electronic :: songs :: twisted tenderness

(electronic)

you must think that i’m a fool
this twisted tenderness just leaves me cool
you’ve got me in a mess, you know it’s true
out in the wilderness, here without you

right outside it’s a cruel world
something’s happening, it’s distracting
you’re just bad news, girl

never let that feeling die
all you’ve got to do is tell a little lie
tell a little lie, tell a little lie
don’t you know it’s true

i will never let you down
spread this message all around
that i hope and that i pray
you could turn my life around

take a look out there
we’re under house arrest and you don’t care
we could always be friends
but you were careless, right ’til the end

i feel guilty, oh it’s such a shame
it’s frustrating, it’s a sad thing
and there’s no-one else to blame

never let that feeling die
all you’ve got to do is tell a little lie
tell a little lie, tell a little lie
don’t you know it’s true

i won’t ever let you down
spread this message all around
that i hope and that i pray
you won’t take my love to town

tell a little lie, tell a little lie
that’s all you have to do, is tell a little lie
tell a little lie, tell a little lie
don’t you know it’s true

right outside it’s a cruel world
something’s happening, it’s distracting
you’re just bad news, girl

never let that feeling die
all you’ve got to do is tell a little lie
tell a little lie, tell a little lie
don’t you know it’s true

i won’t ever let you down
spread this message all around
that i hope and that i pray
you won’t take my love to town

tell a little lie, tell a little lie
it’s all you have to do, is tell a little lie
tell a little lie, tell a little lie
don’t you know it’s true

don’t you know it’s true
hey, don’t you know it’s true
don’t you know it’s true
hey, don’t you know it’s true

don’t you know it’s true
don’t you know it’s true
don’t you know it’s true
don’t you know that it’s true

album version—5:29

twisted tenderness
twisted tenderness::deluxe
get the message: the best of

tragically, the urgent centrepiece and title track of electronic’s third lp was never released as a single; the only place it was featured prominently was the twisted tenderness::deluxe promo. bernard sumner: “we wrote twisted tenderness on guitar. we got it programmed and we started playing it on the synthesizer, and it turned into a dance tune and sounded fucking great.” musically and lyrically dazzling, it would have complemented the first single vivid very well and certainly performed on the singles chart—backed by king for a day and warning sign, it would also have been the ultimate electronic single. but it wasn’t to be.