The DARK SECRET hidden in Lovejoy's BEST song

in this one i talk about wilbur soot a teensy bit
Trigger Warning: Depictions of suicide
Chapters:
0:00 1. Wilbur Soot
2:23 2. Self-loathing
3:51 3. Blackmail
7:54 4. Unchecked Jealousy
11:07 5. Blackmail, Again

[mirunacocosila]

I’ve always thought that will’s lyrics had a deeper meaning. I just love how every single lovejoy song is a complete different story and somehow manages to maintain a perfect balance between song writing and storytelling

[othyst]

i've never taken a wilbur/lovejoy song as simply "a love song". there's always so much more behind them, all hidden under the guise of romantic lyrics

[tabtab]

I think the lyric “now it’s red” might be another play at the sex industry, known also as the “red light district”.
“Now it’s red - Now it’s dead- Now it’s everything she needed” meaning it does not matter what feelings the sex workers may have for its her that wants a “happy ending”

But amazing analysis, very well made!

[trishatrishatrisha]

i went to a lovejoy show in may and they played sex sells. from my memory, will himself said that the song is about the singer's downstairs neighbour and upstairs neighbour coming to see each other for an affair. the singer uses this to his advantage and i have a video of only the end of the explanation unfortunately but in the video he says "so what you do is you go and you blackmail her and say im gonna tell your husband if you dont give me all your money" thought it would be cool for you to know :)

[crossovermultiverse]

With the current situation about him, the songs really did reveal his deeper feelings.

[N-I-F-T-Y]

In my personal view I interpret the phrase "sex sells" to mean that wilbur's ex was essentially bought from him with sex by the other guy. The other guy was better and Wilbur copes with this by telling us (and himself) that sex sells to people who want it, it shows that Wilbur feels incompetent in that department and this is a jealous line poking at the fact that he views his ex to have been bribed away from him with better sex

[AJOYAHH]

watching this after shelby spoke out about him is so interesting. its funny how for all the manipulative traits he had, he was able to convince his fans that he was either "just acting" or that it was from his past and that he had completely moved on from it.

[tako.]

When I looked at the lyrics to Sex Sells a while ago, I interpreted it differently. I saw it as the perspective of four different people. The first is our Narrator, the second is his neighbor below his flat, the third is the neighbors girlfriend, and the four a rich man. I believe song is about the neighbors partner cheating and getting with the rich man.

The song starts out with “you think he’d realize, but he’s infatuated with ideas of possessions and far-flung social policies”. This is about the neighbor, who is to blind to see his partner cheating as he wants to believe in the social policies such as monogamy as well as being loyal and faithful to your partner. The next lines are just background of the neighbor, how he comes from a nice background as his father works on the council, and that, despite being a Tory, his partner still fell for him.

When the lines “and I’ll listen carefully, with ears pressed to the floor, as you make your way downstairs, you haven’t got far to fall” is the narrator saying how he can hear the neighbors partner leaving to go see the rich man.

The next line “pillows pressed under your knees” implies that the neighbors partner is cheating with the rich man.

The line “now it’s a sad sappy sucker” is actually a double entendre, as first, the cheating partner is reflecting on her actions because she had sex with the rich man (I think you can get what she gave him from the words “sucker”) as well as the neighbor finally realizing and accepting what happened and being a “sappy sucker”, sappy meaning sentimental as well as being called a sucker for ignoring or not knowing what his partner was doing. Then there is the line “a Capricorn oh fuck that, they say sex sells I know that” is the neighbor trying to find an excuse for his cheating partner, but he says “fuck that” and understand ls that “sex sells”

Now that the partner knows, he both “can’t sleep with the lights on” or “sleep with the lights off”, because either way, he knows his partner is not in bed with him as she went out to cheat on him.

When the lyrics get giving background of the rich man, the song tells us he’s a “cultured man, Venetian suntan” with a life of luxury with red wine and club bands. The question is then asked “how does it feel to be so loved yet so alone”, this again saying how he has feels “love” when having the cheating partner with him, yet he also knows it’s not real love.

The narrator can be saying the same line to each of the other three with the lines “so will you do what’s easy, or will you do what’s right” meaning if each of them will do what is easy and let this continue, or do what’s right and acknowledge what is going on.

Another like that applies to the three is “where will you sleep tonight” as the neighbor can’t sleep knowing his partner is cheating, the rich man feels no real love, and the cheating partner can’t stay at the rich man’s place to make it seem like she isn’t cheating, but if she goes back home she wouldn’t be able to sleep still after her actions.

This is just my interpretation of the song, but maybe others can have different ideas as well

[vicsoot]

just a heads up, you switched mark and joe in the opening intro

[basicperson]

"Abused while i learned" "while i ostracized the ones who loved me" now we know what he meant by that.

[libertyx]

love how at the start he mixed joe and mark up

[Ghost-Tea]

Another detail, in the Dream SMP (Yes, cringe, whatever) when his character dies his soul goes to his limbo/afterlife, which is a train station that he stays for a number of years, 13-15 or so. Everyon'e limbo is personalized to suit their personality when they had been alive, keep in mind, so it might be he chose the lonely, cold and quiet train station as his limbo in the lore as a reference to the album Your City Gave me Asthma possibly as well as his past hardships in real life.

[bignosh]

Wilbur is one of the few musical artists that I would also consider a storyteller, because every one of his songs, even pre lovejoy manages not only to convey an idea or story via his lyrics, but emotions via his use of music, almost every song he makes has some feel, some emotion that I can’t find or hear in many other songs, that’s what makes his music so distinct to me.

[Sleepy]

Awesome video, i always just kinda sung the lyrics without realising what they meant so this puts another view on the whole song.
its amazing how such a small channel can make such a great video, Hope you get the views and likes you deserve big man

[peachfang]

i relate to the songwriting in wilbur's personal work as well as lovejoy.

over the years, every song hes made has hit me at the perfect time in my life, and everything just feels close to my life goodness me these men are geniuses

[Wilvian]

It’s incredible how much Wilbur has been through. Even more incredible to see how it’s expressed through his lyrics

[boredasf]

All his song lyrics have such deep meaning and for that reason many people get attracted to the music because it is relatable

[cupcakeekashya]

this is very interesting to watch! ive had a special interest on wilbur soot/lovejoy for about 3 ish years now, but he has admitted that some of lovejoy songs are based apon bar storys or storys he’s heard. i love analyzed perspectives of his writing though, i personally have analyzed sense i saw vianna in many ways. his writing is so witty i love it. he is such a descriptive writing, with witt to back it up. live, laugh, love lovejoy hehe

[aaries]

oh this is actually so cool i've never thought about these lyrics so deeply before
insanely underrated!! this has to blow up

[morrello]

I have always found it so interesting that the song is written from the perspective if wilbur believing so strongly he is right, almost trying to convince the person listening, but at the same time hints are given to the listener that maybe his assesments if his situation is the problem instead of the situation itself. It really makes the listener empathize with him and his absolute belief in his clouded mind which is really interesting.