I am LOVING this song. Even to a thirty-something with 2 kids, for whom college is a distant (yet fond!) memory, this song rocks. I would like to offer my analysis of the lyrics, mostly because my husband (who doesn’t have the same taste in music) told me that he doesn’t “get” it. I think I’ve deciphered it:
This song is about a college couple/hook-up, one sophomore from Cape Cod and her “reggaeton” partner/boyfriend, potentially from (at least in his mind) the proverbial wrong side of the tracks. The title itself gives me a chuckle because it forecasts the contrast between the two characters- Cape Cod couldn’t be any further away, culturally or geographically, from the Congo, the geocenter of Kwassa Kwassa music. And the “reggaeton” boyfriend fancies himself to be worldly in contrast to the Cape Cod-raised, preppy girl; through the lyrics he expresses slight disdain for her designer-conscious, buttoned-up and sheltered upbringing (apparently even the quality of her college bed linens is notable to him). But, despite the differences in their backgrounds (and even though in his head, his attraction to her “feels so unnatural”), he wants to bang her anyway! And as for the mention of Peter Gabriel, to me it’s a direct reference to the movie Say Anything where the protagonist (John Cusak, playing a high school guy from the “wrong side of the tracks”) plays the Peter Gabriel song “In Your Eyes” on his boom box to serenade to his white-bread, preppy love interest (Ione Skye). Aaaah, college. It’s the first time that many of us have the opportunity to meet, and screw, people from completely different backgrounds. Love it!
One thing I'll add: The chorus ("Is your bed made?") is, in my opinion, the reggaeton boyfriend addressing the preppy, sheltered object of his affections by asking her (teasingly for sure) the same questions her overbearing mother would've asked her as a child. The very adult phrase "Do you wanna fuck?" is in deliberate juxtaposition with the innocent and childish nature of the questions that precede it demonstrating the psychological chaos that many college girls experience in their first two years of school ("as a sophomore"). Is the girl still the preppy, proper girl from Cape Cod that always makes her bed and brings a sweater, or is she an adult (sophomore) that's ready to try something that may seem "unnatural" but is definitely an adult activity?
Good analysis! While this is tangential, I disagree with the claim about the "preppy love interest" in Say Anything. In fact, I think his love interest was probably the most earnest person in the movie, and I typically don't think of preppy people as being earnest. She genuinely likes school & being smart, admits to this, and openly enjoys helping people out. Not really a preppy tag line. Boring, perhaps, but not preppy...
Good analysis! While this is tangential, I disagree with the claim about the "preppy love interest" in Say Anything. In fact, I think his love interest was probably the most earnest person in the movie, and I typically don't think of preppy people as being earnest. She genuinely likes school & being smart, admits to this, and openly enjoys helping people out. Not really a preppy tag line. Boring, perhaps, but not preppy...
I am LOVING this song. Even to a thirty-something with 2 kids, for whom college is a distant (yet fond!) memory, this song rocks. I would like to offer my analysis of the lyrics, mostly because my husband (who doesn’t have the same taste in music) told me that he doesn’t “get” it. I think I’ve deciphered it:
This song is about a college couple/hook-up, one sophomore from Cape Cod and her “reggaeton” partner/boyfriend, potentially from (at least in his mind) the proverbial wrong side of the tracks. The title itself gives me a chuckle because it forecasts the contrast between the two characters- Cape Cod couldn’t be any further away, culturally or geographically, from the Congo, the geocenter of Kwassa Kwassa music. And the “reggaeton” boyfriend fancies himself to be worldly in contrast to the Cape Cod-raised, preppy girl; through the lyrics he expresses slight disdain for her designer-conscious, buttoned-up and sheltered upbringing (apparently even the quality of her college bed linens is notable to him). But, despite the differences in their backgrounds (and even though in his head, his attraction to her “feels so unnatural”), he wants to bang her anyway! And as for the mention of Peter Gabriel, to me it’s a direct reference to the movie Say Anything where the protagonist (John Cusak, playing a high school guy from the “wrong side of the tracks”) plays the Peter Gabriel song “In Your Eyes” on his boom box to serenade to his white-bread, preppy love interest (Ione Skye). Aaaah, college. It’s the first time that many of us have the opportunity to meet, and screw, people from completely different backgrounds. Love it!
Love this analysis.
Love this analysis.
One thing I'll add: The chorus ("Is your bed made?") is, in my opinion, the reggaeton boyfriend addressing the preppy, sheltered object of his affections by asking her (teasingly for sure) the same questions her overbearing mother would've asked her as a child. The very adult phrase "Do you wanna fuck?" is in deliberate juxtaposition with the innocent and childish nature of the questions that precede it demonstrating the psychological chaos that many college girls experience in their first two years of school ("as a sophomore"). Is the girl still the preppy, proper girl from Cape Cod that always makes her bed and brings a sweater, or is she an adult (sophomore) that's ready to try something that may seem "unnatural" but is definitely an adult activity?
Great song. Incredibly witty.
Good analysis! While this is tangential, I disagree with the claim about the "preppy love interest" in Say Anything. In fact, I think his love interest was probably the most earnest person in the movie, and I typically don't think of preppy people as being earnest. She genuinely likes school & being smart, admits to this, and openly enjoys helping people out. Not really a preppy tag line. Boring, perhaps, but not preppy...
Good analysis! While this is tangential, I disagree with the claim about the "preppy love interest" in Say Anything. In fact, I think his love interest was probably the most earnest person in the movie, and I typically don't think of preppy people as being earnest. She genuinely likes school & being smart, admits to this, and openly enjoys helping people out. Not really a preppy tag line. Boring, perhaps, but not preppy...