T… Read Full Bio ↴The Teen Idols were a pop punk band based in Nashville, Tennessee.
The band was formed in 1992 and quickly gained local popularity while playing at venues such as Lucy's Record Shop and receiving frequent airplay on Nashville college radio. During the mid-90s, they released several EPs under the local indie label, House O' Pain. In 1996, the Nashville Music Association nominated the band for their Independent Artist of the Year award. A year later, the Teen Idols released their first full-length album under the indie label Honest Don's Records.
They released two other albums under the Honest Don's label before signing to Fueled by Ramen in early 2003. Around that time, Keith left the band and Kevin (formerly of Detroit-based P.T.'s Revenge) took over the vocals. Shortly thereafter, the band released the album Nothing to Prove in July, 2003, but broke up during the subsequent tour. During their heyday, the Teen Idols headlined many tours in the U.S. and played support with other notable bands such as NOFX, Anti-Flag, Less Than Jake, and The Queers.
After the breakup of the Teen Idols, Heather, Matt Yonker, and Kevin joined forces with Geis and Gui from Rehasher and have toured and recorded as the band Bullets to Broadway. The band released one album, Drink Positive, and supported Lagwagon and Lawrence Arms on US legs as well as Less Than Jake on their 2006 European tour. Matt has gone on to play with The Queers, Ben Weasel, The Methadones and now owns Drastic Sounds Recording Studio in Nashville, TN. Phillip has done duty with many bands including The Queers, Screeching Weasel, and Even in Blackouts.
On December 26, 2008, the Teen Idols announced on their MySpace blog that they had decided to come out of retirement and would soon be making new records and playing shows again.
Teen Idols announced their new bassist, Jemima Kate from Ireland, and also in early 2009 announced a tentative agreement to sign with Fat Wreck Chords, but an official contract never materialized. Later that year, guitar player Phillip Hill was hospitalized with four broken ribs and a collapsed lung after trying to break up a fight. Because he lacked health insurance, an account was set up to help raise money for his medical bills. The band broke up again in June 2010.
I'm Not the One
Teen Idols Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the arms of another guy and
Each lonely teardrop was for me
His hand was on your shoulder
Somehow you looked much older
New love has changed you totally
Each day it feels so strange
I'm not feeling quite the same
Cuz I'm alone
I'm not the one
I'm not the one
I'm not the one who said
I don't want to be with you
I remember reading your letters
And the nights I slept with your sweater
The only thing you left behind
You said that you'd outgrown me
You were tired of feeling lonely
Now it's too late to change your mind
The song I'm Not The One by Teen Idols explores the emotions of heartbreak and betrayal. The lyrics suggest that the singer, who was once in a relationship with the person they are singing about, feels hurt and forgotten after seeing their ex-partner with someone else. The choice of words in the first few lines, "Last night I saw you crying/In the arms of another guy," immediately establishes a sense of conflict and loss.
The lyrics continue to depict the singer's sense of confusion and loneliness, implying that the break-up was not mutual, and that they were not prepared for it. The lines "Each day it feels so strange/Since our closet's rearranged/I'm not feeling quite the same/Cuz I'm alone" suggest that they are still coming to terms with the fact that their relationship has ended. The chorus, "I'm not the one/I'm not the one/I'm not the one who said/I don't want to be with you," highlights the singer's belief that they were willing to continue the relationship, while their ex-partner was the one who called things off.
The bridge of the song, "I remember reading your letters/And the nights I slept with your sweater/The only thing you left behind/You said that you'd outgrown me/You were tired of feeling lonely/Now it's too late to change your mind," emphasizes the singer's attachment to their ex-partner, and how they have been left with nothing but memories of the past. Overall, the song I'm Not The One is a poignant expression of the emotions that come with heartbreak, and the feeling of not being able to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night I saw you crying
I witnessed you shedding tears last night
In the arms of another guy and
You were being comforted by a different man
Each lonely teardrop was for me
Each tear was an expression of your grief for our relationship
His hand was on your shoulder
He was consoling you physically by placing his hand on your shoulder
Somehow you looked much older
I noticed sudden changes in your appearance that made you look older than your age
New love has changed you totally
Your new relationship has brought about a complete transformation in your personality
Each day it feels so strange
Every day feels bizarre and unfamiliar
Since our closet's rearranged
Since you emptied our shared closet of your belongings
I'm not feeling quite the same
My emotions have changed and I am not the same person I used to be
Cuz I'm alone
Because I am now by myself
I'm not the one
I am not the person you are searching for
I'm not the one
I am not the partner you are looking for
I'm not the one who said
I did not say
I don't want to be with you
I do not wish to continue our relationship
I remember reading your letters
I recall reading the letters you had written to me in the past
And the nights I slept with your sweater
I recall sleeping with the sweater that belonged to you
The only thing you left behind
The only object you left in my possession
You said that you'd outgrown me
You claimed that you had grown too mature for our relationship
You were tired of feeling lonely
You were exhausted from being alone
Now it's too late to change your mind
It is currently past the point where you can change your decision
Contributed by William P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Justin Nuckolls
Bought this CD straight from the band at The NEW DAISY Memphis TN in 1998 (senior year of HS) MY GOD HEATHER was F'N HOT on that mike! I got to meet all of them though after the Offspring show but Ironically I fell more in love w/ southern punk than anything else after that... I.E. Random Conflict (Huntsville AL) - PEZZ (Memphis, TN) and AVAIL (Richmond, VA) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)