The Donnas were an American rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1… Read Full Bio ↴The Donnas were an American rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1993. The band consisted of Brett Anderson (lead vocals), Allison Robertson (guitar, backing vocals), Maya Ford (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Amy Cesari (drums, percussion, backing vocals). Cesari replaced Torry Castellano, who left the band in 2009 due to tendonitis. They drew inspiration from the Ramones, The Runaways, Girlschool, AC/DC, Bachman–Turner Overdrive and Kiss. Rolling Stone has stated that "the Donnas offer a guileless take on adolescent alienation; they traffic in kicks, not catharsis, fun rather than rage". MTV has stated that the band offers "a good old-fashioned rock & roll party". After gathering a cult following in the punk scene since their 1997 debut, the band achieved major label commercial success in the early 2000s and afterward as their music mixed punk, metal and classic rock sounds. They dissolved in 2012.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Donnas

Studio albums
The Donnas (1997)
American Teenage Rock 'n' Roll Machine (1998)
Get Skintight (1999)
Turn 21 (2001)
Spend the Night (2002)
Gold Medal (2004)
Bitchin' (2007)

I Don't Care
The Donnas Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Met a shy guy from Knoxville, Tennessee
High School Yum Yum, gimme some Henessey...
I threw him a ball but he didn't hit it
Said gimme a call but he never did it...

[Chorus]
I-I-I-I don't care, I don't care
If you don't wanna bother with me baby,

'Cause I-I-I-I don't care, I don't care
There's better guys everywhere, so there!

Never gonna say that I'm sorry I kissed him
Guess it's not my day, he turned and I missed him
I was workin' overtime, now I just wanna walk out.
I just tried to make him mine, it's not like he's a knockout.

[Chorus]
I-I-I-I don't care, I don't care
If you don't wanna bother with me baby,
'Cause I-I-I-I don't care, I don't care
There's better guys everywhere, so there!

[Chorus]
I-I-I-I don't care, I don't care
If you don't wanna bother with me baby,
'Cause I-I-I-I don't care, I don't care
There's better guys everywhere...
I-I-I-I don't care, I don't care
If you don't wanna bother with me baby,

'Cause I-I-I-I don't care, I don't care
There's better guys everywhere, so there!

Overall Meaning

The Donnas' song "I Don't Care" captures the teenage angst and frustration of unrequited love. The lyrics describe the singer's failed attempts to capture the attention of a boy from Knoxville, Tennessee whom she refers to as "High School Yum Yum." Despite her efforts to connect with him by throwing him a ball and asking him to call her, he never responds. The frustration of trying so hard to make someone like her and feeling rejected is palpable in the verses.

However, the chorus provides a defiant and confident message. The singer asserts that she doesn't care if the boy doesn't want to bother with her because there are better guys out there. She is not going to apologize for kissing him and missing him because she tried to make him hers, but it's not like he's a "knockout." In other words, she's not going to let his lack of interest bring her down because she knows she deserves better.

Overall, "I Don't Care" is a catchy and empowering anthem that speaks to anyone who has experienced unrequited love and felt the frustration of trying so hard to make someone like them. The Donnas' punk-rock sound and rebellious attitude match the song's message perfectly.

Line by Line Meaning

Met a shy guy from Knoxville, Tennessee
I met a guy who was shy from Knoxville in Tennessee.

High School Yum Yum, gimme some Henessey...
I wanted to get some Hennessy from the guy who was still in high school.

I threw him a ball but he didn't hit it
I gave him a chance to show his interest but he didn't take it.

Said gimme a call but he never did it...
I asked him to call me but he never did it.

I-I-I-I don't care, I don't care If you don't wanna bother with me baby, 'Cause I-I-I-I don't care, I don't care There's better guys everywhere, so there!
I don't care if you don't want to be with me because there are better guys out there, and I don't care.

Never gonna say that I'm sorry I kissed him
I won't apologize for kissing him.

Guess it's not my day, he turned and I missed him
I missed my chance with him as he turned away.

I was workin' overtime, now I just wanna walk out.
I was putting in extra effort but now I just want to leave.

I just tried to make him mine, it's not like he's a knockout.
I tried to make him like me, but he wasn't even that good-looking.

[Chorus]
Repeating the chorus.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ALLISON ROBERTSON, BRETT ANDERSON, MAYA FORD, TORRANCE CASTELLANO

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS