The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
The word's on the street; you've found someone new
If he looks nothing like me
I'm so happy for you
I heard an old girlfriend
Has turned to the church
She's trying to replace me
But it'll never work
'cause every touch reminds you of
Just how sweet it could have been
And every time he kisses you
It leaves behind the bitter taste of saccharine
A bad cover version of love is not the real thing
Bikini clad girl on the front who invited you in
Such great disappointment
When you got him home
The original was so good
The one you no longer own
And every touch reminds you of
Just how sweet it could have been
And every time he kisses you
You get the taste of saccharine
It's not easy to forget me
It's so hard to disconnect
When it's electronically reprocessed
To give a more life-like effect
Oh come on
Ah, sing your song
About all the sad imitations
That got it so wrong
It's like a later Tom And Jerry, when the two of them could talk
Like the Stones since the Eighties
Like the last days of Southfork
Like Planet Of The Apes on TV
The second side of Til The Band Comes In
Like an own brand box of cornflakes:
He's going to let you down, my friend
If he looks nothing like me
I'm so happy for you
I heard an old girlfriend
Has turned to the church
She's trying to replace me
But it'll never work
'cause every touch reminds you of
Just how sweet it could have been
And every time he kisses you
It leaves behind the bitter taste of saccharine
A bad cover version of love is not the real thing
Bikini clad girl on the front who invited you in
Such great disappointment
When you got him home
The original was so good
The one you no longer own
And every touch reminds you of
Just how sweet it could have been
And every time he kisses you
You get the taste of saccharine
It's not easy to forget me
It's so hard to disconnect
When it's electronically reprocessed
To give a more life-like effect
Oh come on
Ah, sing your song
About all the sad imitations
That got it so wrong
It's like a later Tom And Jerry, when the two of them could talk
Like the Stones since the Eighties
Like the last days of Southfork
Like Planet Of The Apes on TV
The second side of Til The Band Comes In
Like an own brand box of cornflakes:
He's going to let you down, my friend
Lyrics submitted by typo, edited by WasntReallyYou
Bad Cover Version Lyrics as written by Jarvis Branson Cocker Candida Doyle
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
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"A bad cover version of love is not the real thing Bikini-clad girl on the front who invited you in"
This refers to the budget-priced compilation albums released on Britain's Hallmark record label in the late sixties and early seventies, which featured extremely bad cover versions of current chart hits.
These albums were titled "Top of the Pops" (not to be confused with the BBC television show) and usually featured pretty bikini-garbed girls on the cover. One of the strangest of these LPs I have seen had a gorgeous bikini-wearing twentysomething girl on the front cover and a hairy, ugly thirtysomething man on the rear cover. The man had a dog leash around his neck and was clad only in underpants. I am not making this up, that's the 1970s for you.
All of the cover versions on these albums were by anonymous session musicians rather than named acts Famously, one of these anons was a young singer and pianist named Reginald Dwight, nowadays better known as Elton John.