Lyric discussion by leesdroida 

Cover art for Radiation Vibe lyrics by Fountains of Wayne

Are you alone now Did you lose the monkey He gave you backaches And now you slouch

Are you OK? The guy who's holding you back is no longer around. He scarred you badly.

He didn't mean it He's just a dumb ape Reading Playboy On your couch

He wasn't malicious when he harmed you, merely ignorant. He also ignored you sexually.

And now it's time to say What I forgot to say Baby baby baby Come on, what's wrong It's a radiation vibe I'm groovin' on Don't it make you want to get some sun Shine on, shine on, shine on

You're free now! Hang out with me! Let's get happy!

(The antagonist is singing from his perspective.)

I went to Pittsburgh And joined a pro team Talk about a bad dream I broke a knee

He's like this because his dreams were shattered. He could have been an amazing athlete playing for the Penguins/Pirates/Steelers, but he got injured badly.

But I can still croon And make the girls swoon Isn't that the way life's Supposed to be

I still get the girls, even though I'm no longer this big shot jock. Give me another chance! There's another superficial reason we should be together. I can still sing.

My Interpretation