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The Divining Rod
The rise of the singer-songwriter; the fall of the pop song interpreter
You know a really deranged song with a really catchy chorus? “Jealous” by Nick Jonas. I found myself singing it the other day, and when I start to absently sing a song, it can be weeks before I stop.
I’m getting red in the face
You can call me obsessed
It’s not your fault that they hover
I mean no disrespect
It’s my right to be hellish
I still get jealous
I think it’s the narrator’s self-awareness about the whole thing that freaks me out the most: “I apologize. I know I’m overreacting, but other men looking at you actually sends me into a rage and it is kinda your fault.”
Very much a “saying the quiet part out loud” moment. Is this how Nick Jonas really feels about the women he’s dating? Is this healthy? Should we be worried about him?
Would I like the song “Jealous” in earnest if I weren’t thinking of it as autobiographical? I don’t think Anthony Hopkins is a cannibal because Hannibal Lecter is; why does this song make me so uncomfortable?
“Jealous” came out around the same time as “Blurred Lines,” and while I don’t remember it being as much of a discourse magnet as the latter song, I think it would have a tougher time dodging criticism now. There’s a disconcerting…
