I Will Dare

"I Will Dare" is a song by American alternative rock band The Replacements, written by Paul Westerberg. The song was released as a single on independent record label Twin/Tone Records in July 1984, shortly before the release of the band's album Let It Be that October, on which the song served as the opening track. All Music Guide writes that the song "stands as perhaps the band's most beloved song and is a touchstone for their mid-'80s heyday, not to mention its status in the jangle and college rock canons."^[1]

The song is based on a shuffle rhythm and features Paul Westerberg playing a mandolin. Peter Buck of R.E.M. plays the song's guitar solo. Westerberg himself noted that the song's title was an apt motto for the band, and said, "We'll dare to flop [. . .] We'll dare to do anything."^[2]

For the single release, "I Will Dare" was backed by cover recordings of T. Rex's "20th Century Boy" and Hank Williams' "Hey Good Lookin'." The cover of "Hey Good Lookin'" was recorded at a club performance in Madison, Wisconsin. Although Replacements guitarist Bob Stinson claimed his guitar solo on the recording was deliberately off-key, Stinson tried to grab the tape of the recording from his bandmates as they replayed it endlessly and laughed at the solo after the show.^[3]