Infatuation, it’s been said, is a form of temporary insanity.
Colliding streams of attraction, fear, compulsion, lust and hope cascade and tumble into each other, yielding a torrent of emotional whitewater that joyously propels a young lover’s heart downstream.
Does that sound overwrought? Overwritten? Maybe just a little.
Then again, after listening to Gracie Abrams’ latest song on this subject, maybe not. That’s because “Risk” taps into a flood of conflicting emotions as this 24-year-old singer navigates like a kayaker plunging down Class 5 rapids. It’s a breathtaking plunge, but one that Gracie seems ready to take.
Gracie surprises herself when she comes to the realization that she’s “actually invested” emotionally in the possibility of a new relationship. She’s also self-aware enough—at least, some of the time—to realize that her infatuation may not be a reliable guide. She sings, “Haven’t even met him/Watch this be the wrong thing/Classic.”
She also sings that she’s willing to take the risk of “jumping in the deep end/ … But I’m gonna take it.”
Lines like these effectively convey the churning feelings of risk and vulnerability that anyone who’s ever been twitterpated has felt. There’s an innocence here that brings to mind some of Taylor Swift’s earlier material, a tenderness that shows up in lines like: “And you’re coming to me/And you get to my door/And you can’t even speak/But I think that’s sweet/Yeah, I think that you’re sweet.”
The video somewhat humorously depicts Abrams as a kind of crazed stalker chasing this guy. It’s meant to depict, I think, how unhinged we can get when infatuation becomes almost like inebriation.
Perhaps the most annoying aspect of this song is Abrams’ repeated misuse of God’s name throughout the song’s two parallel courses. Seven times total we hear these two phrases: “God, I’m actually invested,” and, “God, I’m jumping in the deep end.” Those abuses of God’s name are compounded by the fact that this catchy chorus easily gets lodged in your brain, and those are the phrases from this song that come to mind first.
And even though Abrams says she doesn’t even know this guy yet, she’s still imagining him being with her in bed at night: “And I wake up/In the middle of the night/ … And I feel like I could die/‘Cause you’re not here/And it don’t feel right.” Later she circles back more clearly to this fantasy: “I wish you could hold me here, shakin’/You’re the risk, I’m gonna take it/Why aren’t you in my bedroom.”
And this line is both mildly profane and mildly suggestive: “Knowing d–n well that I haven’t been touched by you.”
The video shows Abrams drinking wine in her bedroom by herself.
Listening to this admittedly infectious song, I couldn’t help but think, “This sounds like Taylor Swift about 10 years ago.” And, looking up the two singers’ respective ages, sure enough, Swift’s a decade older than Gracie Abrams.
While I can’t say for sure, it definitely seems as though Abrams has imbibed deeply from the Taylor Swift well of songwriting. We get the same kind of girl-next-door heroine confessing and battling with her conflicting emotions as she works up her courage to take a chance on a guy who’s captured her fancy.
As gushing infatuation songs go these days, this one’s relatively tame. That said, the mild profanity, misuses of God’s name and some slightly suggestive references mean you may not want your tween or teen putting Gracie Abrams’ latest effort on repeat.
After serving as an associate editor at NavPress’ Discipleship Journal and consulting editor for Current Thoughts and Trends, Adam now oversees the editing and publishing of Plugged In’s reviews as the site’s director. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children. In their free time, the Holzes enjoy playing games, a variety of musical instruments, swimming and … watching movies.
