Why is it that songs about cheating are so addictive? There's nothing sweet about it, whether you're getting cheated on, cheating on someone, or the object of the cheater's affection. There's all sorts of agony involved. If you're getting cheated on, there's the bliss of ignorance, but no one's really so stupid that you don't know that something is going on, which causes all sorts of anxiety, and then you find out, so there's anger and begging and fighting and throwing clothes out the window. If you're cheating on someone, there's guilt and lies and both people pulling on you for more time (because once you don't have it, they both want it--lots of it). And if you're the homewrecker...well, there's the old adage: "If they cheated to be with you, they'll cheat on you." Not to mention the guilt (I swear, this is not a Catholic sermon), the constant feeling of being second-best, conducting a relationship at home, in strange places and in the dark, so no one will recognize him/her/the cheater.

To me, this song is all about cheating, about talking to the other woman. I, at least, very clearly remember being that girl on the phone with that guy. And he never responded to me in such a nice, tender kind of way. In fact, I remember it being rather overdramatic (me), angry (him), fueled by maybe too much alcohol (me). The only similarity between that night during a summer three years ago is that it was late and night and she was in the next room. Perhaps the popularity of this song, and why it has grown on me so much, is that it fulfills a fantasy: being wanted by the one you need and feeling more important than the person in the next room (or asleep next to them on the bed), as well as hope that it will work out.

This is what Austin Winkler of Hinder has to say about the song at SongwriterUniverse (from an article they did on them):
“The lyric of 'Lips Of An Angel’ is based on a true story,” said Winkler. “My ex-girlfriend had called me while my current girlfriend was in the next room. Then when I was writing with Cody, I brought up this idea, and we kind of looked at each other. We realized we had a good song (in the making).”

So it's not really about cheating, but it can be construed that way. I mean, come on. Hinder is not exactly the epitome of good behavior. I mean, the name of their album is Extreme Behavior. I wouldn't doubt if he was a cheatin' liar and it wouldn't bother me one bit. Hey, I'm not the one who dated/is dating him. He wrote a d@mn good song (in a subject for another day, or another story/play/poem, why is it that some of the best artists are also some of the biggest jerks?).

The point is, I love this song, for whatever weird, deep, dark, old desire it satisfies in me. I have this horrible penchant for pretending that a song is about me, sung to me by a man that would clearly never express any of these sentiments for me. The subject matter varies, the man varies (sometimes it's a woman), the time in my life varies--but inevitably, I think that's why certain songs hit us so hard. We feel intensely close to some songs because we are either in a similar moment, have been there, or it reminds us of someone.

So it's on the radio and no on some indie/cult label. Sue me.

Listen to Lips of an Angel by Hinder in Windows Media Player or Real Player.