Over the course of the week, I became obsessed with this idea that me, of all people, would like a Beiber song. (I'm not turning into a Belieber, I promise!). I searched the lyrics and the video; now I want to share what I found and why it makes me so angry. Here is the first verse:
"You gotta go and get angry at all of my honesty
You know I try but I don't do too well with apologies
I hope I don't run out of time, could someone call a referee?
'Cause I just need one more shot at forgiveness
I know you know that I made those mistakes maybe once or twice
By once or twice I mean maybe a couple a hundred times
So let me, oh let me redeem, oh redeem, oh myself tonight' Cause I just need one more shot at second chances"
The song is so upbeat and catchy that when paired with these lyrics the juxtaposition is bizarre. I get the sense from the just the lyrics that this is a young man who clearly knows he lost a good thing but can't help his own stupidity. He wants to apologize but doesn't know how to do it in a meaningful and sincere way. The playfulness of the melody, however, says to me that he is young and perhaps trying to downplay his feelings for her. Here is the chorus:
"Yeah, is it too late now to say sorry?
'Cause I'm missing more than just your body
Oh, is it too late now to say sorry?
Yeah I know that I let you down
Is it too late to say I'm sorry now?"
The music slows down a bit for the chorus suggesting he is ready to apologize for his mistakes. He is trying to show that he can be a bit serious. It's been a while since she left because he is feeling the actual heart ache that comes with a break up, not just the "now-I-have-to-make-love-to-myself" blues. The beat picks up again and he repeats "Sorry" several times, the equivalent of a child asking "Mom, mom, mom, mom." until mom gives in and gives the child what they want. Again, the melody underneath is brilliant, fun and not annoying like the child in the aforementioned scenario. I can see why the woman would have fell for him in the first place, but also why she would have left.
Lyrically and melodically, I love what Beiber is doing. Whether or not any of this was intentional if he even wrote it himself, this song has some depth to it and I appreciate how it is clean and sentimental and sweet.
The music video that accompanies the song is a damn cluster-fuck. There are probably a dozen women in the video, all wearing sunglasses and outfits that are not overtly sexual but not flattering either. No two women look alike and if there is anything I applaud in this video is the variety of the shapes of women. None of the women dancing in this video look traditionally beautiful or even cute the way they are made up and dressed. Perhaps this is my version of being too old to know what's up.
The women are dancing in a way that is very sexual. They sink down in low squats to thrust their hips in unison while each touching parts of their bodies in a quick fast paced manner. I'm a big fan of dance videos and as far as dancing goes, these ladies NAIL it. But why, WHY? do they touch themselves? Why does the camera cut off their bodies to only show their hips or chest or stomach? If this man asking to apologize and saying he misses more than just her body and her touch, insist on showcasing these women for just that? The sex.
I'm not saying I don't like the video. Not at all. I just think the choice was weird and that he missed an opportunity to continue to explore the depth of the song. Perhaps he got caught flirting with a bartender on a tropical vacation with his lady. She leaves and now he's left on this island knowing she is there but not with him. I think Beiber makes it very clear that he wants a woman who isn't going to challenge him or think too hard. Which is fine. I'm just disappointed, probably more in myself for liking the song so damn much and then I let myself down by watching that video and hoping for something more. I know better now.
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