Songs Lyrics and YT- Youtube Music Videos

Michael Sembello - Maniac

Michael Sembello - Maniac Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Flashdance Soundtrack
Released: 1983

Maniac Lyrics

Just a steel town girl on a Saturday night
Looking for the fight of her life
In the real time world no one sees her at all
They all say she's crazy

Locking rhythm to the beat of her heart
Changing movement into light
She had danced into the danger zone
When the dancer becomes the dance

It can cut you like a knife
If the gift becomes the fire
On the wire between will and what will be

She's a Maniac, maniac on the floor
And she's dancing like she's never danced before

She's a maniac, maniac on the floor
And she's dancing like she's never danced before

On the ice blue line of insanity
Is a place most never see
It's a hard won place of mystery
Touch it but can't hold it

You work all your life, for that moment in time
It could come or pass you by
It's a push shove world
But there's always a chance
If the hunger stays the night

There's a cold connective heat
Struggling stretching for the peak
Never stopping with her head against the wind

She's a maniac, maniac I sure know
And she's dancing like she's never danced before

She's a maniac, maniac I sure know
And she's dancing like she's never danced before

It can cut you like a knife
If the fight becomes the fire
On the wire between will and what will be

She's a maniac, maniac I sure know
And she's dancing like she's never danced before

She's a maniac, maniac I sure know
And she's dancing like she's never danced before

Maniac, maniac I sure know

Writer/s: MATKOSKY, DENNIS / SEMBELLO, MICHAEL
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Maniac Song Chart

This was featured in the movie Flashdance, which starred Jennifer Beals as a welder by day, dancer by night. Phil Ramone, who was the music supervisor on the movie, produced the track. He also made another contribution to the movie: after seeing some kids breakdancing in New York City, he alerted the movie's producer, who shot footage of the dancers that was used in the film.

Sembello wrote this with his songwriting partner Dennis Matkosky, who got the idea when he saw the William Lustig movie Maniac, which is about a serial killer who stalks his victims in New York City. Sembello told us: "He came up with the original kernel of inspiration and to me with the basic idea and groove and I believe the temporary lyrics for the chorus he had were:
'He's a maniac, maniac that's for sure
He will kill your cat and nail him to the door'
That direction obviously wasn't going to work at which point the genius of Phil Ramone, producer of the soundtrack who had the vision to see the potential of the song, asked us to change it to the present concept of a girl possessed with the passion of a gift for dance. Without Phil it would not have happened."

Sembello added: "It was nominated for an academy award and was disqualified according to 'academy rules' because the song was changed from the original and was not originally written solely for the film, which pisses me off to this day." (Thanks for Michael Sembello for the info. To learn more, check out michaelsembello.com.)

This was accidentally included on a tape of Sembello's songs his wife sent to Paramount for consideration in Flashdance. The studio loved it and used it in the movie.

The dance scenes in the video (and the movie), were performed by body double Marine Jahan. It was a well-kept secret that Jennifer Beals did not dance in the movie.

The video was the first to use nothing but scenes from the movie. It started a movie/music cross-promotion trend (Pretty Woman, Dirty Dancing, etc.).

This was commonly used in aerobics classes, which was a big trend at the time.

In 2007, this was used in commercials for Kia cars, which show a Kia salesman doing a similar dance. The idea is that he's making great deals like a Maniac. (thanks, MusicianJohnPaul - Bay Area, CA)

Pulp - They Suffocate At Night

Pulp - They Suffocate At Night Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Freaks
Released: 1987

They Suffocate At Night Lyrics

His body loved her
His mind was set on other things
Keep your face out of sight
And your thoughts to yourself
And this went on for several nights
Festering in silence, growing in the dark

And this they saw as love
Love
So sad to see
They Suffocate At Night
Oh this they saw as love
Love
So sad to see
To see it slowly die

She met his wishes
He found that he had changed his mind
Now the fit is too tight
And the bedroom too warm
The days are filled with things to do
Night-time lies so hollow and memories betray

Oh memories of love
Love
So sad to see
They suffocate at night
Those memories of love
Love
So sad to see
To see it slowly die

Two years have passed
Two years of emptiness inside
And the grey skies above
Just show how far I went wrong
I wonder if she's living there
The way that I recall
The way I'll always think of you
And when I think of you

I think of love
Love
So sad to see
They suffocate at night
You know I think of love
Love
So sad to see
To see it slowly die

I wrote you a letter
I threw it away
I wrote you a letter
I threw it away
I need her
I know I don't need her
I need her
Oh
Oh-oh

Writer/s: JARVIS COCKER, RUSSELL SENIOR, PETER MANSELL, CANDIDA DOYLE
Publisher: CONEXION MEDIA GROUP, INC.
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

They Suffocate At Night Song Chart

This was the first single from Pulp's largely unsuccessful second album Freaks, released in 1987 during an unhappy relationship with Fire Records. By this point the core of the band that would achieve 1990s fame - Cocker, guitarist Russell Senior and keyboardist Candida Doyle - were in place, with only the rhythm section of bassist Steve MacKay and drummer Nick Banks to come.

The band were not in a happy place at all during Freaks, as Cocker explained in a 1994 Record Mirror interview. Said Cocker: "In June '86, we started the Freaks album. It was recorded for £600 - in one week. The producer disowned it: he didn't want his name on it! This was the low point, emotionally, of my life. It's such a depressing album. There's some decent songs but they're badly done. 'I Want You' is good, but there's a better version as a demo. The violin's miles out of tune - it's supposed to be a big ballad. 'Don't You Know' came out on a Record Mirror compilation 'Fruit Cakes And Furry Collars' - it's the same version.

It was called 'Freaks' because I'd been out of school four years and lived this marginal life with no success. I was living in a factory building, a drop in center for all the freaks and misfits of Sheffield. We'd been doing something worthwhile and original and yet nobody seemed interested. This was the dark days of the mid-'80s: 'we're heading for a boom time, let's be happy.'

'Aye aye aye aye moosey' was in the charts. We were nowhere near the mainstream. Also, I was in the middle of the first proper relationship I'd had. I'd gone into this terrible depression of finding out what relationships were really like, but not knowing how to deal with it - you go out with somebody for six months and spend another eighteen trying to split up. All in all, I was not a happy person."

Proof of how unhappy things had got was when a music video was attempted to be recorded for "They Suffocate At Night" - the band split up on set! Cocker noted in the same Record Mirror interview: "Russell was extremely disciplinarian, I was quite puritanical, but Pete (Mansell, bass) and Mag (Magnus Doyle, drums) just messed around. It got to a head and everybody had a fight. It wasn't worth the aggro anymore."

It would be after this split that the band would reform with the classic 1990s lineup, after a few trials with other members.

Rage Against the Machine - Voice Of The Voiceless

Rage Against the Machine - Voice Of The Voiceless Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: The Battle Of Los Angeles
Released: 1999

Voice Of The Voiceless Lyrics

Voice Of The Voiceless Song Chart

This is about Mumia Abu-Jamal, a journalist and former black panther convicted of killing the Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner in a 1981 altercation. Abu-Jamal, who was shot in the chest, was sentenced to death but the death sentence was overturned in 2001.

Abu-Jamal was a radio host in Philadelphia, where he was referred to as "The Voice Of The Voiceless" for his exposure of issues in poor and underrepresented communities.

The song prompted police protests as cops objected to Rage supporting a man convicted of killing one of their own. During a show in Philadelphia, Rage introduced a song with "Good evening, We want to just quickly send a nice friendly message to uh, the fraternal order of police in Philadelphia. Here's something nice and friendly, and it goes something like this..." They proceeded to play "F--- the Police" by NWA. (thanks, Rory - Philadelphia, PA, for above 2)

Rage guitarist Tom Morello visited Abu-Jamal in jail, and used the band's website to rally support for him.

"And Orwell's hell, a terror era coming true. But this little brother's watching you too." This is a reference to the classic George Orwell novel 1984, where the state is basically this unseen authoritarian force that controls everything and everybody. The term Orwell uses for the government is "Big Brother" (which is still used as a metaphor for government over 50 years after he wrote the book in 1948). So "little brother" in that lyric would be the average citizen, who's aware of the government's abuse/authority and knows it's wrong. (thanks, Tim - Pittsburgh, PA)

Pulp - Everybody's Problem

Pulp - Everybody's Problem Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Everybody's Problem/There Was...
Released: 1983

Everybody's Problem Lyrics

Standing there before you / defences thrown aside / I thought I heard you laughing / but
When I asked you said you'd cried / I wanted to believe you / yes I wanted to feel strong
/ but looking at my picture / I realised I must be wrong / sounds so weak / it sounds so
Fey / it doesn't sound / like what I meant to say / I speak to you / with a borrowed
Tongue / shall I stop right now / or blindly carry on? / choose one [? ] / but I'm not
Everyone / I only have one viewpoint / don't talk to me of right or wrong / and didn't I
Often tell you / oh didn't I often say / that something in your manner / that really takes
My breath away? / it's not weak / to show I care / I know of those / who wouldn't even
Bear / the fact remains / I feel a need / is it love / or is it simply greed? / it's not
Weak / to show I care / I know of those / who wouldn't even bear / the fact remains / I
Feel a need / is it love / or is it simply greed? / you choose what you believe in / as
Far as I'm concerned / but one thing I can tell you / is innocence cannot be learned / I
Wish you'd stop me talking / oh I wish you'd shut my mouth / well the reason why I tell
You / is I think that you could help me out / and if you do then there's no doubt / that
All my problems won't just fly away.
Writer/s: JARVIS COCKER
Publisher: CONEXION MEDIA GROUP, INC.
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Everybody's Problem Song Chart

"Everybody's Problem" was a result of one of many shifts in direction in the early days of Pulp in an attempt to find commercial success. Having already moved from alternative in their early days to acoustic pop-ballads on their debut album It, this song was a result of producer Tony Perrin telling Jarvis Cocker that pop groups like Wham! were very popular at the time and to write songs accordingly.

Cocker explained in a 1994 Record Collector interview: "Red Rhino put up the money for another single. That's where things got bad. Tony Perrin, in his infinite wisdom, decided that Wham! were a good group, and said, 'You could write commercial songs like Wham!, Jarvis.' 'Everybody's Problem' was the result. As soon as I'd written it, I'd realized I'd made a grave error. It's got a brass section. I refused to sing properly. What's on the single is a desultory guide vocal - I messed up all the words. 'Everybody's Problem' bombed out and the future was canceled due to a lack of interest!'

If one good thing came out of the "Everybody's Problem" debacle, it's that Cocker's disillusionment with chasing commercial sounds for popularity led to him reassembling the band with a more noisey, alternative and experimental direction soon after, and not long after came members who would go on to feature in their most successful years: guitarist Russell Senior and keyboardist Candida Doyle. It was a close thing though - Cocker was close to dissolving the band altogether and going to university before a practice with Senior put him back on track.

"Everybody's Problem/There Was..." was a largely self-financed double-A-side single, and the original single is now a highly prized collector's item. The songs themselves have been reissued several times, including on the 2013 compilation Scared To Get Happy: A Story of Indie Pop 1980-1989.

Strawberry Alarm Clock - Incense And Peppermints

Strawberry Alarm Clock - Incense And Peppermints Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Incense And Peppermints
Released: 1967

Incense And Peppermints Lyrics

Incense And Peppermints Song Chart

This song has a rather convoluted history that Mark S. Weitz, who was the original keyboard player of the Strawberry Alarm Clock, helped us sort out. The writing credits on the song are listed as John Carter and Tim Gilbert, who were not part of the band, and the lead vocalist on this track was also not a member of the group.

It was Greg Munford, a 16-year-old singer with a group called The Shapes, who sang lead. He was brought in to sing harmonies on this song, but ended up doing the lead vocals. He was not even a regular band member, but ended up singing a tune that would rocket to #1 in the United States and sell over a million copies. Despite this success, Munford never actually joined the group.

Weitz gave us this account of how the song was written and how Munford ended up singing it: "I came up with the idea and actual music to the then untitled song that ultimately evolved into the #1 national hit, 'Incense and Peppermints.' I wrote the intro (the oriental sounding riff), the verses, and the ending (the major sevenths) while Ed King, at my request for some help on completing the song, co-wrote the bridge (the F # part) and of course the lead guitar parts. At the time when the music was recorded at Art Laboe's 'Original Sounds' studio in Hollywood, there was only a temporary title to the song, and lyrics had not yet been written. Our producer Frank Slay decided to send the fully mixed music track (recorded on 8 tracks of mono!) to John Carter; a member of the band The Rainy Daze, who Slay also produced at the time. John Carter was solely responsible for conjuring up the lyrics and the controversial melody line extracted out of the finished musical track. Frank Slay ultimately credited that melody line solely to the writing team of John Carter and Tim Gilbert. To this day, they have received 100% of the royalties.

When Frank Slay was approving the writer's names and how they would appear on the actual label prior to printing, our manager Bill Holmes and our producer Frank Slay had an argument. It was regarding who should receive the credit as writers of 'Incense and Peppermints.' Holmes was not happy with the fact that Ed King, John Carter, Tim Gilbert and I would receive credit as writers (which was rightfully so). Holmes wanted HIS name as well as ALL the members of the SAC as writers to appear on the label. Holmes would not agree to Slay's request for only having FOUR writers maximum to appear on the label. I assume, this was the industry standard at the time, that Slay was committed to uphold. This displeased Holmes to say the least. A verbal battle ensued, and ultimately Frank Slay went ahead and made a decision to have the label printed with John Carter's and Tim Gilbert's names both listed as the writers. Needless to say, when the song climbed to #1 on the Billboard Top 100 charts, Ed King and I were duped out of our fair share and never received a dime for our efforts. I was determined to sue all parties concerned, but was talked out of this action by Slay by mentioning the fact that it would destroy the future livelihood of the band, and we would lose the tour bookings that the band just signed on to do with the William Morris agency. I agreed to call off the dogs. After 2 years, I made a second attempt to initiate the lawsuit against Holmes. Upon the untimely breakup of the SAC in 1970, and due to the high cost of continuing on with the lawsuit, I was forced to drop the case.

Regarding the lead vocalist on I & P: When it came time to record the vocal tracks, none of the members of the Alarm Clock sounded right for the lead vocal. We all tried. Greg Munford (A 16 year old guitar player also produced by Holmes) was a guest in the studio that day, and gave a go at it. His voice sounded best, and we all agreed on keeping his vocal track on the final version."

The group's guitarist, who co-wrote this song, was Ed King. In 1970, an unknown band called Lynyrd Skynyrd opened some shows for The Strawberry Alarm Clock, and King got to know them. In 1973, King joined Skynyrd on guitar.

This is a good example of "Psychedelic" music, which was very popular at the time. Many of these songs had a drug influence, and that may have been the case here. Says Weitz: "When the music was written by myself in early '67 at my home in Van Nuys California, with my request for some help on the bridge of the song from Ed King, it was mid day, and no drugs were involved whatsoever. I came up with this musical idea and chord progressions that evolved that afternoon in a short time to what basically was recorded with some minimal editing to cut down the almost 5 minute original down to 3 minutes and change. As for the lyrics, that was the brainchild of John Carter. Carter was under contract with Frank Slay also as a producer. And there are many stories to how he came about those lyrics, but I can't substantiate any of it."

Regarding the band's name and their psychedelic look, Weitz says, "It went from Thee Sixpence right into the Strawberry Alarm Clock. I was instrumental in coming up with the name. I borrowed the Strawberry from Strawberry Fields Forever and then right down to the noisy Baby Ben electric alarm clock (in my bedroom/guest house where we used to rehearse) that we hooked up with name Strawberry to come up with the new name. We were asked by Frank Slay to come up with a new name because when we did a name check to clear it for label printing, Thee Sixpence was already used somewhere by another band at the time and there would be too much confusion. Slay was not instrumental in our 'Look.' He was our record producer. The East Indian Kurtas we had custom made at a store named Sat Parush in Westwood, California. I think our drummer Randy Seol stumbled on the store by accident one night while having dinner on the floor above at an ethnic restaurant or some kind one night way back in the beginning of 67. He showed us what they had there, and we liked it."

A common misperception is that the band took their name from the Beatles song "Strawberry Fields Forever." That song hadn't been released when the band formed.

According to the group's bass player George Bunnel, they were trying to sound British when they sang this, but their fake English accents ended up sounding trippy, which ended up working very well.

This song was briefly featured on an episode of The Simpsons when Homer was smoking medicinal marijuana. (thanks, zack - Worthington, KY)

Several members of the group reunited during the '80s for a succession of "Summer Of Love Revisited" tours. Their memory would be brought to the forefront again in 1997 when this was featured in the first Austin Powers movie, and in 2007 they reunited to play some shows. See the band in Song Images. (thanks, Kain - Charleston, SC)

Pulp - Little Girl (With Blue Eyes)

Pulp - Little Girl (With Blue Eyes) Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: single release only
Released: 1985

Little Girl (With Blue Eyes) Lyrics

You're just a
Little Girl (With Blue Eyes)
Everybody looks at you
(Well, it's your day)
And you're
Stepping from the black car
But you'll be getting back in soon
(And on your way)

Little girl (with blue eyes)
There's a hole in your heart
And one between your legs
You've never had to wonder
Which one he's going to fill
In spite of what he said
You'll never get away
Hey
You'll give it up one day
Come what may

Dad's not got a shot-gun
But his look's enough to murder you
(See what you've done)
And forget about the paintings
'Cause you'd better get the washing done
(Oh something's wrong)

Little girl (with blue eyes)
There's a hole in your heart
And one between your legs
You've never had to wonder
Which one he's going to fill
In spite of what he said
You'll never get away
Hey
You'll give it up one day
Come what may

Face down on the pavement
Chalk lines round your little hands
(Hit and run)
And now a
Mother sits in silence
In a darkness she can't understand
(Where you've gone)
Oh

Little girl (with blue eyes)
There's a hole in your heart
And one between your legs
You've never had to wonder
Which one he's going to fill
In spite of what he said
You'll never get away
Hey
You'll give it up one day
Come what may.

Writer/s: PETER MANSELL, JARVIS COCKER, RUSSELL SENIOR, CANDIDA DOYLE
Publisher: CONEXION MEDIA GROUP, INC.
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Little Girl (With Blue Eyes) Song Chart

This was the third single put out by Pulp. It was another non-album single after "Everybody's Problem/There Was...", and the first to feature two members who would become staples of the band well into their boom period: Russell Senior on guitar and Candida Doyle on keyboards.

Jarvis Cocker explained how the post-"Everybody's Problem" period saw the new lineup come together: "Around the middle of '84, I met up with Russell Senior, who I'd first met in 1980. He came to our Leadmill concert and wrote our very first review in his fanzine 'The Bath Banker.' We decided to have a last ditch effort, so we practiced with a new drummer, Magnus Doyle, and the next incarnation of Pulp was born, with a new bassist, Pete Mansell, who was a friend of Magnus', whose sister Candida Doyle joined after a few months. At first, we had Tim Allcard, who played two-finger keyboard parts and recited poetry in between songs."

Cocker explained the meaning behind the song in a 1994 Record Collector interview with John Reed: "This was about a girl who gets pregnant. It was after seeing a picture of my mum, getting out of her wedding car, and realizing she was only 20, when she got pregnant and had to get married. She was at art college but had to give it up to have me."

He continued: "The song got banned because of the lyrics - but not like Frankie goes to Hollwood. They just didn't play it. It got good reviews - 'a Scott Walker for the 80s!' People said, 'you'd like Scott Walker,' but all I'd heard sounded like Tom Jones. It wasn't until 1987 when somebody gave me a tape of his proper solo albums that I understood his genius. I started buying easy listening albums from jumble sales and Oxfam shops. Burt Bacarach, Henry Mancini - I found that easier to deal with, especially as we were making such abrasive music. I needed something to calm me down. I gave up being in touch with modern music. I resented anybody who was successful. I resented the Smiths, because they were from the North and doing a fairly similar thing."

The band would later go on to work with Scott Walker as a producer on their We Love Life album.

The single featured three tracks on the B-side - "Simultaneous," "The Will To Power" and "Blue Glow," all of which ended up on the Masters of the Universe compilation.

Steel Panther - Gloryhole

Steel Panther - Gloryhole Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: All You Can Eat
Released: 2014

Gloryhole Lyrics

There's a place in France where the naked ladies dance
There's a hole in the wall where you put your cock & balls
But you never really know who's sucking on the other side
Is it a boy or a girl or a lady-man hermaphrodite

Honey, I don't wanna know
Who's sucking my dick today
I'm going to the glory hole
Gonna spend my weekly pay
Dream about Cheryl Tiegs
While a beast greases up my pole
I'm gonna blow my load at the glory hole
Blow my load at the glory hole
Blow my load at the glory hole
The glory hole

I know a place down the street just behind Micky dees
Where the thing behind the hole really aims to please
Well a buck o' five is all you need to get a job well done
It doesn't matter if it's Tommy Lee or Attila the Hun

Baby, I don't wanna know
Who's sucking my cock tonight
I'm going to the glory hole
Gonna fuck it with all my might
In my head it's Jessica Biel
Don't care if it's a fucking troll
I'm gonna blow my load at the glory hole
Blow my load at the glory hole
Blow my load at the glory hole

Come, give your cock a chance
No need for romance
Come soil your pants at the glory hole
Come, get what you need
Do the dirty deed
Deposit your seed at the glory hole

Fell somebody new at the glory hole
Fill someone with goo at the glory hole
No one judges you at the glory hole

I don't wanna know
Who's sucking my dick today
I'm going to the glory hole
Gonna spend my weekly pay
Dream about virgin teens
While a beast greases up my pole
I'm gonna blow my load at the glory hole
Blow my load at the glory hole
Blow my load at the glory hole
Blow my load at the glory hole

Oh baby, here I come
Oh, oh, oh, fuck

Writer/s: Haley, Travis / Parrish, Russell / Leader, Darren / Saenz, Ralph
Publisher: Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Gloryhole Song Chart

We'll leave it to you to find out what a glory hole is (just make sure you're in privacy mode when you do), but we will tell you what Steel Panther guitarist Satchel told us when we asked if the band had any firsthand experience with them.

"It's based on stuff that happens to us all the time," he said, adding that he's never had a bad experience with one. "We're one of those bands that likes to do that kind of stuff together. Hey, we're all in Bangkok tonight, we're on tour, we don't have anywhere to go. Let's actually go to a whorehouse or a glory hole and have sex with random people behind a wall."

The music video, like the song, is not for the easily offended. Directed by Frankie Nasso, it's a very literal depiction of the lyric, set in a bathroom visited by all sorts of characters. Nasso is best-known for his work with Asking Alexandria; he directed their clips for "The Death of Me" and "Breathless."

Cheap Trick - I Want You To Want Me

Cheap Trick - I Want You To Want Me Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Live At Budokan
Released: 1977

I Want You To Want Me Lyrics

I Want You To Want Me.
I need you to need me.
I'd love you to love me.
I'm beggin' you to beg me.
I want you to want me.
I need you to need me.
I'd love you to love me.

I'll shine up my old brown shoes.
I'll put on a brand new shirt
I'll get home early from work
If you say that you love me.
Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I,
See you cryin' (cryin, cryin').
Oh, Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I,
See you cryin' (cryin, cryin')
Feelin' all alone without a friend
You know you feel like dyin' (dyin', dyin').
Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I,
See you cryin' (cryin', cryin').

I want you to want me.
I need you to need me.
I'd love you to love me.
I'm beggin' you to beg me.

I'll shine up my old brown shoes.
I'll put on a brand new shirt
I'll get home early from work
If you say that you love me.
Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I,
See you cryin' (cryin, cryin').
Oh, Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I,
See you cryin' (cryin, cryin')
Feelin' all alone without a friend
You know you feel like dyin' (dyin', dyin').
Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I,
See you cryin' (cryin', cryin').

Feelin' all alone without a friend
You know you feel like dyin' (dyin', dyin').
Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I,
See you cryin' (cryin', cryin').
Feelin' all alone without a friend
You know you feel like dyin' (dyin', dyin').
Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I,
See you cryin' (cryin', cryin').

I want you to want me.
I need you to need me.
I'd love you to love me.
I'm beggin' you to beg me.

Writer/s: NIELSEN, RICK
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

I Want You To Want Me Song Chart

This song has a long and intriguing history. It was written by Cheap Trick's guitarist Rick Nielsen and recorded for their 1977 self-titled debut album, but it didn't make the cut. The song was included on their second album In Color, which was released later in 1977. This version had a medium tempo with a country feel and a honkey tonk piano throughout the song.

By 1978, the band had dropped it from their setlist, but restored it when they toured Japan that year, since Japanese audiences loved the song. They played it on April 28th and 30th at their famous concerts that took place at the Budokan temple in Tokyo, which was a big deal because many Japanese citizens felt the temple was sacred and not appropriate for rock concerts. The concerts were released as the Live At Budokan album, which captured Cheap Trick's live energy and turned their fortunes around in America, where the album was released in February 1979 and sold over 3 million copies. The extracted "I Want You To Want Me" became their first hit, charting at #7.

The famous At Budokan version of this song was inspired by a French cover version ("J'attends Toutes les Nuits") by by a fairly obscure French synthpop artist named Niko Flynn, who sped up the tempo and put a beat to the song.

This is one of the few rock songs that starts with the chorus.

In 1978, this appeared as the B-side of Cheap Trick's single "California Man."

Pulp - Stacks

Pulp - Stacks Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Razzmatazz Single
Released: 1993

Stacks Lyrics

I saw you standing at the stop in your crochet halter top and your sky-blue training bra
I know you're gonna go too far
You're driving all the boys insane down by the sports hall in the rain
Chewing-gum, a navy dress, a purple shirt and all the rest
Oh there's Stacks to do and there's stacks to see and there's stacks to touch
And there's stacks to be, so many ways for you to spend your time
Such a lot that I know/ that you've got ah-ah
I heard you let him touch too much on the back seat of the bus
Did you stay over at his place?
And did you do it? was he ace?
The world is bigger every day and you've always got something to say
And you've always got somewhere to go
It's getting faster don't you know?
And there's stacks to do and there's stacks to see
And there's stacks to touch and there's stacks to be
So many ways for you to spend your time
Such a lot that I know that you've got ah-ah
Oh there's stacks to do and there's stacks to see
Oh yes stacks to touch and there's stacks to be
So many ways for you to spend your time
Such a lot that I know that you've got
Places to go and faces to kiss and boys to confuse
Are the boys good to miss?
There's so many ways for you to spend your time
Such a lot that I know that you've got yeah
I know that you've got oh I know that you've got
You got it!
Writer/s: BANKS, NICK / COCKER, JARVIS BRANSON / DOYLE, CANDIDA / MACKEY, STEPHEN PATRICK / SENIOR, RUSSELL
Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Stacks Song Chart

"Stacks" is the first of three songs in the "Inside Susan: A story in Three Songs" trilogy, all three of which were included on the B-side to the "Razzmatazz" single in 1993 - although "Stacks" was left off the 7" vinyl version. The three songs detail the life of a woman called Susan, from youth in Rotherham ("Stacks") through teenage years ("Inside Susan") to a boring domesticated married life in "59 Lyndhurst Grove". A fourth song in this storyline was written, called "The Babysitter," following on from "59 Lyndhurst Grove" and was included on the B-side to "Do You Remember The First Time?"

The first part of the "Inside Susan" story is "Stacks," and looks at the adolescent life of Susan as she grows up in Rotherham, UK, and starts to become more and more interested in boys and perhaps experiencing something of a sexual awakening - although sexual acts are nothing more than implied in the lyrics, more through innuendo.

Simon & Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence

Simon & Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Wednesday Morning, 3 AM
Released: 1966

The Sound of Silence Lyrics

Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within The Sound of Silence

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence

"Fools" said I
"You do not know, silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words like silent raindrops fell
And echoed
In the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the signs said
"The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls
And whisper'd in the sounds of silence

Writer/s: SIMON, PAUL
Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

The Sound of Silence Song Chart

The first recording was an acoustic version on Simon & Garfunkel's first album, Wednesday Morning, 3 AM, which was billed as "exciting new sounds in the folk tradition," and sold about 2000 copies. When the album tanked, Simon and Garfunkel split up. What they didn't know was that their record company had a plan. Trying to take advantage of the folk-rock movement, Columbia Records had producer Tom Wilson add electric instruments to the acoustic track. Simon and Garfunkel had no idea their acoustic song had been overdubbed with electric instruments, but it became a huge hit and got them back together. If Wilson had not reworked the song without their knowledge, Simon and Garfunkel probably would have gone their separate ways. When the song hit #1 in the States, Simon was in England and Garfunkel was at college.

Paul Simon was looking for a publishing deal when he presented this song to Tom Wilson at Columbia Records. Wilson thought it could work for a group called The Pilgrims, but Simon wanted to show him how it could work with two singers, so he and and Art Garfunkel sang it to the guys at Columbia Records, who were impressed with the duo and decided to sign them.

Paul Simon took six months to write the lyrics, which are about man's lack of communication with his fellow man. He averaged one line a day.

In an interview with Terry Gross of National Public Radio (NPR), Paul Simon explained how he wrote the song while working at his first job in music: "It was just when I was coming out of college. My job was to take the songs that this huge publishing company owned and go around to record companies and see if any of their artists wanted to record the songs. I worked for them for about six months and never got a song placed, but I did give them a couple of my songs because I felt so guilty about taking their money. Then I got into an argument with them and said, 'Look, I quit, and I'm not giving you my new song.' And the song that I had just written was 'The Sound of Silence.' I thought, 'I'll just publish it myself,' and from that point on I owned my own songs, so that was a lucky argument.

I think about songs that it's not just what the words say but what the melody says and what the sound says. My thinking is that if you don't have the right melody, it really doesn't matter what you have to say, people don't hear it. They only are available to hear when the sound entrances and makes people open to the thought. Really the key to 'The Sound of Silence' is the simplicity of the melody and the words, which are youthful alienation. It's a young lyric, but not bad for a 21-year-old. It's not a sophisticated thought, but a thought that I gathered from some college reading material or something. It wasn't something that I was experiencing at some deep, profound level - nobody's listening to me, nobody's listening to anyone - it was a post-adolescent angst, but it had some level of truth to it and it resonated with millions of people. Largely because it had a simple and singable melody."

This was one of the songs Simon & Garfunkel performed in 1964 when they were starting out and playing the folk clubs in Greenwich Village. It was their first hit.

Paul Simon was often compared to Bob Dylan, who was also signed to Columbia Records, and while Simon has acknowledged Dylan's influence on "The Sound Of Silence," he was never trying to measure up to Dylan. Simon told Mojo in 2000: "I tried very hard not to be influenced by him, and that was hard. 'The Sound Of Silence', which I wrote when I was 21, I never would have wrote it were it not for Bob Dylan. Never, he was the first guy to come along in a serious way that wasn't a teen language song. I saw him as a major guy whose work I didn't want to imitate in the least."

There is a Dylan connection on this song: The electric version was produced by Tom Wilson and finished by Bob Johnston, and both men had worked with Dylan. Wilson was Dylan's producer for about two years starting in 1963, and helped Dylan make the transition from acoustic folk to electric rock. Wilson went on to work with The Velvet Underground and later became a record company executive. Johnston was Dylan's producer until 1970.

This was used in the movie The Graduate. The film's director Mick Nichols put it on as a work track and was going to replace it, but as the film came together it became clear that the song was perfect for the film. Nichols didn't just use this song, but felt Simon & Garfunkel had a sound that fit the tone of the movie very well. They commissioned them to write "Mrs. Robinson" specifically for the movie, and also added "Scarborough Fair" and "April Come She Will" to the film.

This has a lot of meaning in the movie The Graduate. The lyrics refer to silence as a cancer, and if people in the movie had just been honest and not afraid to talk, all the messy things would not have happened. Problems can be solved only by honesty. (thanks, Stefan - Winona, MS)

Simon & Garfunkel did not write this about the Vietnam War, but by the time it became popular, the war was on and many people felt it made a powerful statement as an anti-war song.

In the US, this hit #1 on New Year's Day, 1966.

The opening line, "Hello darkness, my old friend," came from Simon's time as a boy when he would sing in the bathroom with the lights out, enjoying the acoustics from the tiles that provided a doo-wop reverb sound.

On February 23, 2003, Simon and Garfunkel reunited for the first time in 10 years to accept a lifetime achievement award and perform this at the opening of The Grammys. At the time, the US was preparing to invade Iraq, and while this could be heard as a political statement, Simon said it wasn't. He explained that they wanted to play this because it was their first hit.

At the Grammy Awards in 1967, Simon & Garfunkel were introduced by Dustin Hoffman, who made a name for himself when he starred in The Graduate. There was no host at The Grammys that year, so Hoffman was the first person seen when the show opened.

Despite its great popularity, Blender magazine voted this the 42nd worst song ever, remarking sardonically that "If Frasier Crane were a song, he would sound like this." The magazine's editor, Craig Marks, defended Blender's decision to include this much-loved song on their list, stating: "It's the freshman-poetry meaningfulness that got our goat, with self-important lyrics like 'hear my words that I might teach you', it's almost a parody of pretentious '60s folk-rock." The brief article on the song corresponding with this called the "hear my words" line "the most self-important... in rock history," and elaborated on Mark's remarks with: "Simon and Garfunkel thunder away in voices that suggest they're scowling and wagging their fingers as they sing. The overall experience is like being lectured on the meaning of life by a jumped-up freshman."

The band Gregorian covered this on their album Masters of Chant - as Gregorian chant. Nevermore also covered it on the album Dead Heart In A Dead World, and the German band Atrocity covered it on their 2000 album Gemini. As for their version's quality: Many people feel the band name was appropriate. (thanks, Brett - Edmonton, Canada, for above 2)

This was used in the movie Old School in a scene where Will Ferrell falls into a pool. (thanks, Joel Riley - Berkley, MI)

The Bachelors, a three-piece vocal group from Ireland, recorded this in 1966 and hit #3 in the UK with their version. Simon & Garfunkel's version was not released as a single in England. (thanks, Phil - Bolton, England)

This song was parodied on The Simpsons in the fifth season episode "Lady Bouvier's Lover." The whole episode is very similar to The Graduate, and The Simpsons version plays over the end credits, after Grandpa and Mrs. Bouvier have left the church much as Benjamin and Elaine do in the movie. (thanks, Judah - San Francisco, CA)

Paul Simon didn't always enjoy performing his older songs, as he had a hard time making connections to songs he had written decades earlier. This was a source of contention for the duo, since Art Garfunkel felt that many of their popular songs were still relevant, and their audience wanted to hear them. He explained in a 1993 interview with Paul Zollo: "I want 'The Sound Of Silence' to get angry at the end as if it's timeless. The impoverished are screaming, 'F--k this unfair system,' just like they've always screamed it. It's a timeless thing. It lives, if you can make it live, onstage tonight like it did when it was written in '64."

There has been only one cover version of this song to make the US Hot 100: a 1971 release by Peaches & Herb that made #100. Some other notable covers are an extended Metal version by Nevermore on their 2000 album Dead Heart in a Dead World, and a 1996 rendition by the Icelandic singer Emiliana Torrini.

Simon & Garfunkel performed this at Neil Young's Bridge School Benefit in 1993 with Eddie Van Halen backing them on guitar.

The heavy metal band Disturbed surprised their fans by covering this for their 2015 Immortalized album. Guitarist Dan Donegan said they didn't want to cover up singer David Draiman's vocal with "loud, aggressive, and distorted guitars" on their version. He added: "We wanted to showcase his vulnerability and take a leftfield approach. The strings and violins really deepen it. It's something that might shock people because we went down a new path altogether. We did what felt right and saw the vision through."

The Kingsmen - Louie Louie

The Kingsmen - Louie Louie Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Louie Louie: The Kingsmen In Person
Released: 1964

Louie Louie Lyrics

Louie Louie, oh no
Me gotta go
Aye-yi-yi-yi, I said
Louie Louie, oh baby
Me gotta go

Fine little girl waits for me
Catch a ship across the sea
Sail that ship about, all alone
Never know if I make it home

Louie Louie, oh oh no
Me gotta go, oh no
Louie Louie, oh baby
I said we gotta go

Three nights and days I sail the sea
Think of girl, constantly
On that ship, I dream she's there
I smell the rose in her hair.

Louie Louie, oh no
Me gotta go
Aye-yi-yi-yi, I said
Louie Louie, oh baby
Me gotta go
Okay, let's give it to 'em, right now!

See Jamaica, the moon above
It won't be long, me see me love
Take her in my arms again
I tell her I'll never leave again

Louie Louie, oh no
Me gotta go
Aye-yi-yi-yi, I said
Louie Louie, oh baby
Me gotta go

I said we gotta go now
Let's take it on outta here now
Let's go!!

Writer/s: BERRY, RICHARD
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Louie Louie Song Chart

This was written by an R&B singer named Richard Berry in 1955. With his group The Pharaohs, he was also the first to record it, and it got some airplay in some cities in the Western US when it was released in 1957. Various garage bands heard it and started covering the song, until it became a phenomena with the Kingsmen's 1964 version. While much of the song's notoriety comes from the indecipherable lyrics, in Berry's original version words are quite clear: the song is about a sailor who spends three days traveling to Jamaica to see his girl.

Dwight Rounds, author of The Year The Music Died, 1964-1972 , writes: "The words to 'Louie Louie' are almost impossible to understand, and are rumored to be obscene. No question that this added significantly to the sales of the single. There was probably a leak somewhere that the lyrics were obscene; otherwise no one would have realized it. This was the most ingenious marketing scheme ever. The FBI tried to track down Richard Berry, The Kingsmen, and various record company executives. They were never able to determine the actual lyrics used. The Kingsmen insisted they said nothing lewd, despite the obvious mistake at the end of the instrumental, where Jack Ely started to sing the last verse one bar too soon, and can be heard yelling something in the background. Ely also said that he sung far away from the microphone, which caused the fuzzy sound, and that the notoriety was initiated by the record company. The words sound much more like the official version seen below, especially the word "rose" instead of "bone." The lyrics rumor was a sham. The official lyrics are listed below in plain print, with one of the many alternative versions in italics.

Chorus: "Louie, Louie, oh no. Me gotta go. Aye-yi-yi, I said. Louie Louie, oh baby. Me gotta go."

"Fine little girl waits for me. Catch a ship across the sea. Sail that ship about, all alone. Never know if I make it home."

"Three nights and days, I sail the sea." Every night and day, I play with my thing.
"Think of girl, constantly." I f--k you girl, oh, all the way.
"Oh that ship, I dream she's there. On my bed, I'll lay her there.
"I smell the rose in her hair." I feel my bone, ah, in her hair.

"See Jamaica, the moon above." Hey lovemaker, now hold my thing.
"It won't be long, me see my love." It won't take long, so leave it alone.
"Take her in my arms again." Hey, senorita, I'm hot as hell.
"Tell her I'll never leave again." I told her I'd never lay her again.

The FBI launched an extensive investigation into this song after Indiana governor Matthew Welsh declared it "Pornographic" in early 1964 and asked the Indiana Broadcasters Association to ban it. The investigation spanned offices in several states, with technicians listening to the song at different speeds trying to discern any obscene lyrics. None were found; the FBI eventually figured out what happened when they contacted the FCC. The report details this correspondence:

"She explained that for approximately two years her company has been receiving unfounded complaints concerting the recording of 'Louie Louie.' She advised that to the best of her knowledge, the trouble was started by an unidentified college student, who made up a series of obscene verses for 'Louie Louie' and then sold them to fellow students. It is her opinion that a person can take any 45 r.p.m recording and reduce its speed to 33 r.p.m. and imagine obscene words, depending upon the imagination of the listener."

Many bands in the Northwest US played this at their concerts. The Kingsmen lifted their version from The Wailers, a Seattle band who missed out on the song's success.

This song was prominently featured in the film Animal House, starring John Belushi, despite the fact that it wasn't actually recorded until almost two years after the period of time in which the movie is set (1962). (thanks, Sam - Lincoln, NE)

This cost $50 to record. The Kingsmen went to the studio after a radio station executive in Portland saw them perform it live and suggested they record it.

Paul Revere and The Raiders, also on the Northwest touring scene, recorded their version the day after The Kingsmen at the same studio. Their version was superior musically, but was just regional hit as they could not generate the publicity The Kingsmen did.

This was the only Kingsmen song with lead vocals by Jack Ely. Before this became a hit, he quit when band leader Lynn Easton assumed vocals and ordered Ely to drums. When this became a hit, Easton would lip-sync to Ely's vocals on TV performances.

Ely later tried to capitalize on the success of "Louie Louie" by releasing similar songs on his own, including "Louie Louie 66," "Love That Louie," and "Louie Go Home."

In the FBI report, the alleged dirty lyrics were submitted by some concerned citizens, which the agency compared against the copyrighted published lyrics. The offensive lyrics FBI lab workers were listening for were:

Lou-ai Lou-ai Oh, no
Grab her way down low
This line least clear

There is a fine little girl waiting for me
She is just a girl across the way
When I take her all alone
She's never the girl I lay at home
(chorus)

Tonight at 10 I'll lay her again
We'll f--k your girl and by the way
And... on that chair I'll lay her there
I felt my bone... in her hair
(chorus)

She had a rag on, I moved above
It won't be long she'll slip it off
I held her in my arm and then
And I told her I'd rather lay her again
(chorus)

This became a national hit when a disc jockey in Boston played it and declared that it was the worst song he ever heard.

According to lead singer Jack Ely, the studio had a 19-foot ceiling with a microphone suspended from it. Ely claims that was the cause of the "garbled" lyrics, but Paul Revere and the Raiders recorded their version of "Louie Louie" in the same studio the day after the Kingsmen's session, and their partly ad-libbed lyrics are clearly heard.

On August 24, 2003, 754 guitarists played this at "Louie Fest" in Tacoma, Washington. The event was held to raise money for music programs. Dick Peterson from The Kingsmen was one of the guitarists.

The "See" in the lyrics "See Jamaica" comes in one line too early and is repeated.

This was used in the movie Down Periscope with Kelsey Grammer. As a submarine captain in a series of war games, Grammer and his crew sing this song loudly to confuse their pursuer's radar into thinking that they were a fishing trawler full of drunk fishermen. (thanks, Brandon - Peoria, IL)

Iggy Pop recorded a version with new lyrics for his 1993 album American Caesar. His band The Stooges would often play the song and change the words to the supposedly offensive lyrics. This version of the song was the last one they played at their February 9, 1974 show at the Michigan Palace, which would be their last until a reunion in 2003. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

According to Kenny Vance, who was the musical director on Animal House, John Belushi sang in a garage band that used to perform this song at fraternities. Belushi would sing his version of the dirty lyrics, which he did in the studio while recording his vocals for the movie. Sadly, the tape of Belushi singing his dirty version of the song was lost in 2012 when Hurricane Sandy wiped out Kenny's home in Queens. (Read more in our interview with Kenny Vance.)

In the 1990 movie Coupe de Ville, Patrick Dempsey, Arye Gross and Daniel Stern star as brothers who have an argument over the meaning of this song. They debate if it is about lovemaking, or if it is a sea shanty. (thanks, Gordon - Jacksonville, FL)

In 1966, The Sandpipers took this song to #30 in the US. Another notable cover: the West Coast punk band Black Flag recorded this in 1981 and released it on their album The First Four Years.

Pulp - 59 Lyndhurst Grove

Pulp - 59 Lyndhurst Grove Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Razzmatazz Single
Released: 1993

59 Lyndhurst Grove Lyrics

There's a picture by his first wife on the wall
Stripped floor-boards in the kitchen and the hall
A stain from last week's party on the stairs
No one knows who made it or how it ever got there

They were dancing with children round their legs
Talking business, books and records, art and sex
All things being considered you'd call it a success
You wore your black dress oh-oh oh-oh...

He's an architect and such a lovely guy
And he'll stay with you until the day you die
And he'll give you everything you could desire
Oh well almost everything everything that he can buy

So you sometimes go out in the afternoon
Spend an hour with your lover in his bedroom hear old women
Rolling trolleys down the road
Back to Lyndhurst Grove Lyndhurst Grove Oh.

Writer/s: BANKS, NICK / COCKER, JARVIS BRANSON / DOYLE, CANDIDA / MACKEY, STEPHEN PATRICK / SENIOR, RUSSELL
Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

59 Lyndhurst Grove Song Chart

This song is the third and final part of the "Inside Susan: A story in Three Songs" trilogy (not including "The Babysitter", written and released later on as a B-side). Having detailed the main character Susan's early adolescence in "Stacks" and her teenage years in "Inside Susan," we find her here in "59 Lyndhurst Grove" having now grown up, married an estate agent, and moved to "somewhere in South London." Clearly domestic bliss is not to her taking, as she appears to be in an illicit fling with another man in an attempt to bring some excitement to proceedings.

Jarvis Cocker explained briefly about the "Inside Susan" trilogy when discussing the "Razzmatazz" single in the 1994 Record Collector interview, where he elaborated on "59 Lyndhurst Grove." Said Cocker: "You follow this character from early adolescence through to early thirties and married to an architect somewhere in South London. The last part, '59 Lyndhurst Grove,' was inspired by a party I'd been to the weekend before. We were thrown out by an architect but I got my own back by writing a song about the event. It was a really crap 'right on' party - there were children there. You don't take your children to a party in my book. I sent a copy of the CD to 59 Lyndhurst Grove, the lady of the house, because she was in a bad situation married to this prick, but she never wrote back. A Japanese fan went there and stood outside and asked if she was Susan!"