Our Mutual Friend Lyrics
And when I sleep I visualise her.
I saw her in the pub. I met her later at the night-club.
A mutual friend introduced us.
We talked about the noise
And how it's hard to hear your own voice
Above the beat and the sub-bass.
We talked and talked for hours, we talked in the back of our friend's car
As we all went back to his place.
And I said "cool, the feeling's mutual”.
We played old 45's. I said "it's like the soundtrack to our lives”
And she said "true, it's not unusual”.
Then privately we danced
But couldn't seem to keep our balance,
A drunken haze had come upon us.
We sank down to the floor and we sang
A song that I can't sing any more,
And then we kissed and fell unconscious.
I stumbled out to find the bathroom.
But all I found was her wrapped around another lover.
No longer then is he our mutual friend.
i love this song!!! this guy meets a girl through a mutual friend...they get to know eachother,kiss. then him,the girl and others go over to 'the mutual friends' house to spend the night. the guy wakes up to go to the bathroom and finds the girl he likes kissing the mutual friend who is no longer a friend. really good song
I feel like I've been in this situation, but can't remember any specific example.
However, the emotion that Neil is playing on here is of being a teen/student at a house party, a stage in life where there is more social pressure than in adult life. The narrator, in his exaggerated emotional state (not helped with alcohol) feels a stronger sentimental connection with the girl as she does. I can also empathise with the girl though, if she is a fresher at uni, then she's perhaps more open to making (or perhaps forcing) superficial friendships, but also, maybe, a bit promiscuous.
This song is more atmospheric than ethical. I think the lyrics are constructed to convey a certain adolescent feeling rather than simply tell a story. The way the instruments change for the line 'I woke up the next day' is stressful and the bass makes the anticipation uncomfortable. However, regardless of the narrator falling out with the mutual friend, I don't think that Neil is passing judgement on either the narrator, the girl or the mutual friend in this song. I think it simply is a comment on the way people behave at a certain time in their lives. This gives the song an almost nostalgic essence. The way the song is presented with its exaggerated emotion, I can imagine the narrator reminiscing on this night later in his life and either reconsidering his reaction to his mutual friend, or thinking 'those were the crazy days lol'. The line 'a song that I can't sing any more' seems to contradict me here, but I think that as the song's purpose is to capture a moment in time, that that sentiment is only temporary, and it's purpose is to contribute to the overwhelming emotion of the moment more than be a consequence.
Ultimately, I think that part of the connection between the listener and Neil Hannon is that everyone feels like they have been in this position, even the girl and the mutual friend. It is a very subjective perspective, but at the same time one that most people can relate to. In reality, most people have probably played every character in this song at some point, but the one that tends to linger in our emotions is that of the narrator. This song is simply capturing a moment in every adult's growth, like the final photograph for the baby book. It is not right or wrong, it is simply a historical document of a certain time and place, of which we will play all characters.
@xaul If memory serves the 'a song that I can't sing any more' Originally was "sang the sun ain't gonna shine anymore" but legal reasons forced the change. Which they say the line was almost a "dig" at the pettiness
@xaul If memory serves the 'a song that I can't sing any more' Originally was "sang the sun ain't gonna shine anymore" but legal reasons forced the change. Which they say the line was almost a "dig" at the pettiness
I always think that it is important to realise that we are only hearing one side of this story. The narrator is not necessarily a reliable witness. The girl is up for a fun evening but when it gets to the end of the night he passes out and she starts another story with someone else.