Music Review // St.Arnaud "Love You (For Real)"

 

The sound of St.Arnaud when this song first starts feels like a swaying back and forth, as the horns enhance the overall sound of what is ultimately a love song.  When you listen closer to even more of the music, you'll begin to hear how this one even feels like something from that 1950's era of Buddy Holly rock n roll- just dreamy overall.   Before the end of the song, there will be a spoken word type of part over the music which always makes me think back to those days and songs about people who are out racing their hot rod cars for love.

Both the lyrics and the overall way that "Love You (For Real)" sounds can go together really well.   While you might hear those horns as one of the first prominent sounds within the song, there are also the lyrics: "There's trumpets in the parking lot / They sound like shooting stars".  So not only does this song have those horns, but it's singing about them.   And I do like that it is singing about them because all of this- just the words and music- make this feel so much like a love song and it truly is just that.

One of the funny (but not haha) things about love is that it can feel like we don't really know what it is until we know what it isn't.   Sometimes you think you love someone, find something you don't like about them and only then realize you're looking for someone who doesn't share that same quality.  Love feels less like what you want and more of what you don't want, as you find in time, and St.Arnaud really explains that here, as they even say: "You've heard it all before from those who meant it less".

What is perhaps the most interesting part about not only this song but love in general is that you don't really ever seem to know what isn't love until you know.  In that sense, you're telling the other person this is love for real only up until something happens and then you're telling that next person the same thing.   So is this a song which has an ending, where the person has found their true, or are we just going to hit play on it again when we go through all of the emotions again in the future?  Definitely something to ponder while giving this one a in depth listen.