Author Andrew Grant Jackson writes that the Beatles' six US chart-toppers over the year from January 1965 reflected the nation's changing mood with regard to the Vietnam War and youth-driven social upheaval. With "We Can Work It Out", he continues, the Beatles conveyed the "fussing and fighting" that had replaced the post-Kennedy rebirth from the start of the year. The song was referenced by Cecil Kellaway's character in the 1967 film "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner", which focused on the then controversial issue of biracial relationships in the context of US civil rights.