If The Lovepools’ new single feels like a classic, that’s because everything about it is classic: Out today, “I Should Be Fallin’ in Love With You” is about lost love and missed opportunities: What could have been, what should have been, and what can never be.
I began my days on the tenth of May
Bought my first guitar then I was on my way
No reviews left me black and blue
I had much to learn, I had much to lose
“I Should Be Fallin’ in Love with You” – The Lovepools
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/335460144?secret_token=s-691xI” params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “I Should Be Fallin’ in Love with You,” the latest single from indie rock act The Lovepools. The moniker for Los Angeles singer/songwriter Anthony Shea, The Lovepools’ music blends the melodic stylings of ’90s and ’00s Britpop with a heartfelt-to-the-point-of-hapless intimacy. Though it’s built into a full-fledged rocker, “I Should Be Fallin’ In Love With You” has the earnest quality of a coffeehouse jam – it’s the song you want to hear playing at your local cafe.
Why do I do the things I do?
I should be fallin’ in love with you
Why do I do the things I do?
I should be fallin’ in love with you
Fittingly, “I Should Be Fallin’ in Love with You” is about the artist’s decision not to pursue a certain romantic interest, but to instead devote his full self to music. “It was inspired by my friend whom I had feelings for, but I didn’t act on them out of fear that a step forward in love, could be two steps backward in music,” explains Anthony Shea. The plight – and irony of a song coming out of that plight – is all too real, but what’s truly majestic is how utterly small Shea is able to make himself in this song. He blends nostalgia and regret into this massive wave of sadness – and surely, to know you’ve missed your chance at something that could have made you happy beyond your wildest dreams, is worth brooding over.
On the first of June I got up and played
I had my boys help me all the way
We made them laugh but didn’t make them cry
I guess I have a ways to perfect my style
Why do I do the things I do?
I should be fallin’ in love with you
Shea continutes: “Around that time, my stepfather had mentioned how many famous artists have a “perfect” song. I wanted to write something more straight forward and poppy after that conversation. The song came to me fast. It was written and recorded in two days in my home studio. I tried to change the lyrics and add more parts to it, but eventually I decided to leave it how it was originally written.” He poured himself into this song organically, and that comes through in the music, the lyrics, and the song’s simple, yet evocative production. Everything about “I Should Be Fallin’ in Love with You” feels real: Through a straightforward four-chord melody, Shea recounts his own trials and adventures, how music was and has always been his focus, and that although he knew he would have to make sacrifices along the way, he could never have known how hard some sacrifices would be.
A couple of seconds take me by surprise
I lose myself looking in your eyes
I tell myself it’s a compromise
Love’s on the shelf, I’m afraid to try
“Love’s on the shelf, I’m afraid to try,” sings Shea in the final verse. How utterly true that statement feels: We see the artist diving deep inside himself in order to understand why he does what he does. Ultimately, his lament over a missed opportunity turns into this realization of a stronger fear – that one cannot simply have it all, and that pursuit of happiness in one sphere means giving up pursuits in another sphere. A heavy song that resonates with anyone who’s had to make personal sacrifices for greater goals, The Lovepools’ “I Should Be Fallin’ in Love with You” feels like a classic song, because it is a classic song.
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photo © Jeffery Leon
