I was being my normal people-pleasing self (while secretly cursing said people) at work the other day, when I was instantly taken back to 1997 thanks to our lovely satellite radio. Here is the moment when you (at least those of you my age) will cry “I remember that song!” or “I LOVED that song!” or “I fuckin’ hated that song!”- Truly, Madly, Deeply.
I myself recall that the first time (of millions) that I heard Truly, Madly, Deeply, my friends and I were exited my older friend’s teal Dodge Neon to venture into a somewhat newly built Walmart. I told my friends to “hang on a sec! This song is totally amazing!” which sent us into a tailspin of musical assessments. Imagine my surprise many years later that the lead singer was secretly singing to another guy. Loving someone “deeply” had a whole knew meaning after that.
Anyhoo, I reminisced pleasantly while mouthing the words shamelessly at work, until I began to realize that this song was full of crap. Let me show you:
I’ll be your dream
I’ll be your wish I’ll be your fantasy
I’ll be your hope I’ll be your love
Be everything that you need
I’ll love you more with every breath
Truly, madly, deeply do
I will be strong I will be faithful
’cause I’m counting on
A new beginning
A reason for living
A deeper meaning, yeah
[chorus:]
I want to stand with you on
a mountain
I want to bathe with you in the sea
I want to lay like this forever
Until the sky falls down on me
And when the stars are shining
brightly in the velvet sky,
I’ll make a wish send it to heaven
Then make you want to cry
The tears of joy for all the
pleasure and the certainty
That we’re surrounded by the
comfort and protection of
The highest powers
In lonely hours
The tears devour you
Seems innocent enough, right?
“I’ll be your dream and your fantasy bla dee bla dee bla.” I understand that- after all, am I not people’s dream and fantasy? 🙂
Here’s where my now-cynical self re-interpreted my wistful teen ideas.
“I want to stand with you on a mountain”- yeah, because he’s probably scared of heights; and the thought of freezing your ass off on Mt. Kilamanjaro is SO romantic.
“I want to bathe with you in the sea”- because salt water is so refreshing and completely non-sticky. And the threat of sharks is not a worry.
“I want to lay like this forever”- because he’s 42 and exhausted from his job?
“Until the sky falls down on me.” – because you wouldn’t wanna try to get outta the way or anything.
The second verse is just all about making his lover cry, which I’m sure might have something to due with the fact that he just told her he was gay.
I am so sad that my 31 year old self can no longer see the metaphoric beauty in this song, but instead can see how “truly” this “mad”ness “deeply” goes. To all you idealistic drippy teens, I bid you. “Save yourselves! Don’t listen to the whiney lovey-dovey pop music of today! For tomorrow, (or a few years from now) you’re going to realize that Justin Bieber and at least one member of One Direction is gay, and no amount of standing on mountains or bathing in seas is going to make up for the fact that your boyfriend is probably going to be a lazy bum that would rather have the sky fall on him than spend another minute with you. “
Sparklebumpsthebookwhore 