My Little Secret....

Is it just me, or are songs about cheating really catchy?

Typically, it's rare that I'll like a song the very first time I hear it, but as I was reflecting on some music earlier; I realized that some of my all-time favorites are songs about cheating. I became concerned, as I've never cheated, nor do I consider myself a cheater; but here's some that came to mind:

Xscape - "My Little Secret" So this was the first song I connected with about cheating. In fact, its the only song by Xscape that I know very well. If you're not familiar with the song, it's a group of girls that are all singing about their sexual trysts with another woman's man. The scandal continues as the girls go on to explain how they love being in the same room with the man's girl - knowing that she's completely in the dark!

John Legend - "She Don't Have To Know" [I prefer the live version, but the lyrics are the same]. So in this song we have John talking about his adventures with his female friend - that isn't his girlfriend. The song goes onto explain how John knows the girl is cheating on her boyfriend too, but they both don't care because they're just so madly in love [or in lust] with each other. Cute, right?

Destiny's Child - "Confessions" [Yes, I know Usher did "Confessions" too, but Destiny's Child did it first, OK?] As opposed to the other songs, the girls of Destiny's Child are showing some sorrow for their actions, but its still about cheating as Beyoncé basically describes why and how she did it.

Amy Winehouse - "You Know I'm No Good" [Disclaimer, I'm not exactly certain if I was more into this song because it was about cheating, or if it was because it made mention to Tanqueray. Just sayin']. So we've got our girl Amy here talkin' about how she's no good because she's forever cheatin' on her man. I give her some credit, because at least she realizes she's no good for doing so.

Jaime Foxx - "Just Like Me" So this song brings a "twist" of sorts in respect to the other songs about cheating as Jaime is well aware that his girl is cheating on him, however, he can't be mad at her because he's been doing the same thing! So they both know they're cheaters, and they're OK with that, and everyone goes home happy.

So what is it about these songs that's so attractive? Typically you find yourself liking a song because you can connect with it on some level. And these artists release these songs knowing that people will be able to connect/relate to them on some level, and most of these songs were hits! [Granted, not all of them listed here, but generally songs about cheating do well]. So does that mean that everybody cheats? Could Xscape have been right?

Personally, I think I find myself liking these songs because cheating - in most cases - is a secretive thing. Now, I'm not saying that I'm a very secretive person, but we all can admit that everyone has a secret. So when I hear these songs, it's not the idea of cheating that I connect with, rather, it's the secret that embodies it. And, in a quite sinister way, it's kind of exciting to know you hold a piece of information that isn't accessible to everyone. It's "My Little Secret" because no one else knows about it, or it's mine to decide who to share it with. And if I decide that "She Don't Have to Know," then she doesn't have to know. That is, unless it were to come out in a series of "Confessions," but I wouldn't do it like that. "You Know I'm No Good," and I'm pretty sure you're "Just Like Me" in that regard because everyone has a secret, but can they keep it?

"...oh no they can't."


Class dismissed.