Warning: Not-entirely-negative discussion of Nickelback below!
I do a lot of driving, and I do not have an Ipod. Hence, I listen to a lot of radio, and I end up having assorted Thoughts about the various pop songs with which I become familiar. And, because this is my very own, super-self-indulgent Livejournal, I am going to share those Thoughts here (because you totally care)!
This is one of the few songs that I find really, really hot. A lot of songs are sexual, but I find very, very few of them sexy. Mostly I just find them vulgar, or silly, or even boring. And I don't know WHY this song does it for me, but ohhh boy. Hearing this song makes me want to dance, and it makes me feel sexy. Plus, the chorus is just so darn catchy.
I am an unashamed Jewel fan. I think she's very talented. Standing Still was released in 2001 and has gotten a LOT of radio play since then, pretty consistently. Many songs that are so persistently AROUND can get really annoying in that time, but not this one. I'm always up for listening to it again. The main thing I want to say about this song is that I love the lyrics. They are poetry, plain and simple.
Favorite line(s): Between fight and flight is the blind man's sight and the choice that's right.
I think the main problem most people have with Nickelback is that they keep putting out the same one or two songs over and over with different lyrics and yet make a lot of money. I, however, happen to like those two songs, so I don't really have a problem with them. I'm not rushing out to buy their music, but if I'm radio-channel-surfing and a Nickelback song comes on, I'll listen to it. I find them unoffensive, catchy, and pleasant.
That said, This Afternoon is not the sort of song I usually like. I don't drink or "party," so I don't really gravitate to songs about that kind of lifestyle. But this song, which is almost entirely about getting drunk and partying with your friends, is somehow impossible not to like. It's not a song about clubbing and sleeping with strangers in the city -- it has the feeling of a group of friends who've been close maybe all their lives, with a cooler of beer and nothing else to do but hang around with each other and drink it. It's a friendly song.
It also conjures up the image of nu!Trek Kirk in my mind -- c'mon, you know it's true!