Soundtrack of My Life

"Love Song" by Sara Bareilles

A love song, for Valentine's Day.

"Love Song" by Sara Bareilles

Head underwater
And they tell me
To breathe easy for a while
The breathing gets harder, even I know that

Made room for me it's too soon to see
If I'm happy in your hands
I'm unusually hard to hold onto
Blank stares at blank pages
No easy way to say this
You mean well, but you make this hard on me

I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one
You see, I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's make or breaking this
If you're on your way
I'm not gonna write you to stay
If all you have is leavin'
I'ma need a better reason
To write you a love song today

I learned the hard way
That they all say
Things you wanna hear
My heavy heart sinks deep down under
You and your twisted words
Your help just hurts
You are not what I thought you were
Hello to high and dry

Convinced me to please you
Made me think that I need this too
I'm trying to let you hear me as I am

I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one
You see, I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's make or breaking this
If you're on your way
I'm not gonna write you to stay
If all you have is leavin'
I'ma need a better reason
To write you a love song today

Promise me
That you'll leave the light on
To help me see
With daylight, my guide, gone
'Cause I believe there's a way
You can love me because I say

I won't write you a love song
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one
You see, I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's make or breaking this
Is that why you wanted a love song?
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one

You see, I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's make or breaking this
If you're on your way
I'm not gonna write you to stay
If your heart is nowhere in it
I don't want it for a minute
Babe, I'll walk the seven seas when I believe that
There's a reason to write you a love song today

Sara actually wrote this song as an FU to her music producers, who kept telling her she had to write a pop-style love song for them. Well, she did, and ironically it turned out to be a big hit. I much prefer the live version to the overproduced radio edit. She's got some impressive lungs. I also like the lyrics and I think they're very fitting for a mass-produced, overly commercialized holiday like Valentine's Day. I wouldn't call myself a romantic, but I'm definitely not anti-romance either. I just think that, like the theme of this song, it shouldn't be expected or forced or it completely loses the meaning. "If your heart is nowhere in it, I don't want it for a minute."

And for some reason, big romantic gestures almost always feel... fake... to me. Too good to be real. Also, the pressure and expectations of planning a big romantic event and expensive gifts for Valentine's day has just gotten out of control. Maybe it makes a little more sense on an anniversary or a date that is actually meaningful, not just an arbitrary date when everyone is supposed to celebrate romance and love, whether or not they are actually in a relationship at the time. Imagine how hard this day is for people who are single and lonely, or who've just recently broken up, or left a bad relationship. That's no small percentage of the population, either.

That said, I'm far from bitter and I enjoy seeing happy couples being together, so, celebrate away! And let's not forget about all the other types of love we should be celebrating beyond romantic love. I saw that Shadow Prowler-Spreading Love is doing a writing challenge to write a story about a non-romantic form of love, and I love that idea. If you're interested, the deadline is midnight tonight.

Anni