Stupidly Good-Hearted

Twice “Sweet Talker”

When I write about songs sung in languages I cannot understand I generally try to find an English translation. This is helpful in getting the idea of the song, but it can do a weird thing in my brain where my understanding of the song is at a remove from my experience of it – in this case, it’s also in knowing the translation has some really interesting phrases but not being sure if it’s accurate. “They say I’ve been tricked because I’m stupidly good-hearted” naturally goes along with the title, which is sung in English, but I like the implication that being “good-hearted” is linked with stupidity, and how that makes the overwhelming sugary tone of the song seem a bit hectoring. Later in the song she sings something to the effect of “I feel like I’m the protagonist in a movie,” and I like the way that reinforces the notion that the “Sweet Talker” is a straight-up villain. There’s a real teen emotional logic to this song, where a relatively minor drama is blown out in scale, and results in an extreme shift from naiveté to cynicism.

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