As a teenager, DeVille had a band named Billy and the Kids. He moved to London looking to form a band, but was unsuccessful in finding like-minded musicians. Eventually he landed in San Francisco where he formed a band with bassist Ruben Siguenza and drummer Tom "Manfred" Allen. The band played under the names Billy DeSade & the Marquis and the Lazy Eights before settling on the name Mink DeVille. Later, DeVille took the band to New York City, where they helped to pioneer punk rock music and were one of the original house bands at CBGB, the New York nighclub where punk rock music was born in the mid-1970s.
The typical DeVille song -- if any of his songs can be called "typical" -- is filled with romantic conviction and yearning. Latin rhythms, Blues riffs, and strains of country music can be heard in DeVille songs. Spanish Stroll was a hit in the U.S. and the UK in 1978; Storybook Love (nominated for an Academy Award in 1987) is the theme song of the movie The Princess Bride.
DeVille suffered from drug addiction for many years, which stifled his career. Among fellow musicians and songwriters, he was widely respected. Songwriter Doc Pomus said about Deville, "He knows the truth of a city street and the courage in a ghetto love song."
DeVille died of pancreatic cancer during the night of August 6, 2009 in a New York hospital.
DeVille had homes in New Orleans and Mississippi.
No Such Pain as Love
Willy DeVille Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just quickly walk away
All the things I tried don't work
Your heart just will not change
Ohh how could I've been such a fool
What was I dreaming of
Well it's sad but true
I've learned ftom you
Now in the busy streets I walk alone
And I never hear a sound
Distracted by my thoughts of you
With that new love you have found
Like someting in a story book
People needed so they made it up
Well it's sad but true
And there's no such pain
As love
No there's no such pain
As love
You won't see a teardrop fall
Or the expression while my heart breaks
I'll just turn around in the crowd
To see you everyplace
No I won't give my heart away
Again to anyone
Well it's sad but true
I've learned from you
There's no such pain
As love
And there's no such pain
As love
And there's no such pain
As love
No there's no such pain
As love
And there's no such pain
As love
In Willy DeVille's song No Such Pain as Love, the singer is heartbroken and struggling to come to terms with the end of a relationship. The singer pleads with their former partner to not turn and look back at them, but to quickly walk away. The heartbreak is palpable as the singer expresses how all the things they tried to do to fix the relationship did not work and their former partner's heart would not change. They express a deep sense of regret and embarrassment for being a fool in the relationship. The singer has come to the realization that there is no greater pain than love and has learned their lesson from this experience. Now, they walk alone in the city streets, distracted by thoughts of their former partner with their new love, feeling as if they are living in a storybook where people make things up to fulfill their needs.
The singer fears giving their heart away again and experiencing the same pain. They have learned that there is no pain quite like the pain of love. The song captures the all-consuming heartache and loss that comes with the end of a relationship. The singer seems resigned to their fate and the ultimate realization that love can bring both great pleasure and immense pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't you turn and look back at me
Please do not look at me again
Just quickly walk away
Just leave quickly without looking back
All the things I tried don't work
I have tried everything to fix our relationship, but it doesn't work
Your heart just will not change
You don't have any intention to fix our relationship
Ohh how could I've been such a fool
I regret everything I did for you
What was I dreaming of
What was I thinking about when I had feelings for you?
Well it's sad but true
It's a sad reality
I've learned ftom you
I have learned something from my experience with you
There's no such pain as love
Love can be painful, and this is the most painful I have ever felt
Now in the busy streets I walk alone
I walk on the streets alone now
And I never hear a sound
I am too busy thinking about you that I don't hear anything else
Distracted by my thoughts of you
I am too occupied with my thoughts about you
With that new love you have found
You have found someone else to love
Like someting in a story book
It feels like a cliched love story
People needed so they made it up
People created love stories to find meaning in their own lives
No there's no such pain
There is no other pain like the one caused by love
And there's no such pain
Love can be the most painful experience of all
As love
As the pain of love
You won't see a teardrop fall
I will not cry in front of you
Or the expression while my heart breaks
I will not show my emotions even if my heart is breaking
I'll just turn around in the crowd
I will just walk away in the middle of the crowd
To see you everyplace
I will see you everywhere I go
No I won't give my heart away
I will not give my heart to anyone again
Again to anyone
To anyone else in the future
Contributed by Samuel V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Diamonddog59
Don't you turn and look back at me
Just quickly walk away
All the things I tried don't work
Your heart just will not change
Ohh how could I've been such a fool
What was I dreaming of
Well it's sad but true
I've learned ftom you
There's no such pain as love
Now in the busy streets I walk alone
And I never hear a sound
Distracted by my thoughts of you
With that new love you have found
Like someting in a story book
People needed so they made it up
Well it's sad but true
And there's no such pain
As love
No there's no such pain
As love
You won't see a teardrop fall
Or the expression while my heart breaks
I'll just turn around in the crowd
To see you everyplace
No I won't give my heart away
Again to anyone
Well it's sad but true
I've learned from you
There's no such pain
As love
And there's no such pain
As love
And there's no such pain
As love
No there's no such pain
As love
And there's no such pain
As love
jaime QUINTANA COTERO
una obra maestra
salvatore con cuore
Willy for ever in my ❤!
hinamauka
Love this song, it's not often heard, and there are some pictures/posters I hadn't seen before and I've pretty much seen everything DeVille there is to see. Thanks for this.
Suzycat1000
'People need it so they made it up' how true and Willy knew all about pain both physical and emotional. Now those who miss him so much have to suffer the pain of his loss.
Elvira Brown
so wonderful !!!!!
conchi dominguez
Great great!! Nunca defrauda, verdad?? 🎶🎶🎸
Rob Hier
fabuloso
Irene Neurauter
i love this voice 💋💔
Jutta Winkler
All his songs are like a prayer!
PickBit
When you see somebody who manages to look like a Native American, a Gypsy prince, a Bohemian vagabond and an Irish street urchin all at once while still looking authentic without screaming "I'M FAKE" with every fiber of his being, you know you are looking at a genius. There are no other words to describe what Willy was.