Usher warns married men not to feed an unhealthy sexual “Appetite” online or on the streets. The artist plans to spend a “Lifetime” with his lady. He promises his son he’ll be a good dad, and asks God to protect the boy (“Prayer for You”).
A shallow guy claims to love a girl he hasn’t met (“What’s Your Name?”) and praises a partner primarily for being a well-dressed trophy on his arm (“Something Special”). Sex in public is the subject of “Love in This Club” (“Let’s both get undressed right here/… I don’t care who’s watching”). Usher plays semantic games as he propositions a woman on “This Ain’t Sex” (“We ain’t having sex/We’re making moments that will outlast the world”). He issues another descriptive quest for intimacy on “Love You Gently” (“How ’bout some foreplay/… Whisper your pleasures gently, then I’ll do my job”). “Trading Places” alludes to alcohol, sexual positions and making a partner cry out in ecstasy. Several cuts, such as “Before I Met You,” reflect fondly and nonjudgmentally on promiscuous days prior to meeting a forever love.
Here I Stand contains a few appeals for fidelity, but Usher fails to see that the libertine sexual habits a man establishes before settling down won’t suddenly vanish afterward. He’s deluding himself … and young fans.
