Dumb Boy Songs PT. 1

Exploring the dumbest songs of yesteryear

Take That- Back for Good-

The British boy band Take That came out with the song Back for Good in 1995 and it was released in the U.S. to little fanfare. It is very catchy and melodic. You might even want to sing along and enjoy this romantic love song. Since this song was written by a white cis-gender straight man in the 90’s, though, it’s worse than it seems. Let’s explore the lyrics:

I guess now it's time for me to give up I feel it's time

He guesses? Starting by indicating a lack of confidence and being unsure about what he’s saying isn’t a great way to begin.

Got a picture of you beside me

Got your lipstick mark still on your coffee cup

Hasn’t washed the dishes since she left

Got a fist of pure emotion

This is true. He’s very emotional. And really into fists.

Got a head of shattered dreams

Gotta leave it, gotta leave it all behind now

Whatever I said, whatever I did I didn't mean it

I just want you back for good

If you don’t even know what you did wrong, how can you confidently say you didn’t mean it? Mean what? What if she left because you punched her in the face? Did you mean that? It doesn’t matter to you that you don’t know what you did wrong or learn anything from it - you just want her back. That’s the point of the song. “Who cares what I did, just come back and do the dishes for me!”

Whenever I'm wrong just tell me the song and I'll sing it

You'll be right and understood

What he’s saying here is that he expects you, the one who’s been wronged, to tell him what he needs to do to make things better, even though he doesn’t know or understand what he’s doing. Just tell him what to do, and he’ll do it! He’ll do anything!

I want you back for good

Oh yeah, he doesn’t just want you to come back to him, he wants you to come back and never leave again for any reason for the rest of your life. That’s all! Just come back!

Unaware but underlined I figured out this story

It wasn't good but in the corner of my mind I celebrated glory

But that was not to be

Sounds like he has a rich fantasy life.

In the twist of separation

You excelled at being free

I’ll bet she did!

Can't you find a little room inside for me

Tell me that’s a euphemism…

Whatever I said, whatever I did I didn't mean it

I just want you back for good

Whenever I'm wrong just tell me the song and I'll sing it

You'll be right and understood

It doesn’t sound like he wants to know when he does something wrong, he expects her to police him and tell him when he needs to do something else because she’s his all-knowing goddess of love.

I want you back for good

And we'll be together, this time is forever

We'll be fighting and forever we will be

So complete in our love

We will never be uncovered again

I feel like some of this is for rhyming and lyricism, but it kind of sounds like once you get her back, you’ll both fight with each other forever and no one will ever know about your escalating hostility…

Whatever I said, whatever I did I didn't mean it

I just want you back for good

Whenever I'm wrong just tell me the song and I'll sing it

You'll be right and understood

I want you back for good

I guess that now it's time

That you came back for good

Not only is he not sure, but he also ‘guesses’ it’s now time for her to come back for good now that he’s said all this dumb stuff to her. “OK, woman, be happy about what I’ve said and come back to me now. The dishes aren’t going to wash themselves!”

The essential ‘heart’ of this song is that the man is an emotional mess because his girlfriend realizes how awful he is and leaves him. All he knows, with all this emotion, is that he wants her back. He doesn’t know what he did, he doesn’t care, he doesn’t want to change, he doesn’t even want to clean up the apartment, he just wants her to come back for no reason other than he really wants her to. I hope she heard this dumb song and ran for the hills.