1960s songs, breakup songs

#107 Don’t Think Twice- Bob Dylan

We never did too much talkin’ anyway/
But don’t think twice, it’s all right.

In “Don’t Think Twice (It’s Alright)” Dylan has come to the end of another relationship. He is trying to pass it off like he doesn’t hurt—don’t worry about it, don’t think twice. But we get the feeling that it might be more meaningful to him than he lets on. The relationship was very sexual. There are several illusions to that in “Don’t Think Twice”. But there is also the interesting line: “I gave her my heart, but she wanted my soul.” That is a great Dylan line. So, he was clearly emotionally invested.

He also expresses a desire for her to chase after him, or for her to be more hurt about the breakup. We get the feeling that she won’t think twice and that is what got him to think about the title of the song.

The melody of the song is traditional, so if it sounds like you might have heard it before, it is possible. However, by now, Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice” is the standard. This is very early Dylan, and we can hear that his voice sounds very clear and almost as good as it ever did. Note the clarity of his guitar picking. We can tell he is an above-average acoustic guitar player: he strikes the individual strings cleanly while singing and maintaining the rhythm. That is not easy.

Dylan does spiteful breakup songs better than anyone. Here we get just a hint of his true feelings. The message of “Don’t Think Twice” is delivered in a very passive-aggressive manner. Whereas he is thinking “Screw you bitch” it comes out “we never did too much talkin anyway/ but don’t think twice it’s all right.”

Don’t Think Twice Lyrics

It ain’t no use to sit and wonder why, babe
It don’t matter, anyhow
And it ain’t no use to sit and wonder why, babe
If you don’t know by now
When your rooster crows at the breaks of dawn
Look out your window and I’ll be gone
You’re the reason I’m traveling on

Don’t think twice, it’s all right

It ain’t no use in turning on your light, babe
That light I never knowed
And it ain’t no use in turning on your light, babe
I’m on the dark side of the road
But I wish there was somethin’ you would do or say
To try and make me change my mind and stay
We never did too much talking anyway

So don’t think twice, it’s all right
It ain’t no use in calling out my name, gal
Like you never done before
It ain’t no use in calling out my name, gal
I can’t hear you any more
I’m a-thinking and a-wond’rin’ walking down the road
I once loved a woman, a child I’m told
I give her my heart but she wanted my soul

Don’t think twice, it’s all right
So long honey, babe
Where I’m bound, I can’t tell
Goodbye’s too good a word, babe
So I’ll just say fare thee well
I ain’t saying you treated me unkind
You could have done better but I don’t mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
But don’t think twice, it’s all right

written by Bob Dylan

1990s songs, songs about exes

#106 Don’t Look Back in Anger- Oasis

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My soul slides away,
but don’t look back in anger I heard you say.

The narrator in Oasis’ “Don’t Look Back in Anger” passes Sally—his ex-girlfriend—and has a quick conversation with her. She’s unhappy. It seems she regrets breaking up with him. He tells her to truly reflect on her life and things aren’t as bad as she makes them out to be. We don’t get many details.

Oasis

The narrator takes a brief aside to think about how much better his life is now—without Sally. Sally picks up on this, but she mistakes his emotions for anger and tells him “don’t look back in anger”. Most likely he is just looking at her with pity or sadness or ambivalence.

“Don’t Look Back in Anger” has a great melody and a great title…it contains a lesson that we can all do to remember. Oasis’ vocals are sharp and sound very reminiscent of the glory days of The British Invasion in Rock, though their sound is similar to their contemporaries The Verve.

Don’t Look Back in Anger Lyrics

Slip inside the eye of your mind,
Don’t you know you might find
A better place to play.
You said that you’d never been,
But all the things that you’ve seen
Slowly fade away.

So I start a revolution from my bed.
‘Cause you said the brains I had went to my head.
Step outside, summertime’s in bloom.
Stand up beside the fireplace,
Take that look from off your face,
You ain’t ever gonna burn my heart out.

And so Sally can wait,
She knows it’s too late,
As we’re walking on by.
Her soul slides away.
But “Don’t look back in anger”,
I heard you say.

Take me to the place where you go
Where nobody knows,
If it’s night or day.
But please don’t put your life in the hands
Of a rock and roll band,
Who’ll throw it all away.

I’m gonna start a revolution from my bed.
‘Cause you said the brains I had went to my head.
Step outside ’cause summertime’s in bloom.
Stand up beside the fireplace,
Take that look from off your face,
‘Cause you ain’t ever gonna burn my heart out.

And so Sally can wait,
She knows it’s too late,
As she’s walking on by.
My soul slides away.
But “Don’t look back in anger”,
I heard you say.

So Sally can wait,
She knows it’s too late,
As we’re walking on by.
Her soul slides away.
But “Don’t look back in anger”,
I heard you say.

So Sally can wait,
She knows it’s too late,
As she’s walking on by.
My soul slides away.
But “Don’t look back in anger,
Don’t look back in anger”,
I heard you say.
At least not today.

written by Noel Gallagher

1970s songs, looking for love

#105 Going to California- Led Zeppelin

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Tryin’ to find a woman who’s never, never, never been born.

Led Zeppelin begins “Going To California” talking about the woman he left. She was unkind: she smoked all his stuff and drank all his wine. So obviously he needs to find a better woman. So, he heads to California. Maybe literally, maybe not. California is where dreams come true and he is looking for his dream girl.

Some of his friends tell him all women are the same, but he doesn’t believe them…so off he goes. It turns out to be harder to find this woman than he thought it would be. In fact, this dream woman might not exist. But he is going to keep trying.

The guitar combined with the mandolin creates a unique sound that we don’t hear elsewhere from Led Zeppelin, maybe anywhere. It sounds kind of magical. It goes great with the theme of the lyrics. When you combine that with the echo from Plant’s lyrics, it forms a mystical song about the search for love.

The bridge on “Going to California” is pretty crazy. It works, but I could never imagine putting that bridge with this song. While Zeppelin gets critiqued for their tendency to borrow from other bands, this is a unique combination that I don’t think we would hear from any other band. All of these unique pieces combine to make “Going to California” one of Led Zeppelin’s finest songs.

Going To California Lyrics

Spent my days with a woman unkind
Smoked my stuff and drank, all my wine
Made up my mind to make a new start
Going to California with an aching, in my heart
Someone told me there’s a girl out there
With love in her eyes and flowers, in her hair
Took my chances on a big jet plane
Never let ’em tell you that they’re all the same

The sea was red and the sky was grey
Wondered how tomorrow, could ever follow today
The mountains and the canyons start to tremble and shake
As the children of the sun began to awake

Seems that the wrath of the gods
Got a punch on the nose, and it started to flow
I think I might be sinking
Throw me a line, if I reach it in time
I’ll meet you up there where the path runs straight and high

To find a queen without a king
They say she plays guitar and cries and sings…
La la la la
Ride a white mare in the footsteps of dawn
Tryin’ to find a woman who’s never, never, never been born
Standing on a hill in my mountain of dreams
Telling myself it’s not as hard, hard, hard as it seems…

written by Page and Plant

Top 500 Greatest Rock Songs of All-time