Welcome to Adrie’s beats of the week, a weekly column dedicated to remarking upon the intricacies of modern music. To submit any songs for entry, please contact [email protected], with the subject line, ‘beats of the week.’ 

I grew up mostly without my own music listening device, and hence listened to a lot of radio. This immensely grew my love for riding in the car, but also immensely grew my love for particular songs. They are usually an early 2000’s, ‘remind me a little bit of my childhood and also I only hear them on the radio’ type of song. 

Usually, when I find a song that I like, I listen to it over and over again; I know the love affair is usually dead when I skip over the song, not to it. So the fact that the radio makes that almost imposible, only adds to the allure. 

Often my best friend will send me these types of songs (she understands completely), and I listen to the preview, shed a few nostalgic tears, and then save them for the magical moment when the stars align and they come on the radio. Some of them though, are just too good not to listen to at least somewhat more regularly, and I just pray that they don’t wear out. 

So upon hearing Sara Bareilles’s “Love Song” recently, and listening to the radio host talk about the story behind the song, I knew that it must be written about; I know a Beat when I hear one. 

“Love Song” was Bareilles’s breakthrough release, and besides the marking of my own two years on this Earth, I think the it was the great moment of 2007 (it certainly was not this). The song feels like some type of anti-love song, a power move on her part, but is actually written about her music label. Which I think is also a power move on her part.  

I like the lyrics, I think that they are well-done, and I think that if you look at them in the context of talking about her record label, they make a lot of sense. They are the kind of lyrics that you don’t feel silly shouting along too, or at least feel justified in that kind of silliness. And if I said to someone, “I’m not gonna write you a love song,” I would fully expect them to respond “‘Cause you asked for it,” and “‘Caue you need one.”

For me though, it’s the feeling of this song that makes it so special. It’s upbeat and poppy, but also very tongue-in-cheek, and I think you could be both happy, or angry listening to this song. Disney movie montage angry though, not actually upset. 

Early 2000’s music seems to be making a comeback in terms of what people are coming out with now, but I think this song will never be triumphed over by any attempts at recreation. 

I don’t know what will go on in terms of music or technology, but I will be hoping for this song to come on the radio for the rest of my life, as long as radios are a thing. And then when I have kids I will play it in the mysterious, futuristic space vehicle car as I drive them to school. And I can only imagine that they will like it as much as I do.