I'll Be There -- The Jackson 5 -- Breaking down the lyrics! 🎶🎵🎤
Cute little boyhood baby Michael, but maybe this song isn't as innocent as we thought!!!
MJ is GOAT, and I believe his lyrics guide us in a good way (maybe with the occasional unwanted influence from Sony or whoever, I don't know). But sex is a part of this life of ours, so if there's a sexual side, there's nothing wrong with that.
(Jackson 5 had writers anyways, so baby Michael didn't even write this. He's still innocent.)
And oh - I'll be there to comfort you
Build my world of dreams around you, I'm so glad that I found you
I'll be there with a love that's strong
I'll be your strength, I'll keep holding on - yes I will, yes I will
So the assumption would be that it's about love and connection. The general romantic package.
But then this:
If you should ever find someone new, I know he'd better be good to you
'Cos if he doesn't, I'll be there
Key word being doesn't rather than isn't
(and 'isn't' I don't think would cost you any flow or poetry)
I always thought it was grammatically weird, and then it dawned on me, "oh, they're talking about a sex act". Or a series of sex acts or a sexual "thing" or "things" or way of pleasing that the new guy may be unwilling to do.
And if he doesn't, Michael will be there.
Don't you know, baby, yeah yeah
I'll be there, I'll be there, just call my name, I'll be there
(Just look over your shoulders, honey - ooh)
I'll be there, I'll be there, whenever you need me, I'll be there
Don't you know, baby, yeah yeah
You don't call someone's name or look over your shoulders for them to swoop in on a moment's notice if what you want is a general romantic steadiness type of fulfillment. Nope. But you do if there's a specific thing you want, like a sexual pleasure. 😮😵
If he doesn't implies that what you need him to do is accomplished by specific things that you could notice him doing.
Consider: "he better be good at baseball this season..."
If he doesn't hit 25 home runs, I'll be there.
And if he isn't a reliable player, I'll be there.
If we're talking about the general overarching love and support and that kind of goodness, you don't do specific things, you don't hit specific requirements, as the way of accomplishing it. You could even do certain good things, and easily outweigh it by other things that are bad. It's about how you are not what you do. The worry in that case would be that he isn't good to you.
If the worry is that he doesn't be good to you.. then we're talking about sex. It's just that simple lol.
::shrugs::