Don't Mean Nothing

Album: Richard Marx (1987)
Charted: 78 3
Play Video
  • Welcome to the big time, you're bound to be a star
    And even if you don't go all the way, I know that you'll go far
    This race is for rats, it can turn you upside down
    Ain't no one you can count on in this sleazy little town

    Oh, no, lots of promises in the dark
    Don't you open your heart

    'Cause it don't mean nothin', the words that they say
    No, don't mean nothin', these games that people play
    No, it don't mean nothin', no victim, no crime
    No, don't mean nothin' till you sign it on that dotted line

    The director smiles as you walk in the door
    He says, "I love your work, babe
    But you're just not what we're looking for"
    It's never what but who it is you know
    So easy to get stuck in all that California snow

    Oh no, take a good look around and you'll find
    People tryin' to mess with your mind

    But it don't mean nothin', the words that they say
    No, don't mean nothin', these games that people play
    No, it don't mean nothin', no victim, no crime
    No, don't mean nothin' till you sign it on that dotted line

    Hollywood can be so lonely, make you the winner of a losing fight
    But the party is never over 'cause stars are always shining
    Doesn't matter if it's day or night

    The producer says, "Let me change a line or two"
    And a little bit of something can look awfully good to you
    And you want to scream, but you gotta keep it all inside
    When you're trying to make a living there ain't no such thing as pride

    Oh no, lots of promises in the dark
    Don't you open your heart

    'Cause it don't mean nothin', the words that they say
    No, I don't mean nothin', these games that people play
    No, it don't mean nothin', no victim, no crime
    No, I don't mean nothin' till you sign it on that dotted line

    Don't mean nothing
    Don't mean nothing
    Don't mean nothing

    Don't mean nothing
    Don't mean nothing
    Don't mean nothing Writer/s: BRUCE GAITSCH, RICHARD MARX, RICHARD N. MARX
    Publisher: BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC , Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 6

  • Allen Rose from RomeThe line in that Richard Marx song is, it’s never what but who it is you know it’s so easy to get stuck in all that California snow.
  • Maury The Jew from Michigangee thanks christine...such a complicated topic...

    not what but who....what...??
  • Christine from Central New YorkKeith from Connersville: the lyric is "it's never what, but WHO it you know". In other words, it's not what you know but WHO you know that will get you somewhere.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn July 11th, 1987, Richard Marx performed "Don't Mean Nothing" on the Dick Clark ABC-TV network Saturday-afternoon program 'American Bandstand'...
    At the time the song was at #33 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; seven weeks later it would peak at #3 {for 1 week} and it spent 21 weeks on the Top 100...
    And on June 28th, 1987 it reached #1 {for 2 weeks} on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart...
    Between 1987 and 1998 he had eighteen records on the Hot Top 100 chart; nine made the Top 10 with three* reaching #1, "Hold On to the Nights" for 1 week in 1988, "Satisfied" for 1 week in 1989, and "Right Here Waiting" for 3 weeks in 1989...
    Richard Noel Marx will celebrate his 54th birthday in two months on September 16th, 2017...
    * He just missed having a fourth #1 record when "Endless Summer Nights" peaked at #2 {for 2 weeks} in 1988, the two weeks it was at #2, the #1 record for both those weeks was "Man In The Mirror" by Michael Jackson...
  • Keith from Connersville Indiana I'm pretty sure that the lyric is and you never worked not it's a never what... What does that even mean.
  • Jim from Long Beach, CaI love the Joe Walsh guitar solo on this..
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Band Names

Band NamesFact or Fiction

Was "Pearl" Eddie Vedder's grandmother, and did she really make a hallucinogenic jam? Did Journey have a contest to name the group? And what does KISS stand for anyway?

Producer Ron Nevison

Producer Ron NevisonSong Writing

Ron Nevison explains in very clear terms the Quadrophenia concept and how Heart staged their resurgence after being dropped by their record company.

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?

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman Jack

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman JackSong Writing

The story of the legendary lupine DJ through the songs he inspired.

Gary Brooker of Procol Harum

Gary Brooker of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer and pianist for Procol Harum, Gary talks about finding the musical ideas to match the words.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces