Don’t let on, don’t say she broke my heart/
I’d go down on my knees but it’s no good to pine.

The musicianship in The Herman’s Hermits’ “Mrs. Brown (You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter)” is rather minimalist but the rich melody and great story make for a great song. The author goes to his ex-girlfriends house to return the things of hers that she left at his house because she broke up with him. Her mom opens the door…

And thus, we hear the exchange between the narrator and Mrs. Brown. Herman likes Mrs. Brown, and tells her the truth about his feelings of heartbreak, but he asks her not to tell her daughter that her daughter broke his heart. He knows she no longer loves him…and its no good to pine!

“Mrs Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter” works because it is kind of sweet and speaks of the end of a young love. We feel like the narrator will be back on the saddle in no time—with a woman who loves him. He sounds earnest and genuinely caring about Mrs Brown and her daughter.

The song is very well written and beautifully performed by the Herman’s Hermits–an underrated band from the 60s. Notice the seamless transition between bridge and verse. They go together perfectly. I think the melody of this song is great and I think this is a prime candidate for a cover.

Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter Lyrics

Mrs. Brown you’ve got a lovely daughter.
Girls as sharp as her are somethin’ rare.
But it’s sad, she doesn’t love me now,
She’s made it clear enough it ain’t no good to pine.

She wants to return those things I bought her.
Tell her she can keep them just the same.
Things have changed, she doesn’t love me now,
She’s made it clear enough it ain’t no good to pine.

Walkin’ about, even in a crowd, well
You’ll pick her out, makes a bloke feel so proud.

If she finds that I’ve been round to see you (round to see you),
Tell her that I’m well and feelin’ fine (feelin’ fine).
Don’t let on, don’t say she broke my heart,
I’d go down on my knees but it’s no good to pine.

Walkin’ about, even in a crowd, well
You’ll pick her out, makes a bloke feel so proud.

If she finds that I’ve been round to see you (round to see you)
Tell her that I’m well and feelin’ fine (feelin’ fine).
Don’t let on, don’t say she broke my heart;
I’d go down on my knees but it’s no good to pine.

Mrs. Brown you’ve got a lovely daughter (lovely daughter).
Mrs. Brown you’ve got a lovely daughter (lovely daughter).
Mrs. Brown you’ve got a lovely daughter (lovely daughter).
Mrs. Brown you’ve got a lovely daughter (lovely daughter).

Songwriters: Trevor Peacock

I like to see you/
But then again/
That doesn’t mean you mean that much to me.

When an author tells us “I’m not in love” over and over, is this a case of “Thou Doth Protesteth Too Much”? That is, is he really in love, and he is just trying to convince himself he isn’t? Perhaps. That seems to be the case in 10cc’s “I’m Not in Love”.

The narrator is telling someone–we’re not sure who–(maybe himself?) that he really isn’t in love with this girl.  The sad vibe that the song evokes tells us that this is probably a story of unrequited love.

10cc’s “I’m Not in Love” is experimental in so many ways. The most obvious is the “big boys don’t cry” solo break. Usually, an instrumental solo would go here. I’ll leave it to the reader to imagine if that would have been a better option. This is certainly more memorable.

Also noteworthy is the “voices” sound-looping technology. At the time it was relatively new. It sounds similar to if you choose “voices” or “choir” on your keyboard, but it is actually them overdubbing loops of themselves singing the notes. Crazy. This helps to create 10cc’s one of a kind sound in “I’m Not in Love”.

I’m Not In Love Lyrics

I’m not in love,
So don’t forget it.
It’s just a silly phase I’m going through.
And just because
I call you up,
Don’t get me wrong, don’t think you’ve got it made.
I’m not in love, no no, it’s because…

I like to see you,
But then again,
That doesn’t mean you mean that much to me.
So if I call you,
Don’t make a fuss.
Don’t tell your friends about the two of us.
I’m not in love, no no, it’s because…

(Be quiet. Big boys don’t cry.)

I keep your picture
Upon the wall,
It hides a nasty stain that’s lying there.
So don’t you ask me
To give it back,
I know you know it doesn’t mean that much to me.
I’m not in love, no no, it’s because…

Ooh you’ll wait a long time for me,
Ooh you’ll wait a long time.
Ooh you’ll wait a long time for me,
Ooh you’ll wait a long time.

I’m not in love,
So don’t forget it,
It’s just a silly phase I’m going through.
And just because, I call you up,
Don’t get me wrong, don’t think you’ve got it made.
I’m not in love,
I’m not in love.

written by Eric Stewart / Graham Gouldman

Don’t speak, I know just what you’re sayin’/
So please stop explainin’/
Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts.

Gwen Stephani has had several hits both as a solo artist and in No Doubt, but “Don’t Speak” was her masterpiece. It’s about two lovers and best friends who are breaking up, and the emotional turmoil that follows.

She doesn’t want to hear the reasons why he doesn’t want to be with her anymore. Anything he says will only hurt her more. She understands already, so hush. Her typical wailing vocals go good with this song, because it is about a woman who is becoming undone by hearing horrible news. It matches her personal vocal style perfectly.

The instrumentation is great, as is the melody. The melody in the verse, chorus and bridge are very different, but add up to make a coherent package. A good choice is made for the solo. Rather than a wailing electric guitar solo, they go for a nylon string acoustic guitar with muted trumpets in the background. It sounds sad and solemn, which is exactly what this song is going for.

Gwen’s contribution to 1990s fashion was incredible. She was the trend setter in fashion, but “Don’t Speak” shows she could also rock. Interestingly, this song started off very differently. For the first few years of its existence, it was a love song and had different lyrics. When she broke up with her boyfriend, bassist Tony Kanal, the song became the classic, seething breakup song it is now. Compare the lyrics with the original lyrics below:

Don’t Speak Lyrics

You and me, we used to be together
Every day together, always
I really feel that I’m losin’ my best friend
I can’t believe this could be the end
It looks as though you’re lettin’ go
And if it’s real, well, I don’t want to know

Don’t speak, I know just what you’re sayin’
So please stop explainin’
Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts
Don’t speak, I know what you’re thinkin’
I don’t need your reasons
Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts

Our memories, well, they can be inviting
But some are altogether mighty frightening
As we die, both you and I
With my head in my hands, I sit and cry

Don’t speak, I know just what you’re sayin’
So please stop explainin’
Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts, no, no, no
Don’t speak, I know what you’re thinkin’
And I don’t need your reasons
Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts

It’s all ending
We gotta stop pretending
Who we are

You and me
I can see us dyin’
Aren’t we?

Don’t speak, I know just what you’re sayin’
So please stop explainin’
Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts
No, no, don’t speak, I know what you’re thinkin’
And I don’t need your reasons
Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts

Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts
I know what you’re sayin’
So please stop explainin’
Don’t speak, don’t speak
Don’t speak, no
I know what you’re thinkin’
And I don’t need your reasons
I know you’re good, I know you’re good
I know you’re real good, oh
La, la, la, la
La, la, la, la
Don’t, don’t, ooh, ooh
Hush, hush, darling
Hush, hush, darling
Hush, hush
Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts
Hush, hush, darling
Hush, hush, darling
Hush, hush
Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts

Don’t Speak (Original Lyrics)
I can see it all in an eye blink.
I know everything about how you are.
I understand exactly how you think.
Between you and me it’s not very far.
Side by side, you and I,
With many, many years behind us,
You let words pass us by.

Because we, we’re always together.
And we, we will be forever.
Such a special treasure,
You and I.

Don’t speak, I know just what you’re saying.
So please stop explaining,
It’s nothing new that I’ve heard.

No need to tell me you’re my best friend,
It doesn’t take wits to know who you are,
The message is so clear that you said-
Written in the stars.

Bye, bye. All days can fly.
And like the birds sing something older.
So do you and I.
Because we, we’re always together and we
Will be forever, such a special treasure,
You and I.

Don’t speak, I know just what you’re saying.
So please stop explaining,
It’s nothing new that I’ve heard.

I mean it sounds so familiar, to fools in the sky.
And are there words so deep between the lies?
It’s just that they were so amazing,
So let us stop pretending who we are.

written by Eric Matthew Stefani / Gwen Renee Stefani