Summer is finally upon us, which means it’s time to get those summer playlists together. The song that has made it on most of my playlists so far this summer? “Girls Chase Boys” by Ingrid Michaelson. There is something about this song that makes me sit back and just enjoy this beautiful weather.
I like to think Ingrid Michaelson is the most successful indie artist in America. This is because she is a musician who writes, produces, and releases her own music without the support of a major label AND people actually know who she is and her music has been played on the radio! She actually started her own record label, Cabin 24 Records, and have released six albums, the last two, Human Again and Lights Out, reaching number five on the Billboard 200, an impressive feat from an artist doing it all on her own. Well, I’m sure she has an impressive team that work with her, but it’s impressive that they have accomplished all this, considering the fact that the music industry is dominated by three major corporations: Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group (it was dominated by four major labels (you may have heard of the Big Four), but EMI was bought and absorbed by the other three back in 2012…which was a major topic of debate and discussion amongst industry critics…and business students…just saying).
Listen to “Girls Chase Boys” by Ingrid Michaelson:
The chorus of this song is quite catching and memorable, which makes this a good song to dance/sway to in the summer air. It’s a song to play while relaxing on the beach or when having a cookout with your people (side note: I chose the word “people” to mean “family and friends,” but I was too lazy to write out “family and friends,” which I realize is now pointless as I just wrote “family and friends” out three times…). To me, this song is about how we all want things we can’t have. She sings about how “girls chase boys chase girls,” which I take “chase” to indicate the fact these boys and girls are pursuing their desired partners, but can’t catch them; they can’t have what they want. Michaelson then sings “Let’s not make it harder than it has to be,” meaning that we are currently making our lives infinitely harder by chasing our crushes and not getting them. The verses go into even more depth in this, where Michaelson looks at her life situation and acknowledges that it is not satisfactory or living up to its potential. For example, in the first verse she sings, “I’m a little let down but I’m not dead/ There’s a little bit more that has to be said.” Here Michaelson is singing that even though she’s a bit hurt she’s not completely gone (she’s got more feelings left), and there is still more life to live. I find this type of song relatable; as a college student trying to figure out his way in the world, there are a lot of moments when I just feel like I”m not living my life’s potential and craving things I can’t have.
I also wanted to mention that this song holds one of my favorite lyrics ever:
“I got two hands, one beating heart
And I’ll be alright”
Whenever I hear this line, I just take a deep breath and remind myself that even though things may not be going the way I want them to, I’ll be able to figure my life out. I’ve got two hands to pick myself up by my bootstraps and I have a whole lot of love in my heart. I’ll be alright.
