The Fuzztones are a garage rock revival band formed in the 1980s, playing s… Read Full Bio ↴The Fuzztones are a garage rock revival band formed in the 1980s, playing straight into the 1990s and now. Founded by singer-guitarist Rudi Protrudi in New York City in 1981, the band has gone through several member changes but is currently active in Europe. Dismissed by some critics and listeners as a "bar band" or unoriginal - and even plagaristic - they maintained a strong fan base in New York, in Europe and in Los Angeles, where Rudi would move in 1987 after the breakup of the original band, to organize a new Fuzztones.

The group's name is derived from FuzzTone, the commercial name of a guitar distortion booster invented in 1964 and whose distinctive sound was popularized in the 1965 hit song by "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by Rolling Stones.

Just Once
The Fuzztones Lyrics

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Just Once
(Protrudi, Kresge) BMI/Black Nest

It's been awhile, since I saw you
Saw you yesterday
Wanted to ignore you
Somehow you got your way
Just Once - I wish you'd let me go

Just Obce - I wish I'd say no
Just Once - I wish that you'd go
Just Once

I saw you in trouble
Gave you my advice
You kissed me, just like before
Tears in your eyes
Just Once - I wish you'd let me go
Just Once - I wish I'd say no
Just Once - I wish that you'd go
Just Once

It's been awhile, since I saw you
Saw you just today
Wanted to destroy you
Somehow you got away
Just Once - I wish you'd let me go
Just Once - I wish I'd say no

Just Once - I wish that you'd go
Just Once

Overall Meaning

The Fuzztones's song "Just Once" expresses the mixed emotions of the singer towards someone they used to know, who has re-entered their life. The first verse sets the scene by acknowledging that it's been a while since the singer saw this person, but they saw them yesterday and tried to ignore them. However, the person somehow managed to get their way, making the singer feel conflicted between wanting to keep their distance and being drawn back in. The repeated refrain of "Just Once" plays with the idea that the singer wishes things could be different, but they know it's not realistic.

The second verse describes a situation where the singer saw this person in trouble and gave them advice. However, the person then kissed them, bringing back memories of their past interactions, and causing the singer to feel emotional ("tears in your eyes"). The last verse repeats the cycle of seeing this person again and wanting to push them away ("wanted to destroy you"), but ultimately being unable to let go. The song ends with the same refrain of "Just Once," conveying a sense of resignation that the singer may always struggle with their feelings towards this person.

Line by Line Meaning

It's been awhile, since I saw you
I haven't seen you in a long time

Saw you yesterday
I saw you yesterday

Wanted to ignore you
I didn't want to pay attention to you

Somehow you got your way
You managed to have your way with me

Just Once - I wish you'd let me go
I want you to let go of me, just this one time

Just Once - I wish I'd say no
I wish I said no, just this one time

Just Once - I wish that you'd go
I wish you'd leave, just this one time

Just Once
I just want this to happen once

I saw you in trouble
I saw you were having difficulty

Gave you my advice
I told you what I thought you should do

You kissed me, just like before
You kissed me in the same way that you did before