Well, I guess I've been a long time
Working in a backline
Trying to make a song fit
When you know it never was mine
Two-dollar high-heel shoes and a honky tonk dress
In the rhythm and the soul reviews, I had a dream I guess
Huh, yeah, yes

And I had to beat the stage fright
I had to cry all night
Trying to make a song fit
When you know it never was right
I said, "Girl, get up and get out of this mess"
You're gonna be an overnight sensation
Gonna be an overnight success, yeah

And all through the badlands
Rocking on the bandstands
It's so hard in the bar bands
When there's no one there who understands
And Lady Luck will pass you by and she will never say yes

You're gonna be an overnight sensation
You're gonna be an overnight, mh
You're gonna be an overnight success, yeah

Oh, well, I used to be a sweet little rock 'n' roll singer
Chasing after fortune and fame
They say, "What's your story? What's your payola?"
Me, I'm in the music game, uh

Well I guess I've been a long time, mh
Working in a backline
I'm trying to make a song fit
I know it never was mine

Ay, what can I tell you
I made a break, I guess
Now I'm an overnight sensation
I'm an over, overnight, uh
Said, I'm an over, overnight success, yeah
Oh, jam on

(Over, over)
(Over, overnight)

I'm an over, overnight (over, over)
(Over, overnight)
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Ow, yeah, yeah, yeah (over, over)
Over, overnight
Over, overnight
Over, overnight
Over, overnight
Over, overnight
Over, overnight
Over, overnight
(Over, over) yeah
Over, overnight
Over, overnight sensation
(Over, over)
(Over, overnight) yeah
Over, overnight
Yeah, over, overnight (over, over)
(Over, overnight) sensation
Yeah, yeah
(Over, over) yeah
(Over, overnight)
(Over, over)


Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings

Overnight Sensation Lyrics as written by Mark Knopfler

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Overnight Sensation song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

0 Comments

sort form View by:
  • No Comments

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
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.
Album art
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him. There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Album art
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version. Great version of a great song,
Album art
When We Were Young
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Album art
No Surprises
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.