“Sex, Drugs, And Rock N’ Roll” Reflection – “Love and Feeling” by Chet Faker

             I think it is now safe to say that this is the last and final reflection, but then again I don’t know how entirely true that statement will be after this week’s class. Given the subject of Sex, Drugs, and Rock n’ Roll you are left with a wide variety of songs and genres to choose from. I decided to go the more sensuous route and focus on Sex. Sex is often glorified in the media through over exposed females/males, nudity, and television shows. Often many times sex has lost it’s true value to the younger population though the installation of what is known as “hook-up” culture. In this era you see more people having sex but truly understanding love, passion, and even the act itself. A song I feel that rings true to the primitive feelings for sex and their sexual desires is the song “Love and Feeling” by Chet Faker. In this song I feel like he does an excellent job to not only showcase sex and desire, but do it in a way that sets the song apart from the often “hook-up, sex-crazy culture” the media has instilled in our population.

      The song begins with honestly one of the coolest interludes and is essentially is spoken by the singer and not sung. It goes like:

“Sexual attraction is confusing, maddening, euphoric, even dangerous.
It drives people to extreme behavior, even unspeakable crimes.
The beating pulse, the sweating palms, the rise of chemicals in the brain are the symptoms of a much deeper, more mysterious affliction.
The mechanism that chooses and controls the objects of sexual desire can only be found in the heart of the unexplained.”

I like this so much because it’s spoken instead of sung so it gives a more serious tone to the matter in which he is discussing. Furthermore, I enjoy that instead of talking about having sex or saying to the speaker to have sex, desire sex, etc. he makes points on what is sexual attraction and behavior and what compels us as humans to love and desire sex.

       As the song continues further, you notice that this is very catchy, rhythmic, and sensuously smooth rhythm/beat  that Chet Faker uses in order to put the listener in a state of heightened sexual awareness. This beat I think rings true to many other songs that put people “in the mood” for example “Careless Whisper” by George Micheal. That tune in the beginning of “Careless Whisper” honestly is one that induces a heightened sexual awareness/desire as I think the melody in Chet Faker song “Love and Feeling” does as well.

     Song interesting lyrics throughout the song also expose Chet Faker’s desire to showcase a true layout of how how sex should be viewed by the media and the public. That view being that sex should be an act of love, passion, and desire and not the result of necessity to please the media and the idea of “hook-up culture”.

The lyric:

“Old enough to see you’re fine
Driving circles in my mind
Got to keep it all in line, all in line

Scrambling words to make you fall
Make you cold so you want more
Got to keep it all in line, all in line”

I like these two stanzas because they showcase that the singer is honestly desiring sex and wanting sex, but he choose to keep it “in line” so he can truly enjoy the moment with his lover. Also I like that the desire comes from both ends that she/he is “driving circles in his/her mind” but the singer is also “scrambling” to find words to make his lover fall harder for them and want sexual interaction.

The bridge to song:

“You know, you got me with the love and feeling
I know, my body cares only what to say
You know, you got me with the love and feeling
I know, my body cares only what to say”

This lyric is also interesting because Chet Faker does not blatantly say sex he refers it to as “love and feeling”. I enjoy that he does that because it implies and suggests to the listener that sex is more than just putting “your junk is someone’s trunk”, but rather is a mix of feelings/emotions and most importantly the love and connection between two people. Also, referring the body as a whole as mouth is quite interesting. The lyric “my body cares only what to say” is so fascinating because it makes the listener consider that sex is like a language and a very intimate form of communication rather than just a act.

Works Cited

                 Faker, Chet. Love and Feeling. Chet Faker. Thinking in Textures, 2012. CD.

Lyrics: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/chetfaker/loveandfeeling.html