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.
They Dont Know
Kirsty MacColl Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've been around for such a long time now
Or maybe I could leave you but I don't know how
And why should I be lonely every night
When I can be with you, oh yes you make it right
And I don't listen to the guys who say
That you're bad for me and I should turn you away
And they've never heard of love
I get a feeling when I look at you
Wherever you go now I want to be there too
They say we're crazy but I just don't care
And if they keep on talkin' still they get nowhere
So I don't mind if they don't understand
When I look at you and you hold my hand
Cause they don't know about us
And they've never heard of love
Why should it matter to us if they don't approve
We should just take our chances while we've got nothing to lose
Baby
There's no need for living in the past
Now I found good loving gonna make it last
I tell the others don't bother me
Cause when they look at you they don't see what I see
No I don't listen to their wasted lines
Got my eyes wide open and I see the signs
But they don't know about us
And they've never heard of love
No I don't listen to their wasted lines
Got my eyes wide open and I see the signs
But they don't know about us
And they've never heard of love
In Kirsty MacColl's song "They Don't Know," the singer expresses her unwavering belief in her relationship with her partner despite what others say about it. She begins by acknowledging that they have been together for a long time and though she may have the option to leave, she does not know how to go about it. The comfort and peace she finds in this relationship prevent her from feeling lonely at night. She asserts that she does not pay attention to those who say that her partner is bad for her and that she should leave them. Those people, according to her, do not know about what they share and are blind to the beauty of love.
The singer wants to be wherever her partner goes, and to her, it does not matter what they say about the relationship. In her view, they may consider her and her partner to be crazy, but their opinion does not count. She believes they have nothing to lose and should take their chances. The singer does not care if people do not approve of their relationship since she has found good loving, and she wants to make it last. The chorus repeats the idea that those people who criticize the relationship do not understand what the couple shares because they have never experienced love.
In summary, "They Don't Know" is a song about being true to oneself despite criticism and negative opinions from others. The singer's unwavering belief in her love is the central message, and she challenges the criticisms whether they come from her friends or anyone else. The song celebrates the beauty of a healthy relationship and encourages people to believe in love no matter what others say about it.
Line by Line Meaning
You've been around for such a long time now
You've been a part of my life for a long time
Or maybe I could leave you but I don't know how
I don't know how to let you go, even if I wanted to
And why should I be lonely every night
There's no reason for me to be alone when I can be with you
When I can be with you, oh yes you make it right
You make everything better when I'm with you
And I don't listen to the guys who say
I don't pay attention to the people who say
That you're bad for me and I should turn you away
That you're not good for me and I should end our relationship
Cause they don't know about us
They don't understand our relationship
And they've never heard of love
They have no experience with real love
I get a feeling when I look at you
I have a strong emotional reaction when I see you
Wherever you go now I want to be there too
I want to be with you wherever you go
They say we're crazy but I just don't care
People think we're insane, but I'm not bothered by it
And if they keep on talkin' still they get nowhere
They can keep talking about us, but it won't change anything
So I don't mind if they don't understand
I'm okay with them not getting our relationship
When I look at you and you hold my hand
I'm happy when I'm holding your hand
Why should it matter to us if they don't approve
It doesn't matter if they don't approve of us
We should just take our chances while we've got nothing to lose
We should take risks while we have nothing to lose
Baby
Term of endearment for the person addressed
There's no need for living in the past
We shouldn't dwell on the past
Now I found good loving gonna make it last
I've found true love and I'm going to hold onto it
I tell the others don't bother me
I don't want to hear what other people have to say
Cause when they look at you they don't see what I see
They don't see you the way I do
No I don't listen to their wasted lines
I don't listen to their meaningless comments
Got my eyes wide open and I see the signs
I'm aware of what's going on
But they don't know about us
They don't understand us
And they've never heard of love
They have no experience with real love
No I don't listen to their wasted lines
I don't listen to their meaningless comments
Got my eyes wide open and I see the signs
I'm aware of what's going on
But they don't know about us
They don't understand us
And they've never heard of love
They have no experience with real love
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: KIRSTY MACCOLL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
homerunhitters
Gazzara5 KIRSTY MACCOLL 1979 RECORDING REMAINS THE BEST VERSION EVER.
THE COVER VERSION YOU REFER TO IS A PITIFUL DUB PLAYED 6 TIMES FASTER IN A DIFFERENT KEY TO HIDE THE FACT THAT THE MIMIC CANNOT SING.
THE ORIGINAL ARTIST KIRSTY MACCOLL SANG THE HARMONIES THAT WERE PLAYED OVER THE ENTIRE COVER TO CREATE A WALL OF SOUND THAT DROWNED OUT THE MIMIC'S INFERIOR VOICE.
BUT ENJOY YOUR CHEAP IMITATION.
AS KIRSTY MACCOLL WOULD SAY:
"THEY DON'T KNOW."
Susanna Emily
You've been around for such a long time now
Oh maybe I could leave you but I don't know how
And why should I be lonely every night
When I can be with you
Oh yes you make it right
And I don't listen to the guys who say
That you're bad for me and I should turn you away
'Cos they don't know about us
And they've never heard of love
I get a feeling when I look at you
Wherever you go now I wanna be there too
They say we're crazy but I just don't care
And if they keep on talking still they get nowhere
So I don't mind if they don't understand
When I look at you and you hold my hand
'Cos they don't know about us
And they've never heard of lov
Why should it matter to us if they don't approve
We should just take our chances while we've got nothing to lose
Baby
There's no need for living in the past
Now I've found good loving gonna make it last
I tell the others don't bother me
'Cos when they look at you they don't see what I see
No I don't listen to their wasted lines
Got my eyes wide open and I see the signs
But they don't know about us
And they've never heard of love
No I don't listen to their wasted lines
Got my eyes wide open and I see the signs
But they don't know about us
And they've never heard of love
david rowell
One core truth – this song is so good that it is virtually ‘bombproof’ and will continue to be so in the hands of any half-decent singer. Its simplicity, message, hook, chorus and melody offer up great raw material for a variety of artists, so the tone, tempo and instrumentation applied to each version leads to a ‘new freshness’ being discovered each time it’s recorded. I honestly don’t dislike any version that I’ve heard, because regardless of my varied musical tastes, I still find any take on it to be interesting, listenable & insightful. Without wishing to over-analyse this tune, to me it carries a rare empathy within it which can’t fail to come through in the delivery, regardless of whose point-of-view is being emphasized…..to paraphrase a Velvet Underground song title, “I’ll be your mirror”. In other words, you find in this song whatever YOU are looking for, and that’s why it’s so special. It is damn well lyrically perfect, but more than that, it creates and sustains believable emotions, empathy & even tenderness. When you hear this in any 3 minute pop song , you feel something real and authentic, which is why this song is so good. Kirsty MacColl wrote many great songs, but to me, if this was all she ever wrote, then her legacy is assured. It deserves to be. And the lyric…..” ‘Cos they don’t know about us, and they’ve never heard of love”.....these are the absolute clincher lines in this song, which elevate it to the level of sublime pop, in my opinion. Why? Because this couplet simply & ingeniously makes the listener instantly recall the feeling they had when there really was a ‘me & you’ only and for a time at least, nobody else existed. To write about the essence of love is difficult for even the best poets (maybe it’s well nigh impossible), but these two lines eloquently remind us that each perspective we have is unique, it's ours only, so it can’t truly be understood by outsiders, particularly in matters of the heart. Sheer genius, Kirsty. RIP.
Glyn Havard
Astute observations, David, all of them valid; but what always makes me smile when I hear this song are the various instances of good fortune that became contributory factors to the finished version. I wonder how many classics owe their success partially to a sequence of chance events?
Frank Mccormick
That's easy for you to say david
Davnar Ragnar
Still get a tear every time I hear her voice. I can't help but feel the world would be a better place if she was still among us.
shmuli9
+lebarosky So would I. This song, by the way, wasn't a hit anywhere by her. But "Walking Down Madison" was a pretty big hit in the US and the UK both.
Ralph Jackson
+lebarosky +shmuli9 This was the first song I heard from her in early summer 1979 and it wasn't a hit unfortunately but Tracey Ullman sang a cover version of it some four and a half years later and got to number 2 in the UK with it. Kirsty's first UK hit was There's a Guy Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis in the summer of 1981,after which she went to number 7 with A New England (in early 1985),to number 2 (kept off the top by the Pet Shop Boys doing Always On My Mind!) with the Pogues on Fairytale of New York at Christmas 1987 and had further hits with a cover of Days by the Kinks in summer 1989 and then Walking Down Madison (very thought provoking song) in summer 1991.
shmuli9
+Ralph Jackson My first was "Terry"...
Ralph Jackson
shmuli9 Great. Did that come out before or after They Don't Know?
Chris Montignani
Kirsty wrote this song when she was only sixteen years old what a talent and what a great loss to this world.
homerunhitters
+Chris Montignani YOU SAID IT.