Papooz is a French indie pop band based in Paris, France, composed of Ulyss… Read Full Bio ↴Papooz is a French indie pop band based in Paris, France, composed of Ulysse Cottin and Armand Penicaut, who write and sing in English. They have released two albums and one EP since 2014. Papooz's breakout single, "Ann Wants to Dance", was released in the summer 2015, and the music video, directed and filmed by Soko in Greece, received millions of views. Their first album Green Juice (2016), recorded at the Cap Ferret and mixed by Ash Workman (Metronomy, François & The Atlas Mountains, Baxter Dury). They have compared their sound to Phoenix. "Rarely has self-reflection sounded so groovy," writes Evan Crandell in his review of a Night Sketches album preview for Earmilk.

The band's second album, Night Sketches, was considered darker and more electric. It was made in collaboration with and produced by Adrien Durand, head of Bon Voyage Organisation (BVO). "Unlike our first album, which contained miscellaneous songs written years ago and without any knowledge of either production or arrangements, we 'mentalized' this new album. We wanted to bridge the gap between the seventies and the eighties, by bringing in even more groove." The album has elements of vintage pop (Steely Dan) and synth-pop. Durand stated that the band's "strength lies in the songwriting".

The album was also contributed to by musicians of the young French music scene, including drummer Wendy Killman, bass player Maxime Daoud (Forever Pavot, Ojard), and saxophonist Julien Cavard (Amadou & Mariam). The album was mixed by Italian Andrea Suriani (Cosmo, Calcutta, Giorgio Poi) and is a mix of classical and modern pop. It includes the first single "You and I", the ballade "About Felix", inspired by the loss of a friend, a saxophone-driven song titled "Let the Morning Come Again", a soft rock tune ("Danger to Myself"), as well as a ska song ("Undecided").

Papooz have a talent for sway pop and irrefutable groove like very few of their compatriots, aside from Phoenix and Tahiti 80 we cannot think of anyone else. Tropical pop here, wild bossa nova there, all of it deeply anchored in the American style of the Seventies, Ulysse and Armand are perfectly matched. Falsely dabbler and completely inspired, the duo fights the ambient gloom with their songs.

Good for Nothing
Papooz Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I still have bad dreams of my youthful days
In my broken head
Some excuse to find me wherever I went

Good for nothing ain't funny
That's what they said
Good for nothing ain't dummy

Don't stop, stand still
Hold your head up high
Make your mother proud
The truth: You're like a loser
When your heart's defunct

Good for nothing ain't funny
That's what they said
Good for nothing ain't dummy

Sometimes I think about my rope
All broken and lost
Must have been at times
One very good girl
Utter selfishness
Hurting people around him
Must have been at times
One very good girl

I still have bad dreams of my youthful day-ay-ay-ay-ays
In my fucked up head
Some excuse to find me wherever I went

Good for nothing ain't funny

That's what they said
Good for nothing ain't dummy

Overall Meaning

The song "Good for Nothing" by Papooz deals with themes of regret and self-doubt about past decisions made. The opening lines about bad dreams of youthful days suggest a deep-seated anxiety about past mistakes. The reference to a "broken head" could suggest a damaged psyche or a troubled mind. The next line is referring to the idea of running away from a troubled past, with the singer suggesting that something inside them is always searching for some excuse to find them wherever they go.

The chorus of the song is an assertion of the singer's worth. They reject the idea that they are "good for nothing" and turn the phrase back on itself, saying that it isn't "funny" or "dummy". The repetition of this phrase seems to be more of a self-affirmation than a direct challenge to anyone else. The next verse continues with the idea of reflective regret, with the image of a rope all broken and lost suggesting a sense of wasted potential or opportunity. The lines about "one very good girl" are enigmatic but seem to suggest some kind of innocent victim of the singer's poor choices.

Overall, the song suggests a keen understanding of the human condition, particularly how regret and anxiety can linger from past mistakes. The self-affirmation in the chorus suggests a resolve to move forward and find inner strength.

Line by Line Meaning

I still have bad dreams of my youthful days
I keep on having nightmares about my younger years

In my broken head
In my troubled mind

Some excuse to find me wherever I went
Some reason to follow me everywhere

Good for nothing ain't funny
Being useless is not enjoyable

That's what they said
That is what people commented

Good for nothing ain't dummy
Being useless does not mean you are unintelligent

Don't stop, stand still
Keep on moving forward

Hold your head up high
Be confident in yourself

Make your mother proud
Do something that would bring pride to your mother

The truth: You're like a loser
The reality is that you are like a failure

When your heart's defunct
When your emotions are broken

Sometimes I think about my rope
At times, I contemplate suicide

All broken and lost
Feeling shattered and hopeless

Must have been at times
Probably was the case

One very good girl
A morally upright girl

Utter selfishness
Complete self-centeredness

Hurting people around him
Causing harm to those close to him

I still have bad dreams of my youthful day-ay-ay-ay-ays
The nightmares about my youth continue to haunt me

In my fucked up head
In my messed up mind

Some excuse to find me wherever I went
Some reason to track me down everywhere

Good for nothing ain't funny
Being useless is not a laughing matter

That's what they said
That is what people told me

Good for nothing ain't dummy
Being useless does not imply that you are unintelligent

Contributed by Caleb M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

ThatMoonShroom

4y↑16

I still have bad dreams of my youthful days
In my broken head
Some excuse to find me wherever I went

Good for nothing ain’t funny
That’s what they said
Good for nothing ain’t dummy
Oh-oh-oh

Don’t stop, stand still
Hold your head up high
Make your mother proud
They treat you like a loser
When you're hard to define

Good for nothing ain’t funny
That’s what they said
Good for nothing ain’t dummy
Oh-oh-oh

Sometimes I think about my love
All broken and lost
Messed up many times
One very good girl
I'm that selfish guy
Hurting people around him
Messed up many times
One very good girl