The group gained some notoriety when a single from its first album, Blood and Roses, was included on the soundtrack for and as the theme song of the 1986 Albert Pyun movie Dangerously Close and the video got some moderately heavy rotation on MTV. The group spent some time in its initial semi-celebrity phase defending itself in Rolling Stone against thinly-veiled accusations of sounding too much like The Byrds and The Beatles, pointing out that its Marshall Amplifier-heavy live sound was closer to heavy metal than it was to The Beatles.
Along with a basic Eastern-coast roots-rock sound that owed much to the inspirations of DiNizio, including Buddy Holly, The Who, The Clash, Elvis Costello, and Nick Lowe, the Smithereens deployed a uniquely retro obsession with Mod, the late British Invasion pop of John's Children and The Move, and other artifacts of fifties and sixties culture that lent its music substance and style. The highest position a Smithereens album attained on the Billboard pop charts was in 1990, when 11 peaked at #41 on the strength of the single A Girl Like You (which hit #38). The group is still active and tours frequently, but went for seven years without releasing a new studio album, following God Save the Smithereens in 1999.
In January 2007, the band released a cover of the album Meet the Beatles titled Meet the Smithereens. Bassist Mike Mesaros does not appear on the album, replaced by Severo "The Thrilla" Jornacion . An album of original material was promised for later in the year, but Christmas with The Smithereens, released in October 2007, included only three original songs along with nine covers of Christmas songs.
Listen To Me Girl
The Smithereens Lyrics
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I've been so lonely.
Want you so bad, girl.
I want you only.
Listen, listen to me girl.
Listen to me, now.
I'm thinking of you.
I really love you.
Listen, listen to me, girl.
Sometimes, I wonder just what she is doing,
These lyrics from The Smithereens's song Listen To Me Girl express the deep longing of the singer for a girl he loves. He tells her that he has been lonely without her and wants her badly, indicating the depth of his desire. The singer directs the girl's attention towards his words, asking her to listen to him as he tells her how much he thinks of her and loves her, indicating his sincerity and authenticity.
The singer adds a sense of mystery to his emotions by wondering about what the girl is doing, which builds up to the climax where he desperately pleads with her to listen to him. The emotion in the song is reinforced by the repetitive use of the word "listen," which adds a sense of urgency to the situation. Through these lyrics, The Smithereens capture the raw, unbridled passion of unrequited love through intimate and honest lyrics that speak directly to the heart and soul of the listener.
Contributed by Dominic A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Robert Cochran
on Blood And Roses
The Ulgiest Cool Band in the World
Tony C.
on I Don't Want To Lose You
The lyrics listed on here are for the song "Especially For You", rather than "I Don't Want to Lose You". Ironically, "Especially For You" isn't the title track from their full length debut, it's from their second studio album 'Green Thoughts'.