Dear Mr. DJ Play It Again
Carole King Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Dear Mr. DJ, play it again
Dear Mr. DJ, play it again

Dear Mr. DJ, play it, play it again
I want my baby to remember when
We danced to the juke box
While the lights were low
′Til they played goodnight sweetheart
Well it's time to go

Dear Mr. DJ, he′s gone, gone away
I want him to hear
The songs of yesterday
Oh make him remember
How he loved me then

Oh please Mr. DJ, play it again

A thousand stars in the sky
Were shining up above
I'll never forget
The night that we met
And we stood there pledging our love

I feel so lonely
Lonely, lonely and blue
Oh Mr. DJ, it's all up to you

Play all the goldies
From the old times then
Oh please Mr. DJ, play it again

We go together
(Play it again)
Sincerely
(Play it again)
You′re a thousand miles away
(Play it again)
Earth angel, earth angel
(Play it again)
Life is but a dream
(Play it again)




He′s gone
(Play it again)

Overall Meaning

Carole King's song "Dear Mr. DJ Play It Again" is a nostalgic and emotional plea to a DJ to play a particular song again. The singer is reminiscing about a past romance and wants to relive those moments once again. The first verse asks the DJ to play a song so that the singer's partner can remember the times they danced together with the jukebox playing in the background. The song being referred to is "Goodnight Sweetheart," which signals the end of the night and it's time to go home. The second verse is a plea to the DJ to make the partner remember how much they loved each other back then by playing the songs from the past.


The chorus is a repetition of the plea to the DJ, and it is followed by a bridge. In the bridge, the singer looks up to the sky, remembers the night when they met and pledged their love, but now feels lonely and blue because their partner is gone. The last verse asks the DJ to play all the "goldies" from old times and take the singer back to those romantic moments. The song ends with a reference to different songs, some of which were popular during the 1950s, including "Earth Angel" and "Life is but a Dream."


Overall, "Dear Mr. DJ Play It Again" is an emotional and nostalgic song that captures the essence of longing for a lost love. The plea to the DJ is a reminder that music has the power to evoke strong emotions and bring back memories of meaningful moments.


Line by Line Meaning

Dear Mr. DJ, play it again
The singer is asking the DJ to replay the song she just heard.


Dear Mr. DJ, play it again
The singer repeats her request to the DJ to replay the song.


Dear Mr. DJ, play it, play it again
The singer emphasizes her request to replay the song for her.


I want my baby to remember when
The singer wants her significant other to recall a memorable time they shared together.


We danced to the juke box
The singer and her significant other danced to the music playing from the jukebox.


While the lights were low
The lighting in the room was dim or low, creating a more intimate setting.


′Til they played goodnight sweetheart
The singer and her significant other danced until the song 'Goodnight Sweetheart' played.


Well it's time to go
The song signaled the end of their dance, and it's time for them to leave.


Dear Mr. DJ, he′s gone, gone away
The singer's significant other is no longer with her, possibly due to a breakup or distance.


I want him to hear
The singer wants the DJ to play songs that her significant other associates with their time together.


The songs of yesterday
The singer desires to hear classic songs that were popular during the time she spent with her significant other.


Oh make him remember
The singer wants the songs being played to evoke memories for her significant other.


How he loved me then
The singer wants her significant other to remember the love they shared in the past.


Oh please Mr. DJ, play it again
The singer repeats her request for the DJ to play the song again.


A thousand stars in the sky
The night that the singer's significant other pledged their love to each other, there were many shining stars in the sky.


Were shining up above
The stars were visible in the sky.


I'll never forget
The singer will always remember the night she fell in love with her significant other.


The night that we met
The singer remembers the specific night she met her significant other.


And we stood there pledging our love
The singer and her significant other professed their love for each other while standing in a specific location.


I feel so lonely
Without her significant other present, the singer feels sad and isolated.


Lonely, lonely and blue
The singer's loneliness and sadness is compounded by a feeling of depression or melancholy.


Oh Mr. DJ, it's all up to you
The singer is putting all her hope and trust in the hands of the DJ to comfort her with the right music.


Play all the goldies
The singer wants the DJ to play classic, timeless songs that have sentimental value to her.


From the old times then
The singer wants the DJ to play songs from the time when she was with her significant other.


Oh please Mr. DJ, play it again
The singer repeats her request for the DJ to replay the song.


We go together
The singer and her significant other have a close relationship that is special to them.


(Play it again)
The singer wants the DJ to replay the song that she associates with her significant other.


Sincerely
The singer sincerely appreciates the DJ's effort to play her songs.


(Play it again)
The singer repeats her request for the DJ to replay the song.


You′re a thousand miles away
The singer's significant other is physically far away from her, adding to her feeling of loneliness.


(Play it again)
The singer repeats her request for the DJ to replay the song.


Earth angel, earth angel
The singer wants the DJ to play the song 'Earth Angel,' which holds significance to her and her significant other.


(Play it again)
The singer repeats her request for the DJ to replay the song.


Life is but a dream
The singer reflects on the fleeting nature of life and its impermanence.


(Play it again)
The singer repeats her request for the DJ to replay the song.


He′s gone
The singer reiterates the absence of her significant other in her life.


(Play it again)
The singer repeats her request for the DJ to replay the song.




Writer(s): Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Howard Greenfield

Contributed by Maya R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

@samueldiaz6299

This is plain insane! Masterful realease.

@arizonadoowopper148

This is plain OUTSTANDING!

@gecko36a

LOVE IT ❤👍

@Nostalgiafairy

If I could, I'd call into a modern day radio station and sing them this.

@devinpaul9026

If there's ever a sequel to Christine? Trailer song. Right here.

@snap07801

Great song written by Carole King, Gerry Goffin and Howard Greenfield title is actually Dear Mr. D.J. Play It Again

@stephenbynum4793

Dear, Mr. DJ Play It Again By Tina Robin

@BBINGHAM032352

There was a song issued in 1966 by The Teenyboppers "Dear Mr. DJ" with completely different lyrics. The information about this was found at the very end of this pdf link http://rpmimages.3345.ca/pdfs/Vol+5%2C+No.+21+-+Week+of+July+18th%2C+1966.pdf Greetings from Edmonton,Alberta, Canada!

@leticiaquezada3984

Isn't it weird that Mrs. Robin sang this song in 1961 and she was already referring to the songs she's singing about, as :Goldies" or "Songs of Yesterday"? The songs Mrs. Robin sings about, come from 1953 and as late as 1960. How in the world did she know at that time, about Goldies or Oldies? I'm very perplexed about this. Can anyone shed some light on this?

@timhawkins4750

She was from the future?

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