A longtime pillar in the Chicago underground community and architect of the… Read Full Bio ↴A longtime pillar in the Chicago underground community and architect of the post-rock sound, Sam Prekop first gained renown at the helm of Shrimp Boat before becoming the leader of the Sea and Cake, whose fusion of styles both in and out of rock was both creative and experimental while remaining highly listenable. Prekop holds considerable stature in the Chicago scene, so it isn't surprising that when he released his self-titled debut solo LP in 1999 (on Thrill Jockey Records, itself a cornerstone in the Chicago music scene), it featured an impressive supporting cast, including Chad Taylor of the Chicago Underground Duo, Josh Abrams of Town and Country, Jim O'Rourke, and the Sea and Cake's Archer Prewitt. The album played like a subtler, more organic version of the Sea and Cake, blending elements of African rhythms with soul, jazz, and pop. The Sea and Cake remained an active band after its release, and his follow-up, Who's Your New Professor, didn't arrive until 2005. Prekop's third album, Old Punch Card, took a turn away from his regular fare toward an almost completely electronic palette. The instrumental album was released in 2010 by Thrill Jockey and followed up five years later by The Republic, another collection of electronic instrumentals made with modular synthesizers, drum machines, and other various synthetic elements. Half the pieces on The Republic were initially composed as a score for a show by video installation artist David Hartt.

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Sam Prekop Lyrics

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Uh huh, life's like this
Uh huh, uh huh, that's the way it is
'Cause life's like this
Uh huh, uh huh that's the way it is

Chill out, what you yelling for?
Lay back, it's all been done before
And if, you could only let it be, you will see

I like, you the way you are
When we're, driving in your car
And you're, talking to me one on one but you become

Somebody else
'Round everyone else
You're watching your back
Like you can't relax
You're trying to be cool
You look like a fool to me
Tell me

Why do you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated
Life's like this you
And you fall, and you crawl, and you break
And you take, what you get, and you turn it into
Honesty and promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it
No, no, no

You come, over unannounced
Dressed up, like you're something else
Where you aren't where it's at you see
You're making me
Laugh out, when you strike your pose
Take off, all your preppy clothes
You know, you're not fooling anyone
When you become

Somebody else
'Round everyone else
You're watching your back
Like you can't relax
You're trying to be cool
You look like a fool to me
Tell me

Why do you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated
Life's like this you
And you fall, and you crawl, and you break
And you take, what you get, and you turn it into
Honesty and promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it
No, no, no
No, no, no, no
No, no, no, no
No, no, no, no, no

Chill out, what you yelling for?
Lay back, it's all been done before
And if, you could only let it be
You will see

Somebody else
'Round everyone else
You're watching your back
Like you can't relax
You're trying to be cool
You look like a fool to me
Tell me

Why do you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated
Life's like this you
And you fall, and you crawl, and you break
And you take, what you get, and you turn it into
Honesty and promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it
No, no
Why do you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated
Life's like this you
And you fall, and you crawl, and you break
And you take, what you get, and you turn it into

Honesty and promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it
No, no, no

Overall Meaning

"Complicated" is a song by Avril Lavigne, released in 2002. The song is about feeling frustrated with someone who is trying too hard to be someone they're not, instead of being themselves. The song encourages this person to "chill out" and be confident in who they are. The chorus repeats the question "Why do you have to go and make things so complicated?" which represents the singer's annoyance and confusion with the situation.

Throughout the song, there are references to "everybody else" and "watching your back", which highlights the pressure people sometimes feel to conform to societal expectations. The line "You're trying to be cool, you look like a fool to me" suggests that the singer values authenticity and honesty rather than superficial appearances.

The repetition of "no, no, no" at the end of the song could be interpreted in different ways. It could represent the singer's frustration with the situation, or it could be a rejection of the person's fake persona. Alternatively, it could be seen as a plea for the person to drop the act and be genuine.

Line by Line Meaning

Uh huh, life's like this
Yes, this is how life is

Uh huh, uh huh, that's the way it is
Yes, that's how it is

'Cause life's like this
Because life is like this

Uh huh, uh huh that's the way it is
Yes, that's the way it is

Chill out, what you yelling for?
Calm down, why are you shouting?

Lay back, it's all been done before
Relax, everything has already happened before

And if, you could only let it be, you will see
And if you could just leave it alone, you would understand

I like, you the way you are
I like you just the way you are

When we're, driving in your car
When we're driving around in your car

And you're, talking to me one on one but you become
And you're talking to me alone, but then you become

Somebody else
Someone who is not really you

'Round everyone else
Around other people

You're watching your back
You're being cautious and suspicious

Like you can't relax
Like you can't let your guard down

You're trying to be cool
You're trying to seem cool and composed

You look like a fool to me
You look foolish to me

Why do you have to go and make things so complicated?
Why do you have to make things so difficult?

I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated
I get frustrated seeing you act like someone else

Life's like this you
This is how life is for you

And you fall, and you crawl, and you break
And you experience hardships and setbacks

And you take, what you get, and you turn it into
And you take what you're given and make the best of it

Honesty and promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it
Promise me you'll always be honest and true

No, no, no
No, no, no

You come, over unannounced
You show up without warning

Dressed up, like you're something else
Dressed like someone who is not really you

Where you aren't where it's at you see
Where you're not really meant to be

You're making me
You are causing me to

Laugh out, when you strike your pose
Laugh when you pose in a certain way

Take off, all your preppy clothes
Take off the clothes that make you seem too conventional or mainstream

You know, you're not fooling anyone
You know that you're not convincing anyone

No, no, no
No, no, no

And you fall, and you crawl, and you break
And you experience hardships and setbacks

And you take, what you get, and you turn it into
And you take what you're given and make the best of it

Honesty and promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it
Promise me you'll always be honest and true

No, no, no
No, no, no

Chill out, what you yelling for?
Calm down, why are you shouting?

Lay back, it's all been done before
Relax, everything has already happened before

And if, you could only let it be
And if you could just leave it alone

You will see
You will understand

No, no, no
No, no, no

And you fall, and you crawl, and you break
And you experience hardships and setbacks

And you take, what you get, and you turn it into
And you take what you're given and make the best of it

Honesty and promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it
Promise me you'll always be honest and true

No, no, no
No, no, no

Why do you have to go and make things so complicated?
Why do you have to make things so difficult?

I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated
I get frustrated seeing you act like someone else

Life's like this you
This is how life is for you

And you fall, and you crawl, and you break
And you experience hardships and setbacks

And you take, what you get, and you turn it into
And you take what you're given and make the best of it

Honesty and promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it
Promise me you'll always be honest and true

No, no, no
No, no, no

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: AVRIL RAMONA LAVIGNE, DAVID SCOTT ALSPACH, GRAHAM EDWARDS, LAUREN CHRISTY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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