Larrieux was born and brought up in the neighborhood of Greenwich Village in New York City. Her mother was a dance critic and professor who encouraged Larrieux to grow up in a free-spirited, artistic environment. Many of her influences are drawn from R&B, soul, jazz, folk, hip-hop and gospel, with flashes of Middle Eastern, West African, and Indian ethnic styles. She lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.
As a solo artist, her music is mostly categorized as fitting within the nu-soul genre, though she also dabbles in jazz, blues and gospel sounds. She sang lead vocals with Sade's band Sweetback while Sade was on hiatus. On her last album 'Lovely Standards' she gravitated away from nu-soul to produce a cover album made up of songs from the jazz and blues singers that inspired her. Larrieux is also influenced by Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder and Prince — as she has previously credited on her website.
Unanswered Question
Amel Larrieux Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who's seeing who, who's settled down
They casually mention your name
The power in the a word's insane
How it triggers everything to come tumbling down
into the pit of my stomach
Boulders and butterflies coexist
Threatens to persist
chorus
And this
Unanswered question
Lingers on
To this later date
Can I resign
To never knowing
If I was your one that got away
the back and forth, the on and off
The "don't call anymore"
The leaving, the wishing I had stayed
A self inflicted prison I (wanna'/won't)? escape
Like if I did the memories would decay
and there'd be no more hours of dreaming
Bout what a life with you (could) have been
That chemical reaction shared by all romantics
Has some twisted need to exist
Bridge
say you feel nothing when you see me
Say that where I walk ,flowers have grown
Say that I rocked your world
Say that I was never your girl
Just give me somethin'
Give me somethin' I can put in stone
chorus
The song "Unanswered Question" by Amel Larrieux is a poignant ballad about unrequited love and the lingering feelings it evokes. The opening lines describe the singer's surroundings, where people are discussing mundane topics such as jobs and relationships. However, the mention of a specific name triggers a powerful emotional reaction in the singer, causing everything to come tumbling down. It is a vivid representation of how a single word can unleash a flood of memories and emotions, overwhelming the person.
The second verse delves deeper into the singer's feelings, describing how the chemical reaction shared by all romantics threatens to persist. This line refers to the intense attraction and connection between two people, which can be difficult to let go of even when the relationship ends. The chorus echoes the same sentiment, with the titular unanswered question lingering on, even after a long time has passed. The singer wonders if they were the one that got away, and if they can ever resign themselves to never knowing the truth.
The bridge is a desperate plea to the other person, asking them to give the singer something, anything they can hold onto. It is a raw and vulnerable moment that encapsulates the heart-wrenching nature of unrequited love. Overall, the song is a powerful reminder of the lingering feelings that can remain even after a relationship has ended, and the pain and uncertainty that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
They speak of jobs and positions
They talk about careers and job roles
Who's seeing who, who's settled down
They talk about people's relationship statuses
They casually mention your name
Your name comes up in their conversation without much thought
The power in the a word's insane
The effect of mentioning your name is overwhelming
How it triggers everything to come tumbling down
The mention of your name causes everything to fall apart
into the pit of my stomach
A feeling of deep emotion in the stomach area
Boulders and butterflies coexist
Feelings of heaviness and nervousness coexist
That chemical reaction shared by all romantics
The feeling of romance that everyone experiences
Threatens to persist
The feeling of romance may not go away
Unanswered question
A question that remains unanswered
Lingers on
The question remains in my mind
To this later date
Despite time passing, the question remains unanswered
Can I resign
Can I accept not knowing the answer
To never knowing
Accepting that I may never know the answer
If I was your one that got away
If I was the person who could have been with you but didn't end up being with you
The back and forth, the on and off
The relationship going back and forth between being together and not being together
The "don't call anymore"
The situation where you stop contacting each other
The leaving, the wishing I had stayed
The feeling of regret for leaving
A self inflicted prison I (wanna'/won't)? escape
A situation that I created myself and can't or don't want to get out of
Like if I did the memories would decay
If I were to leave the situation, the memories would disappear
And there'd be no more hours of dreaming
If the memories disappeared, there would be no more daydreaming about what could have been
Bout what a life with you (could) have been
Imagining a life that could have been with you
That chemical reaction shared by all romantics
The feeling of romance that everyone experiences
Has some twisted need to exist
This feeling of romance has some strange need to exist
Say you feel nothing when you see me
If you don't feel anything when you see me
Say that where I walk, flowers have grown
If you say that flowers grow in the places where I walk
Say that I rocked your world
If you say that I had a significant impact on your life
Say that I was never your girl
If you say that I was not someone you ever considered being with
Just give me somethin'
I need some sort of answer
Give me somethin' I can put in stone
I need an answer that I can rely on
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind