Matthew Sweet – Girlfriend

When I first heard this song I thought of Jimi Hendrix a little with the intro and then it dissolved into one of the best power pop songs of the 1990s.  The song has a little of everything… noisy guitar, loud drums but with a pop melody. Just like I thought with Lone Justice and some others…I just knew he would be cranking out hits for the rest of his career. He has cranked out some great songs but not many hits…but that is ok.

Great power pop song by Matthew Sweet. The song reached #4 on the US Alternative Chart in 1991. This was the title cut-off of his 3rd album…it was Sweet’s breakthrough album.

The song and the album were written during a bad period in Sweet’s life, following his divorce. The themes of longing, heartache, and new beginnings pervade the lyrics, reflecting his personal struggles and growth.

The video featured scenes from the 1980s anime Space Adventure Cobra, which caught viewers’ attention and became famous in its own right. The success of Girlfriend helped establish Matthew Sweet as a power pop alternative figure in the 1990s.

A trivia question…who is that girl on the album cover? I know it because I watched a certain older show recently.

Here is some sad news about Sweet right now from https://variety.com/2024/music/news/matthew-sweet-stroke-tour-gofundme-1236187225/

Singer-songwriter Matthew Sweet suffered a debilitating stroke while on tour in mid-October, it was revealed on Tuesday, when a representative for his management company posted a fundraising appeal on GoFundMe to support his recovery.

Sweet had been out on tour opening for the group Hanson when he was stricken in Toronto Oct. 12, in advance of a date that was to have taken place there the following night.

Catherine Lyons, who represents Sweet at Russell Carter Artist Management, posted the GoFundMe on Tuesday afternoon, with a stated goal of raising $250,000 for the rocker’s medical care. The effort got off to a good start. As of 6 p.m. PT Tuesday, about 770 individuals had contributed almost $50,000, and by 8 p.m., it was up to $85,000 from 1,400 donors.

Girlfriend

I wanna love somebody
I hear you need somebody to love
Oh, I wanna love somebody
I hear you’re looking for someone to love

‘Cause you need to
Be back in the arms of a good friend
And I need to
Be back in the arms of a girlfriend

I didn’t know nobody
And then I saw you coming my way
Oh, I didn’t know nobody
And then I saw you coming my way

Don’t you need to
Be back in the arms of a good friend?
Oh, ’cause, honey, believe me
I’d sure love to call you my girlfriend

Alright

Don’t you need to
Be back in the arms of a good friend?
Oh, ’cause, honey, believe me
I’d sure love to call you my girlfriend

‘Cause you got a good thing going, baby
You only need somebody to love
Oh, you got a good thing going
You’re only looking for someone to love

‘Cause you need to
Get back in the arms of a good friend

And I’m never gonna set you free
No, I’m never gonna set you free

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

27 thoughts on “Matthew Sweet – Girlfriend”

  2. Yes that’s terrible recent news about him.
    I don’t blame you for thinking of Jimi Hendrix a little at the beginning. I also couldn’t shake from my senses Jefferson Airplane’s ‘Somebody to Love’ in terms of the lyrics and melody. Good song. Cheers Max.

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  5. That was a really good song. It’s been a long time since I’ve checked out any Matthew Sweet, probably was back in the mid 90’s last I’ve heard him. And that’s awful news about him, best wishes to him.

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  6. man that is sad news indeed, first I knew of it. We can all hope and pray he will be able to recover in time and get back to doing what he loves – performing. Current estimate as of this morning on NBC’s website say $150 000 has been collected.
    a great artist. I don’t know I’d compare him to Jimi H talent-wise, but you know me and my aversion to in-your-face showoffs, so for the most part I’d rather listen to an hour of Matthew than Jimi. He had some good albums in the ’90s and you know I love his works with Susanna Hoffs

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    1. No I wasn’t comparing him to Jimi Hendrix…that intro though along with the drums sound like Hendrix…
      Well they are completely different…power pop to blues/rock/jazz…
      I like Sweet a lot though and yea…I do hope he gets better…that is awful.

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  10. Good song, as you say Max, nice mix of Hendrixy intro then move into a good fast song, and a dash of Hendrix sound thrown in through it. Hope he recovers- and that funding page is where I can see some benefit of social media.

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  11. I read that a few weeks back about him having a stroke. Goes to show you how important gigs are to these artists. Buy merch,vinyl, CDs whatever they’re selling as it supports them direct.

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  13. Pingback: Matthew Sweet – Girlfriend – MobsterTiger

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