Blogocentric Formulations

Honey, I'm Good

"Barrel of Monkeys"  | Day 5

"Honey, I'm Good
by Andy Grammer
from Magazines or Novels (2014)

I remember being blown away when I first heard this song because it was a catchy pop song that was actually fun to listen to, but it also... celebrated faithfulness and honesty in a relationship?

It's not too often that songs focus on a positive image of a healthy relationship. So many are either about failed relationships, bad relationships,temptations while you're in a relationship, affairs, etc. and it was completely refreshing to hear a song extol the virtues of being tempted and saying, "You know what? I shouldn't do this. I have someone at home and I want to stay faithful to them as tempting as your offer might be."

The video itself is also a celebration of fidelity, with one hundred couples who have been together for as little as a year up to decades, all celebrating the message of this song. It reminds me of my relationship with my wife (we've been together for eighteen years and married for thirteen of those) and how, over the years, we've both been presented with temptations. They're not worth going into detail about because nothing even came close to happening in either of our cases, but just through the process of experiencing life's ups and downs together, it's easy to see how truly beguiling it can be to suddenly, unintentionally find yourself in a position where the possibility of something new and exciting and maybe even not all that serious is an appealing alternative to whatever you and your significant other are currently struggling with.

Relationships are hard work, and they're made even harder by the fact that many of us have a "greener pastures" mindset where we're always looking at what we don't have and wondering if that might be a better option than the one we currently have or maybe even feel like we've settled for. But the hard work is so, so worth it and I really appreciate a song like this that recognizes and celebrates the not-so-glamorous, not-so-sexy side of showing up and putting in the work on a relationship every day, even when it's tempting to do otherwise.