The thirteenth song on One Direction’s Take Me Home album, “Summer Love,” is about a guy reminiscing about a summer fling; it reminds me of “Summer Nights” from Grease, but less playful and more melancholy. The lyrics,
“So please don’t make this any harder
We can’t take this any farther
And I know there’s nothing that I wanna change, change,”
indicate that the “summer love” he had was most likely lustful and wasn’t really an unconditional type of love, rather, it was a short-lived summer relationship that didn’t hold much meaning. I think the song reflects the intimacy of their relationship and maybe the guy actually did end up falling in love with the girl in the end after having spent so much time together during the few summer months.
If this relationship was lustful, it relates to the male gaze because the guy is taking this summer fling for granted. He emphasizes that the girl is most likely being represented as an object for viewing and sensual pleasure rather than a as a whole person. This boy will remember the good times of the summer, but will not make an effort to date the girl or take it to the next level. This is definitely a reflection in society and it unfortunately happens to girls all the time.
The Sex Role Theory comes into play because according to society, the ideal man has several partners and it is accepted, whereas females are looked down upon if they have several partners. If the guy in this song happens to move on and find another girl, he will support this theory in that he adds another partner to his list and will most likely receive praise from his friends and other who share the same viewpoint.
Shared by: Elyse Hornung
Image Credit: Wattpad