Dave Mason’s “We Just Disagree” has been popping up a lot recently on some of my random playlists. Perhaps it is because the noted English singer/songwriter/guitarist passed away on April 19, 2026, just weeks short of his 80th birthday. As American Blues Scene’s Lauren Leadingham recently noted, Mason liked to deal mostly with timeless themes because they were personal to him and would likely be personal to others.
As Lauren also noted, “We Just Disagree” is a strong example of that timelessness, perhaps because of its emotional directness. It is about two people who realize they have too many differences to continue their relationship. They part ways without assigning blame. There ain’t no good guys. There ain’t no bad guys. There are just the two of them who can no longer agree on things.
Many see “We Just Disagree” as either a tragic love song or a mature breakup song. The lyrics certainly can be read that way. Yet, like many songs, there is more than one interpretation. According to journalist Bill DeYoung, Mason related to the song on several levels. Mason is known to have had numerous conflicts with band members, love interests and record labels.
I have reconnected with numerous friends I knew in a former life thanks to social media. It has been a good experience overall. Social media has also given me insight into how my newer friends view life. And as so many people before me have experienced, that insight has not always been pleasant.
I have found some friends who share my views on many things. I like to think that has brought us closer together. I have also found other friends to have views I have a hard time accepting. To paraphrase Dave Mason, have they changed their style? Have we grown up differently?
I do not believe any of my friends are bad guys and I don’t view myself as the good guy. Many of those who have different viewpoints than I do are decent people. They are caring people on a personal level though they may have viewpoints I don’t understand. Our goals, our hopes for the future may not be as far apart as we think.
So on one level we simply can’t see eye to eye. We just disagree. It doesn’t mean we can’t co-exist on some level.
I once shared that thought with an old friend I hadn’t seen in a while. It turned out we disagreed on many things. Perhaps acknowledging our differences would allow us to move past them. He told me that was asinine. I was just trying to get along. But sometimes all you can do is leave it alone.
“We Just Disagree” peaked at number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100 in late 1977. Mason told DeYoung, “I thought that song was too good a song to be a hit… And actually, Playboy voted it the worst record of the year.” The folks at Playboy apparently were focused on something other than what makes timeless music.
Guitarist Jim Krueger, a member of Mason’s band, wrote “We Just Disagree.” The soft-spoken Krueger who hailed from Manitowoc, Wisconsin was ironically and affectionately known as Bruiser. He also played the 12-string guitar and sang the harmony vocal on the song. He passed away in 1993 of pancreatitis at 43.
