The Frightnrs hail from contemporary Queens, but they’re time travelers. Th… Read Full Bio ↴The Frightnrs hail from contemporary Queens, but they’re time travelers. They nail a very specific sound: ’60s Jamaican rocksteady. Like a lot of the countries in that era, Jamaica took the sounds of American soul and R&B and refracted them through its own culture. Ska and reggae sandwiched the development of rocksteady, resulting in something that’s simultaneously upbeat and laid-back while still baring wounded souls.

Wounds haunt the Frightnrs. After they recorded their debut album, Nothing More To Say, singer Dan Klein was diagnosed with A.L.S., a terminal disease that left him weak and confined to a wheelchair. Keyboardist Chuck Patel and his brother, guitarist/bassist Preet Patel, lost their father in a traffic accident, and a few months later, Klein died in his sleep.

In retrospect, the album sounds eerie, shrouded in era-specific tape-hiss while the band seemingly grapples with its impending fate. “Nothing more to say / You always get your way,” Klein achingly croons on the title track. It’s directed to a lover; it’s directed to death. The Frightnrs plan to carry on with different guest singers in Klein’s memory–a perfect way to extend the somber beauty they’ve already mastered.

“Nothing More To Say” appears on Nothing More To Say, out September 2 via Daptone.

ROMANTIC MURDERATION/ RUB A DUB ASSASSINATION

FOR OVER 4 YEARS THE FRIGHTNRS HAVE EMBODIED THE SPIRIT, RHYTHM, AND PULSE OF JAMAICA AND ITS PEOPLE.

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What Have I Done
The Frightnrs Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You say you love me baby
You say I'm yours and you are mine

You say you love me baby
You say you love me but you lie

I've got to learn how to do all the things we used to do together
I've got to learn how to be alone

You say I'm number one
But you don't give me any time

You say that I own no one
And now you're leaving me behind

I've got to pick myself up off the ground and I keep on moving
I've got to find a way to carry on (what have I done)

What have I done (now you're on the run)
Running away from me (we used to be in love)
So in love (but now I'm not good enough)
Not good enough (for you, for you)

You say you love me baby
You say I'm yours and you are mine

You say you love me baby
You say you love me but you lie

I've got to learn how to do all the things we used to do together
I've got to find a way to carry on (what have I done)

What have I done (now you're on the run)
Running away from me (we used to be in love)

I'm still in love (but now I'm not good enough)
Not good enough (for you, for you)

Overall Meaning

The Frightnrs' "What Have I Done" is a heart-wrenching song about a failed relationship. The lyrics convey the singer's confusion and sadness in the face of their partner's departure, as they grapple with the idea that they were not good enough for their loved one. The song begins with the singer repeating the words their partner has told them - that they are loved and belong to one another - but soon reveals that these words were empty promises.

The singer expresses a desire to learn how to move on from the relationship and overcome the loneliness they feel. They speak of having to do things alone that they used to do with their partner, and try to come to terms with being on their own. The chorus repeats the question, "what have I done," suggesting that the singer is still struggling to understand what went wrong in the relationship. In the second verse, the singer reflects further on their own shortcomings, wondering why they weren't given the time and attention they needed from their partner.

Overall, "What Have I Done" is a poignant reflection on the pain of lost love and one's struggle to come to terms with a relationship that has ended. The lyrics are the kind that many people can relate to, especially those who have experienced heartbreak.

Line by Line Meaning

You say you love me baby
You claim to love me, my dear.

You say I'm yours and you are mine
You convey that we each belong to the other.

You say you love me but you lie
You express affection insincerely.

I've got to learn how to do all the things we used to do together
I need to reacquaint myself with unique activities we did jointly.

I've got to learn how to be alone
I must learn to exist without companionship.

You say I'm number one
You utter that I am the most important person in your life.

But you don't give me any time
But you don't allot me any moments in your schedule.

You say that I own no one
You state that I don't hold a claim to any individual.

And now you're leaving me behind
And presently you're abandoning my company.

I've got to pick myself up off the ground and I keep on moving
I must regain momentum and continue traveling.

I've got to find a way to carry on (what have I done)
I must determine a method to persist despite past actions.

What have I done (now you're on the run)
What action did I commit that led to your departure?

Running away from me (we used to be in love)
Fleeing from me (previously we were romantically involved).

So in love (but now I'm not good enough)
So intensely in love (however, now I'm insufficient).

Not good enough (for you, for you)
Unsuitable for your love, for your desire.

Writer(s): Preet Patel, Victor Axelrod, Richard Terrana, Thomas Brenneck, Daniel Kline, Krut Patel

Contributed by Jordan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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