ne-yo1

Engaging in one way or another, certain songs catch your ear immediately, whether they’re pertaining to your standards or not. On the contrary, others may fit your provision perfectly, but leave you reluctant to indulge for one reason or many.

“Mad” by Ne-Yo used to be the latter.

Let me preface by saying, yes, there are too many love songs. Period. Initially, I held that fact against The Gentleman and this ode to maintaining relationship regret. Then, after being beat over the head with it for the last six months, I finally took in what dude was saying and succumbed to the sappiness.

Unlike the majority of modern melodrama on the airwaves, “Mad” actually has something worthwhile to say. Instead of a typical track about infidelity, or another exaggerated ‘I-wanna-sex-you-while-you-lay-in-Gucci-and-millions-of-dollars’ spiel, Ne-Yo delicately breaks-down preventative tactics to avoid turning the fist-clenching agony from verbal wars with your lady into restless nights over a motif long-forgotten.

My girl and I have spent almost eight years alongside one another, and despite our fighting finally somewhat subsiding, this is one song I can say rings true not only my relationship, but pretty much any one set to last the long haul.

Now, if I could just get it out of my head…

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download — Ne-Yo – “Mad”