Give Me Back My Song
One of my favorite songs is the B-52's "Give Me Back My Man." I always thought it was a great torch song--a genre not often heard in the world of punk and new wave.
But now I see on Wikipedia it's actually about a women who's literally lost her guy to a man-eating shark. I dont know, maybe. I'll admit, it does fit the words. Judge for yourself.
posted by LAGuy @ 1:58 AM
6 Comments:
This is why it's good for songwriters not to explain what their song is about. It allows listeners to make up their own interpretation.
Before looking them up:
Why won't you fish?
I, I'll give you candy,
I'll give you more --
Anything to have and to hold.
(Or maybe "Anything you happen to have.")
LAGuy: If you have evidence for the shark explanation, you probably should add it to the Wikipedia page on the song, here.
There is another version of the story that I just found on Wikipedia, which says that Cindy Wilson actually lost her boyfriend to a shark, but another W. editor deleted it because it was unsubstantiated: see here.
Interesting how you heard that.
As you now probably know, the actual lines are:
I'll give you fish,
I'll give you candy,
I'll give you
Everything I have in my hand
Of course, this being the B-52's, certain words are elongated and inflected in strange ways.
I can certainly see this as an offer to a shark to let go of a boyfriend (though other lines don't fit as well). Some fans I've read on the internet have suggested it's actually about sex and drugs.
I am Candy from Give Me Back My Man. Cindy Wilson broke up with Keith Bennett, and he was heartbroken. A friend suggested we get together, and then Cindy decided she wanted her man back. She succeeded; they are married.
Amazing if true.
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