This song is deceptively simple and potentially inconsequential. It doesn't mean to deceive; it isn't a set-up or a falsification. But it will only really make its presence deeply felt in the light of what preceded it: the breaking-point marital tension of Ohio. You can read about the trauma here but you'll only feel it by listening (without company) to Ohio.
And then coming to I Want You To Be My Love becomes what it always was for its makers: fresh, vibrant satisfaction in the solidarity of tested love.
I read the article about them some time ago, and that definitely gives texture to this song.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was great, and is elevated above being just nice, because of the history. Rather than the usual modern tendency to look for the emotional impact that comes from a new relationship, they find it in realising that the existing one is still real and alive.