Culture Corner: ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’

 

With a spread themed ‘The Darkness’, it would be tortuously evil not to mention the Suffolk rock band, The Darkness. And there is no other song more fitting to discuss than ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’. For out of darkness, there is hope, friends. Boy oh boy does Justin Hawkins know how to use a pen. “Touching you, touching me / touching you, God you’re touching me”. We are left in no doubt that Justin is touching someone and that they are touching him, and damn are we touched ourselves. Justin slips in ‘God’ you’re touching me, deifying all the touching. Isn’t this just the holiest form of touching ever? His heart beats to the rhythm of love, and there is a chance that ‘we’ could make it now. I long to know what they’re making. Love? A baby? A falafel and houmous wrap? Only Justin knows.

 

You need only watch the music video to know that the love Justin believes in is out of this world. The Darkness are lifted into space, Justin spitting water out of his mouth like a cherub upon a fountain, before being hugged dry by a massive strange bear thing. Tentacles wrap around his spaceship, as he lies on a bed and rubs his lower stomach and in that moment, suddenly, I think I know what love is. I think I understand. “Ooh! Guitar!” he screams, and I think, yes Justin. That is love. Love is a well-strung guitar. Is that a German sausage in your hand? That is love. You are love. Love touches me.