It’s amusing to look at pop music and the singers of it. Music in its essence tells a story. The lyrics help, but it’s the tones and inflections of the voice that carry meaning into the songs.
One couple who had quite the public relationship was Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey. The couple became a pop culture phenomenon and was featured on the television reality show “The Newlyweds.” Their ups and downs can be tracked via their music.
In 2001 Simpson put out an album entitled Irresistible. The couple had broken up so that Simpson could do some, “growing up.” Before the couple got back together after September 11, Irresistible came out in June of 2001. Some of the songs include the title track “Irresistible” and “When You Told Me You Loved Me.”
The album contains a number of songs of love lost. In “When You Told Me You Loved Me” Jessica sings, “When you told me you loved me / Did you know it would take me the rest of my life / to get over the feeling of knowing / A dream didn't turn out right / When you let me believe that you weren't complete / Without me by your side / how could I know / That you would go / That you would run / Baby, I thought you were the one.”
In 2004 everything was wonderful for Lachey and Simpson. They had married in October of 2002 and were still going strong, at least while in public. In her album In This Skin Jessica sang songs that made everything sound absolutely wonderful. The catchy “With You” became a pop hit, hitting number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, and “My Way Home” was a touching look at the couple’s relationship.
The refrain, “I'm the lover of your soul / Deep inside the man that I know / I will give it all and let go / Through his eyes I find my way home,” was soft and poignant. It showed how much the couple loved each other.
Yet, the celebrity marriage caught up to both of them. In then end, the divorce was a public and messy affair. Both of the singers released albums shortly following the breakup. Jessica’s was a light-hearted declaration of independence and Nick’s was a soulful whining about seeing the relationship end.
The couple’s music represented a look at the power of storytelling and relationships in music. In the end Lachey had the last laugh, “What’s Left of Me,” his single, rose to as high as number six on the Billboard’s Hot 100. The painful reflection of an album by the same name rose to number two on the Billboard Album charts. Simpson’s single, “A Public Affair,” was not quite as popular. With an upbeat dance sound it only made it as high as number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100.
