She first gained fame with her trip hop-inspired debut album, Whoa, Nelly! (2000), which was a critical and commercial success that spawned two top-10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, "I'm Like a Bird" and "Turn Off the Light". The first of the two singles won her a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Furtado's introspective folk-heavy 2003 second album, Folklore, explored her Portuguese roots. Its singles received moderate success in Europe, but the album's underperformance compared to her debut was regarded as a sophomore slump.
Furtado's third album, Loose (2006), was a smash hit and became her bestselling album, with more than 10 million copies sold worldwide, also making it one of the bestselling albums of the 2000s. Considered a radical image reinvention, Furtado continued to explore her Portuguese heritage while leaning heavier into hip hop. The album spawned four successful number-one singles worldwide; "Promiscuous", "Maneater", "Say It Right" and "All Good Things (Come to an End)".
She released her first Spanish-language album, Mi Plan, in 2009, which won her a Latin Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Album. In 2012, Furtado released her nostalgia-inspired fifth album The Spirit Indestructible. Furtado split with her management and went independent thereafter, releasing her indie-pop sixth album, The Ride, in 2017 under her own label Nelstar Entertainment.
She has won many awards throughout her career, including one Grammy Award from seven nominations, one Latin Grammy Award, ten Juno Awards, one BRIT Award, one Billboard Music Award, one MTV Europe Music Award, one World Music Award, and three Much Music Video Awards. Furtado has a star on Canada's Walk of Fame, and was awarded Commander of the Order of Prince Henry on February 28, 2014, by Aníbal Cavaco Silva, the then-President of Portugal.
Girlfriend in the City
Nelly Furtado Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know you're hidin' somethin'
When we're together
I can hardly breathe
I feel like it's gonna spill out of me
What I believe
I would rather wait
That you can't no longer hide it from me
I would rather wait
For the chance to get you in hide me
[Chorus]
You've got a girlfriend in this city
You've got a girlfriend in this city
Oh, is your girlfriend pretty?
Does she look like me?
Does she blow your mind all the time
Or are you just passing time
You've got a girlfriend in this city
And it's not me.
I stay at home on the other side of town
Waiting, alone, would you bring me flowers
You are far away
And when I don't know won't hurt me
But it do
And worse it's killing you all the guilt inside
I can see yeah, it's true
[Chorus]
And I'm dying to know what she's like
Although I know it won't make this right
You've got a girlfriend in this city
And it's not me
Does she wear her hair up
Or her hair down
Is she quiet
Or is she loud
Does she dress up
Or she dress down
Why do you keep her around
Push it to you yeah
Push it to you yeah
Push it to you you yeah
Push it to you yeah
Push it to you
[Chorus]
Does she blow your mind all the time
Or are you just passing time
You've got a girlfriend in this city
And it's not me
Girlfriend
Girlfriend
Girlfriend in this city
Girlfriend in this city
I know about a girlfriend
I know about a girlfriend in this city
I know about her in this city
In this city
I know about her, I know about her
I know about her, I know about her
I know about her, I know about her
I know about her, I know about her
Girlfriend, girlfriend
Girlfriend, girlfriend
Nelly Furtado’s song “Girlfriend in the City” is a song about a woman who suspects that the man she is in love with has another girlfriend in the city where they both reside. She has been scrutinizing him and watching him closely, and although she has not caught him yet, she is confident that he is hiding something. Whenever they are together, she can hardly breathe because she feels like the truth is going to spill out of her.
The woman in the song is struggling to understand why the man she loves would go to such lengths to deceive her. She stays at home on the other side of town, waiting for him, and wondering if he will even bother bringing her flowers. She knows that he is far away, and that what she does not know will not hurt her, but it does. Moreover, it is killing him because he feels so guilty about it all.
The chorus of the song is about the other woman whom the man is supposedly seeing. The woman in the song sings that she knows about the other woman and that the man has a girlfriend in the city, and it is not her. She is dying to know what the other woman looks like, how she dresses, and what kind of person she is. While she knows that the knowledge will not make anything right, she still wants to know.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been watchin' you like a hawk
I have been paying extra attention to you, trying to uncover something hidden from me.
I know you're hidin' somethin'
I am aware that you are keeping a secret from me.
When we're together, I can hardly breathe
Being around you makes me feel anxious and uneasy.
I feel like it's gonna spill out of me
I have an overwhelming urge to express my thoughts and feelings.
What I believe
My personal opinions and convictions regarding the situation.
I would rather wait, 'til it looks so bad, that you can't no longer hide it from me
I would prefer to wait until it becomes obvious that you are hiding something, and then confront you about it.
For the chance to get you in hide me
I am hoping that once you confess to me, you will also want to get back together with me.
You've got a girlfriend in this city
I know that you are currently dating someone else who lives in this town.
Oh, is your girlfriend pretty?
I am curious about the appearance of the woman you are seeing.
Does she look like me?
I wonder if your current girlfriend resembles me in any way.
Does she blow your mind all the time or are you just passing time
I am questioning the depth of your feelings for your current girlfriend.
I stay at home on the other side of town, waiting alone, would you bring me flowers
I am alone and waiting, hoping for any sign of affection from you.
You are far away and when I don't know won't hurt me, but it do
Even though I try to convince myself that distance from you doesn't hurt me, it actually does.
And worse it's killing you all the guilt inside, I can see yeah, it's true
I understand that keeping secrets from me is causing you emotional pain.
And I'm dying to know what she's like, although I know it won't make this right
I am curious about your current girlfriend's personality, even though knowing more about her won't change the situation.
Does she wear her hair up or her hair down, is she quiet or is she loud, does she dress up or she dress down, why do you keep her around
I have many questions about your current girlfriend and want to know more about her characteristics and why you are with her.
Push it to you yeah, push it to you yeah, push it to you you yeah, push it to you yeah, push it to you
The repetition of this phrase seems to express a sense of urgency or determination to push you to confess the truth.
I know about a girlfriend, I know about a girlfriend in this city
I am confident in my knowledge of your current girlfriend's existence and residence.
Girlfriend, girlfriend, girlfriend in this city, girlfriend in this city
Nelly Furtado repeats these two phrases multiple times, emphasizing the topic of the song - her lover's other girlfriend in the same city.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: NELLY FURTADO, SALAAM REMI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind