Everything But The Girl

Songwriter: Ben Watt

Producer: Tommy LiPuma

[Verse 1]
You packed your books last week
You break with the past tonight
I hope you find some beach house on the coast out there
With plenty of light

[Chorus]
'Cause I know the road is very long
But in my head I'll always hold your song
And I'll keep a good thought for you
And I'll keep a good thought for you

[Verse 2]
You left us "The Best of Frank"
And on the back you signed your name
"One For My Baby"
Was underlined again

[Chorus]
Now I know the road is very long
But in my head I'll always hold your song
And I'll keep a good thought for you
If you're lonely think of me
And I'll keep a good thought for you
If you're lonely think of me

[Stan Getz Sax Solo]

[Verse 3]
There's a couple you knew quite well
They moved away last spring
And though he can't find suits
They don't miss much of anything

[Chorus]
They're raising a baby now
At least that's one gift that this world allows
And I'll keep a good thought for you
And I'll keep a good thought for you
'Cause I know the road is very long
But in my head I'll always hold your song
And I'll keep a good thought for you
If you're lonely think of me
And I'll keep a good thought for you
If you're lonely think of me
And I'll keep a good thought for you

Originating at the turn of the 1980s as a leader of the lite-jazz movement, Everything but the Girl became an unlikely success story more than a decade later, emerging at the vanguard of the fusion between pop and electronica.

Founded in 1982 by Hull University students Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt, the duo took their name from a sign placed in the window of a local furniture shop, which claimed “for your bedroom needs, we sell everything but the girl.” At the time of their formation, both vocalist Thorn and songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Watt were already signed independently to the Cherry Red label; Thorn was a member of the sublime Marine Girls, while Watt had issued several solo singles and also collaborated with Robert Wyatt.

Everything but the Girl debuted in 1982 with a samba interpretation of Cole Porter’s “Night and Day”; the single was a success on the U.K. independent charts, but the duo nonetheless went on hiatus as Thorn recorded a solo EP, A Distant Shore, while Watt checked in with the full-length North Marine Drive in 1983. EBTG soon reunited to record a cover of the Jam’s “English Rose” for an NME sampler; the track so impressed former Jam frontman Paul Weller that he invited the duo to contribute to the 1984 LP Cafe Bleu, the debut from his new project, the Style Council.

more tracks from the album

The Language of Life

From the album

The Language of Life (1990)

Everything But The Girl popular songs

The RoadEverything But The Girl

Everything But The Girl

The Language of Life