In an interview with NME, Green said that, in addition to being about a heartbreak, the song was also about the music industry itself.
Several versions of "Fuck You" (the official title) have been released. The version of the song edited to remove swearing, which is broadcast in the music video on UK television stations, and played on US radio, is called "Forget You", while the UK radio edit is entitled "FU". All three versions differ in lyrical content, with "Fuck You" being completely uncensored, "Forget You" replacing the profanity with sound effects (also changing "fuck you" to "forget you" per the title), and "FU" replacing them by editing them out completely and leaving blank spaces, and changing "fuck you" to an exact pronunciation of "F you". All three versions can be found on iTunes and both "Fuck You" and "Forget You" are included in an EP, which features the music video and lyric video, and was released on August 19, 2010, whereas "FU" was not released until September 21.
A fourth version of the song, featuring American rapper 50 Cent, was released to iTunes. The version was entitled "Fuck You (Heartbreaker)!", and was released only in America. The video for this version of the song incorporates scenes from the original video with extra shots of 50 Cent performing. CeeLo performed a remix of the song, featuring an all-female backing band named "Scarlet Fever", on The Colbert Report on November 9, 2010. The remix was entitled "Fuck You (Fox News)". The first full verse of the song was a satirical parody of Fox News controversies. A fifth version of the song, entitled "Thank You", was released on May 9, 2011. The song was re-written with new lyrics as a tribute to firefighters. The lyrics mention that Cee Lo's mother was a firefighter. A new version of the video was released with scenes of Cee Lo visiting a fire station.
In the US, "Forget You" debuted at No. 69 on Hot Digital Songs and No. 96 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song originally peaked at number 9 in 2010, but following Cee Lo's performance of the song at the 53rd Grammy Awards, "Forget You" had a resurgence in popularity and climbed back up the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching No. 2 in its 26th chart week (making it one of the slowest climbs ever into the number 2 position) tying it with Cee Lo's previous 2006 hit "Crazy" from his musical duo project Gnarls Barkley as his highest-charting single. The song remained at No. 2 for four consecutive weeks. In all, the single spent a total of 48 weeks on the Hot 100. It was certified Gold on November 5, 2010.
The week of March 24, 2011, the song was the best-selling song in the USA of 2011, having been sold 1,865,000 times in 2011 only, despite the song never reaching No. 1 and being released in August 2010.bIn the subsequent week, the song surpassed 2 million copies in sales in 2011 alone, bringing its total to 3,707,000 copies. The week of April 16, 2011, the song topped the Pop Songs radio airplay chart in its 25th week, completing the longest journey to the summit in the ranking's 18-year history. "Forget You" would go on to share the record with Demi Lovato's 2012 single "Give Your Heart a Break" before it was eventually broken by Alessia Cara's "Here" in 2016. As of April 2013, "Forget You" had sold over 6 million copies in the U.S.
Forget You
CeeLo Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With the girl I love and I'm like
Forget you
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
I guess the change in my pocket
Wasn't enough, I'm like
Forget you
And forget her too
Said, if I was richer
I'd still be with ya
Ha, oh, ain't that some shh
(Ain't that some shh)
And although there's pain in my chest
I still wish you the best with a
Forget you
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
Yeah I'm sorry, I can't afford a Ferrari
But that don't mean I can't get you there
I guess he's an X-box, and I'm more an Atari
But the way you play your game ain't fair
I pity the fool that falls in love with you oh
(Oh, shh she's a gold digger)
Well
(Just thought you should know n-)
Ooh, ooh, ohh
I've got some news for you
Yeah, go run and tell your little boyfriend
See you driving 'round town
With the girl I love and I'm like
Forget you
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
I guess the change in my pocket
Wasn't enough, I'm like
Forget you
And forget her too
Said, if I was richer, I'd still be with ya
Ha, ain't that some shh
(Ain't that some shh)
And although there's pain in my chest
I still wish you the best with a
Forget you
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
Now I know, that I had to borrow
Beg and steal and lie and cheat
Trying to keep ya, trying to please ya
'Cause being in love with yo'- ain't cheap nah
I pity the fool that falls in love with you oh
(Oh shh she's a gold digger)
Well
(Just thought you should know n-)
Ooh, ooh, oh
I've got some news for you
Ooh I really hate your-, right now
See you driving 'round town
With the girl I love and I'm like
Forget you
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
I guess the change in my pocket
Wasn't enough, I'm like
Forget you
And forget her too
Said, if I was richer, I'd still be with ya
Ha, oh ain't that some shh
(Ain't that some shh)
And although there's pain in my chest
I still wish you the best with a
Forget you
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Now baby, baby, baby, why d'you wanna wanna hurt me so bad?
(So bad, so bad, so bad)
I tried to tell my mamma but she told me
"This is one for your dad"
(Your dad, your dad, your dad)
Yes she did
Uh, why? uh, why? uh
Why lady? oh, I love you
I still love you, oh
I see you driving 'round town
With the girl I love and I'm like
Forget you
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
I guess the change in my pocket
Wasn't enough, I'm like
Forget you
And forget her too
Said, if I was richer, I'd still be with ya
Ha, ain't that some shh
(Ain't that some shh)
And although there's pain in my chest
I still wish you the best with a
Forget you
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Cee Lo Green's "Forget You" is a song about a brokenhearted guy who catches his ex-girlfriend driving around with her new lover. The hook "I see you driving 'round town with the girl I love" expresses his pain and frustration seeing her with a new man. Having been left with a small change left in his pocket after being dumped, the singer uses the phrase "Forget You" as a way of coming to terms with his situation. Through the lyrics, we can infer that the female in question left him for someone with a better financial situation, and he's trying to come to terms with having to let her go. This is alluded to in the lines "I guess the change in my pocket wasn't enough" and "If I was richer, I'd still be with you."
As he reflects on the situation, the singer admits that he still has feelings for his ex-girlfriend, wishing her the best, despite feeling hurt. He acknowledges that even if he were rich, he still would have been dumped for someone with more wealth. The verse "I guess he's an Xbox, and I'm more an Atari" metaphorically suggests that the woman chose a wealthier man, implying that the singer's financial situation is not good enough.
The refrain "Forget You" is used repeatedly in the song, emphasising the singer's attempt to move on from the relationship. The song blends retro-soul with modern pop and funk, providing a catchy hook to the clever lyrics. By exploring themes of heartbreak and financial inequality, the song became a chart-topper both in the USA and internationally.
Line by Line Meaning
See you driving 'round town
With the girl I love and I'm like
Forget you
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
You were driving around in your car with the girl I love and I'm angry enough to forget you both.
I guess the change in my pocket
Wasn't enough, I'm like
Forget you
And forget her too
I couldn't offer you enough money or wealth to make you stay, so I'm saying goodbye to both you and her.
Said, if I was richer
I'd still be with ya
Ha, oh, ain't that some shh
(Ain't that some shh)
I'm saying if I had more money or wealth, I would still be with you. But the fact that money is so important to you disgusts me.
And although there's pain in my chest
I still wish you the best with a
Forget you
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
Even though my heart is broken, I still wish you the best in life but I don't want to see or speak to you ever again.
Yeah I'm sorry, I can't afford a Ferrari
But that don't mean I can't get you there
I guess he's an X-box, and I'm more an Atari
But the way you play your game ain't fair
I may not have a lot of money to spend, but that doesn't mean I can't show you a good time. You chose someone with more wealth than me, but the way you played that game wasn't fair to me.
I pity the fool that falls in love with you oh
(Oh, shh she's a gold digger)
Well
(Just thought you should know n-)
I feel sorry for anyone who falls in love with you because you're only after their money. I thought you should know the truth about yourself.
Now I know, that I had to borrow
Beg and steal and lie and cheat
Trying to keep ya, trying to please ya
'Cause being in love with yo'- ain't cheap nah
I realized now that I did anything I could think of to try to keep you, even if it meant begging, stealing, lying or cheating. It's hard to afford being in a relationship with someone like you.
Now baby, baby, baby, why d'you wanna wanna hurt me so bad?
(So bad, so bad, so bad)
I tried to tell my mamma but she told me
"This is one for your dad"
(Your dad, your dad, your dad)
Yes she did
Uh, why? uh, why? uh
Why lady? oh, I love you
I still love you, oh
I don't understand why you wanted to hurt me so badly. Even my mother couldn't help me understand. I don't know why you did what you did, but I still love you.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ROBERT WALTER STEININGER, SUSAN G. MEDLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ellamwawa8474
I see you driving 'round town with the girl I love
And I'm like, "Forget you" (ooh, ooh, ooh)
I guess the change in my pocket wasn't enough
I'm like, "Forget you and forget her, too"
Said, "If I was richer, I'd still be with ya"
Ha, now ain't that some sh?
(Ain't that some sh?)
And although there's pain in my chest
I still wish you the best
With a "Forget you" (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Yeah, I'm sorry
I can't afford a Ferrari
But that don't mean I can't get you there
I guess he's an Xbox and I'm more Atari
But the way you play your game ain't fair
I pity the fool that falls in love with you
(Oh sh, she's a gold digger)
Well (just thought you should know)
Ooh, I've got some news for you
Yeah, go run and tell your little boyfriend
I see you driving 'round town with the girl I love
And I'm like, "Forget" (ooh, ooh, ooh)
I guess the change in my pocket wasn't enough
I'm like, "Forget you and forget her, too"
Said, "If I was richer, I'd still be with ya"
Ha, now ain't that some sh?
(Ain't that some sh?)
And although there's pain in my chest
I still wish you the best
With a "Forget you" (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Now I know that I had to borrow
Beg and steal and lie and cheat
Tryna keep ya, tryna please ya
'Cause being in love with your ass ain't cheap
Now I pity the fool
That falls in love with you
(Oh sh, she's a golddigger)
Well (just thought you should know)
Ooh, I've got some news for you
I really hate your ass right now
I see you driving 'round town with the girl I love
And I'm like, "Forget you" (ooh, ooh, ooh)
I guess the change in my pocket wasn't enough
I'm like, "Forget you and forget her, too"
Said, "If I was richer, I'd still be with ya"
Ha, now ain't that some sh?
(Ain't that some sh?)
And although there's pain in my chest
I still wish you the best
With a "Forget you" (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Now baby, baby, baby, why d'you wanna, wanna hurt me so bad?
(So bad, so bad, so bad)
I tried to tell my mama but she told me
"This is one for your dad"
(Your dad, your dad, your dad)
Yes, she did
And I was like, uh
Why? (Uh) Why? (Uh) Why, lady?
Oh, I love you
Oh, I still love you, oh
I see you driving 'round town with the girl I love
"Forget you" (ooh, ooh, ooh)
I guess the change in my pocket wasn't enough
I'm like, "Forget you and forget her, too"
Said, "If I was richer, I'd still be with ya"
Ha, now ain't that some sh?
(Ain't that some sh?)
And although there's pain in my chest
I still wish you the best
With a "Forget you" (ooh, ooh, ooh)
@zt8003
Ceelo: ffffffffuuuu
YouTube: *holding a demonetisation sign
Ceelo: fffuooooorrrrrrggeettt youuu
@justanaveragegrizzlybear1503
Zachary Tan Ain’t that some shh
@Viewer-tq9lt
Lmao
@mr.irrelevant8826
For g e e t y ouu
@REDXGaming-sm6nu
2019 am I right
@nicodenapolii
REDX5672 Gaming right
@enderethan144
When you suffer either from a heartbreak or a break up from a toxic relationship just remember this song’ll help get through. It certainly helped me.
@chloeburbankxo
w
@cynicalradicand
I'm going through one right now and it certainly helps a little
@lassydogpie5390
Lol