"That's Not My Name" rose to the top of the U.K. charts in May 2008, the same month that the duo's debut album, We Started Nothing, appeared. The Ting Tings spent the rest of 2008 and a large part of 2009 touring in support of the album, which eventually sold over two million copies worldwide, won the 2009 Ivor Novello Award for Best Album, and earned the group a Best New Artist Grammy nomination that December. Early in 2010, De Martino and White moved to Berlin to work on songs for their second album. Inspired by the city's atmosphere and the cold weather, they went in a darker, more electronic direction with their new songs. In August 2010, the Ting Tings offered a taste of their new material, premiering the single "Hands" -- which was mixed by Calvin Harris -- on BBC Radio 1 and officially releasing it that October. After extensive touring and over eight months recording in Germany and Spain, in March 2012 the Ting Tings offered their sophomore album, Sounds from Nowheresville, a collection of songs inspired by the exuberant freedom of the Beastie Boys' classic Paul's Boutique. Two years later, third album Super Critical surfaced. Its October release date was preceded by the April release of first single "Wrong Club."
Blacklight
The Ting Tings Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I won't sweep all the mess off the floor
You're so in and then you're out
Another door
And it's got one running theme
It's the same old, same old shit
Of familiar faces in dark rooms with empty spaces
Tonight you've got the black light on
I don't love you enough
I just don't love you enough
The black light showing you up
Everything is dirty and rough
I just don't love you enough
No, I just don't love you enough
The black light showing you up
Everything is dirty and rough
Blacklight on
I could but I won't come to fix you
And push you up against the wall
Take you in hot water and soap
Can wash it all away
But I've seen what you're like, the dishonest type
But you've rolled across the floor
In bad places with shady faces
Tonight you got your black light on
I don't love you enough
No, I just don't love you enough
It's all so dirty and muck
The black light showing it up
No, I just don't love you enough
No, I just don't love you enough
The black light showing you up
It's all that's dirty and rough
Blacklight on
Blacklight
Love you enough
Love you enough
Love you enough
No, I just don't love you enough
No, I just don't love you enough
It's all so dirty and muck
The black light showing it up
No, I just don't love you enough
No, I just don't love you enough
The black light showing you up
It's all that's dirty and rough
Blacklight
The lyrics to "Blacklight" by The Ting Tings depict a relationship filled with contradictions and uncertainty. The singer acknowledges their own contradictory nature, saying "I am but I'm not." They refuse to clean up the mess on the floor, metaphorically representing the issues in the relationship that they are unwilling to address. The other person in the relationship is described as being in and out, constantly entering and leaving through different doors. The recurring theme of the song is the repetitive cycle of familiar faces in dark rooms with empty spaces, suggesting a pattern of shallow connections and loneliness.
The chorus emphasizes the singer's lack of love for the other person. They repeat the phrase "I just don't love you enough" multiple times, highlighting their honest admission of not feeling sufficient love for the relationship to thrive. The black light imagery symbolizes the exposing of truth and hidden flaws in the relationship. Everything appears dirty and rough under the black light, exposing the reality of the situation.
In the second verse, the singer mentions their capability to fix the other person and clean them up. However, they choose not to because they have seen the other person's dishonesty. The line "But you've rolled across the floor in bad places with shady faces" suggests that the other person has engaged in questionable activities, further emphasizing the instability of the relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I am but I'm not, contradictions
I am torn between conflicting feelings and thoughts
I won't sweep all the mess off the floor
I refuse to clean up the chaos and problems
You're so in and then you're out, Another door
You keep fluctuating between being present and distant, always seeking something new
And it's got one running theme, It's the same old, same old shit
There is a repetitive pattern of unpleasant situations or experiences
Of familiar faces in dark rooms with empty spaces
Encountering the same people in gloomy environments with a sense of emptiness
Tonight you've got the black light on
You are deliberately exposing the hidden flaws and darkness
I don't love you enough
My affection for you is lacking
I just don't love you enough
I simply cannot love you to the extent you desire
The black light showing you up
The truth about you is being revealed
Everything is dirty and rough
The situation is disordered and unpleasant
I could but I won't come to fix you
I have the ability to help you, but I choose not to
And push you up against the wall
To confront you forcefully
Take you in hot water and soap, Can wash it all away
Providing you with a chance for cleansing and renewal
But I've seen what you're like, the dishonest type
I am aware of your deceitful nature
But you've rolled across the floor, In bad places with shady faces
You have engaged in questionable activities and associated with untrustworthy individuals
Tonight you got your black light on
You are intentionally revealing your hidden flaws and dark side
It's all so dirty and muck
Everything is filled with dirt and filth
The black light showing it up
The truth is being exposed
Blacklight
Reference to the frequent mention of black light throughout the song
Love you enough
Having enough love for you
No, I just don't love you enough
No, my love for you is insufficient
It's all so dirty and muck
Everything is filled with dirt and mess
The black light showing it up
The truth is being illuminated
It's all that's dirty and rough
Everything is tarnished and harsh
Blacklight on
Continuation of the reference to black light
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Katie White, Jules De Martino
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Michael K. Eidson
At first I didn't think I'd like this. But I kept listening. When it was over, I listened again. It's different and yet it's Ting Tings. The more I listen, the more I think this song is genius. And the video too. I can't wait to hear the whole album.
Michael K. Eidson
@imslim By continuing to play it and letting it grow on me? That has happened with other songs, too. At first I don't like them so much, but I keep listening, and I come to appreciate subtleties that I missed at first. I personally wouldn't consider that as "forcing" myself to like a song. But I can see how someone might view it that way if they haven't experienced the same kind of thing themselves.
imslim
it sounds like you force yourself to like it.
Nyoko Salome
it shows a whole diff side of them.... they aren't ignoring the sound of the scene around them atall! they listened to it all, then =rejected= the stuff they don't like (the crazy automatic-autotuning-of-everything especially!), tossed it out to the trashbin, then let the =good= stuff remain in their own song! :)
Adam Baldwin
Yeah... I honestly do not like the sound of this. I sounds very dated and also very different from their other material. Yet somehow I feel like I kinda like it, and/or I will grow to like it. To be clear, there's been a TON of music I initially HATED only to eventually come to absolutely adore, so I don't mean to be so negative. Something about this does speak to my musical sensibilities in a way. It's tough to nail down. I think that's why I kinda like it.
Oktober Love
Damn they came back with a vengeance 👽🖤
They killed it!
vincent5th
I love the minimalist appeal to this video!
Simon Larsen
Agreed!
l911Tube
i like this simple break beat sound , that the right direction for the project ! Different but fitting
Colin McBrighde
It's fit-TING-ting