The Love Song (Part 2)

I wanted to keep the same theme as yesterday but try something a little different. I present another two examples, side by side, this time both sung by women. Many will probably recognise the first, "Call me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen; the other is Andy Moor's "She Moves" with vocals by Carrie Skipper.

CALL ME MAYBE	SHE MOVES
I threw a wish in the well Don't ask me, I'll never tell I looked to you as it fell And now you're in my way I'd trade my soul for a wish Pennies and dimes for a kiss I wasn't looking for this But now you're in my way Your stare was holdin' Ripped jeans, skin was showin' Hot night, wind was blowin' Where you think you're going, baby?	Sometimes you’re lost You find you’re on your own When you look and see the life that you could lead She won’t let you down She’ll show you how to love And she’ll take away the world that you believed So take those fears away And live just for today Open up and let your love shine through She might never know If you don’t ever show her You’ve got to show her how good it feels

Jepsen's song falls into the category I mentioned yesterday of "chance/fated romance." This already turns me off because it's an oversimplification. Instead of being based on deep-rooted feelings, these songs are all about impulse. I realise a song about building a relationship might not always be interesting, and most people can make a connection to this "in the moment" feelings. But their love, like this music, is fleeting. These kinds of situations aren't about lasting feelings; they're now, they're quick, they're accessible.
The way Jepsen uses "you" is very specific, just like in "Boyfriend," and again it's catering to a listener. They want someone to hear the song and feel like they're being spoken to. "You" in the other song, however, is used in a completely different way. "You" is "me." Consider this:

• Jepsen is singing to a guy > guy listens to the song and falls in love. Two people.
• Skipper is singing to someone > I'm that someone > but I'm in love with someone. Two people, three voices.

This song is presented more as an inner conversation. This puts me in the song, rather than as a receiver. And I'm being asked to look deep within myself for answers. This isn't chance, I have to work for it, "you've got to show her how good it feels" because "she might never know." I'm an active participant in the song and I have a responsibility.

CALL ME MAYBE (chorus)	SHE MOVES (chorus)
Hey, I just met you And this is crazy But here's my number So call me, maybe? It's hard to look right At you baby But here's my number So call me, maybe? And all the other boys Try to chase me But here's my number So call me, maybe?	Don’t be shy Cause she looks to you And you’ll find She moves Don’t be shy Cause she looks to you And you’ll find She’s drawn to you

"She Moves" is a song about self-confidence and believing in your love enough to make it work. "Call Me Maybe" is flippant; supposedly she's absolutely taken by this guy, but off-handedly asks him to call her...but if you don't, whatever. That's leaving a lot to chance. Carrie Skipper is much more assertive in her tone. Jepsen relies on cheap tricks to draw her catch in, saying that boys are constantly after her, and that this guy should be lucky she's interested in him and needs to make his move fast. On the other hand, it feels like Skipper is that little push to take the first step forward and own the situation. One is playing mind games, the other gets in your mind and plants an idea.

CALL ME MAYBE	SHE MOVES
You took your time with the call I took no time with the fall You gave me nothing at all But still, you're in my way I beg, and borrow and steal Have foresight and it's real I didn't know I would feel it But it's in my way Before you came into my life I missed you so bad And you should know that I missed you so, so bad	Sometimes you’re torn And you are broken And it takes a lot to get back on your feet But in your heart She gives you that feeling And it pushes you to where you want to be So take those fears away And live just for today Open up and let your love shine through Cause she might never know If you don’t ever show her You’ve got to show her how good it feels

I'm really lost with the rest of "Call me Maybe." The first part of the song is so literal that this part just sounds really hokey. The steal/real/feel rhyming triplet feels incredibly forced, especially the word "foresight." And the part about missing someone before they came into her life isn't intrinsically bad, but again it's out of place. I get the sense that whoever wrote the song wanted to create this powerful feeling in the bridge to leave the listener with a sense that this chance encounter really is magical and the only way you can describe it is with this oxymoronic lyric.
I feel very empowered by "She Moves." There is still a sense of taking a chance (you might never know/if you don't ever show her) but it feels like there's a risk involved, or that there's more to it than impulse. There is a steady encouragement throughout the song that keeps the composer-listener grounded. It's like it's not all in your head, and the singer has your back.

This is just a brief look at what lyrically interests me in a so-called "love song." "Call Me Maybe" and "Boyfriend" were both chosen because they're on the radio a lot, so they were two of the first songs that came to mind when I wanted to illustrate my point. I'm not trying to say this music is bad just because it's on the radio, or even that it's bad period. My point is to demonstrate using a small sample that these are the kinds of songs about love that show up on the radio and this is typically how pop serenades are written. The other pieces were specifically chosen to represent my interests in lyrics and are not strictly meant to be "better." The idea was to pick similar but contrasting songs that (a) represent my taste in music and (b) show there is another angle to writing love songs than how is usually presented in popular music.