MacColl began her career in the late 1970s UK punk rock scene, singing backing vocals for Drug Addix. Her UK hits included the 1981 single "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis", a cover of Billy Bragg's "A New England" in 1985, a duet with Shane MacGowan of The Pogues on "Fairytale of New York" in 1987, and a cover of The Kinks' song "Days" in 1989. She was probably most recognizable in the United States as the writer of "They Don't Know" a hit in 1979.
After a break from the music industry for much of the 1990s, several trips to Cuba and Brazil restored MacColl's creative muse, and the world music-inspired (particularly Cuban and other Latin American forms) Tropical Brainstorm, often described as her finest work, was released in 2000.
On 18 December 2000, while swimming in a restricted diving area with her family on a holiday in Cozumel, she was killed in a collision with a powerboat while managing to drag her son out of its path. The boat was owned by Mexican supermarket millionaire Guillermo González Nova (owner of Comercial Mexicana), who was on board with several members of his family. A boathand, José Cen Yam, claimed to have been driving the boat and was found guilty of culpable homicide and, under Mexican law, allowed to pay a fine of 1034 pesos (about USD 90) in lieu of a prison sentence of that many days. However, eyewitnesses contradict Cen Yam's claim to have been driving and also González Nova's claim that the boat was travelling at a speed of only one knot. MacColl's family are campaigning for a judicial review into the events surrounding her death, including an application to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The BBC has featured on several of its channels a documentary by Olivia Lichtenstein, entitled Who Killed Kirsty MacColl?
In 2001, a bench was placed by the southern entrance to London's Soho Square as a memorial to her, after a lyric from one of her most poignant songs: "One day I'll be waiting there/ No empty bench inSoho Square.
He Never Mentioned Love
Kirsty MacColl Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I couldn't hear him when he called to me
I couldn't hear him at all you see
He was down the road away from me
How could I know his answer?
I couldn't hear him 'though he shouted hard
I couldn't hear him in my own backyard
He never mentioned love
He may have held my hand
When we were walking down the street
He talked about all kinds of things
But none of them were him and me
He looked into my eyes
Just as an airplane roared above
Said something about football
But he never mentioned love
I never heard him all the times he yelled
I never heard him if he tried to tell me
If my memory serves me well
He never mentioned love
I never hurt him 'though he says I did
I never hurt him but I die a bit
Each time he passes on the street
He never mentions love
I used to call him every night
And pray that he was home
I couldn't bear the feeling
I might have to live my life alone
But now my phone is off the hook
The word came from above
It told me I was wasting time
If he never mentioned love
I never heard him if he said he cared
I never heard him, I kept my claws bared
I never heard the things he says he said
He never mentioned he was scared
I never heard him when he asked of love
I never heard him as the skies above
Chucked buckets on the both of us
He never mentioned love
So if I seem hardhearted
I would like the court to note
He never mentioned love to me
In anything he wrote
And if I seem coldblooded
I should like to tell the judge
In all the time I knew this man
He never spoke of love
(or if he did)
I never heard him when he called to me
I never heard him at all you see
He was down the line away from me
He never mentioned l.u.v.
I never hurt him 'though he says I did
I never hurt him I just die a bit
Each time we meet upon the street
We never mention love
The lyrics to Kirsty MacColl's song "He Never Mentioned Love" are about a relationship that lacks communication and understanding. The singer of the song discusses how she never heard her partner talk about his love for her, even though she desperately wanted to hear it. Despite his attempts to communicate with her, his words and actions never conveyed his true feelings. The singer expresses how she feels as though she is wasting time and is hurt by the lack of love in their relationship.
Throughout the song, the singer reflects on moments where her partner could have shown love and affection but did not. For example, when they walked together, he talked about everything except for their relationship. The singer also mentions how she called him every night, hoping to hear him express his feelings for her. However, he never did, and she now knows that it was a waste of time. The final verse of the song discusses how the singer never heard her partner ask for love, even when the skies were pouring down rain on both of them.
Overall, the song sheds light on the importance of communication and how the absence of it can lead to misunderstandings and hurt feelings. The singer realizes that even though she longed to hear her partner express his love for her, he never did, and this lack of communication led to the end of their relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I couldn't hear him when he called to me
I was unable to understand him when he was trying to communicate with me
I couldn't hear him at all you see
I was completely deaf to his words or actions
He was down the road away from me
His presence was distant or not physically close to me
How could I know his answer?
I could not predict or understand what his response would be
I couldn't hear him 'though he shouted hard
Even though he tried to make himself heard, I remained incapable of listening to him
I couldn't hear him in my own backyard
I was unable to hear him despite being close to him
The trains were rattling by above
The noise from the trains made it difficult for me to concentrate on what he was saying
He never mentioned love
He never expressed any romantic feelings for me despite any interaction or time spent together
He may have held my hand
He may have engaged in physical affection or gestures of closeness with me
When we were walking down the street
During the time that we spent together out in public
He talked about all kinds of things
He discussed various topics with me
But none of them were him and me
However, none of the topics that he discussed with me pertained to our relationship or feelings for each other
He looked into my eyes
He made eye contact with me
Just as an airplane roared above
Right at the moment that an airplane was making noise
Said something about football
He made comments or talked about the sport of football
But he never mentioned love
He did not express any feelings of affection or love towards me
I never heard him all the times he yelled
Even when he was shouting, I remained unable to listen to him
I never heard him if he tried to tell me
If he had attempted to convey something to me, I still would not have been receptive to his message
If my memory serves me well
Based on my recollection or understanding of the events that occurred
He never mentioned love
He never expressed any romantic feelings for me during our time together
I never hurt him 'though he says I did
He claims that I caused him pain, but I have no memory of doing so
I never hurt him but I die a bit
I do not believe I harmed him, but the situation brings me emotional pain
Each time he passes on the street
Whenever we cross paths while out in public
He never mentions love
He does not express any feelings of affection or romantic interest during our interactions
I used to call him every night
I would contact him via telephone on a daily basis
And pray that he was home
I would hope that he was at home and available to answer my call
I couldn't bear the feeling
I could not handle the thoughts or concerns that arose from our lack of communication or connection
I might have to live my life alone
I was afraid of the possibility of never finding someone to share my life with
But now my phone is off the hook
I no longer receive phone calls or have a device to initiate them
The word came from above
An outside source or higher power conveyed a message to me
It told me I was wasting time
The message that was communicated to me informed me that my efforts were pointless or unproductive
If he never mentioned love
If he never expressed feelings of affection or romantic interest towards me
I never heard him if he said he cared
Even if he expressed concern or care for me, I was not receptive to it
I never heard him, I kept my claws bared
I was always on the defensive and unwilling to let my guard down around him
I never heard the things he says he said
He claims to have expressed certain sentiments, but I do not remember hearing them
He never mentioned he was scared
He never expressed any feelings of fear, worry, or concern to me
I never heard him when he asked of love
Even if he questioned me about my feelings regarding love or our relationship, I was not receptive to it
I never heard him as the skies above
I was not able to listen to him even when the environment around us was calm
Chucked buckets on the both of us
We were caught in a heavy rainstorm
He never mentioned love
He never voiced any feelings of romantic interest towards me despite being in a physically intimate or romantic setting
So if I seem hardhearted
If my behavior comes across as cruel or unfeeling
I would like the court to note
I want the legal system or others to recognize
He never mentioned love to me
Despite any interaction or time together, he never expressed romantic feelings for me
In anything he wrote
Even in written communication or messages, he did not express romantic interest in me
And if I seem coldblooded
If I come across as heartless or indifferent
I should like to tell the judge
I want to assure legal officials or others that
In all the time I knew this man
Throughout our entire relationship or time spent together
He never spoke of love
He never expressed any feelings of romantic love towards me
(or if he did)
(unless there were moments when he did, which I am not aware of)
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KIRSTY ANNA MAC COLL, JEM FINER, MC COLL KIRSTY A
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind