It’s an understatement to say that CeeLo Green had all of us shaking to our core when he released his iconic 2010 bop “Fuck You!” I was a very gay fifth grader, and the most scandalous lyrics I had ever heard were “I wanna take a ride on your disco stick” off of my deluxe two-disc edition of Lady Gaga’s The Fame Monster. But enough of the Gaga sentimentality. I thought I’d take a trip down memory lane and close read the fuck out of “Fuck You!”
“Fuck You!” by CeeLo Green
See you driving ’round town
With the girl I love and I’m like
Fuck you
Can’t relate to this blatant depiction of heterosexuality but can relate to the experience of unrequited love! (Yikes.)
Yeah I’m sorry, I can’t afford a Ferrari
But that don’t mean I can’t get you there
I guess he’s an Xbox, and I’m more Atari
But the way you play your game ain’t fair
As a uni student living in Toronto, I definitely can relate, and I emphasize that the financial struggle is REAL. I also really like the use of game consoles to represent that love is a game (Gaga is quivering) and that his heart is being played. Although he’s trying to downplay the Atari by representing himself as something that is old and outdated, I would argue that the classic games from this console provide an invaluable timelessness and sense of nostalgia that can’t be replicated through the conventional Xbox console. CeeLo, you’re doing great, sweetie.
And although there’s pain in my chest
I still wish you the best with a
Fuck you
We love an endlessly supportive king! I can really feel his heartache in this chorus, but like, pain in the chest is not good and I hope he sought medical attention!
I think it’s safe to say that CeeLo Green is the song-writing king of heartache and spite we don’t deserve. I don’t know where he is now, but honestly, he deserves the world (and a really big hug). And to whoever did him dirty like that, FUCK YOU!!!
Citation: Green, CeeLo. “Fuck You.” The Lady Killer, The Smeezingtons, 19 Aug. 2010.