I’m currently showcasing each track from my newest album, Broken Heart, in a “behind the song” blog series. I hope some listeners find it interesting or helpful. “He Doesn’t Know” is the fourth track. For convenience, the lyrics and YouTube & Spotify streams are at the bottom of this post.
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This one is pretty simple and self-explanatory, and it didn’t involve as much playful experimentation as most of the other songs, either lyrically or musically. I’m not sure if that will make it more or less appealing to people, but we’ll see.
It’s basically looking at the same unrequited love situation from a slightly different angle, and maybe a bit more plainly and straightforwardly than the previous songs. The verses detail the reasons that the narrator fell in love (charisma, perceived compatibility) along with their doubts, and then the choruses lament the lack of reciprocation.
It’s not one of my favorite songs because like I said it lacks the creative oomph, but on the other hand I also think there’s something to be said for simplicity and straightforwardness. Sometimes describing your experience in very plain terms, without even directly mentioning the emotions, can be the most emotionally effective. Short, sweet, simple, and straightforward, but not necessarily for the worse!
LYRICS
He’s got a special air about him
He just walks in the door and commands the room
I can’t imagine life without him
But that’s exactly what the world expects me to do
He doesn’t know, he doesn’t care
He doesn’t need me
And it’s all wrong, and it’s unfair
Why won’t he see me?
No one else can live up to our conversations
No other pair of people get along so well
But then it all must have been my imagination
Because he rode off into the sunset with someone else