BABY COME ON BY TOMPER

For those of you that have talked to me on a slightly different level outside of small talk, you’ll know that there’s a softer side to Andy McFerren. In fact in a strange turn of events I’d like to believe that the majority of me is that softer side, though a healthy dose of cynicism still remains. 

With that, whether because Valentine’s Day was last week or simply because I’m a hopeless romantic, I’ve been thinking a lot about love. Despite how much we love to make fun of cheesy movie lines and books, when it comes down to it, we’re all looking for love, whether that be romantic love or simply friendship and acceptance.
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When Tom sent over the description of Tomper's latest single, "Baby Come On," he said, “This song is a song I wrote as a letter of encouragement to my partner (as well as myself), after falling into a funk about finishing songs together and releasing music. A lot of our friends are prolific artists and musicians that are much more talented than us, we just got a little envious of that, but ultimately we discovered that it’s all just a good time writing and playing music with our friends.”

After reading this and listening to the song several times over, I’ve deduced that "Baby Come On" is about love. It’s well hidden among a poppy dance beat that’ll keep your hips honest* and a catchy melody reminiscent of “Dancing in the Moonlight,” but it’s there. You just have to listen carefully to hear it.

To me, it tells a wholesome love story about a boy named George who never learned how to roller skate. He’s scared because it’s Kelly’s birthday at the local skating rink at the end of the month. He has a crush on Kelly, and he doesn’t want to embarrass himself. Not only does he not want to embarrass himself, he really wants to impress Kelly. The only surefire way to do that is by dominating in the couples roller-dancing competition at the birthday party.

So he approaches the resident roller skating queen and longtime friend, Jackie (no relation to my Jackie), who’s kind of a social pariah. Through more than a few bumps and bruises, she teaches him how, and they dominate in the couples dancing competition at the birthday party.

Kelly, who found George's performance breathtaking, approaches George to congratulate him on the first place win and asks him if he'd like to skate with her (and maybe even hold hands). To everyone's surprise, he declines. What's changed? George has already found love. It was right in front of him the entire time. He skates off hand-in-hand with his true love, Jackie.

​Fake story aside, it takes real vulnerability to support one another in a band. To take such a risk with a partner and in the end find the joy in the journey with that person you love the most are the kinds of moments that make this life worth living. It’s a beautiful thing.

*But not as honest as Shakira. There's still a little wiggle room for white lies.