I’m a bitter man. At my core, there may be the longing of some romantic, but don’t let him fool you. Twenty-one years of experience has left me yearning for a happy ending. With the comprehension of how young I am, coupled with my philosophy that everything is temporary, I often find myself sifting through popular dance songs to find some solace.

 

Today, I’ve found Cascada’s dance ballad, "Every Time We Touch", ricocheting out of my headphones and into my heart. Unfortunately it’s brought me to the question of defining love and lust.

 

Love is difficult to define, potentially because it can mean so many different things to so many different people. Lust, however, is far more primitive. Lust is essentially why we all exist in this current day and age what I’d contend makes Cascada insta-famous.

 

While at some point I may have found comfort in the blaring hooks of this catchy hip thruster of a tune, now I’ve found myself analyzing the lyrics. She begins the song slowly, accompanied with simple lyrics about missing one’s ‘touch’, ‘voice’, or even ‘dreaming’ about them. Personally, I can’t help but argue for the scent of my women. Maybe it’s been nothing more than distinctive Victoria’s Secret perfumes, but their smell is always what brings the break-up tears to my cheeks. It’s that horrific moment when you’re lost in conversation and turn around to see the traffic of a busy street behind you. Suddenly, your nostrils erupt with a familiar aroma. You hesitate to turn around. You cannot help but question what’s overcoming you. Slowly, your head turns back to the voice behind you and rather than a rush of disappointment, you actually become suffocated in the memories of that one special person who should be sitting across from you. But, the memories are exactly that: just memories.

 

From then on, the song is essentially just an ongoing dance blast of pure lust. Seriously, after about a dozen listens, I was waiting to be showered in condoms. The artist continues to chant on about the ‘static’ of a touch and the sensation of ‘feeling like you can fly’ from a kiss. The difference in the sensation is what I argue is the fundamental understanding of love and lust. ‘Static’, ‘touch’, shoving your tongue down another’s throat for a rush; this is the false sense of love driven by passion. Lust is that ‘static’, lust is ‘reaching for the sky with every kiss’ and lust is being unable to look someone directly in the eyes. I’d say love is an eruption of the stomach only perceivable through angst. Love is a slow, ongoing kiss that lasts for minutes, but it feels like a matter of seconds. Love isn’t avoiding someone’s eyes for the fear of butterflies; rather it's never being able to look away because you want to stay apart of their gaze.

 

Again, I’m a bitter man. This is an interesting period for myself and I cannot help but rest my weary fears in the words of some pop queen who’s ‘heart beats fast’ and wants whatever she’s had to ‘last’.

 

I really could be over analyzing; I could just be jaded by my own experiences. I will say, however, that considering the influences of modern media, maybe we need to reevaluate what love is. In truth, it may always arrive in different forms, but what changes for each person? Is it the significant other? Is it the sensation we feel? Or is it us just discovering what makes us never want to leave someone’s gaze?