branched out into music, but that is the opposite of how they began. After first being brought to life in Bagdasarian's 1950s novelty recordings under the name David Seville and the Chipmunks, the characters were an unprecedented success, and the singing Chipmunks and their manager were given life in several animated cartoon series and motion pictures.
The voices of the group were all performed by Bagdasarian, who sped up the playback to create the higher pitched, squeaky voices. This process was not entirely new; Bagdasarian had also used it for a previous novelty song project, "The Witch Doctor", but it was so unusual and well executed it earned the "trio" two Grammy Awards for engineering. Although the characters were fictional, they did release a long line of "real" albums and singles, with "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" becoming a number-one hit single in the United States. After his death in 1972, the voices of the Chipmunks were subsequently recorded by his son, Ross Bagdasarian, Jr., and his wife, Janice Karman, in all subsequent incarnations to date.
Please Please Me
Alvin and The Chipmunks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know you never even try, girl
Come on, come on, come on, come on
Please, please me, woah yeah, like I please you
You don't need me to show the way, love
Why do I always have to say, love
Come on, come on, come on, come on
I don't want to sound complaining
But you know there's always rain in my heart
I do all the pleasing with you,
It's so hard to reason with you
Woah yeah, why do you make me blue?
Last night I said these words to my girl
I know you never even try, girl
Come on, come on, come on, come on
Please, please me, woah yeah, like I please you
Woah yeah, like I please you
Woah yeah, like I please you
The lyrics to Alvin and The Chipmunks's song "Please Please Me" depict the singer pleading with his lover to reciprocate the love and affection he gives her. He expresses frustration that he does all the pleasing in the relationship and that he finds it hard to reason with her. The repetition of "come on" suggests that he is begging her to make an effort and give him the same level of attention and adoration that he gives her. The chorus, which contains the title of the song, expresses the singer's desire for his lover to please him in the same way that he pleases her.
The verses highlight the singer's vulnerability and sense of longing. The line "Why do I always have to say, love" suggests that he feels like he has to constantly remind his lover of his feelings for her. Additionally, the line "there's always rain in my heart" paints a picture of the singer feeling sad and blue despite the love he gives. Overall, the lyrics of "Please Please Me" are a plea for reciprocity and an expression of the singer's desire to feel loved and appreciated in his relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night I said these words to my girl
I told my girl something important last night
I know you never even try, girl
You don't put any effort into our relationship
Come on, come on, come on, come on
Let's work on this together
Please, please me, woah yeah, like I please you
Make an effort to please me like I try to please you
You don't need me to show the way, love
You're capable of figuring things out on your own
Why do I always have to say, love
I feel like I'm always the one initiating things
I don't want to sound complaining
I don't want to come across as negative
But you know there's always rain in my heart
I always feel sad or down when we're not getting along
I do all the pleasing with you,
I put a lot of effort into making you happy
It's so hard to reason with you
You don't listen to me or consider my perspective
Woah yeah, why do you make me blue?
Why do you make me sad?
Last night I said these words to my girl
I repeated myself to try to make my point heard
I know you never even try, girl
I'm trying to motivate you to make an effort
Come on, come on, come on, come on
Let's work on this together
Please, please me, woah yeah, like I please you
Make an effort to please me like I try to please you
Woah yeah, like I please you
I want our efforts to be mutual and balanced
Woah yeah, like I please you
I want our efforts to be mutual and balanced
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: John Winston Lennon, Paul James McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind