Originally, they used the moniker 'The Nightlife Thugs'. The name "The Boomtown Rats" comes from a gang of down-and-outs from Woody Guthrie's autobiography, which the folk artist titled 'Bound for Glory'. The guys gained fame due to their often cynical tunes, having several notable singles, yet their record is overshadowed by the charity work on behalf of famine relief of their lead singer. Geldof, being nicknamed 'Bob The Gob' by the media for his big mouth, attained international fame after spearheading efforts such as 'Live Aid'.
The Boomtown Rats itself scored several Top Ten hits in the UK charts during their commercial peak, from 1978 to 79, and their most famous songs, still to this day, are "Rat Trap" (a U.K. #1) and "I Don't Like Mondays" (another U.K. #1), the latter being their biggest hit and achieving international notoriety. The track was written on a tour of the US in 1979 when Bob Geldof heard a telex machine spouting the story of Californian schoolgirl Brenda Ann Spencer, a girl that went on wild shooting spree at a San Diego high school with what seemed like no provocation before or remorse afterward. She justified her killing spree with the excuse "I don't like Mondays".
Bob Geldof has been gifted with the art of story-telling through songs. Lyrics are mostly in third person, have clever double entendre meanings, often relating some story or incident, eg "Dave". Geldof's charity work has been centred around the issue of famine relief, and includes being the organiser for the Band Aid single, for which he brought a superstar pop lineup together to record a song to aid famine relief (at the time was the fastest selling single in Britain of all time) and organizing the LiveAid concerts, a 2-continent superstar live concert that raised over 100 million dollars for famine relief.
Guitarist Gerry Cott left the band in 1981 and the band became a quintet. They disbanded in 1986 following a charity concert in Ireland. Most of the band members have now moved on to solo projects or new bands.
The Boomtown Rats reformed in 2013 going on tour again and released a new best of album Back to Boomtown : Classic Rats Hits which includes two new recorded songs.
Nothing Happened Today
The Boomtown Rats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Turn on the radio.
Turn down that sound
Turn down that sound
Open the curtains
Open the windows.
What's happening around
I'll do some washing
I might go shopping
I'm going downtown
I'm going downtown
Someone told me, "nothing happened today."
I woke up late
I had a headache
I went back to sleep
Go back to sleep
I stood there waiting
Waiting for something
There wasn't a thing
Not even one thing
Someone told me, "nothing happened today."
Harry Hooper living in No. 10
Bought a toupee and glued it to his head
"It looks very natural," everybody said.
But then his wife said "Toupee, isn't that a French word?"
And Harry said, "Ole." She said, "That's a Spanish word."
And he said "O.K., can't tell the difference these days."
I watched TV
Cos I wanted to see
The late news at 10
It came on and then
She shuffled her papers
She swivelled in her chair
She looked up and said
The weather was fair
And then it turned cold
It started to rain
Pouring with rain.
Some people died
Some people were born
And some stayed the same
And some went insane
Tomorrow's Wednesday
Today was Tuesday
And this is the date
March 28th
It was the morning
Then afternoon
And then the night came
And then the night came
Oh...and someone told me, "Nothing happened today."
Yes, someone told me, "Nothing happened today."
It happened today.
The Boomtown Rats’ song “Nothing Happened Today” captures the mundane and uneventful nature of an average day, while also commenting on society’s passive consumption of media. The song begins with the singer turning on the TV and radio, only to turn down the sound. He then opens the curtains and windows, searching for something interesting happening outside. However, he finds nothing worth noting and decides to do some washing and possibly go shopping.
The second verse portrays the singer standing idle and waiting for something exciting to happen, but again finding nothing. The chorus brings in the refrain of “someone told me, ‘nothing happened today,’” emphasizing the monotony of the day. The sarcastic and humorous interlude about Harry Hooper gluing a toupee to his head adds to the song’s commentary on how we fill our lives with meaningless activities and products.
The final verse brings in a more cynical tone, listing off the predictable and unremarkable events of the day, such as the weather and some people dying and being born. The repetition of “and then the night came” creates a feeling of inevitability and suggests that this type of day will happen again tomorrow. The final line of “it happened today” implies that something did, in fact, happen – a boring day happened.
Line by Line Meaning
Turn on the TV
Activate the television
Turn on the radio.
Activate the radio
Turn down that sound
Reduce the volume of the sound
Turn down that sound
Reduce the volume of the sound
Open the curtains
Uncover the windows
Open the windows.
Uncover the windows
What's happening around
What events are occurring nearby
What's happening around
What events are occurring nearby
I'll do some washing
I will perform some laundry
I might go shopping
It is possible that I will go purchase things
I'm going downtown
I am travelling towards the city centre
I'm going downtown
I am travelling towards the city centre
Someone told me, "nothing happened today."
An individual alerted me that no important events occurred during this day
I woke up late
I rose from my slumber later than expected
I had a headache
I was experiencing physical discomfort in my head
I went back to sleep
I returned to my bed to continue sleeping
Go back to sleep
Return to your bed to continue sleeping
I stood there waiting
I remained in one location whilst anticipating something
Waiting for something
Continuing to anticipate an event
There wasn't a thing
No events occurred
Not even one thing
Absolutely no events occurred
Someone told me, "nothing happened today."
An individual alerted me that no important events occurred during this day
Harry Hooper living in No. 10
A man named Harry Hooper resides at No. 10
Bought a toupee and glued it to his head
He purchased a hairpiece and attached it to his scalp
"It looks very natural," everybody said.
Other people remarked that the hairpiece was convincing in its appearance
But then his wife said "Toupee, isn't that a French word?"
However, his spouse pointed out that the word "toupee" originates from the French language
And Harry said, "Ole." She said, "That's a Spanish word."
Harry responded with a word from Spanish. His wife informed him that the word was incorrect
And he said "O.K., can't tell the difference these days."
He eventually accepted that he could no longer distinguish between different languages
I watched TV
I viewed the television
Cos I wanted to see
Because I desired to observe
The late news at 10
The most recent news broadcasted at 10:00 pm
It came on and then
It initiated and proceeded
She shuffled her papers
The presenter rearranged her documents
She swivelled in her chair
The presenter rotated her seat
She looked up and said
The presenter elevated her gaze and spoke
The weather was fair
The meteorological conditions were favourable
And then it turned cold
The temperature began to decline
It started to rain
Precipitation commenced
Pouring with rain.
A significant amount of rain was falling
Some people died
Several individuals passed away
Some people were born
Some individuals were brought into the world
And some stayed the same
Some stayed consistent in their behaviour or lifestyle
And some went insane
Some experienced a serious deterioration in their mental stability
Tomorrow's Wednesday
The following day is Wednesday
Today was Tuesday
The day in question is Tuesday
And this is the date
This moment is occurring on a specific calendar day
March 28th
The precise date in question is the 28th of March
It was the morning
The time of day was morning
Then afternoon
This was followed by afternoon
And then the night came
The final phase of the day was nighttime
And then the night came
The final phase of the day was nighttime
Oh...and someone told me, "Nothing happened today."
An individual informed me that there were no noteworthy occurrences during today's duration
Yes, someone told me, "Nothing happened today."
Indeed, another person indicated to me that no important or significant events occurred today
It happened today.
This statement is poignant because it juxtaposes with the idea of nothing happening. The passing of time is itself an event which took place today.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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