The band's best known lineup consisted of Paul Westerberg (vocals, guitar), Bob Stinson (guitar), Tommy Stinson (bass) and Chris Mars (drums). They were infamous for their abrasive, hard drinking lifestyles and their ragged stage performances, notorious for coming to some shows too drunk to play very well at all. Sometimes, they just performed entire sets of covers, their picks showing their debt to 70s hard rock outfits.
The sound of this band showed off what their many fans saw as the very best of independent rock n' roll. More than possibly any other band since The Rolling Stones and the the Ramones, the Replacements embodied the spirit of rock, from their raucous performances, drug addictions, charismatic and romantic frontman, and wild, sometimes basic and sometimes powerfully confessional songs. At any given time, almost any list of 'The Best Rock Albums Of All Time' will include either the album 'Let It Be' or 'Tim', sometimes both.
Their sound started off as a classic rock influenced shade of punk, mutating to a melodic hardcore sound reminiscent of local buddies Hüsker Dü. They also progressed into a relatively straightforward but heartfelt rock style, with a number of highly soulful ballads from the heart of Westerberg to round out the mix.
The band broke up in 1991. Bob Stinson, who was fired from the band in 1986 (and was subsequently replaced by Slim Dunlap), died in 1995. Westerberg and Mars both have solo careers, and Tommy Stinson formed several bands, like Perfect and Bash and Pop, and now plays bass for Guns and Roses and Soul Asylum.
In 2012, Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson reformed the Replacements and recorded an EP, "Songs for Slim" as a benefit for former member Slim Dunlap, who had suffered a stroke. The band played their first show since 1991 on August 24, 2013 at RiotFest in Toronto, and has since played at several festivals since. The band also currently includes Josh Freese on drums and Dave Minehan on guitar. The band played its final show in June 2015.
Nobody
The Replacements Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Double takes when they look my way
Knees quake, there ain't a shotgun in the place
You like the frosting, you just bought the cake
Your eyes can't fake
Still in love with nobody
And I won't tell nobody
Drags you 'cross that room
Said I do
But honey you were just a kid
Your eyes said I did
Still in love with nobody
Nobody, nobody
And I won't tell nobody
Take a look
On your wedding night
In your wedding book
See what name I signed
Hey
Love nobody,
Nobody, nobody
Then nobody
Nobody, nobody, nobody
Hips shake
To the band for old time's sake
Now you make your getaway
And you're waving to the stage
But on the last page says
Love nobody
Nobody, nobody
And I won't tell nobody
Nobody, nobody
Yeah you're still in love with nobody
Nobody, nobody
And I used to be nobody
Nobody, nobody
Not anymore
The Replacements’ song “Nobody” is a poignant ode to the pain of unrequited love, in which an individual laments his love for someone who is getting married to another. The lyrics shimmer with desperation and heartbreak, with the singer struggling to come to terms with the fact that the person they love is with someone else. The opening line, “Heartaches, on your wedding day” sets a reflective tone for the rest of the song. The individual watches from the sidelines as the wedding ceremony proceeds, all the while struggling to contain his emotions.
The juxtaposition of the upbeat instrumentals with the melancholic lyrics only accentuates the pangs of longing experienced by the singer. He declares that he is in love with nobody else but her, despite her being with someone else. The song ends on a somber note with the singer signing his name on her wedding book as a farewell. The song speaks to the universal human experience of unrequited love and the struggle to let go of someone you once loved deeply.
Line by Line Meaning
Heartaches, on your wedding day
You are feeling heartbroken on the day of your wedding.
Double takes when they look my way
When people look my way, they take a second glance, surprised to see me here.
Knees quake, there ain't a shotgun in the place
Your knees are shaking, even though nobody is forcing you to get married.
You like the frosting, you just bought the cake
You wanted the benefits of marriage without fully committing to a person.
Your eyes can't fake
Your true feelings cannot be hidden and are revealed by your eyes.
Still in love with nobody
You are not truly in love with anyone.
And I won't tell nobody
I won't tell anyone your true feelings.
The bridegroom
The person you are marrying.
Drags you 'cross that room
The groom is forcefully taking you to the altar.
Said I do
You agreed to marry the groom.
But honey you were just a kid
You were too young and naive to make such a big decision.
Your eyes said I did
Your true feelings were revealed by your eyes when you said 'I do.'
Take a look
Look back at your wedding day.
On your wedding night
The night of your wedding.
In your wedding book
In the book that commemorated your wedding day.
See what name I signed
Take a look at the signature of the person who truly has your heart.
Hey
Listen up!
Hips shake
You dance.
To the band for old time's sake
You dance to the music for old times' sake.
Now you make your getaway
You are leaving the reception.
And you're waving to the stage
You are saying goodbye to the band.
But on the last page says
In the end, what truly matters is the last page of your love story.
Love nobody
Love no one truly.
Yeah you're still in love with nobody
You still haven't found true love.
And I used to be nobody
I never used to be anyone special to you.
Not anymore
But now, I am somebody important to you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: PAUL WESTERBERG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Martin Doyle
"And you're still in love with nobody... and I used to be nobody". More emotion in that one line than some bands manage in a whole album, just awesome.
gina barajas
i brought this album with me to college and listened to it constantly, year of '91. they were the shit!
justpostit1
I agree. Brilliant. Thoughtful. The combination of the lyrics, the acoustic guitar, the bass line, Slim Dunlap's solo and Westerberg's vocal delivery...well. I don't have enough good words in my vocabulary to describe it.
Martin Doyle
Never a more brilliant declaration of 'what might have been' whilst watching someone you love make a huge mistake x
Daniel Hayes
I didn't know this was here. One of the classics of one of my few favorite 80's bands.
Danielle Fontenot-O'Toole
This song could have been the soundtrack of my life in 1997! Still in love with "Nobody" and you used to be Nobody!
Chris Morrison
lived my life by this record...I was 24....now I'm 55. Enjoy it, it goes so fast.
the gumball and rockafire collector
lyrics make so much sense to me love it
mathiasguzman
I would love to get the title track to this album. "All shook down" I love that song.
Cap'n Carny
This is the one Replacements album I didn't listen to obsessively like SMFTTOTT, Hootenanny, LIB, Tim, PTMM. I hear this stuff and YouTube am I am floored by how good it is and it holds up. "Love nobody and I won't tell nobody, ya still in love with nobody, I used to be nobody, but not anymore." Brilliant. Time passes... been there, done that.