Leadership Honor Scholarship

Brooke Elliott

An upbeat tune. Instrumentals taken straight out of the 80s. Mitski might not be the artist coming to mind, but in her new single “Love Me More”, the beloved singer of “Strawberry Blond” ventures into new fields. 

For those of you who weren’t introduced to Mitski on TikTok during the pandemic, when instant classics like “Washing Machine Heart”, “Nobody”, andFirst Love/Late Spring” were trending, the singer songwriter is a 31 year old indie star who mainly focuses on lyricism in her songs. In her new 2022 album Laurel Hell, the single “Love Me More” combines Mitski’s signature storytelling with a more pop musicality, leading to a unique contrast of sad lyrics/happy beat.

After listening to the song a few times, it became apparent that this wasn’t your average love song. Through lyrics like “But when I’m done singing this song I will have to find something else to do to keep me here” and “I could be a new girl” it becomes clear to the listener that Mitski isn’t singing about an ex lover, she is singing directly to her fans.

What makes this song such an interesting and absorbing listen is her breakage of the fourth wall, and her self-reflective storytelling. Through her repetitive “I need you to love me more” we as fans can feel her as she grasps at us; she is trying to keep them from getting tired of her and her music. As an artist, especially an artist living and making art during a pandemic, there is a constant fear of losing favor and losing any fanbase you might have. To put that sort of relationship, a relationship so different from a romantic relationship and yet so similar, into a love song format is so abstract and different from other songs out there. This is the appeal of Mitski. 

Songs so deep and rich in meaning are few and far between, and so “Love Me More” gets a solid nine stars from me. The description of Mitski’s fears regarding her own fame and career are so wonderfully crafted, so much so that it takes a few listens to decipher. This is the first song from Laurel Hell I’ve heard, but after listening to this single I can’t wait to hear more. 

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