"For You" is the eighth track from TV Girl's debut album "Who Really Cares," released in 2014. The song features samples from iconic artists like The Shangri-Las and Frankie Cosmos, creating a nostalgic yet contemporary sound that complements its themes of love and disillusionment.
The song delves into the pain of unrequited love, exploring the emotional turmoil of devotion to someone who does not reciprocate those feelings, ultimately leading to disillusionment and frustration.
The opening lines, "Excuse me for a second / While I bang my head against this wall," set a tone of frustration and self-reflection. The narrator feels trapped in a cycle of unreciprocated affection, suspecting that the girl he adores is insincere. This sense of betrayal is further emphasized in the line, "Forgive your loyal sycophant / For leaving lipstick stains upon your shoes," suggesting that he has devoted himself to her, only to be met with disregard.
As the song progresses, the narrator laments the sacrifices he has made, stating, "And I wasted all my favorite melodies (for you) / And watched best friends turn to enemies (for you)." Here, he reflects on how his devotion has cost him not only his emotional well-being but also his relationships with others. The juxtaposition of personal loss against the backdrop of unrequited love highlights the emotional toll of his infatuation.
The line, "You heard I like the bad girls baby / Maybe that's true / For everybody else except (for you)," reveals a sense of irony. The narrator acknowledges his attraction to a certain type of girl, yet feels that this particular girl does not fit that mold, further complicating his feelings. This irony permeates the song, as he grapples with the reality of his situation versus his expectations.
In the next verse, the narrator confronts the physical intimacy they share, questioning the emotional connection behind it: "Excuse me miss, but isn't this / Your naked body in my bed? / And how come it always felt like / You were taking something away / When you were giving head?" This stark contrast between physical closeness and emotional distance encapsulates the complexities of their relationship, suggesting that intimacy does not equate to genuine affection or commitment.
The repeated phrase, "I used up all this latent energy (for you)," serves as a poignant reminder of the narrator's emotional investment. He questions whether the girl's words were ever sincere, asking, "Tell me was everything you ever said to me just (for you)?" This line encapsulates the disillusionment that comes with realizing that the affection he believed was mutual may have been one-sided all along.
The imagery in the lines, "Lonesome poets throwing glitter in their hair / Doing somersaults and exploding in mid-air / But you don't ever notice or you don't care / Or both," paints a vivid picture of the narrator's emotional state. He feels invisible and unappreciated, as if his efforts to impress or connect with her go unnoticed. The final lines, "And when they take off all their clothes / Were they still not close enough? (For you)," leave listeners with a lingering sense of melancholy, questioning the nature of intimacy and connection in relationships.