For some reason, I’ve recently been listening to a lot of old classics. Maybe it’s because I haven’t listened to any older songs in awhile, or maybe it’s because I miss listening to these songs with my dad. Either way, I’ve enjoyed reminiscing about these older songs. One of my favorites is “Your Love” by The Outfield, which was released in 1986. Undoubtedly everyone recognizes it as an 80’s classic, and for good reason. It’s happy, upbeat, and just a great classic rock song. The song is about a one-night stand that occurs when the singer’s current girlfriend, “Josie”, is away. The first verse explains this:
Josie’s on a vacation far away
Come around and talk it over
So many things that I want to say
You know I like my girls a little bit older
I just wanna use your love tonight
I don’t wanna lose your love tonight
The first line, “Josie’s on a vacation far away”, indicates that his girlfriend is away. The following two lines, “Come around and talk it over / So many things that I want to say”, refers to his interest in talking to his old love, his ex-girlfriend. He hasn’t seen her in a while, and he misses her. The final three lines reveal this truth, showing the sexual tension between he past lovers. Although he has a girlfriend, the singer can’t help but want something with his past love again. The second verse explains this desire:
I ain’t got many friends left to talk to
Nowhere to run when I’m in trouble
You know I’d do anything for you
Stay the night but keep it undercover
I just wanna use your love tonight, whoa
I don’t wanna lose your love tonight
The first three lines explain how the singer is all alone. He has no friends around, no one to get his back if he needs it. At the time, the only person he knows is his past love and he can’t help but want to spend time with her. The fourth line reveals his intentions, which are for the girl to “Stay the night but keep it undercover.” While he’ll be cheating on Josie, he can’t help himself. Sometimes old feelings are just too hard to ignore. He does have trouble doing it, however, which the next verse describes:
Try to stop my hands from shakin’
‘Cause somethin’ in my mind’s not makin’ sense
It’s been awhile since we were all alone
I can’t hide the way I’m feelin’
The singer wasn’t expecting to run into his past love, but because he does he’s flooded with all sorts of emotions. His hands are shaking from these emotions and his own nervousness. He knows that what he’s doing is wrong but he can’t help it. As he says, “I can’t hide the way I’m feelin'”. Sometimes old feelings never go away, and when they come back it’s impossible to control them. The singer can’t control his old emotions, and just for a night he decides to let them control him. He may regret it in the morning, but for the night he’s in love once again.
Love is a very interesting emotion that is almost impossible to accurately describe. It consists of so many different feelings wrapped into one emotion. In my opinion, a lot of older songs capture love better than more current songs. Whenever I listen to these classics, I’m filled with emotions that I don’t get when I listen to songs today. Classics are called classics because they are timeless, and “Your Love” in certainly a timeless song.
Listen to it below. You’ll recognize it: