Released: 2022
‘Easy Lover’ by Ellie Goulding, featuring Big Sean, is a deep dive into the struggles of a complex love relationship. The song captures the emotional rollercoaster of two lovers who can’t seem to break free from each other, despite the pain they cause each other.
The title ‘Easy Lover’ is ironic. It suggests a simple, no-strings-attached relationship, but the lyrics paint a different picture. The line ‘It was never easy, lover’ repeated throughout the song emphasizes the challenges and emotional turmoil they face.
When Goulding sings ‘I just wanted you to pull for me closer, Yet you always seemed to go even further’, she’s expressing a longing for emotional closeness that isn’t being met. The phrase ‘pull for me closer’ is a call for her lover to invest more in their relationship, but he keeps pulling away.
The chorus, ‘Easy lover, Keep it cool on me, Don’t be cruel to me, ‘Cause I know you’ve done it before’ is a plea for kindness and understanding. ‘Keep it cool on me’ is a request for her lover to treat her with respect and not to be harsh or ‘cruel’. The line ‘Cause I know you’ve done it before’ suggests a history of hurt and disappointment.
Big Sean’s verse adds another layer to the narrative. He acknowledges the distance between them (‘A whole city in between us and we still attached’) and admits to his own shortcomings (‘Okay, you mad at me, I had to man up’). The line ‘I see a fire in your eyes, that mean we still a match’ is a clever play on words, using ‘match’ to mean both a suitable partner and a source of potential conflict.
Towards the end of the song, Goulding sings ‘This gone too far and too deep, I can’t sleep, I’m still foolishly in love with you’. This shows the depth of her feelings and the toll the relationship is taking on her. The word ‘foolishly’ suggests she knows the relationship isn’t healthy, but she can’t help her feelings.
Overall, ‘Easy Lover’ is a powerful portrayal of a tumultuous relationship, filled with longing, frustration, and a desperate hope for something better. It’s a testament to the complexity of love and the lengths we’ll go to hold onto it, even when it hurts.
