Radio
Nofx - Rancid Lyrics

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Never fell in love
Until I fell in love with you
Never know what a good time was until I had a good time with you
If you want to get the feeling and you want to get it right
Then the music gotta be loud
For when the music hit I feel no pain at all

Warm summer night I was drinking with my dad

He tried to give me the love that I never had
But he gave more love to his bottle of wine
So I had to go out and find love of another kind

Here it is
Here I am
Turn it up
Fucking loud

Radio, Radio, Radio

When I got the music
I got a place to go

Radio clash
Magnificent 7
I was a choir boy
You showed me no heaven
Two tools surely lost
No remorse ignoring the cost

Here it is
Here I am
Turn it up
Fucking loud

Radio, Radio, Radio

When I got the music
I got a place to go

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Radio" by Nofx - Rancid delve into the concept of finding solace in music. It highlights how music has the power to elevate one's mood and make them forget their pain. The first two lines of the song, "Never fell in love, Until I fell in love with you, Never know what a good time was until I had a good time with you" suggest that the singer has never experienced any genuine emotions until they discovered the power of music. The singer implies that they found true love (in this case, music) that allowed them to experience a good time which they never thought was possible before.

The next line, "If you want to get the feeling and you want to get it right, Then the music gotta be loud," throws light upon the fact that music has to be loud for the singer to actually feel it. The volume works as a catalyst to make them forget all their problems and feel completely content. The second half of the first verse describes a personal anecdote. The singer talks about drinking with their dad one warm summer night. The dad tried to give them the love that they never had, but they failed to give it in the right way, making the singer feel left without love. Therefore, they found a different kind of love in music, which brought them immense peace and joy.

The second verse starts with some iconic song names, such as "Radio Clash" and "Magnificent 7," highlighting the importance of music not just for the singer but society as a whole. The line "I was a choir boy, You showed me no heaven" seems to imply a sense of anger and disappointment towards an institution or maybe even religion, which failed to offer comfort to the singer. The concluding lines, "When I got the music, I got a place to go" reiterate the message of how music offers a place of comfort and solace to the singer.

Line by Line Meaning

Never fell in love
I had never experienced genuine love before

Until I fell in love with you
Until I met you and fell in love with you

Never know what a good time was until I had a good time with you
I had never truly enjoyed myself until I spent time with you

If you want to get the feeling and you want to get it right
If you want to experience a genuine emotional connection and truly enjoy yourself

Then the music gotta be loud
The music needs to be loud in order to amplify the emotional experience

For when the music hit I feel no pain at all
When the music is loud and emotionally charged, all of my pain disappears

Warm summer night I was drinking with my dad
I was spending a summer evening drinking with my father

He tried to give me the love that I never had
He tried to show me affection and provide me with the love I had never experienced

But he gave more love to his bottle of wine
Unfortunately, he prioritized his alcohol addiction over his relationship with me

So I had to go out and find love of another kind
As a result, I had to seek love from other sources and find my own path

Here it is
Here is the emotional experience that I crave

Here I am
I am present and ready to embrace the moment

Turn it up
Make the music louder

Fucking loud
As loud as possible

Radio, Radio, Radio
The radio is the source of the emotional experience

When I got the music
When the music is playing

I got a place to go
I have a place to direct my emotions and feel a sense of belonging

Radio clash
A reference to the song by The Clash, symbolizing rebellion and nonconformity

Magnificent 7
Another reference to The Clash song, representing the belief that seven people can change the world

I was a choir boy
I was once innocent and naïve

You showed me no heaven
You shattered my illusion of a perfect world

Two tools surely lost
Two important things in my life that I have lost

No remorse ignoring the cost
I have no regret for the sacrifices I have made to find emotional fulfillment

Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Billie Joe Armstrong, Tim Armstrong, Roger Matthew Freeman

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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