Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey, (born January 8, 1937), is a Welsh singer, pe… Read Full Bio ↴Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey, (born January 8, 1937), is a Welsh singer, perhaps best-known for performing the theme songs to the James Bond films Goldfinger (1964), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), and Moonraker (1979). She is the only singer to have recorded more than one James Bond theme song.

She now resides in Monaco and has recently sold her London apartment. Many of its furnishings were auctioned for charity. Two very popular 'Audiences With Shirley Bassey' have aired on British TV, the most recent being in March 2006.

In 2006, UK retailer Marks and Spencer hired Bassey for their Christmas advertising campaign, with Dame Shirley singing a cover of P!nk's 'Get the Party Started'.

In late 2009 Bassey released 'The Performance' her first studio album for two decades, which was released in a maelstrom of anticipation. Still popular well into one of the longest and most illustrious musical careers in British and indeed international history, Bassey is considered by Brits to be a national treasure.

How Insensitive
Shirley Bassey Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

How insensitive I must have seemed
When she told me that she loved me.
How unmoved and cold I must have seemed
When she told me so sincerely.
Why,she must have asked, did I just turn
And stare in icy silence?
What was I to say? What can you say
When a love affair is over?

Now she's gone away and I'm alone
With the memory of her last look.
Vague and drawn and sad, I see it still,
All her heartbreak in that last look.
How, she must have asked, could I just turn
And stare in icy silence?

What was I to do? What can one do
When a love affair is over?

Overall Meaning

The song "How Insensitive" by Shirley Bassey is a heartbreaking depiction of a love affair that has come to an end. The lyrics tell the story of a woman who has just ended her relationship with the singer, and the singer's reaction to this news. The singer feels remorseful for coming across as insensitive and cold when the woman told her she loved her. She was so sincere in her declarations of love, but the singer couldn’t muster the same emotion.

The lyrics continue to describe how the woman must have felt when the singer turned and stared in icy silence. She was heartbroken and the look on her face spoke volumes about how much she was hurting. The singer is left alone with the memory of that last look that the woman gave her. The look was vague, drawn, and sad, and it still haunts the singer.

The final stanza finds the singer questioning what she could have done differently to save the relationship. She wonders what anyone can do when a love affair is over. These lyrics are deeply emotional, and they evoke feelings of regret and helplessness.

Line by Line Meaning

How insensitive I must have seemed
I must have appeared heartless and unfeeling

When she told me that she loved me
After she revealed her love for me

How unmoved and cold I must have seemed
My behavior must have resembled that of someone devoid of emotions

When she told me so sincerely
At the time when she confided in me honestly

Why, she must have asked, did I just turn
She surely pondered the reason for my abrupt shift in mood

And stare in icy silence?
Why did I react with such a cold and unresponsive attitude?

What was I to say?
I was at a loss for comforting words or any words at all

What can you say
What is there to say

When a love affair is over?
In the face of love lost

Now she's gone away and I'm alone
Now that she's gone and left me by myself

With the memory of her last look
Just the memory of her final gaze