be succeeding in some way
Fingernails and a cigarette's a lousy dinner
My current situation is not ideal or healthy
C'mon meet me anyplace or anywhere or anytime
I'm urging you to take the risk and meet with me spontaneously
If you would dare, I would dare
I'm willing to take risks if you are
How smart are you?
Let's revisit the topic of your intelligence
How dumb am I?
Once again, let's compare our intellects
Meet me anyplace or anywhere or anytime
Let's reiterate the spontaneity of our meeting plans
If you will dare, I will dare
I'm encouraging you to be bold and take risks with me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Paul Westerberg
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind