“You'd have to stop the world just to stop the feeling”
“You'd have to stop the world just to stop the feeling.”
What a line. What a poetic way to say ‘it will never happen.’
It’s the sum up in “Good Luck, Babe,” by Chappell Roan. Or as a friend of mine pronounces it : “Chappelle” (as and Dave).. 😳
My email box is flooded with requests to consider Grammy submissions. My favorite category? Best Song. I mean, C’mon.
Sabrina’s “Espresso” does nothing for me. “Please Please” is more compelling. Love Billie’s “Birds of a Feather” but it’s “Good Luck, Babe!” that I can’t get out of my head. Seriously. It’s non-stop. It’s infiltrated my dreams. My coffee. And it’s not just because it’s getting played over and over. It’s cuz the hook is so f*cking sticky.
“GLB” speaks of compulsory heterosexuality. Chappell describes the song as a relationship with a woman who tries to deny her romantic feelings for Chappell and for women in general. It’s written from an honest place vs a calculated temperature-taking of what will make fans talk and tweet. ‘Queeriousity’ is trending with female-presenting pop songwriters. They want to give us something to dish about. I get it. The playing field is saturated. One must do/say what will get attention. But this one is real. (She had a like-minded partner who helped her bake that cake — Justin Tranter an established and outspoken queer creator.)
One could argue that Ms. Roan’s medieval drag-persona is attention-baiting. Perhaps. But who stands at a mic anymore in jeans and a T-shirt and just sings a song? (Actually, I think I saw Olivia Rodrigo do it and I thought it was lovely, but I am not the target market.)
I also must admit that I gravitate to songs with traditional recognizable structure. (There’s no definitive way to ‘structure’ but there IS a familiar flow we have come to psychologically expect.) Song form is being challenged (often successfully) these days — choruses refuse to rise. Or what exactly IS the chorus? That said songwriters who know better have not abandoned conventional structure Because it works. As in…
Verse — What’s is going on?
It's fine, it's cool
You can say that we are nothing, but you know the truth
And guess I'm the fool
With her arms out like an angel through the car sunroof
B-section — Tell me more. Launch me into the hook…
I don't wanna call it off
But you don't wanna call it love
You only wanna be the one that I call "baby"
Hook — The point of the song
You can kiss a hundred boys in bars
Shoot another shot, try to stop the feeling
You can say it's just the way you are
Make a new excuse, another stupid reason
Good luck, babe (well, good luck), well, good luck, babe (well, good luck)
You'd have to stop the world just to stop the feeling
Verse 2 — Go deeper Show vulnerability
I'm cliché, who cares?
It's a sexually explicit kind of love affair
And I cry, it's not fair
I just need a little lovin', I just need a little air
B-section — same melody as the first but new detail unless you’re lazy and use the same lyrics as before. But she doesn’t:
Think I'm gonna call it off
Even if you call it love
I just wanna love someone who calls me "baby"
Hook…
Bridge: What might the future hold?
When you wake up next to him in the middle of the night
With your head in your hands, you're nothing more than his wife
And when you think about me, all of those years ago
You're standing face to face with "I told you so"
Hook…
…You'd have to stop the world just to stop the feeling…
Such a satisfying flow. And that line. What a poetic way to say ‘It’s never gonna happen!’
In writing sessions we pray for lines like these to drop from the sky. Lightening in a bottle. Sometimes, it’s obvious. Sometimes elusive. The sum up is as important as the title. It supports the whole ‘thesis’ of the song and brings the concept full circle.
“Good Luck, Babe!” is as unique as it is universal. It touches on a pivotal point we’ve all had in a relationship: one day you’ll know it should have been me but it’ll be too late. 😞
Last year I predicted (it wasn’t difficult) that “What Was I Made For” would win the Grammy for Song Of The Year. (I also wrote that Taylor could tip the election.) To be clear I don’t think I’m a psychic. It’s just that some things are no-brainers. I know what song I’ll be voting for this year.
Have a listen to “Good Luck, Babe!” (if you haven’t already) and let me know if you can get it out of your head.
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