Precious little, though some breakup songs avoid moral pitfalls. Also, on the cryptic “Goodnight Goodnight” a man apologizes for hurting his “little girl,” however …
If he’s addressing his daughter, he’s simultaneously ducking out of her life; if it’s his partner, he’s terribly condescending (“So much to love/So much to learn/But I won’t be there to teach you”). Sex is a Band-Aid for love on the rocks (“Nothing Lasts Forever”), and a guy wants to know if his ex’s new lover is better in bed than he was (“If I Never See Your Face Again”). The singer blurts an angry f-word at an old girlfriend, then recalls intercourse with her in graphic terms (“Makes Me Wonder”). Hormones rage on “Kiwi,” “Little of Your Time” and “Can’t Stop” as well. An affair on “Wake Up Call” ends in murder (“Caught you in the morning with another one in my bed/… Came without warning, so I had to shoot him dead”).
All heartache all the time. Maroon 5 specializes in articulating pain and, to a lesser degree, sexual frustration. Erotic angst aside, vengeful gunplay quite literally makes this popular album No. 1 with a bullet, though it has nothing to offer discerning families.
