There She Goes Again (Marshall Crenshaw song)

According to Crenshaw, "There She Goes Again" was inspired by memories of his youth, which he characterized as a time when "everything took place in cars."[1] Described by Crenshaw as "a pretty typical subject for a rock and roll song," the song lyrically focuses on seeing a girl pass by through a window. He explained,

I thought of this one window in somebody's house, and once in a while a car would go by with a girl in it, and it's, like, 'Oh, there she goes again.' You know, there's always a lot of drama going on in your life when you're a kid, and you have some mobility, getting out in the world.[1]

Crenshaw praised bassist Chris Donato's performance on the song, saying, "He plays really well. I liked it ... he did a nice job on that one."[1]

In the United States, "There She Goes Again" was released as the second single from Crenshaw's debut album in September 1982. The B-side of the American single was "The Usual Thing," another song from the Marshall Crenshaw album. The single reached number 10 on the Billboard Bubbling Under charts in the US,[2][3] becoming a radio hit on college circuits.[4] The song has also appeared on the compilation album This Is Easy: The Best of Marshall Crenshaw.

Since its release, "There She Goes Again" has seen critical acclaim. Brett Anderson of The Washington Post said the song "is a typical love song for the young songwriter, joyous-sounding and even-keeled in spite of the longing that inspired it."[5] Entertainment Weekly praised the song's "skiffle step" and named it one of the songs on Crenshaw's first two albums that "sound as invigorating as ever."[6] Mike Long of The Denver Post called it one "the killers from his self-titled debut," while Roger Catlin of The Hartford Courant named it as a "great song."[7][8] The Rockaway Times named it as one of his "standout tracks."[9]

In live performances, Crenshaw often performs the song in a slower style. He explained, "I cut the time in half, like I'm doing with a bunch of songs — not to slow it down, but to reinterpret it from a groove standpoint." Crenshaw said of the song, "I still really dig playing [it]."[10] Live versions of the song have appeared on the live albums Live …My Truck Is My Home and I've Suffered for My Art...Now It's Your Turn. A live version of the track performed with the Bottle Rockets in Chicago has been released on the I Don't See You Laughing Now EP.[11][12] Crenshaw used a Stratocaster on this live version for its "glassy, ringing sound."[13]