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One, two, three!
My baby don't mess around
Cause she loves me so
This I know fo sho!
But does she really wanna
But can't stand to see me walk out tha door
Don't try to fight the feeling
Because the thought alone is killin' me right now
Thank God for Mom and Dad
For sticking to together
Like we don't know how
Hey ya! Hey ya!
Hey ya! Hey ya!
Hey ya! Hey ya!
Hey ya! Hey ya!
You think you've got it
Oh, you think you've got it
But got it just don't get it when there's nothin' at all
We get together
Oh, we get together
But separate's always better when there's feelings involved
Know what they say -its:
Nothing lasts forever!
Then what makes it, then what makes it
Then what makes it, then what makes it
Then what makes love the exception?
So why, oh, why, oh
Why, oh, why, oh, why, oh
Are we still in denial when we know we're not happy here
Hey ya! (y'all don't want to here me, ya just want to dance) Hey ya!
Don't want to meet your daddy (oh ohh), just want you in my caddy (oh ohh)
Hey ya! (oh, oh!) Hey ya! (oh, oh!)
Don't want to meet your momma, just want to make you cum-a (oh,oh!)
I'm (oh,oh) I'm (oh,oh) I'm just being honest! (oh,oh)
I'm just being honest!
Hey! alright now! alright now, fellas!
Yea?
Now, what cooler than being cool?
Ice cold!
I can't hear ya! I say what's, what's cooler than being cool?
Ice cold!
Alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright!
Okay, now ladies!
Yea?
Now we gonna break this thang down for just a few seconds,
Now don't have me break this thang down for nothin',
I want to see you on your badest behavior!
Lend me some sugar, I am your neighbor!
Ah! Here we go now,
Shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it,
Shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it,
Shake it like a Polaroid picture! Hey ya!
Shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it,
Shake it, shake it, shake it, suga!
Shake it like a Polaroid picture!
Now all the Beyonce's, and Lucy Lu's, and baby dolls,
Get on tha floor get on tha floor!
Shake it like a Polaroid picture!
Oh, you! oh, you!
Hey ya!(oh, oh) Hey ya!(oh, oh)
Hey ya!(oh, oh) Hey ya!(oh, oh)
Hey ya!(oh, oh) Hey ya!(oh, oh)
My baby don't mess around
Cause she loves me so
This I know fo sho!
But does she really wanna
But can't stand to see me walk out tha door
Don't try to fight the feeling
Because the thought alone is killin' me right now
Thank God for Mom and Dad
For sticking to together
Like we don't know how
Hey ya! Hey ya!
Hey ya! Hey ya!
Hey ya! Hey ya!
Hey ya! Hey ya!
You think you've got it
Oh, you think you've got it
But got it just don't get it when there's nothin' at all
We get together
Oh, we get together
But separate's always better when there's feelings involved
Know what they say -its:
Nothing lasts forever!
Then what makes it, then what makes it
Then what makes it, then what makes it
Then what makes love the exception?
So why, oh, why, oh
Why, oh, why, oh, why, oh
Are we still in denial when we know we're not happy here
Hey ya! (y'all don't want to here me, ya just want to dance) Hey ya!
Don't want to meet your daddy (oh ohh), just want you in my caddy (oh ohh)
Hey ya! (oh, oh!) Hey ya! (oh, oh!)
Don't want to meet your momma, just want to make you cum-a (oh,oh!)
I'm (oh,oh) I'm (oh,oh) I'm just being honest! (oh,oh)
I'm just being honest!
Hey! alright now! alright now, fellas!
Yea?
Now, what cooler than being cool?
Ice cold!
I can't hear ya! I say what's, what's cooler than being cool?
Ice cold!
Alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright!
Okay, now ladies!
Yea?
Now we gonna break this thang down for just a few seconds,
Now don't have me break this thang down for nothin',
I want to see you on your badest behavior!
Lend me some sugar, I am your neighbor!
Ah! Here we go now,
Shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it,
Shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it,
Shake it like a Polaroid picture! Hey ya!
Shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it,
Shake it, shake it, shake it, suga!
Shake it like a Polaroid picture!
Now all the Beyonce's, and Lucy Lu's, and baby dolls,
Get on tha floor get on tha floor!
Shake it like a Polaroid picture!
Oh, you! oh, you!
Hey ya!(oh, oh) Hey ya!(oh, oh)
Hey ya!(oh, oh) Hey ya!(oh, oh)
Hey ya!(oh, oh) Hey ya!(oh, oh)
Lyrics submitted by fallacies, edited by embassyrow
Track duration: 03:59
"Hey Ya!" as written by Andre Benjamin
Lyrics © CHRYSALIS MUSIC GROUP
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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The entire song is sad because he is describing the very real and serious issues that he is dealing with. This pained man, in his attempts to write a song that conveys his feelings, concludes that no one will ever care about his own problems, he is yelling saying how the audience "don't want him here they just wanna dance."
He then lists his superficial relationships, remaining distant so as not to get hurt, finally stating this behavior is perfectly normal,because society glorifies people who are "ice cold." He then re-addresses the superficial and sexual nature of modern society, "shake it, shake, shake it like a Polaroid picture." Contemporary relationships are unable to find meaning because they "shake it," or rather, in their impatience ruin something that could be good. In contrast, past people, like mom and dad, knew how to "stick two together" while they don't know how. He then says they know what to do, meaning they know this and fully embrace what he too has come to accept.
All the while, he has this upbeat instrumental section, existing because it is what the crowd wants, and he knows they'll be happy despite his sad lyrics, thus proving his own claim: the audience doesn't care what you're feeling, they just want to have a good time, and as a musical professional he can't ruin the happy mood. He realizes he's a popular music artist and that people just don't like or understand emotionally meaningful songs, even if it's by someone they like because society is superficial. The saddest part: people truly did think this song was happy and they did glorify it, they thought they "got it," but they "just don't get it," there is "nothing at all."
This song is about the descent of morals and values in respect to relationships, from mom and dad's past generation to the present generation. The man changes himself, trying his best to fit in and meet the quota, however, despite his attempts to convince himself that he does meet the expectation, despite making the song upbeat, despite putting up a smile in front of the crowd, he cannot help but convey his emotion. This all proves that he is truly disheartened in the face of modern expectations: he has lost hope for love, he is losing himself, he does not believe in society.
So the problem is not the breakup, it's the drama -- it's that the fear of heartbreak itself drives them apart. And he would rather have something casual, and simple.
So the opening line immediately turns into the question -- does love just mean "I don't want to be alone?" Is it just empty, convenient, an excuse for sex? He tells himself that he shouldn't fight the happiness of the original thought -- because otherwise he'll just be unhappy -- but his respect to his parents shows that he thinks the very idea of "love" is tricky. Maybe even nonsense. So he throws himself into the chorus.
Coming back from getting lost, he's reflective -- you think you're in love at first but that doesn't mean anything; you have great sex but it just comes with annoying drama, she wants to know if you *really* love her *forever* and why the hell would you promise that if nothing lasts forever? And it's clear that these worries about heartbreak are the entire problem which makes their sex upsetting.
As he throws himself back into the chorus he just insists that the relationship should be purely physical, he doesn't want the drama and the fear of heartbreak. He wants to celebrate life with singing and dancing and casual sex rather than deal with the unhappy drama of a relationship.
I think it's one of the most artistically wonderful juxtapositions of recent memory. It reminds me of "The Wall" by Pink Floyd, which refers to the separation between the crowd and the band.
If you read the lyrics alone, then the song has a completely different meaning than if you hear the music.
Andre is seriously contemplating his relationship and what love truly is, and he's on the verge of breaking down emotionally. However, through his time as a performing artist, he knows that the audience doesn't go to a show to share or learn from his emotional distress. They just want to have a good time.
By putting a very upbeat tune to this song, he is kind of shoving it in the audience's face for seeing this as a happy song. The line "Y'all don't want me here you just wanna dance" tells about how he feels like a trained monkey. The people don't really care about Andre as a person, they just want to listen to the music he makes.
As a song with some very cogent and serious questions about the root of love (e.g. "Then what makes love the exception?") and provocative statements about the audience, this is subtly one of the best popular hits of our generation in my opinion.
borismakesart.wordpress.com/2010/02/10/analysis-of-outkasts-hey-ya-one-of-500-best-songs-of-all-time/
Plus, the Matt Weddle version (and really any of the acoustic versions) go downhill once they reach the "shake it" part. Without the hip hop beat, it's just not the same and gets kind of messy.
It's extremely contemporary and a classic pop song. Andre plays most of the instruments in the song and wrote all the lyrics. Technically the song is almost perfect. People say things like, "it's pretty good for a rap song" or "I don't usually like rap, but this is really good" when this song is a lot better than most alternative or indie music out there. Andre drew inspiration from bands of the past (the Ramones, Buzzcocks and The Smiths) and has created a perfect pop song - and I mean pop in the real sense. When we think of pop nowadays, we think of rubbish made for tweens. This song is a throwback to when pop music was edgy and cool, like in the days of the Beatles and the Stones. That's why I think it's one of the best songs ever made and definitely one of the best, if not THE best, of the last decade.
A great, great song.
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