Matthew Sweet "I've Been Waiting"

There's something inherently awkward about doing something for someone who is good at that thing you are doing.

(Go ahead, say it: "huh?")

It's kind of weird cooking dinner for your friend who is an awesome chef.

It's really hard to buy an article of clothing for your friend who is really fashionable.

Or buying flowers for your florist friend.

And it's also kind of awkward, if you are on the other side in this equation---you are the chef, the fashionista, the florist, etc.

Even if you are doing your best to be grateful, if it's something you are passionate about in your own life, it's hard not to see the flaws, the shortcomings, the plain inaccuracies, and have an awkwardness permeate your interaction.

Like when you're a DJ, and a girl gives you a song.

That's what I think about when I hear this Matthew Sweet tune.

I LOVED the "Girlfriend" album.  Was very passionate about it.  Invested in the songs.

So when I girl I had been seeing for a few weeks told me that "I've Been Waiting" expressed how she felt about me, it was . . . awkward.

It was awkward because I didn't feel the same way she did.

That is, I realized that she liked me more than I liked her.

But also, I think I understood the song in a way that was different from her.  I cared about it deeply.  And I wouldn't have said, "this song expresses how I feel about you" unless I felt equally as deeply, about the person I was sharing the song with.

For her, the chorus of "I've Been Waiting" simply expressed an excitement about really liking someone.  I don't know if she dug any deeper than that.

You can check out the neat video below, where Matthew Sweet talks about the genesis of the song, but even years before I saw this, or knew the actual story, I understood that this song was about a depth of feeling that I didn't share with the person sharing the song with me.

Awkward.


Hear the song on Youtube.


Matthew Sweet discusses and performs "I've Been Waiting"