69 Love Songs Review – Disc Three, Part One

(I am not going to take the time to link every individual song throughout this. I thought about it, but come on who do I think I am.)

If you want to follow along, the album is linked here: 69 Love Songs

47. Underwear – How amazing it is to see someone in their underwear. The rock riff that supports the song tells that Merritt wrote this song about and for teenagers. And what do teenagers want more than to see someone naked for the first time? According to the lyrics, seeing someone in their underwear makes you love, and makes you forget about death as you become invincible. And what better way of showing this transformation than switching to french, the language of love? Thankfully my intro french class in college prepared me for just this moment. Pairing the words l’amour and la mort was a nice choice on part of Merritt, and made for a fun set of lyrics that translate into “death is death // but love is love”. An interesting start to the final set of songs. This song mocks this ‘rite of passage’ that teenagers exalt, so a part of me thinks that it’s an introduction to songs that will speak about triumph and empowerment after love, which would make sense after the valleys in disc two. But maybe I’m overthinking it and Merritt doesn’t really care.
48. It’s a Crime – Falling in love is a crime, don’t do it. Typical “love sucks and I’ve had enough of it” song. It is funny that Merritt added in the lyrics “I shouldn’t have bothered, because you’re just like all the others // but now I know, and I won’t do it again”, since this is the cycle that so many people fall into. Fall for a type of person, that type sucks, things end and the person gets sad, they say they will never love again, person looks for someone else of that type, repeat. Mentioning buying a Bentley for their love also gives this feeling of rich and clueless, leaving me feeling not at all sad for this person. Another song about young clueless enamoration that is mistaken for love, and results in a symptom known as big sad. Yes, love sucks, just listen to a few love songs (about 69) and get back in the game.
49. Busby Berkely Dreams – Person A is in love with Person B, who they haven’t seen in so long. But not all hope is lost? Merritt really loves making songs that sound sad but have hidden meanings. In this Person A is holding onto this love for Person B, and is reliving all of the old amazing memories they had, waiting to get back to those. But a closer look at the lyrics show that Person B has moved on, and is in fact already married. “But no, you can’t have a divorce” is Person A telling themselves that they shouldn’t interfere in Person B’s existing marriage. And yes, this may still make you feel sad for Person A, but the second verse says that “And now you want to leave me for good // I refuse to believe you could”, showing that Person A is not respectfully staying away, but trying to entice Person B to come back, and Person B is not having any of it. Reminiscing over old memories is okay, but homewrecking may not be. Don’t be sad it’s over, be happy that it happened.
50. I’m Sorry I Love You – Person A is sorry that they’re not over Person B yet, but they’ll get over it so B should leave them alone. I really like this song. A lot of the other songs on this album that have been sung by female artists have been about teenage heartbreak, or being obsessed with a boy, but Merritt wrote this one in a completely different way. You have someone who understands that they are hurting, but that it’s totally okay and that’s part of healing. They are going to write their feelings out, so their ex-lover should pretend to not see those feelings, and let the feelings pass. Those are powerful lyrics! Along with a strong rock accompaniment, this song is well-structured. A catchy and relieving break from the rest of the songs that Merritt has presented on this disc.
51. Acoustic Guitar – Person A is going to use her acoustic guitar to bring her girl back. Like the title suggests, this song is instrumented only by a guitar, that accompanies a solo female voice. She is singing to her guitar, speaking of how she will use it to win back her lover. Kind of hypocritical on the part of Merritt to take a dig at people who use slow acoustic music to make easy love music, when he has done if for quite a bit of songs on this album. But it is funny to see lyrics such as “She always loved the sound of your strum // You made her think, maybe, I wasn’t so dumb” which is a huge reason people learn to play thinks like acoustic guitar or ukulele. Easy to play, and easy to swoon people over with once you learn a few simple chords and strumming patterns. As someone who plays both, I can confirm. That being said, I’ve mentioned my love of acoustic enough times to make it obvious that I love these types of songs, and this one is no exception. They lyrics are endearing, the acoustic supports the voice so well, and the guitar licks in between verses paint this image of the singer being the one playing the guitar, adding to the immersion that this song creates. I hope her girl comes back though.
52. The Death of Ferdinand de Saussure – Person A met a linguist, and asked him about love. Because linguists suck and don’t know anything, Person A shot him. You have a groovy song equipped with a drum set, which you don’t get too often in these songs. The music is pretty straightforward, in order to focus attention onto the lyrics. The lyrics speak of Person A meeting Ferdinand de Saussure, who I know nothing about other than him being a linguist. Person A asks about love, but Ferdinand claims that the word and knowledges we have are not at all equipped to learn about love, so we don’t know anything about it and will never know anything about it. An interesting point, but Person A isn’t having any of it, so he shoots Ferdinand in anger. Ferdinand’s dying words are that we do not know anything about love, but that we are also nothing without it. The lyrics about “shooting Ferdinand” have obvious allusions to the murder of Franz Ferdinand preluding WWI, and bringing up Dozier and the Holland Brothers is supposed to be a counter to the argument that “we don’t know anything about love”, since they are known for writing hundred of simple songs about love. So, is Merritt saying that we are killing the true and deep meaning of love (by killing Ferdinand) in favor of our simplistic views of love (by doing it for Dozier and Holland)? One thing is for sure, I hate linguists and probably would’ve shot de Saussure, too.
53. Love in the Shadows – Love in the shadows is easy, just don’t look at anything too hard. The music in this song works perfectly for this dark and mysterious mood that Merritt wants to paint. During the verses, the piano is so faint, but adds color to the percussive rhythms that sound like rain pattering out of a drain, or a ball being thrown down an alley. The lyrics tell of a love in the shadows, which works because you there’s no “words of nothing” and you can’t see how others look. And Person A is trying to tell Person B that this is okay, to ignore the moonlight that is “playing tricks on you” by showing you what people look like, and to listen to the whispers. One fun thing is that Merritt emphasizes the line that says “don’t laugh, I think you’re beautiful”, which is him saying that beauty is something that is not seen, but felt and understood. A creepy but heartwarming song.
54. Bitter Tears – Person A is so, so sad. Like, super sad. The story tells about a person who has gotten so used to crying that there is nothing to do but cry, which makes them “look good” and is “free”. This person seems to not be hurting anymore, but is tied to the relief that crying brings them, and is doing it just because it feels necessary. Kinda sad, but also feels like they could stop if they want to and are choosing not to. Nothing more to say on the matter, sorry. Don’t cry about it.
55. Wi’ Nae Wee Bairn Ye’ll Me Beget – Person A refuses to have Person B’s child, no matter how much they try to advance. I will admit, I thought this was in a different language until I realized it’s just terrible English, which matches the Scottish feel that Merritt is trying to give this song. Through the unintelligible mess, I was able to understand that Person A is refusing to have a child with Person B, and would rather die a virgin. I can only assume that the verses are a back and forth between these two, with the man saying things like “I’ll turn into a bird and sing to you” and the woman saying “well I’ll turn into a machine and tear you apart”. It’s a hilarious conversation and power dynamic shown, but one can only hope that the delusional boy gives up at some point. Come on, if she tells you she would rather stay a virgin, then just take the hint.
56. Yeah! Oh, Yeah! – Person A is asking her husband if he hates her. And yeah, oh yeah, he does! I love this song. You start off with someone asking questions that so many people ask in arguments with their partners. “Do you hate me? Do you regret everything?” and then the song jumps into the most enthusiastic “Yeah! Oh yeah!” that you will ever hear in this type of argument. What felt like it would be an expression of anger and emotional distress turns into a dark story where the husband continues telling the wife how much he hates her, as he reaches for a knife to end everything they have ever had. A very sad ending for the wife, who probably found out much more than she thought she would, all under the cover of such passionate and loving music. Another Merritt staple.
57. Experimental Love Music – Experimental Love Music. Thirty second of nonsense. Even Punk Love had character. This one doesn’t.
58. Meaningless – Person A is trying to convince themselves that their relationship was meaningless. Side note: I had a bad feeling that this song would be another nonsense track like the one before. Automatic props for not also being straight trash. The mood of this song paints the setting of this person having this conversation during their regular day, as opposed to during a late-night emotional rut. Usually these happen during the latter, when you are trying to talk yourself out a rut and tell yourself that everything is okay. This one, however, is happening during the day, showing that these emotions are not just late-night emotions, but very much still at the front of the person’s mind. Which is why they are so eager to make themselves believe their failed relationship was meaningless. They don’t believe it, but they want to. That’s why they are telling the press, the rooftops, and everyone that is was meaningless, in the hopes that they will make themselves believe it. But that is definitely not the case, which will become apparent soon enough, whether they want it to or not.

11 songs left! How funny would it be if I gave up on this review at this point. I guess we’ll see if the last few songs come soon or not.