Written by Rod Argent
Recorded by The Zombies
I love everything about zombies. It’s my favorite horror film sub-genre and in general, I’m always rooting for an underdog who refuses to die. But this is a music blog, so today we’re talking about the great Sixties English band, The Zombies. The Zombies contributed a lot of amazing music, but most of them did not have an outstanding bridge like “Tell Her No.” Let’s start with how much I love a song that starts with “And.”
And if she should tell you, "Come closer,"
And if she tempts you with her charms
Tell her no.
It feels like we have entered a conversation in progress between the protagonist and another guy – perhaps he’s a friend and maybe the two are drinking some pints. One friend, a cuckold, drinks to drown his sorrows while the other imbibes in celebration of a new love. The problem is that it’s the same woman who makes our protagonist so sad, and his mate, so happy. After a repetition of the word “no,” the sad friend adds, “Don't hurt me now, for her love belongs to me.” Another round, blokes?
The protagonist continues asking his friend to stay away from this girl, even if she tells him she loves him and tempts him with her charms. But can you blame him for falling for it? It doesn’t seem like advice really helps the situation. After all, the protagonist didn’t even take his own advice, and admits to this in the bridge:
I know she's the kind of girl
Who'd throw my love away
But I still love her so
Don't hurt me now, don't hurt me now
I think it’s clear that soon, the friend will be in this same awful situation. By next week, there might be a third guy, freshly in love, drinking beers with these two. It makes no difference that the protagonist’s final warning is “if she tells you 'I love you,' just remember she said that to me.” Apparently, the protagonist tells his friend “no” sixty-three times in this song – clearly not enough!
There is no shortage of songs like this – Elvis’ “His Latest Flame” immediately jumps to mind. And if she should ask you if there are a lot of songs with better bridges, tell her “no.”
-MJK
Recorded by The Zombies
I love everything about zombies. It’s my favorite horror film sub-genre and in general, I’m always rooting for an underdog who refuses to die. But this is a music blog, so today we’re talking about the great Sixties English band, The Zombies. The Zombies contributed a lot of amazing music, but most of them did not have an outstanding bridge like “Tell Her No.” Let’s start with how much I love a song that starts with “And.”
And if she should tell you, "Come closer,"
And if she tempts you with her charms
Tell her no.
It feels like we have entered a conversation in progress between the protagonist and another guy – perhaps he’s a friend and maybe the two are drinking some pints. One friend, a cuckold, drinks to drown his sorrows while the other imbibes in celebration of a new love. The problem is that it’s the same woman who makes our protagonist so sad, and his mate, so happy. After a repetition of the word “no,” the sad friend adds, “Don't hurt me now, for her love belongs to me.” Another round, blokes?
The protagonist continues asking his friend to stay away from this girl, even if she tells him she loves him and tempts him with her charms. But can you blame him for falling for it? It doesn’t seem like advice really helps the situation. After all, the protagonist didn’t even take his own advice, and admits to this in the bridge:
I know she's the kind of girl
Who'd throw my love away
But I still love her so
Don't hurt me now, don't hurt me now
I think it’s clear that soon, the friend will be in this same awful situation. By next week, there might be a third guy, freshly in love, drinking beers with these two. It makes no difference that the protagonist’s final warning is “if she tells you 'I love you,' just remember she said that to me.” Apparently, the protagonist tells his friend “no” sixty-three times in this song – clearly not enough!
There is no shortage of songs like this – Elvis’ “His Latest Flame” immediately jumps to mind. And if she should ask you if there are a lot of songs with better bridges, tell her “no.”
-MJK
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