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What Ever Happened?

I want to be forgotten
And I don’t want to be reminded
You say “please don’t make this harder”
No, I won’t yet

I wanna be beside her
She wanna be admired
You say “please don’t make this harder”
No, I won’t yet

Oh dear, is it really all true?
Did they offend us and they want it to sound new?
Top ten ideas for countdown shows
Whose culture is this and does anybody know?
I wait and tell myself “life ain’t chess”
But no one comes in and yes, you’re alone…

You don’t miss me, I know

Oh Tennessee, what did you write?
I come together in the middle of the night
Oh that’s an ending that I can’t write, ’cause
I’ve got you to let me down

I want to be forgotten
And I don’t want to be reminded
You say “please don’t make this harder”
No, I won’t yet

I want to be beside her
She wanna be admired
You say “please don’t make this harder”
No, I won’t yet…

Song Notes

“What Ever Happened?” is the opening track on The Strokes’ second album Room On Fire, and kicks off the album’s themes of the band gaining newfound fame and relationships. Tim played the song live acoustically with Emmy the Great at the Tunbridge Wells Forum on November 15, 2009.