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.
Another aimless day, another useless night
I want peroxide hair, I want some neon light
I got a new life waiting, I can't wait to begin it
The thing that gets me down, being young in this town
Is there's no future in it
I want a fine perfume, how 'bout a blue corvette?
If there's a slower death than living here and now
They haven't found it yet
I need a man who knows what I'm really worth
And I don't give a damn about life after death
But I gotta get some proof that there's a life after birth
Tire tracks and broken hearts, that's all we're leaving behind
It doesn't matter what we lose, it only matters what we're going to find
Tire tracks and broken hearts, let's get away from the past
So many ways to stay hungry baby, so many ways to go fast
I want a push-up bra, I want some satin sheets
Give me some real rich food, I want some succulent sweets
I want you by my side, you'll be all my own
I don't know what I want half the time, but I know know
That I don't want to spend another minute alone
Tire tracks and broken hearts, that's all we're leaving behind
It doesn't matter what we lose, it only matters what we're going to find
Tire tracks and broken hearts, let's get away from the past
So many ways to stay hungry baby, so many ways to go fast
(Do do, da do do, da do do, da down down down)
Those good girls never know what they're missing
But us bad girls almost always do
And what we're missing most are the real good times
I want them bad and I want them now
I was born going faster than the limits allow
I want it bad and I want it now
We were born going faster than the limits allow
Faster than the limits allow
Right here, right now!
Tire tracks and broken hearts, that's all we're leaving behind
It doesn't matter what we lose, it only matters what we're going to find
Tire tracks and broken hearts, let's get away from the past
So many ways to stay hungry baby, so many ways to go fast
I wanna show you what I want you to do
Where and when and how
I want it bad and I want it now
We were born going faster than the limits allow
I wanna show you what I want you to do
Where and when and how
I want it bad and I want it now
We were born going faster than the limits allow
Tire tracks and broken hearts, that's all we're leaving behind
It doesn't matter what we lose, it only matters what we're going to find
Tire tracks and broken hearts, let's get away from the past
So many ways to stay hungry baby, so many ways to go fast
I want peroxide hair, I want some neon light
I got a new life waiting, I can't wait to begin it
The thing that gets me down, being young in this town
Is there's no future in it
I want a fine perfume, how 'bout a blue corvette?
If there's a slower death than living here and now
They haven't found it yet
I need a man who knows what I'm really worth
And I don't give a damn about life after death
But I gotta get some proof that there's a life after birth
Tire tracks and broken hearts, that's all we're leaving behind
It doesn't matter what we lose, it only matters what we're going to find
Tire tracks and broken hearts, let's get away from the past
So many ways to stay hungry baby, so many ways to go fast
I want a push-up bra, I want some satin sheets
Give me some real rich food, I want some succulent sweets
I want you by my side, you'll be all my own
I don't know what I want half the time, but I know know
That I don't want to spend another minute alone
Tire tracks and broken hearts, that's all we're leaving behind
It doesn't matter what we lose, it only matters what we're going to find
Tire tracks and broken hearts, let's get away from the past
So many ways to stay hungry baby, so many ways to go fast
(Do do, da do do, da do do, da down down down)
Those good girls never know what they're missing
But us bad girls almost always do
And what we're missing most are the real good times
I want them bad and I want them now
I was born going faster than the limits allow
I want it bad and I want it now
We were born going faster than the limits allow
Faster than the limits allow
Right here, right now!
Tire tracks and broken hearts, that's all we're leaving behind
It doesn't matter what we lose, it only matters what we're going to find
Tire tracks and broken hearts, let's get away from the past
So many ways to stay hungry baby, so many ways to go fast
I wanna show you what I want you to do
Where and when and how
I want it bad and I want it now
We were born going faster than the limits allow
I wanna show you what I want you to do
Where and when and how
I want it bad and I want it now
We were born going faster than the limits allow
Tire tracks and broken hearts, that's all we're leaving behind
It doesn't matter what we lose, it only matters what we're going to find
Tire tracks and broken hearts, let's get away from the past
So many ways to stay hungry baby, so many ways to go fast
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More Featured Meanings
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
System
Mel And Kim
Mel And Kim
Just listening for the 784,654th time....and it's just perfect in every way. Just incredible. The only reason it was remade was to scoop up a boatload of money from a more modern and accepting audience. But it is a completely different song than the other one that sounds slapped together in a few takes without a thought for the meaning.
This song captivates me still, after 50+ years. Takes me to the deep South and the poverty of some who lived thru truly hard times. And the powerful spirit of a poor young girl being abandoned to her future with only a red dress and her wits to keep her alive.
She not only stayed alive, she turned her hard beginnings around, became self sufficient, successful and someone with respect for herself. She didn't let the naysayers and judgers stop her. She's the one sitting in the drivers seat at the end.
So, not a song about a poor girl, but a song of hope and how you can rise up no matter how far down you started.
There is a huge difference between a singer who simply belts out a song that is on a page in front of them, and someone who can convey an entire experience with their voice. Telling not just a story with words, but taking you inside it and making you feel like you are there, with their interpretation.
The part that goes
"Tire tracks and broken hearts, thats all we're leaving behind It doesn't matter what we're loosing only matters what we're going to find"
is also at the end of a Meat Loaf song called "A kiss is a terrible thing to waste"
I've never heard this song but the part at the end of the Meat Loaf song is amazing!!!