Story Behind The Song

I took a different approach when writing this song. With all the competition for eyeballs, I decided to create a title that would grab the listener's attention. I then wrote the song around that. During the composition process, I watched the Cyndi Lauper documentary "Let the Canary Sing" and was impressed by how hard she worked on her hit "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." I tried to put the same dedication into this song. The lyrics and melody have gone through multiple rewrites. I believe the final product was worth the effort.

Song Description

An obvious take on the phrase "What's a girl like you doing in a place like this," the lyric's narrator expresses admiration for his estranged lover, saying she belongs in a more upbeat song.

Lyrics

The storm it is approaching
The sky is turning gray
Every moment it seems paradise
Slips another inch away
Never thought I'd lose you
Never thought I'd see the day
Hey, what's a girl like doing in a song like this.

Late at night I dream I'm in
A raging hurricane
Dressed in rags and paper bags
Like a beggar in the rain
Just like Marlon Brando
I'm calling out your name
Hey, what's a girl like doing in a song like this.

Hey what's a girl like you
Doing in this song
This mournful dirge of loneliness
Is not where you belong
Its sadness doesn't suit you
The melody's all wrong
Hey what's a girl like you doing in a song like this

The lights go dim, the stage is set
The curtains are all drawn
But the crowd knows that the playwright
Has got the script all wrong
Where the hero wakes to an empty bed
In cold, bare light of dawn
Hey, what's a girl like doing in a song like this.

Hey what's a girl like you
Doing in this song
This mournful dirge of loneliness
Is not where you belong
Its sadness doesn't suit you
The melody's all wrong
Hey what's a girl like you doing in a song like this
Hey what's a girl like you doing in a song like this
Hey what's a girl like you doing in a song like this