The fourth song lyrics I will be analyzing are from the song, “Truly Madly Deeply” by the boyband One Direction. This song is off of their Take Me Home album. This song is quite different than the one from my other post this week. This song is quite less sexual and provides more of a sweet, loving, relationship take on being with a girl.

Within this song we actually see the softer side of men. The masculine traits that we usually think of (such as being assertive, dominant, aggressive, and forceful) are less pronounced in this song. Rather, we see more feminine traits such as being sensitive, gentle, affectionate, and soft-spoken. Some of the lyrics state:

I’m just the underdog who finally got the girl

And I am not ashamed to tell it to the world

Usually the woman is presented to NEED the man. But rather, in this song, the man is seeing himself as the underdog who finally got to be with the girl of his dreams. The man repeatedly states how truly in love with the woman he is, and he is not afraid to tell everyone his deep feelings for her. Usually the masculine thing to do is not to share feelings, especially romantic and soft ones. However, the boys say they are “foolishly, completely falling”. Most of the time it is a feminine trait to be completely smitten over another person and to admit you’re in love.

The next verse really shows the softer side that the men have. The lyrics state:

Should I put coffee and granola on a tray in bed

And wake you up with all the words that I still haven’t said?

And tender touches, just to show you how I feel

Or should I act so cool like it was no big deal?

Wish I could freeze this moment in a frame and stay like this

I’ll put this day back on replay and keep reliving it

‘Cause here’s the tragic truth if you don’t feel the same

My heart would fall apart if someone said your name

The men bring up how they will give “tender touches”, which is usually seen as a feminine behavior. The men also state how their hearts will fall apart if someone says the girls name. This shows how deeply they feel for this woman, and this makes them vulnerable which is more often a feminine characteristic in society. Overall we can see how this song goes against some of the stereotypical masculine traits identified in the Sex Role Perspective.

Shared by: Abigail Gonnering
Image Credit: SoundCloud