It Doesn't Mean a Thing

Album: All At Once (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Airborne leader Mikel Jollett grew up as a poor child of itinerant hippie parents and his upbringing has had an effect on his songwriting. This song is about his father. Jollet told Spinner about his folks: "My dad did three years in Chino before I was born and when he got out, he got clean. He was on heroin and stole credit cards, all this s--t, but he cleaned up. A lot of people don't and since I was born, he's been clean.

    He has this way of thinking about life where it's just like 'If something's not good then just move the f--k down the road. Pack up and move to the next spot.' He's always sort of seen it that way. A lot of parents put a lot of head-trips on their kids that they've got to be a certain person to make their dads proud, like somebody spends all this time going to law school but they don't want to be a lawyer. I never felt that way for a minute. My parents were glad I did graduate from high school, but there was always a sense of 'Here's the world, do what you're gonna do. Try to do something important, stick around family, don't be an a-----e, maintain some humility and if your situation gets f--ked up, move down the road.'"

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Tom Bailey of Thompson Twins

Tom Bailey of Thompson TwinsSongwriter Interviews

Tom stopped performing Thompson Twins songs in 1987, in part because of their personal nature: "Hold Me Now" came after an argument with his bandmate/girlfriend Alannah Currie.

Name the Character in the Song

Name the Character in the SongMusic Quiz

With a few clues (Works at a diner, dreams of running away), can you name the character in the song?

The Truth Is Out There: A History of Alien Songs

The Truth Is Out There: A History of Alien SongsSong Writing

The trail runs from flying saucer songs in the '50s, through Bowie, blink-182 and Katy Perry.

Jethro Tull

Jethro TullFact or Fiction

Stage urinals, flute devices, and the real Aqualung in this Fact or Fiction.

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney Princesses

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney PrincessesSong Writing

From "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to "Let It Go" - how Disney princess songs (and the women who sing them) have evolved.

Ed Roland of Collective Soul

Ed Roland of Collective SoulSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Shine," "December," "The World I Know" and other Collective Soul hits.