Howard Jones - No One Is To Blame - Lyrics Meaning

``No One Is To Blame'' is a single from British new wave artist Howard Jones. The song was originally released in 1985 on Jones' ``Dream Into Action'' album, however, it didn't become a hit until Jones reworked the original recording into a slicker, more radio-friendly, recording with Phil Collins producing and handling background vocals. This was Howard Jones' biggest hit in the United States, where it peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 single charts. The song also charted high in both Australia and the U.K.

The lyrics describe the frustration that accompanies the temptation of infidelity within a relationship. Jones doesn't speak of an actual relationship, another person, or any physicality at all, but instead cleverly uses metaphors that describe wanting and yearning. Such metaphors include:

``You can look at the menu but you just can't eat'' - This verse is basically another way of saying you can look but you cannot touch.

``You can dip your foot in the pool but you can't have a swim'' - This suggests that things have been taken to a certain level but haven't gone ``all the way.''

``You can feel the punishment but you can't commit the sin'' - A possible acknowledgment of feeling guilt for craving the touch of another although these feelings haven't been acted out.

``And you want her, and she wants you, no one is to blame'' - Physical attraction can just happen through no fault of either party.

Some have also interpreted the song as a depiction of someone's emotional baggage or character flaws, such as shyness, preventing them from accomplishing certain things or being with the person that they desire.