You don't drive a big fast car
You don't look like a movie star
And on your money we won't get far
But baby, you got what it takes, to satisfy
You got what it takes to set my soul on fire
Whoa-oh, oh yeah
You got what it takes for me

Now you don't live in a beautiful place
You don't dress with the best of taste
And nature didn't give you such a beautiful face
But baby, you got what it takes, to satisfy
You got what it takes to set my soul on fire
Whoa-oh and whoa-oh whoa yeah
You got what it takes for me

Now when you're near me, ooh-wee
My head goes around and around
And when you kiss me, oh yeah
My love comes tumblin' down, you send me

You don't live in a beautiful place
You don't dress with the best of taste
And nature didn't give you such a beautiful face
But baby, you got what it takes (yeah yeah), to satisfy
You got what it takes to set my soul on fire
Whoa-oh, and a-whoa-oh
You got what it takes for me

Now when you're near me, little girl
My head goes around and around
And when you kiss me, oh yeah
My love comes tumblin' down, you send me

You don't live in a beautiful place, no
You don't dress with the best of taste
And nature didn't give you such a beautiful face
But baby, you got what it takes, to satisfy
You got what it takes to set my soul on fire
Whoa-oh, oh yeah
You got what it takes for me

Oh yeah
You got what it takes
Don't need no money
Baby, you don't need no car
Come on, you know you got a-what it takes for me, little girl
You got what it takes for me
Yes, baby
You got what it takes for me, oh yeah

Overall Meaning

In Marv Johnson’s song “You’ve Got What It Takes,” the singer serenades his love interest, praising her for her simple yet endearing qualities. He acknowledges that she does not meet societal standards of beauty, fashion or class status, but he is not interested in any of that as she has the qualities he is looking for in a partner. Although she may not have material possessions or outward beauty, she has a soul that satisfies him, and her simple presence sets him on fire. He is enthralled by her every move and kiss, and he cannot help falling in love with her over and over again.

The lyrics in “You’ve Got What it Takes” show that true love lies in someone’s character and personality rather than anything else. The song communicates that what matters in a relationship is how a person treats the other, the love they share and the connection that they have together. This song highlights the importance of not judging people by their looks or possessions, but instead, cherishing the positive qualities they possess.

Line by Line Meaning

You don't drive a big fast car
You don't have a luxury car.

You don't look like a movie star
You don't have a celebrity-like appearance.

And on your money we won't get far
You don't have a fortune or financial stability.

But baby, you got what it takes, to satisfy
Despite the aforementioned attributes, you possess something special that is able to please me.

You got what it takes to set my soul on fire
You have a quality that can excite and thrill me.

Whoa-oh, oh yeah
Expressing the artist's enthusiasm and agreement to the above statement.

You got what it takes for me
You possess something that catches my attention, something that attracts me.

Now you don't live in a beautiful place
You don't have a grand or aesthetically pleasing home.

You don't dress with the best of taste
You don't have top-tier or stylish clothing.

And nature didn't give you such a beautiful face
You don't have a naturally appealing physical appearance.

Whoa-oh and whoa-oh whoa yeah
An expression of excitement and agreement to the above statement.

Now when you're near me, ooh-wee
When you're in close proximity, an expression of the emotions felt by the artist.

My head goes around and around
A description of the dizzying sensation felt by the artist.

And when you kiss me, oh yeah
An expression of the intense emotions felt when receiving a kiss.

My love comes tumblin' down, you send me
You make the artist feel a rush of overpowering emotions, causing them to feel like falling in love.

Don't need no money
An expression that highlights the idea that the person's monetary status isn't important.

Baby, you don't need no car
The person's mode of transportation isn't relevant, it doesn't matter if they own a car or not.

Come on, you know you got a-what it takes for me, little girl
An urging statement indicating that the person has something special that the artist finds appealing.

Yes, baby
An expression of affirmation or agreement to the person's appealing traits.

You got what it takes for me, oh yeah
Reiterating that the person has something that the artist finds appealing.

Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Tyran Carlo, Gwen Fuqua, Berry Gordy Jr.

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@user-ww7ec2ot4n

45w

Lyrics:

You don't drive a big fast car
You don't look like a movie star
And on your money we won't get far
But baby, you got what it takes, to satisfy
You got what it takes to set my soul on fire
Whoa-oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh-oh, yeah
You got what it takes for me

Now you don't live in a beautiful place
You don't dress with the best of taste
And nature didn't give you such a beautiful face
But baby, you got what it takes, to satisfy
You got what it takes to set my soul on fire
Whoa-oh, whoa-oh, whoa, yeah
You got what it takes for me

Now when you're near me, ooh-wee
My head goes around and around
And when you kiss me, oh yeah
My love comes tumblin' down, you send me

You don't live in a beautiful place
You don't dress with the best of taste
And nature didn't give you such a beautiful face
But baby, you got what it takes, to satisfy
You got what it takes to set my soul on fire
Whoa-oh, whoa-oh and whoa-oh-oh
You got what it takes for me

Now when you're near me, little girl
My head goes around and around
And when you kiss me, oh yeah
My love comes tumblin' down, you send me

You don't live in a beautiful place
You don't dress with the best of taste
And nature didn't give you such a beautiful face
But baby, you got what it takes, to satisfy
You got what it takes to set my soul on fire
Whoa-oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh-oh, yeah
You got what it takes for me

Oh yeah
You got what it takes
Don't need no money
Baby, you don't
need no car

All comments from YouTube:

@MichaelGushue-tl8xd

7w↑1

Early success for Berry Gordy, Jr. Still kicking at almost 95.

@CJJohnson-tt6xs

10w

Cj remember this song very well

@raymondmalcuit8361

3y↑3

Marv Johnson Version Of This Song Went To Number 10 On The Billboard Hot 100 Chart In 1960.

@samuelharang5742

3y↑5

This is a great song. Thanks for the upload.

@billcarr5306

1y↑1

Great song i remember when it came out

@annharrell5029

48w

I remember hearing that song

@paddyeejit1954

51w↑1

Showaddywaddy!!!

@user-ww7ec2ot4n

45w

@davechristian5060

1960.... not 1959!!!

@the45prof98

2y↑1

Hi Dave. I’ll give you one out of four. Subtracting 11 to 13 days from the Billboard issue date in order to approximate the actual calendar date of a record’s activity (per Joel’s guidance in his books), we find that all four of your cited titles pretty evenly divided their chart lives between calendar years 1959 and 1960. I choose to place each record in only a single year of ‘greatest popularity’ when possible, so Connie, Toni & Paul were easy as they all reached their peak in mid-December (December 28 Billboard issue date). Marv’s was a bit different as his five-month chart ride gradually climbed to its peak in January ‘60, but as the record had been in the public ear since October and was getting heavy play throughout the holiday season, I opted for 1959 when assembling that Hit Archive years ago (though I did have second thoughts about it). Various YouTube commentors over the years have taken an opposite position to yours by saying that some of my year placements are too late because they remember first hearing a particular song during the previous year. Thanks for the input.