Nobody Knows Me
Lyrics
I've had so many lives
Since I was a child
And I realised
How many times I've died
I'm not that kind of guy
Sometimes I feel shy
I think I can fly
Closer to the sky
No one's telling you how to live your life
But it's a setup until you're fed up
This world is not so kind
People trap your mind
It's so hard to find
Someone to admire
I sleep much better at night
I feel closer to the light
Now I'm gonna try
To improve my life
No one's telling you how to live your life
But it's a setup until you're fed up
It's no good when you're misunderstood
But why should I care
What the world thinks of me
Won't let a stranger
Give me a social disease
Nobody, nobody knows me
Nobody knows me
Nobody knows me
Like you know me
Nobody knows me
Nobody knows me
Nobody knows me
Like you know me
No one's telling me how to live my life
But it's a setup, and I'm just fed up
It's no good when you're misunderstood
But why should I care
What the world thinks of me
Won't let a stranger
Give me a social disease
I don't want no lies
I don't watch TV
I don't waste my time
Won't read a magazine
I don't want no lies
I don't watch TV
I don't waste my time
Won't read a magazine
I sleep much better at night
I feel closer to the light
Now I'm gonna try
To improve my life
Nobody, nobody, nobody, nobody knows me
Nobody knows me
Nobody knows me
Like you know me
Nobody knows me (It's no fun but the damage is done)
Nobody knows me
Nobody knows me (Don't want your social disease)
Like, like you know me
Like you know me
Like you know me
Like you know me (Don't want your social disease)
Like you know me
Nobody knows me (I don't want no lies)
Nobody knows me (I don't watch TV)
Nobody knows me (I don't waste my time)
Like you know me (Won't read a magazine)
Nobody knows me (I don't want no lies)
Nobody knows me (I don't watch TV)
Nobody knows me (I don't waste my time)
Like you know me (Won't read a magazine)
(Don't want your social disease)
Credits
Written by Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzaï
Produced by Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzaï
Programming by Mirwais Ahmadzaï
Album
Song
Nobody Knows Me is the experimental dance track on the album. Even without a single release, it was obvious that it would get many remixes. It was mixed by Above & Beyond, Mount Sims and Peter Rauhofer. Three of them featured as a bonus on the Nothing Fails maxi-single and one on the EP Remixed & Revisited. The Nobody Knows Me remixes stormed up the Hot Dance / Club Play chart, peaking at #4.
Tour
Nobody Knows Me followed after the Re-Invention Tour opener Vogue, in a dance version that excelled the album version. Alone on stage, Madonna danced while walking on a conveyor belt. One moment she was hanging down an uplifted stage towards the crowd, the other she was laying down on the conveyor belt, fighting the stream, trying "to improve my life". The catchy choreography was in a way reminiscent of the Impressive Instant performance on the Drowned World Tour.
This song made a comeback for the political interlude on the MDNA Tour. The video features Madonna's face, interspersed with facial parts of political figures and newspaper cuts. It touches issues such as religious extremism, racism, homophobia and other bigotry. The part where Madonna's face is replaced by the face of Marine Le Pen, leader of the French fascist party, marked with a swastika on her forehead, led to a lawsuit by Le Pen. Therefore, the swastika wasn't shown during the second French show in Nice. On stage, the slackliners dressed as prisoners and guards re-enact the concept of physical and psychological freedom. The final part of the video shows the faces of teenagers who committed suicide as a consequence of all the bullying and bigotry. That way, the song's theme is no longer about Madonna and her fame, but in fact about those teens and their secret lives.