Yello is a popular Swiss electronic band consisting of Dieter Meier and Bor… Read Full Bio ↴Yello is a popular Swiss electronic band consisting of Dieter Meier and Boris Blank. They are probably best known for their single Oh Yeah, which featured a rich mix of electronic music and manipulated vocals. The song became famous after being featured in the American movies Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Secret of My Success, and more recently Soul Plane. The song is the theme for Duffman on The Simpsons. In the UK they are probably best known for the Number 7 hit The race. This song was also from 1988 to 1990 the title track of the german music video TV-show "Formel Eins" (=Formula One) and was a Number 4 hit in Germany.

Yello was originally formed by Boris Blank and Carlos Perón in the late 1970s. Dieter Meier, a millionaire playboy with a very versatile career, was brought in when the two founders realised that they needed a singer. Meier and Blank joined forces in 1979 to release a single called I.T. Splash. The LP Solid Pleasure, featuring the hit dance single Bostich, was released the following year. It wasn't until 1983 that Yello received substantial media attention, with the release of I Love You and Lost Again. Peron left the band in 1983 to start a solo career.

Yello takes great pride in their original sound, which is mainly characterised by weird samples, a heavy reliance on rhythm and Dieter Meier's dark voice. Every track on a Yello album has been created by the band from scratch.
Sounds have been created using synths, samplers and effects by Boris Blank.

Yello rarely uses samples from previously released music; nearly every instrument has been sampled and engineered by Boris Blank, who over the years has built up an original sample library of over 100,000 named and categorized sounds.

The music is composed by Boris Blank, who considers himself a percussionist. When the tracks are mostly finished, Dieter Meier adds the vocal parts when fitting.

Nervous
Yello Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

My mind is really shaking
'Cause I know you're gonna make me
'Cause I know you're gonna break me
Gonna break my heart

I'm nervous when I hear your voice
I know I haven't got a choice
I'm feeling like a silly voice

I'm n-n-n-n-nervous
N-n-n-n-nervous

N-n-n-n-nervous

Why can't you rise up?
Why soul planet needs your fire?

Why can't you rise up?
Virux, soul planet needs your fire

I'm n-n-n-n-nervous

My mind is really shaking
'Cause I know you're gonna make me
'Cause I know you're gonna break me
Gonna break my heart

I'm nervous when I hear your voice
I know I haven't got a choice
I'm feeling like a silly voice
I'm n-n-n-n-nervous
N-n-n-n-nervous

N-n-n-n-nervous
N-n-n-n-nervous

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Yello's song "Nervous" appear to be about a person who is deeply anxious about their romantic relationship with someone. The singer's mind is "really shaking" because they know that this person is going to "make" and "break" them - in other words, they have a deep fear of vulnerability and getting hurt. The singer is "nervous" when they hear the person's voice and feel like a "silly voice," which could suggest that they feel small or insignificant in comparison to this other person. Despite their nerves, however, the singer seems to be unable to resist their attraction to this person and feels like they don't have a choice but to fall for them.

The repetition of the "n-n-n-n-nervous" refrain reinforces the singer's anxiety and provides a rhythmic undercurrent to the song. The two lines that appear to be a departure from this theme - "Why can't you rise up? Why soul planet needs your fire?" and "Virux, soul planet needs your fire" - are a bit more cryptic. It's possible that they're references to the band's previous work or other cultural touchstones that are lost on the listener, but without more context it's hard to say for sure.

Overall, "Nervous" is a melancholy song that captures the feeling of being powerfully drawn to someone while also being afraid of the consequences. The repetition and simplicity of the lyrics underscore the singer's feeling of being stuck in an emotional loop that they can't escape.

Line by Line Meaning

My mind is really shaking
I feel extremely anxious and scared

'Cause I know you're gonna make me
I am certain that you will force me

'Cause I know you're gonna break me
I am certain that you will harm me

Gonna break my heart
You will cause me emotional pain

I'm nervous when I hear your voice
I become worried and afraid when I listen to you speak

I know I haven't got a choice
I am aware that I have no other options

I'm feeling like a silly voice
I feel stupid and insignificant

I'm n-n-n-n-nervous
I am extremely anxious and afraid

Why can't you rise up?
Why can't you be stronger?

Why soul planet needs your fire?
Why do we need your strength and energy?

Virux, soul planet needs your fire
We require your vitality, Virux