“It’s better to look good than to feel good,” said one of Billy Crystal’s most famous Saturday Night Live characters.
I couldn’t help but recall Crystal’s shtick—which always ended with the affirmation, “And darling, you look mahvelous!”—listening to Lady Antebellum’s latest hit, “You Look Good.” The country trio’s lead single (featuring brass and a funk-inspired rhythm) from the band’s forthcoming seventh studio album is all about the joy of turning heads.
In other words, if you got it, you may as well flaunt it.
The three words in the title of this song pretty much tell the whole story here. We hear a guy praising his woman’s looks and a woman praising her man’s looks.
Lady A’s male lead singer, Charles Kelley, tells us at the outset that his lady looks good, well, pretty much anywhere she goes: “On a boat, on a beach/In the water, in the sand/In the back of a bar/Cold beer in your hand/ … Baby you look good.”
And the group’s female singer, Hillary Scott, delivers her version of the same message, albeit one that’s a bit more suggestive: “I’m thinking everybody better stand in line/’Cause they need to know that your body’s coming with me tonight.” In the second verse, she adds, “Yeah, you’re killing me, boy, in your black, faded jeans/Ain’t gotta work hard when you’re smiling at me.”
Together, they take great delight in making gawkers’ heads spin so hyperbolically fast that spines might snap: “Breaking hearts, breaking necks/When we rolling down the street, heads turning all day when they see you with me.”
That’s all there is, really, to this simple song.
For those blessed with head-turning beauty, I can imagine that it would feel pretty good to know everyone’s always looking at you. (This is not something I’ve ever experienced personally, so I’ll take Lady Antebellum’s word for it here.) And affirming your partner’s appearance, well, I’m sure the relationship gurus would say that will likely pay dividends too. Certainly nothing wrong with appreciating your significant other’s beauty.
That said, I can’t help but hear this song as a superficial and even narcissistic one. It’s about more than just praising a loved one’s attractive appearance. It’s about actively cultivating—and basking in—the neck-snapping attention of other, presumably less-good-looking folks.
As problematic song lyrics go, I’ve certainly heard far worse. Still, “You Look Good” reinforces a message that our culture is sending in so many other ways these days—most notably via social media—that the only thing the matters is how you look.
That message puts pressure on all of us, but especially those growing up in a world where image is everything. And too often, the quieter, less-flashy virtue of actually being good instead of just looking good gets short shrift along the way.
After serving as an associate editor at NavPress’ Discipleship Journal and consulting editor for Current Thoughts and Trends, Adam now oversees the editing and publishing of Plugged In’s reviews as the site’s director. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children. In their free time, the Holzes enjoy playing games, a variety of musical instruments, swimming and … watching movies.
