The fourth song in One Direction’s “Take Me Home” album is a fun, upbeat tune about letting loose and letting go of one’s responsibilities while describing the relationship between a boy and a girl as they’re dancing. Whenever I listen to this song, I close my eyes and envision a dark room with flashing lights, loud music, and a bunch of friends smiling and laughing around me. It lets me escape to that energetic feeling when I’m working out or just being goofy with others. Other than a catchy tune, the song doesn’t really have a lot of sentimental or deeper meaning other than “C’mon, let’s go dance together, just you and me; let’s be ourselves.” The boy definitely could have an urge to go further than dancing, but nothing relating to anything completely obscene is obvious here.
In relation to class, the male gaze could be applied to this song (even though there is no music video or visual representation) because the song describes the actions of both the male and female. The lyrics,
“I’ve been watchin’ you all night
There’s somethin’ in your eyes
Say c’mon, c’mon
And dance with me baby”
tell me that the girl could be identified as an object of pleasure or delight (passive role), and the guy is watching her (active role) and wants to get close to her. On the contrary, the “somethin’ in your eyes” could reject the male gaze theory because in this case the guy seems to be focusing on both the girl’s body and face.
In relation to the Sex Role Perspective, the lyrics,
“The one that I came with
Didn’t know how to move
The way that you let your hair down
I can tell that you do”
tell the audience that the guy found a new girl to dance with, which is kind of rude on his end toward the girl he came with, but this is fits the stereotypical idea that men are attracted to the prettiest, most confident girl in the room. The following line, “she’s a lucky girl” also could refer to a man’s traditional gender role of self-reliance and leadership; from the guy’s perspective he is dominant, assertive, and controls the scene which contrasts the traditional female role of being naive and submissive.
Shared by: Elyse Hornung
Image Credit: Smule