I want to be forgotten,
and I don't want to be reminded.
You say "please don't make this harder."
No, I won't yet.

I wanna be beside her.
She wanna be admired.
You say "please don't make this harder."
No, I won't yet.

Oh dear, is it really all true?
Did they offend us and they want it to sound new?
Top ten ideas for countdown shows...
Whose culture is this and does anybody know?
I wait and tell myself "life ain't chess,"
But no one comes in and yes, you're alone...
You don't miss me, I know.

Oh Tennessee, what did you write?
I come together in the middle of the night.
Oh that's an ending that I can't write, 'cause
I've got you to let me down.

I want to be forgotten,
and I don't want to be reminded.
You say "please don't make this harder."
No, I won't yet.

I want to be beside her.
She wanna be admired.
You say "please don't make this harder."
No, I won't yet...




Lyrics submitted by Stoney

Track duration: 02:50


What Ever Happened? song meanings
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64 Comments

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  • 0
    My Interpretation:I've always loved this song.

    The first part of this song is clearly about breaking up with someone and just wanting to forget everything that happened, but at the same time finding it hard to forget them because you still have some sort of feelings towards them.

    To me, "Oh that's an ending that I can't write" makes it seem like the person is trying to imagine some sort of distant future where they are with the other person, but they just can't because the other person is always letting them down.

    I sometimes want to cry when I listen to it though, because I can totally connect with it.
    Flag frostituteon April 16, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My Opinion:Back when autotune was only cool to smart people...I miss it
    Flag brachiscool16on October 06, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The first two lines are great. Later on maybe it's about a break up or a the second album thing, but these two lines much more than that to me. Sort of a statement: I do what I (want to) do, it's not about the (lasting) impression it makes
    Flag Schinkenon February 14, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment: this meaning of the song is an inaccurate perception of the song meaning only the band the strokes know the meaning of this song best to ask them what does this song mean to them?
    Flag Iamme4uon January 18, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment: I listened to this song on my i pod for years skating by myself. To me it was dedicated to my skateboard for I had that piece of wood to land me down. I was given such a hard time by people being called a dike to a ho, to the point of where i felt like i couldn't ever win. I wanted those people to stop talking about me so i wished they would forget me. This song made me skate better and god bless my earphones so I couldn't hear the negativity coming out of their mouths, leading to the conclusion who's culture is this? I use to skate at night often and i found myself being my best late at night when i came to the best conclusions. This song is very comforting to me for I have been single for god knows how long and all i really wanted was a mate to skate with me.So i would imagine i had this guy singing to me that he wanted to be beside me. Well i have a great imagination and maybe one day it will come true.
    Flag Iamme4uon January 17, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I haven't listened to this band in a long time but of all their songs, this is their best one, in my opinion.
    Flag brokentelephone78on November 25, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I thought the Tennessee part refers to Tennesse Willias, the writer.
    He wrote a play called A Streetcar Named Desire, about a girl named Blanche Dubois
    -quote wikipedia-
    "The play presents Blanche DuBois, a fading but still-attractive Southern belle whose pretensions to virtue and culture only thinly mask alcoholism and delusions of grandeur. Her poise is an illusion she presents to shield others (but most of all, herself) from her reality, and an attempt to make herself still attractive to new male suitors"
    The girl being described kind of fits the description of the girl being talked about in the song, although, I do not think it is about her.
    Flag ammanita09on November 15, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:think it's about sophmore album blues. them wanting to remain treu to what they are and do what they want, the industry people (and the media) wanting themto focus on image or something else along those lines. ("whose culture is this or does anybody know") and the 2nd verse...maybe the reference to tennessee williams is meant to be about how they want to do music that;s meaningful, like tennessee's work, but others want them to do stuff that's more popular, light, and fun. "but that's and ending that i can't write, cause i've got you to let me down".to me the "you" is the industry people andthe media,etc. love this song (my favorite strokes song) listen to it multiple times every day right when i get home from work.
    Flag atlantastrokesloveron June 28, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:ok, i agree that the song is about the sophmore album blues. u know, when an artist/band gets to be really well-liked and suddenly all the industry people want to focus more on image and popularity than quality music.the 1st verse fits that really well, particularly the countdown part and "who's culture is this or does anybody know". as for the 2nd verse...maybe he's trying to say that they want to do meaningful music that they like and as long as the 5b of them like ti that's all they care about, but there are all these forces trying to mold them into something they're not. That could be why he refers to tennessee williams (wanting to talk about something meaningful,like tennessee's work) and that may be what's meant by the "but that;s and ending that i can't write, cause i've got you to let me down". maybe the "you" is al the industry people. this is just one person's opinion,however. anyway, this is my favorite strokes song of all. listen to it every day. 1st thing i do when i get home is play it- twice.
    Flag atlantastrokesloveron June 28, 2010   Link
  • +3
    General Comment:The line "Oh Tennessee, what did you write?" is definitely referring to Tennessee Williams and, more specifically, to his play 'The Night of the Iguana'

    In the next line ("I come together in the middle of the night"), Julian is comparing himself to the character Lawrence Shannon, a shamed priest. After Lawrence suffers a nervous breakdown, Hannah comes to his aid and offers him advice in the middle of the night.

    The next two lines ("But that's an ending that I can't write cos I've got you to let me down") are a reference to the end of the play where Lawrence tears the cross from his neck, metaphorically freeing himself of the ties of the church that have caused him so much stress. The fact that Julian "can't write" that ending shows that he is unable to free himself from what it is that is stressing him out (which, given the context of the rest of the song, is probably a recently ended relationship).
    Flagged thediscobiscuiton June 09, 2010   Link

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