The Greatest American Music: Lizzo's "Soulmate"

Last week I raved over Lizzo's new record, "Cuz I Love You", and today I want to talk about one specific song on there that I think will have a long lasting impact, especially as a wedding song. As I stated in my review, I am obsessed with this new record. I love the message, her voice, the lyrics and how catchy every single song is. I have been listening to it at least once a day since last Monday. I love every track on the record. My favorite is "Better in Color", because of the blending of old and new sounds.

But, the more I listen to the record the more the song "Soulmate" really, really stands out. This song, at least to me, ranks right up there for single people as Beyoncé's "All the Single Lady's". I mean, the message behind each song is to be independent and love yourself. But Lizzo takes it one step further. Where Beyoncé says stuff like, "if you liked it than you should have put a ring on it", Lizzo talks about how she doesn't need anyone, but herself, to be as happy as she can be. When listening, and then looking at the lyrics, this couldn't be more true. There are certain parts of this song that make "All the Single Lady's" seem timid and not nearly as empowering. Lizzo starts out with a bang. The opening verse has her saying, "they used to say get a man you had to know how to look/they used to say to keep a man you had to know how to cook/but I'm solo in Soho, sippin Soju in Malibu/It's a me, myself kinda attitude". That is some epic stuff right there. She rehashes what people may have told her her whole life, but then says she doesn’t need that stuff, and in fact, she is so much happier chilling at the beach and drinking by herself. She doesn't need to cook to get a dude. She doesn't need to do herself up just to get a guy. That is awesome.

The chorus is what really took me by storm when I actually looked at the lyrics. "All the Single Lady's" does have that catchy as hell chorus, but "Soulmate" is so much more profound. It goes, "Cause I'm my own soulmate/I know how to love me/I know that's always going to hold me down/yeah I'm my own soulmate/No, I'm never lonely/I know I'm a queen but I don't need no crown/Look up in the mirror like damn she's the one". Again, that is such a perfect chorus for all single people, not just ladies, to scream sing on the dance floor, especially at weddings. I mean, it doesn't get much more self empowering than that. She calls herself her own soulmate. She says she will never be letdown. She knows she is a queen, and doesn't need anyone to tell her this, or buy her nonsense. And the whole look in the mirror is just a baller ass line. It is amazing. I can picture, if I flashback to my own wedding, all of mine and my wife's single friends at the time, rocking this song. It would have been epic. Hell, I went to some weddings awhile back where "ATSL" was playing, and "Soulmate", had it been out, would have blown that song out of the water. There is another verse that I adore in the song. Lizzo says, "and she never tells me to exercise/we always get extra fries/and you know the sex is fire/and I gotta testify/I get flowers every Sunday/I'mma marry me one day". Again, perfection. In that one little verse she covers her disdain for exercise, how she eats what she wants, how she is the only one that can please herself and that she's just going to marry herself. Awesome.

Even near the end, when Lizzo talks about how you can find true love when you are by yourself, I love it. Before meeting my wife, I was by myself, and by myself a lot. I started to just be myself the more I stayed by myself. All of that led to me meeting my wife. She liked how calm and, dare I say, cool I was/am. I decided that I was fine by myself, and then I met the love of my life. I kind of think that is the message Lizzo is trying to get across. I think, I in my mind, she is saying you need to love yourself before you love someone else, and that someone else needs to love you for who you really are. I think that is just great.

"Soulmate" rules, just like every other song on this record. But, what "Soulmate" has that some of the other songs might not is the ability to become a big smash hit that resonates with all different kinds of people. I'm happily married, been with my wife for almost 13 years, 10 of which we have been husband and wife, and I yell sing this song in my car. I have other friends that listen to Lizzo, that are single, and this is far and away their favorite song on the record. I have friends that are dating that play this loudly in their home. This song truly runs the gammet. Even my three year old sings along to the chorus. It is a perfect song, and will be for the rest of time. Seriously people, start listening to Lizzo because she absolutely rules.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is all about loving yourself before you can love someone else. Maybe the incel community could learn something from Ty and Lizzo.

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