Gruppo Sportivo is a Dutch post-punk/new wave pop band, from The Hague (197… Read Full Bio ↴Gruppo Sportivo is a Dutch post-punk/new wave pop band, from The Hague (1976-now). Formed in 1976, Gruppo Sportivo enjoyed modest international success in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The frontman of the band, and writer of the material, is Hans Vandenburg.

Their first ever single was Out There in the Jungle (Polydor 1976), but the height of their career came with the two Robert Jan Stips produced albums 10 Mistakes and Back to 78, both released in 1978.

They came to popularity just after the height of punk, but were regarded as more post-punk, veering more towards the mainstream pop. They were much admired for their live performances, which had great humour--even slapstick. Their biggest hit in their native Netherlands is Disco Really Made it (#11 in the Dutch Top 40 in 1978), but their most well-known song internationally is Beep Beep Love (from the album Ten Mistakes), which enjoyed some success in both U.K. and U.S.

The U.K.'s Radio & Records voted them "Top Newcomer '78". In July 2006 the Japanese girl band Puffy AmiYumi recorded a new version of Tokyo, originally recorded by Gruppo Sportivo in 1978.

Gruppo Sportivo kept recording and performing on and off until December 2013, when the group announced and performed their (initially) final show in Haarlem, The Netherlands. However, they reformed in 2018 and released a new studio album the same year, titled Great. They went on another promotional tour which ended in 2019.

In the summer of 2021 they began recording new music, with - for the first time again in over 40 years - Robert Jan Stips as the producer.

Girls Never Know
Gruppo Sportivo Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I fall in love with every girl I see,
the trouble is they don't see me
I even drive in daddy's brand new car,
I drive around on the schoolyard
I lie a lot to girls but I never go too far,
when I show them the engine in my car
Hey baby, get in and see,
do you want to drive with me?

I don't know I don't know

I eat my greens, for I am gonna be,
the leader of the football team
I don't get by on cigarettes and booze,
like all the other schoolboys do
I lie a lot to girls but I never go too far,
when I show them the rubbers in my car
Hey baby, get in and see,
you can make my life complete

Ah ah ah ah ah Ah ah ah ah ah Ah ah ah ah ah
Ten in the backseat, five next to me
Ah ah ah ah ah Ah ah ah ah ah Ah ah ah ah ah
Ten in the backseat, five next to me
I don't know I don't know

Yes it's true, boys know what to do,
girl you need a man like me
Girls never know what they want to be,
that's why they start a family
I lie a lot to girls but I never go too far,
when I show them the engine in my car
Hey baby, get in and see, you can make my life complete

Ah ah ah ah ah Ah ah ah ah ah Ah ah ah ah ah
Ten in the backseat, five next to me
Ah ah ah ah ah Ah ah ah ah ah Ah ah ah ah ah
Ten in the backseat, five next to me
I don't know
Girls never know what they wanna do

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Gruppo Sportivo's "Girls Never Know" portray a common narrative of a teenage boy trying to impress and attract girls. The first stanza talks about the singer falling in love with every girl he sees but not receiving the same attention in return. He mentions driving around in his father's car, trying to impress the girls with the car's engine. His attempts to show off the car and attract the girls seem unsuccessful as he wonders whether they want to be with him or not.

The second stanza continues with his attempts to impress girls by mentioning how he eats his greens to become the leader of the football team. He claims that he isn't like other schoolboys who rely on cigarettes and booze to get by. His penchant for lying to impress girls is also mentioned in this stanza. The chorus re-emphasizes his chase for girls by talking about ten girls in the backseat and five next to him. The song ends on an interesting note, with the singer claiming that girls never know what they want to be, which is why they start a family.

Overall, the lyrics of "Girls Never Know" portray a somewhat lighthearted but somewhat sad story about a teenage boy's struggles to attract girls. His attempts to impress them all seem futile, and he seems to be stuck in a cycle of attempting to catch their attention. The song questions the idea of whether girls really know what they want and how that influences relationships.

Line by Line Meaning

I fall in love with every girl I see,
I develop feelings for every girl I come across,

the trouble is they don't see me
But unfortunately, they don't notice me or reciprocate my feelings.

I even drive in daddy's brand new car,
I use my father's new car to attract girls.

I drive around on the schoolyard
I take rounds of the school premises while driving the car.

I lie a lot to girls but I never go too far,
I fib to girls frequently, but I don't cross any boundaries.

when I show them the engine in my car
I impress them by displaying the car engine's power.

Hey baby, get in and see,
I persuade girls to get into the car with me.

do you want to drive with me?
I ask if they would like to drive the car with me.

I don't know I don't know
I am unsure of the girl's response.

I eat my greens, for I am gonna be,
I eat healthily to secure a position as a leader in the school football team.

the leader of the football team
My aim is to become the captain of the school football team.

I don't get by on cigarettes and booze,
I don't depend on smoking or alcohol like other guys do.

like all the other schoolboys do
As it's quite common among other boys in school.

when I show them the rubbers in my car
When I offer to show them the car's new tires.

you can make my life complete
If they agree to my advances, my life would become complete.

Ah ah ah ah ah Ah ah ah ah ah Ah ah ah ah ah Ten in the backseat, five next to me
These lines have no specific meaning but are part of the song's rhythm and melody.

Yes it's true, boys know what to do, girl you need a man like me
It's a fact that guys know how to handle things. Hence you need someone like me in your life.

Girls never know what they want to be,
It's a common belief that girls don't have clarity of what they want for themselves.

that's why they start a family
As a result, they end up settling down to start a family.

I don't know
I am unsure about what happens next with the girl(s).

Girls never know what they wanna do
A repetition of the earlier line that girls are indecisive about their career and life choices.

Contributed by Jordyn D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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