Cheer Down

Another interesting fact about this song is that it was co-written by Tom Petty.

I think it's about someone (George) who tries to hide sadness/depression by being overly cheerful. Cheer down means someone (Olivia) has noticed it, and she's urging him to step back off the ledge, let it go, and quit trying so hard.

The song goes through lists of problems and show that no better you think it is, if you manage your worries and fears they can't control you. That is a constant in his lyrics and world view; for example, from "This is Love":

Since our problems have been our own creation They also can be overcome When we use the power provided free to everyone

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Om.

This is a Fantastic song written by Tom Petty,& George. However it was CoProduced by Jeff Lynne who also did backing vocals, and Richard Tandy played as well. Eric Clapton was also involved. ALL GENIUSES..When George used to get get overly happy & excited, she used to tell him to "Cheer Down"...No depression, quite the opposite in meaning.

For some reason nobody knows of this song, but I think it's his best work as a solo artist. A very uplifting song, in a very sarcastic tone. It definitely has a Beatles flavor to it though.

Yes the song is great and he wrote it as it was a favourite saying of his wife Olivia, but the meaning that you are giving the song is indeed your opinion...George died because he had cancer. John died because of a nut...but their time here was at an end..out loss to be sure but their time no less. They are still with us but not in the physical sense. They will forever be remembered. Hare Krishna

I think George wrote this in response to George being with other women sometimes and that he had a "grin" and was "trembling within" and it was "all over town". The message to me is that even though it is hurtful to her that he would have a physical dalliance with another woman, she was "gonna love you instead" and she still "wants him around" in spite of his transgressions. She put up with it because she really thought he was worth it and loved him. "If your dog should be dead, I'm gonna love you instead" means to me that the dog is the "bitch", the other woman, but again her response is to accept and love him even though he has a SIGNIFICANT flaw and was unfaithful. "The world loves a clown" is perhaps a little jab from Olivia to put him in his place and make fun of his actions by comparing them to a foolish person. The lyrics also allude to her being there for him as he ages "if your hair should fall, if your shares should crash" and then another jab: "you'll get by, even without getting a rash". To me that is clearly a reference to getting a rash like herpes or anything that causes a rash spread by intimate physical contact. "No tears to be shed I'm gonna love you instead" How amazing to love someone with a truly higher love who still "wants you around". I know it hurt Olivia that he stepped out on her, and it probably really pissed her off A LOT! but I think this song is about the fact that he knew he was a dog and that Olivia was amazing for loving him so much that she saw the artist he was and human being that he was except for this major flaw, and she continued to love him anyway. Also, musically, his guitar solo at the end sounds to me like an argument back and forth between her and him. Her part gets REALLY high and almost shrill and you can almost hear her yelling at him to stop fooling around even though he was a Beatle and he's super attractive and everyone loves him (especially women!). Well, that's my take on the song, anyway.

People stop putting your views here. Its a 'song meaning' not 'your opinion' section. Thanks. Its a complicated song but very beautiful. There are two section one section is about people who cant take pain in a good humour and other section says that when you have problems you get by not even noticing that you are in a problem. What a thought!! trembling withn, smile out of place, no tears to be shed, dead dog describes the first section and teeth, shares and hair describes the secong section. Why the Fuck he died so early man!! Why the fuck we lost Lennon and george first out of the four beatles and that too in the worst order. I think I must cheer down.

you need to take a few pills dude.