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,
Automatic (automatic, automatic, automatic)
Automatic (automatic, automatic, automatic)
You're automatic and your hearts like an engine (whoa-oh)
I die with every beat
You're automatic and your voice is electric (whoa-oh)
Why do I still believe?
It's automatic everywhere in your letter (whoa-oh)
A lie that makes me bleed
It's automatic when you say things get better (whoa-oh)
But they never
There's no real love in you
There's no real love in you
There's no real love in you
Why do I keep loving you?
Feels automatic, counting cars on a crossroad (whoa-oh)
They come and go like you
Feels automatic, watching faces I don't know (whoa-oh)
Erase the face of you
It's automatic, systematic, so traumatic
You're automatic
There's no real love in you
There's no real love in you
There's no real love in you
Why do I keep loving you?
Automatic (automatic, automatic, automatic)
Automatic (automatic, automatic, automatic)
Automatic (automatic, automatic, automatic)
Automatic (automatic, automatic, automatic)
Each step you make
Each breath you take
Your heart, your soul
Remote-controlled
This life is so sick
You're automatic to me
(There's no real love in you)
(There's no real love in you)
There's no real love in you
There's no real love in you
There's no real love in you
There's no real love in you
There's no real love in you
Why do I keep loving you?
Automatic (automatic, automatic, automatic), there's no real
Automatic (automatic, automatic, automatic), love in you
Automatic (automatic), why do I
Automatic (automatic), keep loving you?
Automatic
Automatic (automatic, automatic, automatic)
You're automatic and your hearts like an engine (whoa-oh)
I die with every beat
You're automatic and your voice is electric (whoa-oh)
Why do I still believe?
It's automatic everywhere in your letter (whoa-oh)
A lie that makes me bleed
It's automatic when you say things get better (whoa-oh)
But they never
There's no real love in you
There's no real love in you
There's no real love in you
Why do I keep loving you?
Feels automatic, counting cars on a crossroad (whoa-oh)
They come and go like you
Feels automatic, watching faces I don't know (whoa-oh)
Erase the face of you
It's automatic, systematic, so traumatic
You're automatic
There's no real love in you
There's no real love in you
There's no real love in you
Why do I keep loving you?
Automatic (automatic, automatic, automatic)
Automatic (automatic, automatic, automatic)
Automatic (automatic, automatic, automatic)
Automatic (automatic, automatic, automatic)
Each step you make
Each breath you take
Your heart, your soul
Remote-controlled
This life is so sick
You're automatic to me
(There's no real love in you)
(There's no real love in you)
There's no real love in you
There's no real love in you
There's no real love in you
There's no real love in you
There's no real love in you
Why do I keep loving you?
Automatic (automatic, automatic, automatic), there's no real
Automatic (automatic, automatic, automatic), love in you
Automatic (automatic), why do I
Automatic (automatic), keep loving you?
Automatic
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Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
I don't remember seeing that interview.
I remember Tom saying that it was more like a relationship that becomes too routine and 'automatic' and how for a relationship that's a bad thing. It was in the Viva Live interview. (youtube.com/watch)