The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
"Reproduction of what?"
"What did you say?"
"What kind of production?"
"There are all sorts of possibilities... You could do, you know, a little spoof on something..."
"This is also nothing new..."
"Yeah, get some stuff together, no problem, y'know, depends on what you do..."
"C'mon, let's look..." "Journey?"
"Ha Ha Ha, Ho... Oh, well..."
"No, no, no, Uh uh."
"This is American Top 40..."
"I have climbed the highest mountains..."
"Uh, I believe that's the Weatherman there..."
"And guess what?" "Where ya at?"
"I have run... through the fields, only to be with you... Yup, with you... No one else, just you..."
"Here's the first top 40 hit..."
"And guess what?"
"...for the Irish band from Dublin who call themselves U2..."
"I have run, I have crawled, I have scaled these city walls...
Yeah, that's really great, I can't believe I did it, but nevertheless, I have done that for you..."
"That's the letter U and the numeral 2..."
"Only to be with you I've done all these things."
"The f..." "Yeah, with you, the fat one, that's it..." "The f..."
"You're the fat one, and I wanna be with you..."
"What's the matter?"
"Can I say, why was it changed here?"
"But, on the other hand, I still haven't found what I'm looking for."
"That's the letter U and the numeral 2."
"Maybe they'll make it as a junior U2."
"But, on the other hand, I still haven't found what I'm looking for."
"That's the letter U and the numeral..."
"They say..." "Nope, definitely not." "...two."
"I haven't found it."
"They say they're kinda like U2."
"I just can't seem to find it."
"That's the letter U and the numeral 2."
"Nope, definitely not, I haven't found it."
"That's the letter U and the numeral 2."
"C'mon..." "And here's what else I've done..." "C'mon, let's see what we can find."
"I have kissed honey lips, felt the healing in her fingertips. I've even done that."
"That's the letter U and the numeral 2."
"While I was doing that - y'know, all the kissing on the honey lips?- It burned like fire, and it reminded me
of cheap, melting plastic - the kind that makes little clouds of white vapo-gas, and then when it catches on
fire, it makes those little... little strings of black smoke with little ashes attached to them. That's how it was
kissing honey lips." "Why are we doing it? Why have we changed something?" "And I still haven't found it."
"Uh..." "What I'm looking for, that is. I just don't know where the hell it is. I just can't seem to find it..."
"Uh, the last thing we wanted to do was sound like anybody else. So with U2..."
"That's the letter U and the numeral 2" "...you've gotta challenge it, you know, musically speaking. You know,
you've gotta find new sounds on the guitar, you've gotta find a new way of approaching a 4/4 beat. You know,
rock & roll still needs innovation... you know... and there's a lot... there's a... lot out there"
"Someone has said, 'Get a great idea, a great purpose, marry it, and raise a family.'"
"What the hell's going on here?" "Bono." "Why, Billy, look!" "See, I should be saying, 'American Top 40 is
heard in the 50 states and around the..." "Are you two married to a great idea?" "It was... it was every week,
American Top 40 is heard in the..." "Everything is topsy-turvy!" "I'll say it is!"
"Is is just to screw up things?" "Marriage is not you two living for each other." "'Cause I can't say this...
y'know..." "Let's see what we can find." "Everything is such a mess!"
"Jeez, I thought we were almost finished..." "It is you two uniting to live as a team for this great purpose."
"What's the matter? Find something?" "No." "(unintelligible)...fuck his ass... go jerk his bone!"
"No, I can't find anything here..." "That damn sewer-mouth is back again." "There's no one in here now..."
"There's nothing but Uncle Jim's shortwave radio set." "Ponderous. Is Don on the phone?" "Hi, Casey. Uh,
had 'em put me right on the speakerphone for ya... Uh, now... I just got word from Mr. Friday that, uh, uh, we
can't pay you anything for this until, uh, our label sends us some of the money they owe us... so this will, uh,
have to be benefit terms... so, uh..." "Good golly Miss Molly!" "Well, I gotta catch a plane. Give my regards
to the Weatherman and, uh, heh, You Too!" "Y'know, they do this to me all the time... I dunno what the hell
they do it for, but..." "Yeah, that guy that was talkin' to that sewer-mouth there, bring 'im back."
"Now, make it - and I also want to know what happened to the pictures I was supposed to see this week?"
"Hey, sewer-mouth." "Could be... Hey, I'm on a frequency, bet you can't find me." "He's got the sideband out,
there?" "That's the letter 2 and the numeral U." "Nyeh, ha, ha, haa... I was a worm in the night and cold as a
stone I was." "Alright, alright... OK let's try it, OK?" "Cyndi?" "OK" "And I believe in kingdom come..." "OK"
"And all the colors bleeding into one big mess." "OK" "I'll probably have to get out the STP cleaner on that
one, maybe the 409, but I'm not sure yet." "Uh..." "That's the letter U and the numeral 2." "I have the
envelope here..." "And you broke the bonds," "And uh..." "You broke the goddamn bonds..." "And uh..."
"You loosened the chains..." "I have the envelope..." "You've carried a cross..." "I have the envelope here..."
"And my shame, and my shame... Shame, shame, shame, shame, shame..." "And uh..." "So much shame,
yeah. Ha, ha, hoo, hoo, hee, ha, haaa." "And uh... I'm a little nearsighted." "Why have we changed something
that we've been doing all along?" "Y'know, I believe it." "Alright..." "No, I guess I don't believe it... I don't
know what I'm talking about..." "This is, this is blowin' ...y'know..." "But, nevertheless, I still haven't found it."
"That's the letter U..." "I haven't found what I'm looking for, I haven't found it..." "I can't say it again!"
"I'm lookin' for it, but I don't even know where it is." "...and the numeral 2." "I don't even really know..."
"Before we announce the winner..." "...anything anymore, I just..." "See, that doesn't sound right, either."
"...I don't really know what to do..." "Let's just..." "Alright..." "Let's just..." "...Or do I?" "...recap..." "OK, let's
just try it, OK?" "...the nominees." "But I still haven't found it." "That's the letter U and the numeral 2."
"That doesn't make sense: 'But I haven't found it, I'm looking..." "I have the envelope here..." "'I'm...', no,
'I'm, I'm looking for it...'" "I have the envelope here..." "No, just 'I'm - looking - for - it.'" "I have the
envelope..." "That's the letter U and the numeral 2." "And... I..." "There ain't nobody can find me on this
frequency." "Ha, ha, ha, ha..." "U2, U2, U2, U2." "I just don't know much of anything. Maybe I should be
shot point blank in the stamper tonight." "That's the letter U and the numeral 2." "Hey, c'mon, find me... you
can't find me?..." "Is that the way I say that? I dunno how to say it." "U2, I Still Haven't Found What I'm
Looking For." "Well, I'll be jiggered. There it is." "We're counting down the 40 biggest hits in the 50 states."
"Hey sewer-mouth, we're gonna getcha." "This is American Top 40... This is American Top 40, heard... God,
I hate that. We come outta that, and then I gotta say the goddamn Ameri..." "And uh..." "I hear the American
Top 40 jingle and then I say 'This is American Top For..." "And uh, the winner is..." "Let the goddamn jingle
I.D. this show. I I.D. the show whenever there isn't a jingle, don't I?!" "The winner is..." "Don't I do it between
every goddamn record that we play?!!" "INXS!"
"What did you say?"
"What kind of production?"
"There are all sorts of possibilities... You could do, you know, a little spoof on something..."
"This is also nothing new..."
"Yeah, get some stuff together, no problem, y'know, depends on what you do..."
"C'mon, let's look..." "Journey?"
"Ha Ha Ha, Ho... Oh, well..."
"No, no, no, Uh uh."
"This is American Top 40..."
"I have climbed the highest mountains..."
"Uh, I believe that's the Weatherman there..."
"And guess what?" "Where ya at?"
"I have run... through the fields, only to be with you... Yup, with you... No one else, just you..."
"Here's the first top 40 hit..."
"And guess what?"
"...for the Irish band from Dublin who call themselves U2..."
"I have run, I have crawled, I have scaled these city walls...
Yeah, that's really great, I can't believe I did it, but nevertheless, I have done that for you..."
"That's the letter U and the numeral 2..."
"Only to be with you I've done all these things."
"The f..." "Yeah, with you, the fat one, that's it..." "The f..."
"You're the fat one, and I wanna be with you..."
"What's the matter?"
"Can I say, why was it changed here?"
"But, on the other hand, I still haven't found what I'm looking for."
"That's the letter U and the numeral 2."
"Maybe they'll make it as a junior U2."
"But, on the other hand, I still haven't found what I'm looking for."
"That's the letter U and the numeral..."
"They say..." "Nope, definitely not." "...two."
"I haven't found it."
"They say they're kinda like U2."
"I just can't seem to find it."
"That's the letter U and the numeral 2."
"Nope, definitely not, I haven't found it."
"That's the letter U and the numeral 2."
"C'mon..." "And here's what else I've done..." "C'mon, let's see what we can find."
"I have kissed honey lips, felt the healing in her fingertips. I've even done that."
"That's the letter U and the numeral 2."
"While I was doing that - y'know, all the kissing on the honey lips?- It burned like fire, and it reminded me
of cheap, melting plastic - the kind that makes little clouds of white vapo-gas, and then when it catches on
fire, it makes those little... little strings of black smoke with little ashes attached to them. That's how it was
kissing honey lips." "Why are we doing it? Why have we changed something?" "And I still haven't found it."
"Uh..." "What I'm looking for, that is. I just don't know where the hell it is. I just can't seem to find it..."
"Uh, the last thing we wanted to do was sound like anybody else. So with U2..."
"That's the letter U and the numeral 2" "...you've gotta challenge it, you know, musically speaking. You know,
you've gotta find new sounds on the guitar, you've gotta find a new way of approaching a 4/4 beat. You know,
rock & roll still needs innovation... you know... and there's a lot... there's a... lot out there"
"Someone has said, 'Get a great idea, a great purpose, marry it, and raise a family.'"
"What the hell's going on here?" "Bono." "Why, Billy, look!" "See, I should be saying, 'American Top 40 is
heard in the 50 states and around the..." "Are you two married to a great idea?" "It was... it was every week,
American Top 40 is heard in the..." "Everything is topsy-turvy!" "I'll say it is!"
"Is is just to screw up things?" "Marriage is not you two living for each other." "'Cause I can't say this...
y'know..." "Let's see what we can find." "Everything is such a mess!"
"Jeez, I thought we were almost finished..." "It is you two uniting to live as a team for this great purpose."
"What's the matter? Find something?" "No." "(unintelligible)...fuck his ass... go jerk his bone!"
"No, I can't find anything here..." "That damn sewer-mouth is back again." "There's no one in here now..."
"There's nothing but Uncle Jim's shortwave radio set." "Ponderous. Is Don on the phone?" "Hi, Casey. Uh,
had 'em put me right on the speakerphone for ya... Uh, now... I just got word from Mr. Friday that, uh, uh, we
can't pay you anything for this until, uh, our label sends us some of the money they owe us... so this will, uh,
have to be benefit terms... so, uh..." "Good golly Miss Molly!" "Well, I gotta catch a plane. Give my regards
to the Weatherman and, uh, heh, You Too!" "Y'know, they do this to me all the time... I dunno what the hell
they do it for, but..." "Yeah, that guy that was talkin' to that sewer-mouth there, bring 'im back."
"Now, make it - and I also want to know what happened to the pictures I was supposed to see this week?"
"Hey, sewer-mouth." "Could be... Hey, I'm on a frequency, bet you can't find me." "He's got the sideband out,
there?" "That's the letter 2 and the numeral U." "Nyeh, ha, ha, haa... I was a worm in the night and cold as a
stone I was." "Alright, alright... OK let's try it, OK?" "Cyndi?" "OK" "And I believe in kingdom come..." "OK"
"And all the colors bleeding into one big mess." "OK" "I'll probably have to get out the STP cleaner on that
one, maybe the 409, but I'm not sure yet." "Uh..." "That's the letter U and the numeral 2." "I have the
envelope here..." "And you broke the bonds," "And uh..." "You broke the goddamn bonds..." "And uh..."
"You loosened the chains..." "I have the envelope..." "You've carried a cross..." "I have the envelope here..."
"And my shame, and my shame... Shame, shame, shame, shame, shame..." "And uh..." "So much shame,
yeah. Ha, ha, hoo, hoo, hee, ha, haaa." "And uh... I'm a little nearsighted." "Why have we changed something
that we've been doing all along?" "Y'know, I believe it." "Alright..." "No, I guess I don't believe it... I don't
know what I'm talking about..." "This is, this is blowin' ...y'know..." "But, nevertheless, I still haven't found it."
"That's the letter U..." "I haven't found what I'm looking for, I haven't found it..." "I can't say it again!"
"I'm lookin' for it, but I don't even know where it is." "...and the numeral 2." "I don't even really know..."
"Before we announce the winner..." "...anything anymore, I just..." "See, that doesn't sound right, either."
"...I don't really know what to do..." "Let's just..." "Alright..." "Let's just..." "...Or do I?" "...recap..." "OK, let's
just try it, OK?" "...the nominees." "But I still haven't found it." "That's the letter U and the numeral 2."
"That doesn't make sense: 'But I haven't found it, I'm looking..." "I have the envelope here..." "'I'm...', no,
'I'm, I'm looking for it...'" "I have the envelope here..." "No, just 'I'm - looking - for - it.'" "I have the
envelope..." "That's the letter U and the numeral 2." "And... I..." "There ain't nobody can find me on this
frequency." "Ha, ha, ha, ha..." "U2, U2, U2, U2." "I just don't know much of anything. Maybe I should be
shot point blank in the stamper tonight." "That's the letter U and the numeral 2." "Hey, c'mon, find me... you
can't find me?..." "Is that the way I say that? I dunno how to say it." "U2, I Still Haven't Found What I'm
Looking For." "Well, I'll be jiggered. There it is." "We're counting down the 40 biggest hits in the 50 states."
"Hey sewer-mouth, we're gonna getcha." "This is American Top 40... This is American Top 40, heard... God,
I hate that. We come outta that, and then I gotta say the goddamn Ameri..." "And uh..." "I hear the American
Top 40 jingle and then I say 'This is American Top For..." "And uh, the winner is..." "Let the goddamn jingle
I.D. this show. I I.D. the show whenever there isn't a jingle, don't I?!" "The winner is..." "Don't I do it between
every goddamn record that we play?!!" "INXS!"
Lyrics submitted by expletivedeleted
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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.
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Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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I think this song can only mean one thing: Negativland were great at what they did over a decade ago and they continue to be great at it today. More people should give these fellas a listen.
I can't imagine that reading this and not hearing the song would enable anyone to understand exactly what the song is about. It is a "cover" of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" by U2, with the lyrics twisted and narrated by the one and only Weatherman. The other prominent voice is that of Casey Kasem, caught saying some nasty things about U2 and in general. The other song included on this single features most of his worst stuff. Negativland were sued; I don't know near enough of the specifics except that I have read that the record companies claimed to be worried that people would confuse the Negativland album with the U2 one (they both came out around the same time). Apparently the fact that Negativland's album cover had a U2 spyplane on the cover did not change their minds.
They made fun of U2, they made fun of Casey Kasem (simply by playing clips of him speaking) and they got the s*** sued out of them. They wrote a book about the experience and copyright issues, one of their main focuses, in a book called "The Letter U and the Numeral 2" (I believe that's the title)
They've got literally hundreds of hours of output plus an ongoing radio show every Thursday night that can be heard over the web. Check out their website: negativland.com
Negativland? These guys are from California and who give's a shit?
Love them so much. Everything about them down to the fact that they're named after a Neu! song. This album was such a ballsy statement with impacts that can still be seen today. Go watch some shitty youtube slideshow of a U2 song and you'll see the Negativland album cover sneak its way in!
Truthfully, looking at these lyrics, the song songs like gibberish, but if you listen to it, it is freakin' hilarious. I have this one, and Radio Edit version. (NOTE: The Radio Edit version has more intense language than this one. Pretty funny use of sarcasm.)
Aswesome song, from a quirky, but cool band.