The 5th Dimension is an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoir… Read Full Bio ↴The 5th Dimension is an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoire also includes R&B, Soul, and Jazz, best-known during the late 1960s and 1970s for popularizing hits of songwriters like Jimmy Webb, Laura Nyro, Burt Bacharach, Ashford & Simpson, and others, and helping to popularize "flower power" music with both white and black middle-class Americans.

They are best-known during the late 1960s and early 1970s for popularizing the hits "Up, Up and Away", "Wedding Bell Blues", "Stoned Soul Picnic", "One Less Bell to Answer", "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All", and "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In", as well as the eponymous 5th Dimension and The Magic Garden LP recordings.

The five original members were Billy Davis, Jr., Florence LaRue, Marilyn McCoo, Lamonte McLemore, and Ron Townson. They have recorded for several different labels over their long careers. Their first work appeared on the Soul City label, which was started by Imperial Records/United Artists Records recording artist Johnny Rivers. The group would later record for Bell/Arista Records, ABC Records, and Motown Records.

Some of the songwriters popularized by The 5th Dimension later went on to careers of their own, especially Ashford & Simpson, who wrote "California Soul". The group is also notable for having more success with the songs of Laura Nyro than Nyro did herself, particularly in the cases of "Wedding Bell Blues", "Stoned Soul Picnic", and "Save the Country" The group also covered music by well known songwriters such as the song "One Less Bell to Answer", written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. And perhaps best of all, they became great interpreters of the songs and music of Jimmy Webb, who penned their original mega-hit "Up, Up, and Away", including an entire recording of memorable Webb songs called The Magic Garden.

How Insensitive
The 5th Dimension Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

How insensitive
I must have seemed
When she told me that he 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
Why she must have asked
Did I just stare in icy silence

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

Overall Meaning

The 5th Dimension's song "How Insensitive" speaks about the aftermath of a love affair ending, and the emotions that come with it. The lyrics are a reflection of the singer's lack of emotional response when their former partner informed them that they were loved by someone else. The singer, in hindsight, realizes their callousness and insensitivity towards their partner's heartbreak. They express regret for not being able to offer any consolation or words of comfort when their partner opened up to them.

The song details the conflicting emotions the singer experiences, as they reminisce on the past and cannot help but feel a sense of longing and pain for what was lost. The lyrics convey the sense of regret and sorrow that the singer feels now that their love affair has ended. The final lines, "What can one do when a love affair is over", convey the sense of helplessness and resignation that come with accepting the finality of a relationship.

Overall, "How Insensitive" is a poignant reflection on the complex emotions that come with the end of a relationship. It speaks to the themes of regret, pain, and acceptance, all while showcasing the 5th Dimension's signature soulful sound.

Line by Line Meaning

How insensitive
My lack of emotion

I must have seemed
The impression I gave

When she told me that he loved me
When she revealed her feelings for me

How unmoved and cold
My response was detached and unfeeling

I must have seemed
She perceived me to be

When she told me so sincerely
When she expressed her emotions truthfully

Why she must have asked
She wondered about

Did I just turn and stare in icy silence
My response of chilled silence was all I could summon

What was I to say
There was nothing I could say

What can you say when a love affair is over
It's difficult to put into words when a relationship has ended

Now she's gone away
She has departed