Brooklyn's Nick Chiericozzi, Chris Hansell, and Mark Perro formed the Men as a scuzzy post-punk trio in 2008. Before recruiting drummer Rich Samis, they self-released the albums We Are the Men and Immaculada, as well as a few tapes. The band recorded in Python Patrol studio for its Sacred Bones debut, Leave Home, which was released in 2011. They returned the following March with Open Your Heart (their first album to include Samis as well as bassist Kevin Faulkner), expanding their musical palette to meld country, psych, and surf influences with their caustic, aggressive rock.
Their fourth album, New Moon, as well as their Campfire Songs EP, arrived in 2013; by this point, engineer Ben Greenberg (Hubble, Zs) had begun his brief tenure in the band. The Men continued their musical evolution, as well as their prolific streak, with their fifth album, Tomorrow's Hits, which found them moving further away from their hardcore roots toward the earnest blue-collar rock of artists like Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty. In 2016, the group revisited its noisy, more experimental side with the self-released Devil Music. Returning to Sacred Bones in 2018, the Men released Drift, their most eclectic album yet. Also that year, the group gathered tracks from early releases as well as previously unreleased material on the collection Hated: 2008-2011. 2020's Mercy was influenced by styles ranging from country to '80s arena rock. New York City, released by Fuzz Club Records in 2023, was a return to noisy, abrasive rock & roll.
Biography by Jason Lymangrover
There are other artists with the same name:
2. The Human League used the pseudonym to release the Chic-influenced single I Don't Depend On You in 1979, following pressure from their label to justify their large advance signing fee. The track resurfaced in 2003 with the re-release of Travelogue.
3. The Men is a Vietnamese pop music duo â LĂŞ HoĂ ng and Tiáşżn DĹŠng. Tiáşżn DĹŠng rose to fame in the early 2000s as member of boy band Weboys. He left Weboys after his contract with Wepro Company was over in 3/2009. HoĂ ng used to be member of boy band B.O.M, he also left his band just a few months before The Men was formed.
4. 'The Men' are a Mod / R&B band from Sweden.
5. 'The Men' were an early 1990s Southern California rock group best known for the track "Church Of Logic, Sin, & Love." Two members of the group were, ironically, female.
6. 'The Men' were the psychedelic backup band for Shin Jung-hyun (ě ě¤í) during the early 70s. Their most notable album was 'It's A Lie' (ęą°ě§ë§ě´ěź), which included a blistering 20-minute rendition of the title track. They also appeared on a split LP with Jang Hyeon (ěĽí).
If I Can't Have You
The Men Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When there's got to be no chance for me
My life would end
And it doesn't matter how I cry
My tears of love a waste of time
If I turn away
Can't let go and it doesn't matter how I try
To dreams that never will come true
Am I strong enough to see it through
Go crazy is what I will do
Am I strong enough to see it through?
Go crazy is what I will do
If I can't have you, I don't want no other, baby
If I can't have you, uh huh, ah!
If I can't have you, I don't want no other, baby
If I can't have you, uh huh, ah!
And it doesn't matter how I try
I gave it all too easily to you, my love
To dream and never will come true
Am I strong enough to see it through?
Go crazy is what I will do
If I can't have you, I don't want no other, baby
If I can't have you, uh huh, ah!
If I can't have you, I don't want no other, baby
If I can't have you, uh huh, ah!
(If I can't have you)
The lyrics to The Men's song "If I Can't Have You" convey a feeling of utter despair and hopelessness of a person who is deeply in love, but their love is not reciprocated. The song is about a person who cannot let go of the one they love, despite the fact that the love is unrequited. The lyrics express the singerâs belief that their life would be over without the person they love, and that there is nobody else for them. The repetition of the phrase "If I can't have you, I don't want no other, baby" emphasizes the strong hold that this person has on the singer's heart and the feeling of desperation they have.
The songwriter describes the internal conflict of the singer through these lyrics. The person is aware that holding onto their love for someone who doesn't reciprocate the feeling is futile yet cannot help but hold on. The line "My tears of love a waste of time" is a powerful metaphor that emphasizes the singerâs understanding that their tears will not change anything, and their love remains unrequited. The song expresses the pain of unreturned love, the anguish of not being able to be with the person one loves, and the feeling of helplessness that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't know why I'm surviving ev'ry lonely day
I don't understand how I am getting through each day without you.
When there's got to be no chance for me
I know there's no hope for us, but I still can't let go.
My life would end
I can't imagine my life without you, it would feel incomplete.
And it doesn't matter how I cry
Even if I cry my heart out, it won't change the fact that you're gone.
My tears of love a waste of time
The tears I shed for you won't bring you back, they're useless.
If I turn away
If I try to move on and forget you, I feel lost and helpless.
Can't let go and it doesn't matter how I try
I can't seem to let go of my feelings for you, no matter what I do.
I gave it all so easily to you my love
I loved you with everything I had, every part of me.
To dreams that never will come true
I had hope for our future together, but now I know it's not possible.
Am I strong enough to see it through?
I don't know if I have the strength to move on without you.
Go crazy is what I will do
The thought of never being with you makes me feel like I'm losing my mind.
If I can't have you, I don't want no other, baby
If I can't have you, then I don't want anyone else.
If I can't have you, uh huh, ah!
I need you to understand how much I need you in my life.
And it doesn't matter how I try
No matter what I do, I can't stop loving you.
To dream and never will come true
My dreams of being with you will never come true, but I can't stop dreaming.
(If I can't have you)
This line is a repetition of the chorus, reinforcing the singer's feelings of desperation and need for the person they love.
Lyrics Š Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: BARRY ALAN GIBB, MAURICE ERNEST GIBB, ROBIN HUGH GIBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind