In contrast to the comment about the song being messy, I'd say that behind the cheeky and funny veneer, it's a startlingly mature song with a very consistent theme.
At first, we hear this guy talk about how he's been hurt in the past. He plays the saddest violin and croons the last line of the first verse -- "I'm hoping that you'll stick around" -- and reveals a humorous vulnerability and looks like he's got a new girl hook, line, and sinker. As his ex-girlfriends start to reveal his true self (lazy, immature, non-committal) you hear his other lines like "How can we ever know..." and "Love is a mystery..." and you start to think that maybe the whole "X left me..." is just another part of his childish mishandling of relationships. "Would you like a little cereal?" clenches it and reveals the boy hiding behind the facade.
All of that while still being funny, catchy, and being a soft commentary on the genre of sad men singing for their broken relationships (particularly obvious when taking into account the name-check to Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover"). A truly well-crafted song.
Wanna add a bit re the Paul Simon ref: Genius! It's both a charming ref/homage, and very cleverly clears them of a charge of copycatting! And, in fact, it's a funny mirror opposite of Simon's song: Simon sang about how a guy can leave women, and of course the Jemaine's singing about the women leaving him!
Wanna add a bit re the Paul Simon ref: Genius! It's both a charming ref/homage, and very cleverly clears them of a charge of copycatting! And, in fact, it's a funny mirror opposite of Simon's song: Simon sang about how a guy can leave women, and of course the Jemaine's singing about the women leaving him!
In contrast to the comment about the song being messy, I'd say that behind the cheeky and funny veneer, it's a startlingly mature song with a very consistent theme.
At first, we hear this guy talk about how he's been hurt in the past. He plays the saddest violin and croons the last line of the first verse -- "I'm hoping that you'll stick around" -- and reveals a humorous vulnerability and looks like he's got a new girl hook, line, and sinker. As his ex-girlfriends start to reveal his true self (lazy, immature, non-committal) you hear his other lines like "How can we ever know..." and "Love is a mystery..." and you start to think that maybe the whole "X left me..." is just another part of his childish mishandling of relationships. "Would you like a little cereal?" clenches it and reveals the boy hiding behind the facade.
All of that while still being funny, catchy, and being a soft commentary on the genre of sad men singing for their broken relationships (particularly obvious when taking into account the name-check to Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover"). A truly well-crafted song.
@eljavi Great comment!
@eljavi Great comment!
Wanna add a bit re the Paul Simon ref: Genius! It's both a charming ref/homage, and very cleverly clears them of a charge of copycatting! And, in fact, it's a funny mirror opposite of Simon's song: Simon sang about how a guy can leave women, and of course the Jemaine's singing about the women leaving him!
Wanna add a bit re the Paul Simon ref: Genius! It's both a charming ref/homage, and very cleverly clears them of a charge of copycatting! And, in fact, it's a funny mirror opposite of Simon's song: Simon sang about how a guy can leave women, and of course the Jemaine's singing about the women leaving him!