In the end it largely came down to lyrics. I can't blame them for being formulaic. Everyone writes songs verse-chorus-verse-chorus-chorus. Most of the songs written by my favourite bands do that and I won't discount their music on that alone. After all, it's what you do with the formula that is important.
I noticed most of the hit songs are, in one way or another, love songs. Not ballads, but certainly songs about romantic feelings. I don't have a problem with that. After all, most people fall in love, most people encounter strange feelings they don't know how to process, and most people are comforted by these songs because it helps them not feel alone. Writing about love is easy for musicians because it's a very relatable topic, and it's something that goes on all the time (love songs encompass both in love and out of love). I don't have a problem with that. HIM has been writing love songs for 15 years and I still listen to them.
I listened more closely and finally found the difference. The pop songs typically describe: love at first sight (ostensibly, though I would say lust is more accurate), fated love/chance encounters, serenading a woman. These songs can't appeal to me because I'm not the target. I can't get inside of these songs because they really don't describe their feelings, apart from superficial statements like "you make me feel so good" or "I'm crazy about you." I want to hear a love song that puts me in the composer's head. When I hear the lyrics I want to feel like that's me saying them. If the whole song is just describing a beautiful woman, or talking about meeting and dancing in the club, I'm missing out because the point is for a woman to hear the song and feel like someone is talking about her. If the lyrics actually detail what the lovestruck individual is feeling, that's the one for me.
Let's compare two songs to illustrate my point. Justin Bieber's "Boyfriend" and "Right Here in My Arms" by HIM. Both have two verses and a chorus. Both talk about wanting to be with someone. Here are the first verses side by side
| BOYFRIEND | RIGHT HERE IN MY ARMS |
|---|---|
| If I was your boyfriend, I'd never let you go I can take you places you ain't never been before Baby take a chance or you'll never ever ever know I got money in my hands that I'd really like to blow Swag swag swag, on you Chillin by the fire while we eatin' fondue I dunno about me but I know about you So say hello to falsetto in three two swag |
She is smiling like heaven's down on earth Sun is shining so bright it hurts All her wishes have finally come true Her heart is weeping, happiness is killing her It's 'cause she's in love |
Bieber's song has an audience, literally. He is singing to someone (possibly undefined, but there is for a person). This is meant for a girl to listen to the song and feel like Justin is singing to her. She can understand from this first verse that Justin not only wants to be her boyfriend, but will take care of her with his money and spend quality time with her. This doesn't really tell me anything about how he feels, though. I can't get inside his mind and find out what's going on. Why does he want to be with her? What is it about her that makes him want to decorate her with swag?
On the other hand, with HIM, I'm hit right away. The simple act of this woman smiling feels like heaven on earth. I can feel that. I can put myself in his shoes and see her smiling and know what it feels like. And not only that, but it's so magnificent it hurts. The rest of the verse is also less literal than Bieber's song. Instead of being the lowdown on their fondue activities, I have to insert myself into this situation and figure out in my head how this happiness could be killing her. What have I done? That it is not very specific allows me to replace myself with the singer and become a composer-listener.
| BOYFRIEND (chorus) | RIGHT HERE IN MY ARMS (chorus) |
|---|---|
| I'd like to be everything you want Hey girl, let me talk to you If I was your boyfriend, never let you go Keep you on my arm girl, you'd never be alone I can be a gentleman, anything you want If I was your boyfriend, I'd never let you go |
She'll be right here in my arms So in love She'll be right here in these arms She can't let go |
The choruses are remarkably similar and dissimilar. Bieber says he'll "never let you go" but HIM says "she can't let go." The difference in tone is very telling. There is this overwhelming passion in HIM's chorus, that she is so in love that she couldn't possibly let go. I can picture her holding onto him for dear life. There's an implied commitment, an incredible bond between the two, whereas Bieber is trying to prove to her that she shouldn't be wary--this coming after his first verse where he tells her, "Baby, take a chance." Bieber uses a more possessive language, by "keep"ing her on his arm. HIM has a much simpler tone; he's not holding onto her, or keeping her; he's letting her come to him, right into his arms.
| BOYFRIEND | RIGHT HERE IN MY ARMS |
|---|---|
| Tell me what you like yeah tell me what you don't I could be your Buzz Lightyear fly across the globe I don't never wanna fight yeah, you already know Imma make you shine bright like you're laying in the snow Burr Girlfriend, girlfriend, you could be my girlfriend You could be my girlfriend until the world ends Make you dance do a spin and a twirl and Voice goin crazy on this hook like a whirl wind |
So hard she's trying But her heart won't turn to stone, oh no She keeps on crying But I won't leave her alone She'll never be alone |
Again, Justin is really trying to appeal to this girl. But he's just describing things he would do. I don't get a sense of his feelings, or if she has any feelings for him. I'm not even sure he really knows her, since he asks her to "tell [him] what you like yeah tell [him] what you don't." He is still very much a child, and this is reflected in the puppy love he's talking about.
HIM's second verse is much more mysterious. There's power in succinctness. He doesn't have to make her promises to take her anywhere or buy her things or change himself. He just vows that he'll always be there for her. It also sounds like a much more complicated relationship than at first. She is apparently experiencing heartache and trying to numb herself to the pain. But again, it's left to me to fill in the blanks and recreate the situation for myself. And not to say that Bieber's feelings of attractions aren't real or valid, but for me, they oversimplify the situation. In HIM's song it feels like a much more mature and realistic depiction of a relationship, and it feels like it's mine because the way it's written it's passed through me.
I'll be back tomorrow with another two songs up for side-by-side comparison. Stay tuned!
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