Tuesday, May 20, 2014

CanTunes Tuesday: "Jealous (I Ain't With It)" - Chromeo

Heeeeey jealousy!



Yes, jealousy: one of the most conflicting emotions in music. Are you angry? Are you sad? Are you in love? Are you maybe a combination of the three? Well, songs about jealousy have the cure for what ails you. Let's take a look at a Canadian electrofunk duo by the name of Chromeo.



Chromeo formed in 2002. In addition to remixing songs, they've also released songs of their own since 2004's She's In Control. Unfortunately, I can't tell you much about them because their new single, "Jealous (I Ain't With It)", is the first I'm hearing from them. And listening to the song, they definitely live up to their electrofunk genre. But do the lyrics measure up to the song's title? How do they convey jealousy?

I get jealous, but I'm too cool to admit it
When the fellas, talk to my girl I ain't with it

You're... you're not with it? You're not with what? Well, I guess the song does measure up to the title, but what does it mean?

I ain't with it, I ain't with it, I ain't with it

No, repeating it sure isn't helping. Well, let's get to the verses. Maybe they can provide some context.

I got strung up from our loving
I wish you cared to see
But she only cares when she's got the time

Ignoring the awkward pronoun switch, I guess I can see what's going on here now. The guy is more involved in the relationship than the girl is, so he gets jealous when he sees other guys talking to her, painting a not-so-happy picture. All right, I can get behind this. We've all been in a relationship where the feelings are not fully reciprocated, and there's been many a song written about unhealthy relationships. 

Even the beat kind of reflects the problematic tone of the song; it's a little darker than a happy-go-lucky party song's beat would be. I do like the guy's voice as well. He's got this interesting rhythm in his vocals that keeps me hooked.

So, overall, thumbs up to Chromeo. Hope to see more from them in the future.

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