Since its release in the early 1980s, "They Don't Know" by Tracey Ullman has been one of my favorite songs. I own the vinyl 45 RPM record, and the song is on several of the dozens of compilation tapes that I keep in my car.
It's kind of goofy, but something about "They Don't Know" is absolutely irresistible. It's both a send-up of and an homage to the great girl groups of the 1960s, and to my ears it sounds just as good today as something like "My Boyfriend's Back" or "Leader of the Pack." It may not be an authentic girl group song, but it gains its authenticity through its greatness. A great single, a great song, a great fluke. It's songs like this that make rock 'n roll so special - the thought that, on any given day, you might hear something on the radio that fits in, right alongside the canon of Dylan, Beatles, or what have you - a glorious flash in the pan.
I get a feeling when I look at you
Wherever you go now
I wanna be there too
They say we're crazy but I just don't care
And if they keep on talkin', still they get nowhere
So I don't mind if they don't understand
When I look at you and you hold my hand
Cause they don't know 'bout us
And they've never heard of love
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