| Tame Impala – The Less I Know the Better Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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I think this song is about the strength of sexual lust in teenagers and how it is an overpowering force that dominates relationships at an adolescent age. The meaning of the song is definitely stronger and slightly different if you watch the music video. As an adolescent myself, it's really obvious that in social situations, sex is at the forefront of the mind of both girls and guys. This is not true for all, however. This sex drive overpowers relationships at an age when everyone is losing their virginity and trying to be cool. the song's meaning can be applied universally to all relationships, but it is especially relevant to young social dynamics. The protagonist represents a boy desperately in love, wanting not just sex, but her company as a partner ("can't you see yourself by my side"). He feels frustrated and restricted by the distraction that sex is for his love. The most potent symbol in the music video is the gorilla. I think the gorilla represents the primordial instinct within all of us (especially teenagers), which is sex. The girl is absorbed by this instinct, represented in the scene where the big hand of the gorilla takes her away and also when she does a gorilla dance (perhaps a metaphor for sex, the thing he probably shouldn't know about.) Anyway, the story is of a frustrated boy, who we assume to be rational and interested in an emotional and two-sided relationship. He can't access her though, because sex with Trevor (the anonymous symbol of a sexier male than him) is more exciting for her adolescent mind. It's possible that even she recognises that her teenage sex drive is too powerful to resist, and that she actually wants a more rational and caring partner: she decides to put off stability in her relationship until "ten years" later when sex isn't the most important thing for her. This frustrating restriction is best symbolised by the gorilla hand costumes in one of the shots, which suggests her body is inaccessible, consumed by sex with Trevor. As a teenager myself looking for a partner, this music video and song is relatable - I've met a few girls who I really like, but I get the sense that access to them is restricted by their sex drive and possibly some sort of feeling of expectation to have sexual relations with the hottest guys possible? Like the protagonist, I really just want to get to know a girl, but at a young age they aren't interested in an emotional connection with anyone. Anyone agree or relate? |
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