"And I was the fangirl at the front of the show.
Pointing the spotlight that he didn't know."
"Groupie" by Cate
This Time It All Started With…
another TikTok trend that got set into motion thanks to Lockdown 2020. A trend where new or unknown songwriters/artists would post snippets of their music on TikTok with a small backstory.
Now these songs would usually be inspired by heartbreak or contain beautiful lyrics (which obviously caught my eye...no, ear...immediately!).
Enter: Cate. With a story majority of my friends (and definitely myself) knew all too well while we were in high school.
The story goes like this:
Girl discovers boy band/popstar. Girl likes boy band/popstar. Girl listens to every song on repeat for weeks and memorizes every word. Boy band/popstar comes to girl’s city. Girl stays up all night to get tickets (whilst thinking up scenarios about how she's going to bump into him and instantly fall in love). Girl goes to show. Girl is “the fangirl at the front of the show”. Boy band/popstar has no idea she exists.
Feel free to insert your dream boy band or popstar into that scenario.
I think it is safe to say that every One Direction or Justin Bieber fan had a similar experience a few years ago. And if you were a teen when Duran Duran or a-ha were still performing, you probably had this experience as well.
It's the same hysteria that sparked when the Beatles performed on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964.
Now, the reason why Cate’s song stood out for me is because she has a way with lyrics. This young, upcoming artist knows how to use lyrics to her advantage in order to portray a certain situation perfectly.
Cate explains in one of her TikTok videos the meaning behind the song.
There was a moment in her life where she was so in love with a boy she was dating, that she was reminded of that thrilling yet heartbreaking feeling she felt when she was 12 and at a One Direction concert.
One of the characteristics of this song is that the characters change from “normal guy” to “famous artist” throughout.
One can hear in the verses that she knew the guy personally that she is singing about.
“Told me he loved me while we were sitting on his mother's couch”
“He'd always swing by after nine And we'd stay up talking 'til five”
However, during the chorus, the male character switches to a famous pop star. A person who is guarded by the stage. The only thing between him and her is a line of intimidating bodyguards.
“I was the groupie and he was the star.”
“I was the fangirl at the front of the show.”
I’ll be honest with you, dear reader.
Not all of you might relate with this song. You might even think “what is she going on about?”.
But I am certain that majority of you would agree with me that this is a really catchy song. A song that begs you to play it on full volume. A song that makes you want to scream the lyrics at the top of your lungs.
Give it a chance.
Grab your headphones, or better yet, connect it to your car’s audio system and blast it on high while you drive around.
If you want to listen to this song, click here.
Lyrics
Told me he loved me while we were sitting on his mother's couch He said it so special like he'd never say those words to anybody else He said the right things at the right time 'Cause he knew that I would die for it He was so cool and cruel at the same time He could do no wrong in my eyes
'Cause I was the groupie And he was the star I knew all his stories I knew them by my heart And I was the fangirl At the front of the show Pointing the spotlight That he didn't know
'Cause he didn't know me Yeah he didn't try 'Cause once you've got a groupie You've got 'em for life
He'd always swing by after nine And we'd stay up talking 'til five And we watched the movies that he liked While I watched his eyes
He said the right things at the right time 'Cause he knew that I would die for it He was so cool and cruel at the same time He could do no wrong in my eyes
'Cause I was the groupie And he was the star I knew all his stories I knew them by heart And I was the fangirl At the front of the show Pointing the spotlight That he didn't know
'Cause he didn't know me Yeah he didn't try 'Cause once you've got a groupie You've got 'em for life For life, for life, for life For life, for life, for life
The louder I screamed The less that you heard I'm sorry I lip synced to all of your words Was I even a number Or just another Girl in the crowd?
I was the groupie And he was the star I knew all his stories They pull at my heart I was the fangirl At the front of the show Pointing the spotlight That he didn't know
'Cause he didn't know me Yeah he didn't try 'Cause once you've got a groupie You've got 'em for life For life, for life, for life For life, for life, for life
You've got me for life
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