Weller's eleventh studio album, Sonik Kicks, was released on 19 March 2012. The Green Songfacts reports that it was recorded in Weller’s own Black Barn Studios in Ripley, Surrey, with co-producer Simon Dine and engineer Charles Rees.
Born John William Weller in Stanley Road, Woking, he was also a central figure in the Mod revival. As the leader of the Jam, Paul Weller fronted the most popular British band of the punk era, influencing legions of English rockers that ranged from his mod-revival contemporaries to the Smiths in the '80s and Oasis in the '90s. During the final days of the Jam, he developed a fascination with Motown and soul, which led him to form the sophisti-pop group the Style Council in 1983. As the Style Council's career progressed, Weller's interest in soul developed into an infatuation with jazz-pop and house music, which eventually led to gradual erosion of his audience — by 1990, he couldn't get a record contract in the UK, where he had previously been worshipped as a demi-god. As a solo artist, Weller returned to soul music as an inspiration, cutting it with the progressive, hippie tendencies of Traffic. Weller's solo records were more organic and rootsier than the Style Council, which helped him regain his popularity within Britain. By the mid-'90s, he had released three successful albums which were both critically-acclaimed and massively popular in England, where contemporary bands like Ocean Colour Scene were citing him as an influence. Just as importantly, many observers, while occasionally criticizing the trad-rock nature of his music, acknowledged that Weller was one of the few rock veterans that had managed to stay vital within the second decade of his career.
You Do Something to Me
Paul Weller Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Something deep inside
I'm hanging on the wire
For a love I'll never find
You do something wonderful
Then chase it all away
Mixing my emotions
Hanging on the wire, yeah
I'm waiting for the change
I'm dancing through the fire
Just to catch a flame
An' feel real again
Hanging on the wire, yeah
Said I'm waiting for the change
Oh, I'm dancing through the fire
Just to catch a flame
An' feel real again
You do something to me
Somewhere deep inside
I'm hoping to get close to
A peace I cannot find
Dancing through the fire, yeah
Just to catch a flame
Just to get close to
Just close enough
To tell you that
You do something to me
Something deep inside
In Paul Weller's song "You Do Something to Me," the singer expresses the overpowering effects that the object of his affection has on him. The lyrics are a testament to the strength of his feelings for her, describing them as something deep inside that he cannot shake. He portrays himself as being vulnerable and at her mercy, hanging on the wire for a love he will never truly possess. Despite this, he acknowledges the power that she has over him, describing her actions as both wonderful and confusing, "mixing my emotions."
The chorus of the song is both a declaration of his desire and a cry for help. He is waiting for the change, the moment when she reciprocates his feelings or he is able to move on from them. He is dancing through the fire, risking everything for the chance to experience love and passion again. The underlying message is that he is willing to endure all of this pain and uncertainty because of how deeply he feels towards her.
In short, "You Do Something to Me" is a powerful love song that explores the complexities of romantic desire. It portrays the power that love can have over us and the lengths that we will go to in order to experience it.
Line by Line Meaning
You do something to me
The person being addressed by the song has a power over the singer that they cannot explain.
Something deep inside
This power that the person has is not superficial, but comes from a very deep emotional place.
I'm hanging on the wire
The singer feels like they are on the edge, ready to jump into something new and exciting, but also afraid of what that might mean.
For a love I'll never find
Despite their fear, the singer is willing to put it all on the line for the chance at love, even if they know that it may never come.
You do something wonderful
The person has an ability to make the singer feel good, happy and content.
Then chase it all away
Despite this wonderful feeling, the person can just as easily take it all back again, leaving the singer feeling sad and disappointed.
Mixing my emotions
The person's actions and words are confusing to the singer, making it hard to sort out what they are really feeling.
That throws me back again
When the person does something that leads to confusion or disappointment, the singer is once again left feeling like they are back at square one.
I'm hoping to get close to
Despite the confusion and disappointment, the singer still holds out hope that they can get closer to the person.
A peace I cannot find
Perhaps being close to the person will provide the singer with some sort of inner peace that they have been missing.
Hanging on the wire, yeah
The singer is still in a state of limbo, uncertain of what might happen next.
I'm waiting for the change
The singer is looking for a sign that things are going to change, that they might get closer to the person or that things might become clearer.
I'm dancing through the fire
Despite the uncertainty and fear, the singer is willing to take risks and put themselves out there in order to pursue love.
Just to catch a flame
They are searching for that spark, that special something that will ignite their passion and bring them closer to the person.
An' feel real again
In a world full of uncertainty and doubts, finding that connection with the person will make the singer feel alive and grounded again.
Just to get close to
The singer is still searching for that closeness, that connection with the person.
Just close enough
They don't need everything to be perfect, just close enough to make them feel like they are on the right path.
To tell you that
The ultimate goal is to reveal their feelings to the person and hope that they feel the same way back.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PAUL JOHN WELLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@o-kay368
You do something to me
Something deep inside
I'm hanging on the wire
For love I'll never find
You do something wonderful
Chase it all away
Mixing my emotions
Throws me back again
Hanging on the wire, yeah
I'm waiting for my change
I'm dancing through the fire
Just to catch a flame
Feel real again
Hanging on the wire, yeah
Said I'm waiting for the change
Oh I'm dancing through the fire
Just to catch a flame
Feel real again
You do something to me
Somewhere deep inside
Hoping to get close to you
A peace I cannot find
Dancing through the fire, yeah
Just to catch a flame
Just to get close to
Just close enough
To tell you that...
You do something to me
Something deep inside
@SeriousV7
I just got introduced to this masterpiece today in the Netflix series Fool Me Once. I have to come hear the full song and I am a Paul Weller fan from now on!!!
@bonganibophela2819
Wow you too , it took me back I had to play it in full. I haven't heard it in years.
@aichaboug4192
So did I. Like it ❤
@SkySchen
I got here from the same series Fool.me.once ,i had to look this song up and its my.first.time hearing this wonderfull piece ,thx to Fool.me once.
@stevenmoore310
I revisited weller after watching the same tv show...
This song and many of his other songs are real classics.. love it
@SandroK95
Hahaha same here 😂
@girasoljardin3314
In 2001, I fell in love with a man who I believed was my soul mate. This song went round and round in my head. The lyrics and music captured the feelings I had for this man. Turns out, he didn't love me, but I am still grateful for the experience of loving someone so completely, unconditionally, infinitely. This song always reminds me of that intoxicating feeling of what it was like to love someone like this.
@mariasmart2419
I have a friend who I love so much but who I know doesn't and never will love me. This song expresses my feelings so perfectly
@gswayne65
@@mariasmart2419 I once had a secret love for a girl who I was very good friends with and I never took the plunge to tell her how I felt, sadly she died of a brain tumour aged 21, now over 30 years later I still look back with regret that I never took the chance to tell how I felt, go for it tell them, worst case scenario things might be awkward for a while but at least you’ll know.
@jordyjakequeen8404
This song was everything to me 23 years of marriage then traded in