Helen Love, "A Boy Like You" (2005)


"I like the way you pop your bubblegum/I like the things you do!/The way you shine just like a summer sun/I like everything about you!"

Well, sure. When you're in love, everything about him is so cute. But give it a year, and we'll talk about whether you still think the way he pops his bubblegum is super kawaii!!!, or so annoying that you want to cut out his tongue with a rusty saw.

Ah, but a verse of the song knows this: "Slow down in the summertime/We gotta take our time/Cause we've just begun/Hey baby don't move too fast/We gonna take it slow/We gonna make it last/Cause I want you to be my boy!"

We could sound the same word of caution about this song. Indeed, perhaps the song sounds the same words of caution -- which is to say it's probably a meta-song, as much about music as it is about love. While this is now a ridiculously infectious and catchy bubblegum pop number, will it last? Given how the band's "Debbie Loves Joey" was one of my favorite tracks from last year, but still fills my heart with unspeakable joy, I'll tentatively bet that this song -- taken from the same EP, which I spotted last week in the Chicago Virgin Megastore, thereby remembering that Helen Love exists beyond that one fantastic single (and indeed has been around, in some form or another, since 1992) -- might also never get old, lose its flavor, or its snap. It's great pop, and hopefully the bubble never pops.