Can’t live, if living is without you/
I can’t give, I can’t give any more.

Apparently, in “Without You”, Harry Nilsson had a fight with his lover. When she left that night, she said everything was fine, but he could tell everything was not okay. He thinks about a potential future without her and he realizes “I can’t live, if living is without you.” At the same time, he can’t give any more of himself. Nothing else is resolved in the song. He can’t be without her, but he can’t give any more of himself. They are at an impasse.

The tempo and volume of the piano and Nilsson’s voice start of so low in the beginning…almost as if he is about to cry. By the end of the song he is singing the same words, but screaming them out to the heavens futilely, as if he is at a loss for what to do. This dynamic range coupled with the great melody make for a memorable song.

Without You Lyrics

No, I can’t forget this evening,
Or your face as you were leaving.
But I guess that’s just the way the story goes.
You always smile but in your eyes your sorrow shows;
Yes, it shows.

No, I can’t forget tomorrow,
When I think of all my sorrows.
When I had you there but then I let you go;
And now it’s only fair that I should let you know,
What you should know.

I can’t live, if living is without you.
I can’t live, I can’t give any more.
Can’t live, if living is without you,
I can’t give, I can’t give any more.

Well, I can’t forget this evening,
Or your face as you were leaving,
But I guess that’s just the way the story goes.
You always smile but in your eyes your sorrow shows;
Yes, it shows.

Can’t live, if living is without you.
I can’t live, I can’t give anymore.
I can’t live, if living is without you,
I can’t live, I can’t give anymore.
(Living is without you).

Songwriters: Peter William Ham / Thomas Evans

Running in circles; coming up tails/
Heads on a science apart.

That line above is really good. A guy is trying to decide how to fix a relationship he screwed up (and seems to be continuing to screw up), his thought is to flip a coin, if it comes up tails go talk to her, heads he’ll be silent and hope she comes to him. This man is clearly using “reason” the wrong way, so calling him “The Scientist” is facetious-nor is this “coin-flipping” meant to be literal.

It is a good device to show that he is using all the wrong tools to connect with this girl (his own reason) and it is clearly failing. In the beginning of the relationship things were much better, now they are strained.

“The Scientist” has one of the most famous introductory piano parts in a pop song. It is a great piano song. Does anyone else think of Gwyneth (in her prime—pre-goop) when they hear this? It has the typical Coldplay structure, it starts out slow and builds into more instruments as more verses go by. It is a winning formula.

Martin’s voice is especially good. Interestingly, he begins to almost howl at the end of the song as if his words are betraying him but he still has things to communicate. And he does communicate a lot during that coda. It is very heartfelt.

The Scientist Lyrics

Come up to meet you
Tell you I’m sorry
You don’t know how lovely you are
I had to find you
Tell you I need you
Tell you I set you apart

Tell me your secrets
And ask me your questions
Oh, let’s go back to the start
Running in circles, coming up tails
Heads on a science apart

Nobody said it was easy
It’s such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Oh, take me back to the start

I was just guessing at numbers and figures
Pulling your puzzles apart
Questions of science, science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart

Tell me you love me
Come back and haunt me
Oh, and I rush to the start
Running in circles, chasing our tails
Coming back as we are

Nobody said it was easy
Oh, it’s such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be so hard
I’m going back to the start

Songwriters: Christopher Anthony John Martin / Guy Rupert Berryman / Jonathan Mark Buckland / William Champion

I’m sorry I don’t understand/
Where all of this is coming from/
I thought that we were fine.

“Just Give Me A Reason” is about two people failing to communicate, thus creating problems in their relationship where there might not otherwise be any. The problems are caused by a seemingly insecure woman.

The girl thinks she hears her guy talking in his sleep about things that he doesn’t talk to her about. Her mind begins to run wild thinking about possible problems between them. Is he hiding something from her? Has he tired of her? He responds with the great line above.

Luckily, the guy sounds pretty patient. He tells her it’s all in her mind and he feels confident in their love (“my dear we still have everything”). But her suspicions are now causing her to turn away from him. Then she asks him to give her a reason to keep trying in the relationship. She sounds a bit crazy. Or at the very least she catastrophes everything. He seems to remain steadfast. Perhaps we can all relate to both partners at some point or another.

The vocals are great and the duet structure works well, as the two are having a conversation and it is appropriate that there be two voices. This song was written by Pink and Nate Ruess, the lead singer for Fun. Great melody, meaning and song structure.

Just Give Me A Reason Lyrics

Right from the start
You were a thief, you stole my heart
And I your willing victim
I let you see the parts of me, that weren’t all that pretty
And with every touch you fixed them
Now you’ve been talking in your sleep oh oh
Things you never say to me oh oh
Tell me that you’ve had enough
Of our love, our love

Just give me a reason, just a little bit’s enough
Just a second we’re not broken just bent, and we can learn to love again
It’s in the stars, it’s been written in the scars on our hearts
We’re not broken just bent, and we can learn to love again

I’m sorry I don’t understand
Where all of this is coming from
I thought that we were fine (Oh we had everything)
Your head is running wild again
My dear we still have everythin’
And it’s all in your mind (Yeah but this is happenin’)
You’ve been havin’ real bad dreams oh oh
You used to lie so close to me oh oh
There’s nothing more than empty sheets between our love, our love
Oh our love, our love

Just give me a reason, just a little bit’s enough
Just a second we’re not broken just bent and we can learn to love again
I never stop, you’re still written in the scars on my heart
You’re not broken just bent and we can learn to love again

Oh tear ducts and rust
I’ll fix it for us
We’re collecting dust, but our love’s enough
You’re holding it in
You’re pouring a drink
No nothing is as bad as it seems
We’ll come clean

Just give me a reason just a little bit’s enough
Just a second we’re not broken just bent and we can learn to love again
It’s in the stars, it’s been written in the scars on our hearts
That we’re not broken just bent and we can learn to love again

Just give me a reason, just a little bit’s enough
Just a second we’re not broken just bent, and we can learn to love again
It’s in the stars, it’s been written in the scars on our hearts
That we’re not broken just bent, and we can learn to love again

Oh we can learn to love again
Oh we can learn to love again oh oh
Oh that we’re not broken just bent and we can learn to love again

Songwriters: Alecia Moore / Jeff Bhasker / Nate Ruess