26 August 2008

A question of grammar: "Why Me"

Queen of pageant songs Irene Cara. Synth god Giorgio Moroder. Don't forget Harold Faltermeyer and Keith Forsey. Put them together and you have absolute freakin' magic.

The chorus is where things get a bit tricky.

Why me? Why me?
Why me when I was the one who could set your heart free?
Why me? Why me?
Why me, you took all the love I gave up selfishly.

Now, does she mean that she, as the narrator of the song, gave up her love in a selfish manner, perhaps as a passive-aggressive means of controlling her lover? Or is that concluding adverb meant as an indictment of the lover (which would best be visually represented as "You took all the love I gave up, selfishly"). Either way is intriguing, though I'm guessing it's meant more as an indictment of the lover..

No comments: