No Feelings

Album: Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols (1977)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • On this track, Sex Pistols lead singer Johnny Rotten (John Lydon) creates a self-absorbed character with "no feelings." He said in an interview with Daniel Rachel (The Art of Noise: Conversations with Great Songwriters): "The song is from the idea of someone being completely selfish, which I'm not. I like to imagine being in that frame of mind. I'm insulting myself really. That happens a lot."
  • Performance-wise, the song's biggest challenge is in its wordiness. Lydon explained: "Some of the songs I've written have so many words it's almost unbearable. 'No Feelings,' for instance: I think it's 16 to 18 lines where I don't take a breath. Now, live, that's tempting fate. But I managed to do it. I found the knack. I love pushing those boundaries. You can't cut up a verse like that because it would become out of context. It's the monologue that's necessary to paint the proper picture of someone in a state of babbling confusion."

Comments: 1

  • Johnny The Boy from HereIt's "beat you black and blue all day" not "okay"
see more comments

Editor's Picks

dUg Pinnick of King's X

dUg Pinnick of King's XSongwriter Interviews

dUg dIgs into his King's X metal classics and his many side projects, including the one with Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam.

Deconstructing Doors Songs With The Author Of The Doors Examined

Deconstructing Doors Songs With The Author Of The Doors ExaminedSong Writing

Doors expert Jim Cherry, author of The Doors Examined, talks about some of their defining songs and exposes some Jim Morrison myths.

Kerry Livgren of Kansas

Kerry Livgren of KansasSongwriter Interviews

In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind."

Little Richard

Little RichardFact or Fiction

Was Long Tall Sally a cross-dresser? Did he really set his piano on fire? See if you know the real stories about one of rock's greatest innovators.

Sugarland

SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Meet the "sassy basket" with the biggest voice in country music.

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside Story

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside StorySong Writing

The in-depth discussion about the making of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, who played Jesus in the 1973 film.