Over My Shoulder

Album: Beggar On A Beach Of Gold (1995)
Charted: 12
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Written by group leader Mike Rutherford and the song's vocalist Paul Carrack, "Over My Shoulder" is one of the biggest UK hits for Mike + The Mechanics. The song is about a guy who is looking back as his girl leaves him.
  • There is a great deal of lyrical dissonance in this song, as it's a very happy tune with heart-rending lyrics:

    Cutting me up, deeper and deeper
    Fills me with a sadness that I can't hide


    In a Songfacts interview with Mike Rutherford, he said: "It's a weird song 'Over My Shoulder.' It was a huge hit in Europe and didn't quite happen in America. It's a sort of silly song, because there're nothing much to it. It's more about the drum machine and the guitars and the sound because the words are a little sad actually. But the song doesn't feel sad. When you play it on stage everyone's very up, so it's a funny mixture.

    But it's such a unique song. I'm not saying it's good or bad, it's just often solidifying. It's a sort of foolish song really, but it seems to connect with the crowd."
  • Paul Carrack does some whistling on this song. He put that in as a placeholder for what was to be a saxophone or guitar solo, but when Rutherford heard it, he decided to leave it in.

Comments: 3

  • Susie from Emsworth U.k.Loved it then, love it now. Fabulous.
  • E Jones from Carmarthen Carrack's whistling interlude is up there with the mouth organ work that Stevie Wonder did on the Eurythmics There must be an angel playing with my heart, Fantastic.
  • Mitchell from Liverpool, UkThis became the first hit for Mike and the Mechanics to be co-written by their singer Paul Carrack. Although it didn't reach the UK top 10, it seems to still get played on the radio quite a lot.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Jon Foreman of Switchfoot

Jon Foreman of SwitchfootSongwriter Interviews

Switchfoot's frontman and main songwriter on what inspires the songs and how he got the freedom to say exactly what he means.

Adele

AdeleFact or Fiction

Despite her reticent personality, Adele's life and music are filled with intrigue. See if you can spot the true tales.

Lori McKenna

Lori McKennaSongwriter Interviews

Lori's songs have been recorded by Faith Hill and Sara Evans. She's performed on the CMAs and on Oprah. She also has five kids.

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)Songwriter Interviews

Before "Rap" was a form of music, it was something guys did to pick up girls in nightclubs. Donnie talks about "The Rapper" and reveals the identity of Leah.

Dave Edmunds

Dave EdmundsSongwriter Interviews

A renowned guitarist and rock revivalist, Dave took "I Hear You Knocking" to the top of the UK charts and was the first to record Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk."

Andy McClusky of OMD

Andy McClusky of OMDSongwriter Interviews

Known in America for the hit "If You Leave," OMD is a huge influence on modern electronic music.