Liz Phair's first single, in 1993, was this complete denial. If you believe the lore, this was the response to The Rolling Stones's song "Tumbling Dice", but really, it was a Girly-Sound rerecording. If you don't know what Girly-Sound was, go here and read all about it - but it was basically Liz Phair's pre-major label mixtapes). Originally titled "Clean", it was rewritten to be the fifth track on Exile In Guyville, a track number Phair considered to be the most important.
The song was about the rumors that travel throughout the music scene, but in a broader sense, it DOES make sense to be the female mirror for "Tumbling Dice", as it is a woman's take on not being accountable - by keeping her mouth shut.
Actually, what she said verbatim, to Rolling Stone in 2010, was:
“Never Said” was one of those times where I was showing I could be just as unaccountable. “Tumbling Dice” is really about, again, I’m picturing all the guys from Urge Overkill, hey man, you may get to go home with me tonight, you may not. I may show up at the bar and be available, and I might not. You gotta roll me and see how it’s going to roll. I was playing that same game. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, I never said nothing, you can’t pin that on me.” I was playing the female version.
The song itself is great. It's a fun romp about keeping your damn mouth shut that endures to this day.
Because I know you're interested, here's the Girly-Sound version.
For a while, Phair performed this song live in this manner with a key change in the middle of the second verse. I always loved this version - it kind of amped up the indignation and desperation that the lyrics were trying to capture.
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