Our Love Was
The Who Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Our love was
Our love was famine, frustration
We only acted out an imitation
Of what real love should have been
Then suddenly

Our love was flying
Our love was soaring
Our love was shining
Like a summer morning

Flying, soaring
Shining morning
Never leaving
Lying, dying

Love love love long
Love love love long
Love love love long
Love love love long

Love love love long
Love love love long
Love love love long
Love love love long

Love love love long
Love love love long
Love love love long
Love love love long

Our love was flying
Our love was soaring
Our love was shining
Like a summer morning

Our love was famine, frustration
We only acted out an imitation
Of what real love should have been
And then suddenly

Our love was flying
Our love was soaring




Our love was shining
Like a summer morning

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Who's song "Our Love Was" describe a relationship that started off as something lacking and insincere. The opening verses "Our love was famine, frustration, we only acted out an imitation of what real love should have been" suggest that the couple's love was starving, devoid of nourishment and lacking the depth it should have had. They were going through the motions of loving each other without truly feeling it.


Then something changed. Suddenly, their love was flying, soaring and shining like a summer morning. The repetition of these phrases and the majestic melody of the music convey a sense of euphoria and liberation. It's as if the couple has broken through the barriers that were holding them back and are now experiencing a love that is all-encompassing and joyful.


However, the final lines of the song return to the earlier theme of frustration and imitation. "Our love was famine, frustration, we only acted out an imitation of what real love should have been. And then suddenly..." The ellipsis at the end of the song leaves the listener wondering what happened next. Did they go back to their old ways, or did they find a way to sustain the newfound love they had discovered?


Overall, the lyrics to "Our Love Was" paint a portrait of a relationship that went through different phases, from empty and artificial to intense and blissful. While the outcome may be uncertain, the song captures the highs and lows of love in a way that is both honest and poetic.


Line by Line Meaning

Our love was
The beginning of the song highlights how the love between the two people started.


Our love was famine, frustration
Their relationship lacked satisfaction and the love seemed incomplete.


We only acted out an imitation
Their love was fake and just acted out according to society's expectations and not really the true love.


Of what real love should have been
They realize that they hadn't been living up to the standard of love that they should have been.


Then suddenly
At some point, there was a sudden change in their relationship.


Our love was flying
Their love had changed for the better and it was soaring high.


Our love was soaring
Their love had gotten better and was rising higher with time.


Our love was shining
Their love was vibrant, luminous, and had the potential to light up any dark day.


Like a summer morning
Their love was rejuvenating, refreshing, and just like summer mornings bring warmth and light, their love brought the same sense of comfort and hope.


Love love love long
The repetition of this line showcases that their love was genuine and was going to last for a long time.


Never leaving
Their love was permanent and was not going to end anytime soon.


Lying, dying
This line refers to the end of their relationship where they were no longer true to each other, and their love died a sad death.




Lyrics © Abkco Music, Inc.,
Written by: PETER TOWNSHEND

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Macaco Artico

Nuestro amor fue ...
Our love was ...

Nuestro amor fue hambre, frustración
Our love was famine, frustration

Solo actuamos como una imitación
We only acted out an imitation

De lo que debería haber sido el amor real
Of what real love should have been

Entonces, de repente ...
Then suddenly ...

Nuestro amor volaba
Our love was flying

Nuestro amor se estaba disparando
Our love was soaring

Nuestro amor estaba brillando
Our love was shining

Como una mañana de verano
Like a summer morning

Volando, elevándose
Flying, soaring

Mañana brillante
Shining morning

Nunca dejar
Never leaving

Mintiendo, muriendo
Lying, dying

Amor, amor, amor, mucho tiempo
Love love love long

Amor, amor, amor, mucho tiempo
Love love love long

Amor, amor, amor, mucho tiempo
Love love love long

Amor, amor, amor, mucho tiempo
Love love love long

Amor, amor, amor, mucho tiempo
Love love love long

Amor, amor, amor, mucho tiempo
Love love love long

Amor, amor, amor, mucho tiempo
Love love love long

Amor, amor, amor, mucho tiempo
Love love love long

Amor, amor, amor, mucho tiempo
Love love love long

Amor, amor, amor, mucho tiempo
Love love love long

Amor, amor, amor, mucho tiempo
Love love love long

Amor, amor, amor, mucho tiempo
Love love love long

Nuestro amor volaba
Our love was flying

Nuestro amor se estaba disparando
Our love was soaring

Nuestro amor estaba brillando
Our love was shining

Como una mañana de verano
Like a summer morning

Nuestro amor fue hambre, frustración
Our love was famine, frustration

Solo actuamos como una imitación
We only acted out an imitation

De lo que debería haber sido el amor real
Of what real love should have been

Y luego, de repente ...
And then suddenly ...

Nuestro amor volaba
Our love was flying

Nuestro amor se estaba disparando
Our love was soaring

Nuestro amor estaba brillando
Our love was shining

Como una mañana de verano
Like a summer morning



Nyonyo Praia

Feels like singing. Thank you

Our love was ...

Our love was famine, frustration
We only acted out an imitation
Of what real love should have been
Then suddenly ...

Our love was flying
Our love was soaring
Our love was shining
Like a summer morning

Flying, soaring
Shining morning
Never leaving
Lying, dying

Love love love long
Love love love long
Love love love long
Love love love long

Love love love long
Love love love long
Love love love long
Love love love long

Love love love long
Love love love long
Love love love long
Love love love long

Our love was flying
Our love was soaring
Our love was shining
Like a summer morning

Our love was famine, frustration
We only acted out an imitation
Of what real love should have been
And then suddenly ...

Our love was flying
Our love was soaring
Our love was shining
Like a summer morning



ballhawk387

The original LP release I have was thin on the bass, probably for
reasons I noted, but sounds awesome with the deep bass boosted to what
it probably sounded like on the master. I expect the re-release sounds
great.

On Entwistle's albums the drums sounded like sofa cushions to me, though better with improved EQ (adding a touch of deep bass and mid-high to sharpen things up). Very, very dry, though. I prefer the more "live" drum sound on this song (with proper EQ), which sounds more like... a drum kit! Each to their own, I suppose. But the bass drum was a weak, I'll grant... like so many mid 60s and earlier recordings.

On some other songs where they overdubbed more drums and/or used more mics they sound distant due to phasing. Or maybe it was an intentional effect! In any case, using more mics on a drum kit and overdubbing drums were new, and they didn't have a lot of tracks to work with. But I think this LP was done on 8-track, which was cutting edge then.

Glyn Johns, who IMO got some of the best drum sounds ever (e.g., Shazam, by The Move) usually used an overhead, one beside the floor tom equidistant from the snare (from Led Zep 1 on, that and the overhead panned 9:00 and 3:00), one on the bass drum, and sometimes mixed in one on the snare, according to his autobio. That's 2 to 4 mics! The more mics, the more phasing and distant sound you get from the leakage. That's basic wave physics.



All comments from YouTube:

Jonathan Vernot

I love the sequence of "Tatoo", the church advert and "Our Love Was". Townshend's musical mastery shines.

Mosko Gaming

@rsands9 drink easy drink easy pull easy :)

rsands9

You’re a pussycat

Luis Mario Guerrero Sánchez

Odorono - Tatto - Our Love Was - I Can See For Miles and I Can't Reach You (if you're listening to it digitally) is one of my favourite song sequences of any album.

ballhawk387

And into "I Can See for Miles", yet. A more awesome string of tunes can hardly be found.

ballhawk387

This song is shining, and soaring, like a summer morning, and gets my vote for the most underrated Who song.  And what a great, razor sharp guitar solo, that gets right to the point and doesn't overstay its welcome!

Christopher Casey

Good observation about not overstaying its welcome

Garret Montgomery

,

Deecky Rizzo

The album with the best melodies by Pete. IMO

Wolfdragon92584

It's very lovely and soothing. Definitely the "lightest" album from My Generation to Quadrophenia. It's mystical, crystalline, gemlike.

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