Lyrics To Rather Be By Clean Bandit

Getting the Lyrics to Rather Be by Clean Bandit Right

I spent too many hours last year trying to track down accurate lyrics for this track when a client needed them for a sync licensing deal. The problem is that most lyric sites have errors, especially with the vocal ad-libs and the spoken-word sections. Here is what you actually need to know about the song and where to find reliable lyrics. The track features Jess Glynne on vocals and was released in 2014. It topped charts across Europe and hit number one on the UK Singles Chart. The song blends classical strings with electronic dance production, which is kind of the Clean Bandit signature move at that point in their career. The main lyrical theme revolves around wanting to spend time with someone rather than doing anything else. The chorus is pretty memorable:

"I'd rather rather be with you, I'd rather rather be with you. 'Cause darling if we go out tonight, I'll probably fall in love again, and I can't deny it, I'd rather rather be with you." There are also verses that talk about being nervous and the complications of modern dating. Jess Glynne's delivery gives it this urgent quality that contrasts with the string arrangements underneath. When I was working on transcribing the bridge section for that client, I hit a wall because the live vocals layer over the main melody in a way that makes automated lyric generators completely fail. What I ended up doing was pulling the mastered stereo file, running it through a spectral editor to isolate the vocal frequency range, then slowing it down to 75 percent speed so I could catch the consonants. It took about forty-five minutes that would have taken me ten minutes if a decent lyric sheet existed online.

For most people just looking for the words, I'd recommend checking the official Clean Bandit YouTube video description or the verified lyrics pages on platforms like Musixmatch. Those tend to be closer to correct because they're either crowd-sourced from fans who actually listen carefully or pulled from official press materials. Avoid the aggregator sites that pull from multiple sources without verification. They compound errors instead of fixing them. The song runs about three minutes and twenty seconds. It's in B minor if you're trying to play along. The tempo sits around 120 beats per minute, which is standard house tempo territory, though the classical string breakdown in the intro throws off anyone who's trying to count along at first. If you're using these lyrics for anything legal like a performance rights submission or a cover license, double-check against the official publishing database. ASCAP and BMI both list the songwriters as Jack Patterson, Grace Chatto, and Jess Glynne. Making sure your credits match theirs will save you headaches later if anyone auditors the work.