"Wolves" by Selena Gomez and Marshmello

I'm only slightly embarrassed to say I like Selena Gomez. True, her earlier stuff is....not good. Although "Love You Like A Love Song" is a favorite guilty pleasure of mine, I can readily admit that it is not creative gold. But a lot of her new stuff has been really good. There's another song I'd like to write about, perhaps in a month or two (I hate repeating artists, if you couldn't tell) but I've been wanting to write about "Wolves" for a while now. I'll get into why in a minute. However, I have pinpointed why her songs have been so good lately - she's writing them herself. Okay - a lot of them are collaborative. She's a lyric writer - not a musician - so understandably, she needs someone (in this case, the band Marshmello) to figure out the right musical notes to put with her lyrics. But the words are all hers and it feels so much more raw and genuine.

As you may be aware - even if you don't follow pop culture - Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber have been in an on-again-off-again relationship for like 10 years. Since they were super young, and when you're young, 10 years is a long time to be hung up on someone. But they can't stay away from each other. Perhaps I'm romanticizing, but the Universe must think they belong to each other. But he still needs to figure himself out and she needs to stop wanting to fix him. When you listen to the lyrics, you can tell she still loves that damn Bieber kid....for some reason. And, yes, every song she writes is about him, to him, for him. That's why they feel so honest.

I also love the imagery she uses. I flip between favorite animals - this week it's a fox, now it's an owl - but I consistently always love wolves. I think something in me identifies with them, for some reason (naturally, I'm House Stark). Popular culture has galvanized in our mind that wolves are loners, but they're not - they need their pack or they won't survive. I'm pretty sure that's why she chose the wolf as the symbol for this song. Although, I'm not sure why she said she's running through the jungle - wolves typically live in forests and grasslands. It was probably an artistic choice but that doesn't mean I agree with it.

Let's talk about the video. First, it's in a poorly lighted indoor pool. Second, holy crap is it sexy - but it's unintentionally sexy. I mean, yes, I'm pretty sure Selena is trying to seduce someone behind the camera (::cough:: Justin ::cough::) - which makes me super uncomfortable because she has such a sweet, childish face. I know that's unfair - she's only a few years younger than me, but it's hard for me not to remember her as a sarcastic teen in "Wizards of Waverly Place." Even though she does look very seductive, there's also a kind of sad desperation in it, too. Perhaps that's what makes me all squirmy - I feel so bad for the pain and longing she's feeling. I just wanna wrap her up in a big hug and say "Dollface, he doesn't deserve you...."

Additionally, this video has some serious fashion moments. Normally, I'd be bitching that she's writhing on the wet ground in a $4000 Versace dress, but I'll make an exception. Just this one time though. I would totally steal the red bra/suit combination and the fluffy lingerie/pool wrap that she wears. I know those are bad descriptions - you'll understand when you watch the video. Of course, Selena looks beautiful the entire time, even though I don't like the wet hair look (because it looks like you're not fucking trying). Also, could someone explain to me why she disappears all creepy at the end of the video? Is she supposed to be a ghost? Oh. My. Gawd. That would just make too much sense! I know that's the kind of ghost I would want to be - the sexy/beautiful ghost lady who haunts a high school gym....

"Wolves" Video