"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."
Soul Killing
The Ting Tings Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And if that's where we're about
Where we never put the rules
And we never let it out
It's soul killing
That's what you need now
That's what you need now
That's what you need now
That's what you should need
If you always have to wait
Well, in this morning we'll be gone
Is this what you really want?
You should never say never never ever, come on
If you never hold us down, they can never hold us down
If you're from a big city, I am from a little town
Then you never hold us down (shoot, shoot, shoot)
Strongly come straight down the meadow
Stand up, straight as a buddah
Hold this, act like a diamond
It's best even if falling that you live your personal history
All this can shine like a diamond
It's soul killing
That's what you need now
That's what you need now
It's soul killing
That's what you need now
That's what you should need
If you never hold us down, they can never hold us down
If you're from a big city, I am from a little town
If you never hold us down, they can never hold us down
If you're from a big city, I am from a little town (keep rockin')
The Ting Tings' song "Soul Killing" is a commentary on the soulless nature of modern society. The lyrics suggest that we live in a world where rules and regulations dominate our lives, and where we are constantly held back by our fears and doubts. The verses describe a world where people are encouraged to conform and follow the crowd, and where individuality and creativity are discouraged.
The chorus, meanwhile, suggests that this soul-sapping world is exactly what we need – that we crave the numbness and the safety that comes from fitting in and being like everyone else. The repetition of the words "soul killing" reinforces the idea that we are slowly but surely losing our individuality and our humanity, and that this is what we actually desire.
Overall, it's a bleak and bleakly powerful message, made all the more potent by the band's driving beat and catchy melodies. The Ting Tings have crafted a compelling, thought-provoking commentary on the state of the world today, and the song is sure to resonate with anyone who's ever felt trapped or frustrated by the constraints of modern life.
Line by Line Meaning
If this is what it is
If this is the current situation or reality that we are in
And if that's where we're about
And if that's the direction or path we're heading towards
Where we never put the rules
Where we don't abide by any strict guidelines or regulations
And we never let it out
And we never express our true feelings or emotions
It's soul killing
This way of living is taking a toll on our souls
That's what you need now
This is what you currently require
That's what you need now
This is what you currently require
It's soul killing
This way of living is taking a toll on our souls
That's what you need now
This is what you currently require
That's what you should need
This is what you ought to require
If you always have to wait
If you're always having to be patient and wait for something
Well, in this morning we'll be gone
Then, the opportunity or chance may be gone by the morning
Is this what you really want?
Is this truly what you desire?
You should never say never never ever, come on
You should never completely rule something out, let's be realistic
If you never hold us down, they can never hold us down
If we never hold ourselves back, others will not be able to hold us back either
If you're from a big city, I am from a little town
Whether you come from a big city or a small town, this still applies
Then you never hold us down (shoot, shoot, shoot)
Therefore, we must not allow ourselves to be held back (shoot, shoot, shoot)
Strongly come straight down the meadow
We must confidently move forward, straight and direct
Stand up, straight as a buddah
We must stand tall and strong, like a Buddha statue
Hold this, act like a diamond
We must hold ourselves in high regard and act with grace, like a diamond
It's best even if falling that you live your personal history
It's better to take a risk and possibly fail, than to never try at all and not create a personal story to tell
All this can shine like a diamond
If we live by these principles, our lives can sparkle and shine brightly like a diamond
If you never hold us down, they can never hold us down
If we never hold ourselves back, others will not be able to hold us back either
If you're from a big city, I am from a little town
Whether you come from a big city or a small town, this still applies
If you never hold us down, they can never hold us down
If we never hold ourselves back, others will not be able to hold us back either
If you're from a big city, I am from a little town (keep rockin')
Regardless of where we come from, we should keep moving forward and not let anything hold us back (keep rockin')
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KATIE WHITE, JULES DE MARTINO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Eduardo Dutra
Lyrics:
If this is what it is
And if that's where we're about
Where we never put the rules
And we never let it out
It's soul killing
That's what you need now
That's what you need now
It's soul killing
That's what you need now
That's what you should need
If you always have to wait
Well, in this morning we'll be gone
Is this what you really want?
You should never say never never ever, come on
If you never hold us down, they can never hold us down
If you're from a big city, I am from a little town
Then you never hold us down (shoot, shoot, shoot)
Strongly come straight down the meadow
Stand up, straight as a buddah
Hold this, act like a diamond
It's best even if falling that you live your personal history
All this can shine like a diamond
It's soul killing
That's what you need now
That's what you need now
It's soul killing
That's what you need now
That's what you should need
If you never hold us down, they can never hold us down
If you're from a big city, I am from a little town
If you never hold us down, they can never hold us down
If you're from a big city, I am from a little town (keep rockin')
Blanche Yap
The thing I love most about these guys is that they dont try to be like the others 😊
Brad Dauterman
Yes! From "That's Not My Name" to "Estranged" they are authentically different yet still evolving
Clunaz
Tenía mucho sin saber de esta banda y si que su sonido ah evolucionado 💖💖💖
Mei Misaki
Esta canción es del año 2012 pero estan resubiendo todo el disco.
Philip Stainton
Love this track
Tanakah
Amo muito!!! #Brazil
Rafael Andrade
Brasil na área.
Jordan Sandoval
Buena canción. Creo escucharla en algún comercial publicidad en México. Saludos 🤘🔥
Pablo Alfredo Lopez Rodriguez
Guys I love you both, please come back we need music like this again.
Sven Martínez
Nice álbum