In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Mi-i-ine
Guess what's happening now?
Well
Whoa, oh
Well
Now
Relax, don't do it
When you want to go to it
Relax, don't do it
When you want to come
Relax, don't do it
When you want to suck it, chew it
Relax, don't do it
When you want to come
When you want to come
Relax, don't do it
When you want to to go to it
Relax, don't do it
When you want to come
Relax, don't do it
When you want to suck it, chew it
Relax, don't do it
When you want to come
Ah, ah, ah
Come oh, oh, oh
But shoot it in the right direction (hey-hey-hey-yeah)
Make making it your intention (ooh-yeah, ooh-yeah)
Live those dreams
Scheme those schemes
Got to hit me (hit me)
Hit me (hit me)
Hit me with those laser beams
Ow, ow, ow, laser beam me
Ah, ah, ah
One, two
Relax
Don't do it
Relax
When you want to come
Come, ah, woo
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
I'm comin', I'm comin', hey, hey, hey, hey hey
Relax, don't do it
When you want to go to it
Relax, don't do it
When you want to come
Relax, don't do it
When you want to suck it, chew it
Relax, don't do it (love)
When you want to come
When you want to come
When you want to come
Come-huh
Ow, ow
Ow, ow, ow, yeah
You see her, feel it
Relax, don't do it
When you want to go to it
Relax, don't do it (oh-oh)
Relax, don't do it
When you want to suck it, chew it
Relax, don't do it
One sound when it's time to come (hey)
Come
Guess what's happening now?
Well
Whoa, oh
Well
Now
Relax, don't do it
When you want to go to it
Relax, don't do it
When you want to come
Relax, don't do it
When you want to suck it, chew it
Relax, don't do it
When you want to come
When you want to come
Relax, don't do it
When you want to to go to it
Relax, don't do it
When you want to come
Relax, don't do it
When you want to suck it, chew it
Relax, don't do it
When you want to come
Ah, ah, ah
Come oh, oh, oh
But shoot it in the right direction (hey-hey-hey-yeah)
Make making it your intention (ooh-yeah, ooh-yeah)
Live those dreams
Scheme those schemes
Got to hit me (hit me)
Hit me (hit me)
Hit me with those laser beams
Ow, ow, ow, laser beam me
Ah, ah, ah
One, two
Relax
Don't do it
Relax
When you want to come
Come, ah, woo
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
I'm comin', I'm comin', hey, hey, hey, hey hey
Relax, don't do it
When you want to go to it
Relax, don't do it
When you want to come
Relax, don't do it
When you want to suck it, chew it
Relax, don't do it (love)
When you want to come
When you want to come
When you want to come
Come-huh
Ow, ow
Ow, ow, ow, yeah
You see her, feel it
Relax, don't do it
When you want to go to it
Relax, don't do it (oh-oh)
Relax, don't do it
When you want to suck it, chew it
Relax, don't do it
One sound when it's time to come (hey)
Come
Lyrics submitted by democracys, edited by markward
Relax Lyrics as written by Peter Gill Mark Otoole
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Of course this song is about sex! What else could it possibly be about? Sounds like it's also about delaying gratification to get the most pleasure. Apparently when it first came out the band said it was about something else but later admitted it was about sex, as if anyone would believe it could be about anything else. Great 80's song. By the way the guy with the moustache now lives a quiet life here in rural New Zealand.
@gerimerrymuffin Freddy Mercury's twin?
I have recently developed an interest in Tantric Sex which is the practice of sexual acts in a Sacred context. The objective is to leave your ego behind and commune with Source very much in the way meditation allows but instead of sitting silently with your legs crossed in an empty room, you're engaged in a sexually aroused state either alone or with [an] other[s]. Expert male practitioners are able to prolong this state for many hours by NOT ejaculating. With practice orgasm - pleasurable waves of muscular contraction and ecstasy can occur without ejaculation. When I heard this song recently having developed this interest, I wondered if it might have been Frankie Goes To Holywood's Anthem to Tantric Sex because in order to prolong the sacred ecstasy you have to Relax when you want to Ejaculate [or come/cum :-)] However having looked more closely at the lyrics it seems to be more likely to be about queer male on male anal intercourse. Those inexperienced at being f@%*d can find the prostatic gland stimulation which occurs from penile anal penetration so intensely pleasurable that they just spontaneously ejaculate. Frankie is warning his inexperienced partner against this. He wants his partner to ejaculate only when he is ready and to be able to live out his sexual fantasies and create new fantasies [live those dreams/ scheme those schemes] by intentionally directing his ejaculate all over him! [hit me with those laser beams]
But shoot it in the right direction Make making it your intention -- ooh yeah Live those dreams Scheme those schemes Got to hit me Hit me Hit me with those laser beams
However I'm not entirely sure in this context what the expression 'when you want to suck to it' means!?
I hope I haven't given more detail than you would have wished for. I just think that on a site about the meaning of lyrics we probably need a bit more than 'it's about sex'
I was a gay man in the 80's -just coming out when this record was released and it was considered so explicit that the BBC banned it from being broadcast. Strange how at the time I didn't really think it was about anal intercourse. Just thought it was about straight sex but that the lyrics talking about coming/cuming were too extreme for the conservative BBC Post Reply
Thanx man,I'm a straight female and I had NO idea about any of that!
@GaySocrates isn't it funny what a different time the eighties were? The whole band is gay, yet I still remember there being questions - "is it about GAY sex?" Lol - even you, being a gay man, weren't sure it was about gay sex. Because we hadn't seen or heard some of this stuff before, back then! I remember how shocking it was to learn the lead singer of Culture Club was a man, after seeing the "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?" Video!<br /> <br /> Also, GaySocrates is redundant (just busting 'em, ha ha)
@GaySocrates isn't it funny what a different time the eighties were? The whole band is gay, yet I still remember there being questions - "is it about GAY sex?" Lol - even you, being a gay man, weren't sure it was about gay sex. Because we hadn't seen or heard some of this stuff before, back then! I remember how shocking it was to learn the lead singer of Culture Club was a man, after seeing the "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?" Video!<br /> <br /> Also, GaySocrates is redundant (just busting 'em, ha ha)
@GaySocrates Nice! It makes so much sense! (both parts but I think the latter is more likely this song's perspective than the Tantric version).<br /> <br /> Thanks for explaining it in detail. I'm female as well. I was in a non-english speaking country when this came out and also a kid, so even the broad meaning would've been lost on me. But I do remember it played "around" (radio, cafes, restaurants etc; I was not old enough for clubs and bars) in the 80s. Perhaps it escaped the controversy/got lost in translation. :) As a teen/adult I kept hearing the song in various countries on radio, and at parties/bars/clubs but I wasn't giving much thought to it - just enjoying it and yeah, it's about sex, but vague. I didn't ever ask whats up with the laser beams?! But it actually refers to some quite specific aspects of sex that makes sense when you described with the details. :))) Thank you!<br />
This is easy.
It's a song about semen.
About the importance of holding it in, and of shooting it in the right direction when you, er, "come".
Also, it reminds us that, in order to keep your sexual partner satisfied, it's important to delay one's own pleasure in order for your partner to achieve a higher plane of pleasure.
Yes, it is slang for ejaculation, only it's supposed to be spelled "come".
Quickies are great once in a blue moon but this song (whether it is gay or heterosexual doesn't matter) is still about tantric sex. Relax don't do it, when you want to come (cum) is the secret to building a worthwhile sex life, that is a fact.
I'm wearing my 'Frankie Says Relax' tshirt right now. And listening to this song. Makes me giggle everytime I hear it.
the members of frankie goes to hollywood have stated that this song is 100% about buggery.
LOL @ mira love. No, it certainly isn't the most tasteful of songs and luckily the meaning wasn't too obvious to little kiddies (like myself back then) and thus allowing it play time on the radio. I admit I never saw the clip until a few years ago when it was on RAGE one night. I guess that one wasn't rated PG back then.
My roommate actually tried to convince me that this song was about a fight. I said, "It's totally about sex." She was convinced that it had to be about a guy restraining his agressive impulsive. "It could mean don't come ot the fight." Eventually, after she heard the song a few more times, she finally figured it out.
People who are on here saying this song isn't about sex, please go watch the music video. There is no way this song is not about sex, and there's nothing wrong with writing a song about sex.
More specifically, my guess is this song was about gay bathhouse sex. Since they were a gay group they probably knew a thing or two about bathhouse culture, and there are lots of guys who try not to come with the guy they're with and look for another to play with.
You go to the bathhouse, which probably isn't near your house, then you pay $20 to get in, and now you're so excited that you want to come in like the first 5 minutes but you know that if you do you'll only have played with one guy. I don't have this issue, but I've seen guys just leave for no reason, just smile and say "thanks and goodbye," and I've learned that it's just part of the way bathhouses are.
So that explains the chorus, now the verse:
"But shoot it in the right direction"
When you do come, make sure it's worth it. Like not by yourself in a little room after the guy you're with just left.
"Make making it your intention-ooh yeah"
Think about sex, not orgasm.
"Live those dreams Scheme those schemes"
If you relax, i.e. postpone ejaculation, you can have what you dream of/scheme for, instead of just a few minutes of mindless pleasure.
"Got to hit me Hit me Hit me with those laser beams"
Come on the narrator, probably because he'll enjoy it.
Yeah, funny how such a song became a mainstream hit. It reminds me of The Village People's "YMCA," which we danced to in elementary school and I later found out was about public gay sex in the YMCA showers.