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
Cee Lo 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 ssh
(Ain't that some ssh)
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 Atari
But the way you play your game ain't fair
I pity the fool that falls in love with you oh
(Oh ssh she's a gold digger)
Well
(Just thought you should know n**a)
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 ssh
(Ain't that some ssh)
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 ass ain't cheap
I pity the fool that falls in love with you oh
(Oh ssh she's a gold digger)
Well
(Just thought you should know n**a)
Ooh, ooh ,ohh
I've got some news for you
Ooh I really hate your ass 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 ssh
(Ain't that some ssh)
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
The song "Forget You" by Cee Lo Green is a breakup anthem that highlights the feelings of anger and frustration that one experiences after a breakup. The song which was released in 2010, features a catchy upbeat tune with lyrics that are both witty and clever. The lyrics of the song see the singer venting his frustration about seeing his ex-girlfriend with someone else. He acknowledges his financial struggles and how it may have influenced his relationship, but at the same time, he refuses to accept that as a reason for their breakup. The song ends with him wishing them the best but also expressing his lack of interest in their lives.
The song uses a lot of clever puns and wordplay to get the point across, while also keeping the listener entertained. The use of the phrase "Forget You" instead of the more explicit version, "F*** You", adds a layer of complexity and humor to the song. The singer also uses the metaphor of an Xbox and Atari to show the difference in their standards of living. The phrase "I pity the fool that falls in love with you" is a nod to the legendary Mr. T, who used such phrases in his television appearances.
Line by Line Meaning
See you driving 'round town
With the girl I love and I'm like
Forget you
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
I saw you driving around town with the girl I love, and I'm like, forget you.
I guess the change in my pocket
Wasn't enough, I'm like
Forget you
And forget her too
I realize now that I wasn't rich enough for you, so forget you and forget her too.
Said, if I was richer
I'd still be with ya
Ha, oh ain't that some ssh
(Ain't that some ssh)
And although there's pain in my chest
I still wish you the best with a
Forget you
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
I said that if I had more money, I would still be with you. But now that things didn't work out, I still wish you the best but forget you.
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 Atari
But the way you play your game ain't fair
I apologize that I can't afford a fancy car, but that doesn't mean I can't give you what you need. You're playing games with me, and it's not fair.
I pity the fool that falls in love with you oh
(Oh ssh she's a gold digger)
Well
(Just thought you should know n**a)
Ooh, ooh, ohh
I've got some news for you
Yeah go run and tell your little boyfriend
I feel bad for whoever falls in love with you because you're only after their money. You should know that, and now you can go tell your current boyfriend.
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 ass ain't cheap
I realize now that I had to do anything to keep you happy, even if it meant lying and cheating. Being in love with you is expensive.
See you driving 'round town
With the girl I love and I'm like
Forget you
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
I saw you driving around town again with the girl I love, and I want to forget 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'm wondering why you would want to hurt me like this. I tried talking to my mom, and she told me to talk to my dad. But I still love you, even though you hurt me.
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
I said earlier that if I had more money, we would still be together. It's ironic how that turned out. Even though I'm hurting, I still wish you the best but forget 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