Chris Brown has been around for a hot second. With eight studio albums under his belt, multiple chart-topping singles, a few acting gigs and impressive dance moves, this 29 year-old Virginia native continues to pump out music people obviously want to listen to.
That said, his physical abuse of then-girlfriend Rihanna nearly 10 years ago still hangs like a long shadow over his career, something that’s impossible not to recall whenever Brown starts singing about relationships—as he does here.
Last week he dropped his latest single, “Undecided” (from his forthcoming album, Indigo), and its video has already topped seven million views on YouTube. But while the video may be viewed mostly as a fun dance collaboration, the song itself has bigger concerns as Brown grapples with his indecision about whether he should marry the girl he’s with, or just keep sleeping with her.
It can be hard to make up your mind. Just ask Chris.
You see, there’s this girl he’s been into for quite some time. And although the two are heavily involved between the sheets, he finds himself lying in bed (next to her), wondering if he should actually pursue a relationship or not: “It’s weighing, weighing on me,” he confesses.
Brown admits that he doesn’t “wanna wake up in the mornin'” and wishes that they could “undo what we did in this bed.” Why? Because now this girl seems to want commitment (“No, I’m not ready for you want me all alone”), which is something he’s not ready for (“And I can’t get you out, so I gotta go”).
He’s confused by all “these sparks flying.” And, naturally, he says this woman “want me to wife it,” but that’s not a step he’s ready to take.
That said, he is willing to sleep with her, in part because of her prowess in bed: “Girl, you got me addicted when you switching positions.” (Other lyrics about their sexual connection crudely reference the female anatomy.) And in the heat of the moment, he mostly pushes intruding thoughts about marriage to the back burner (“I’m taking off your clothes/We getting sexual/Hit it so good, think I’ll propose/I don’t know but/No, no, baby”).
The video for “Undecided” veers away from the explicit sexual content we hear in the song’s lyrics. It opens with a cinematic feel as Chris breaks into carnival grounds on a boardwalk at night. He’s drawn to a bench where a single balloon is tied and glowing. As he touches the balloon, he realizes that he can see his future, and it includes spending time with the woman he’s interested in.
After he decides to release the balloon, he’s drawn into a future scenario where he and the woman he’s interested in dance, flirt and ride a few rides at the fair. (Her friends and his join in the dancing in multiple choreographed scenes.) But after he kisses the woman (who’s wearing a somewhat revealing top), he’s brought back to that same bench, with that same balloon—and he runs away, in fear of what he’s just witnessed.
Love, sex and indecision aren’t unfamiliar topics for Chris Brown. And in this latest song, he makes it quite clear that he’s not ready for marriage. He’s ready to sleep with a girl he has feelings for; but when things get too close and personal, he’d rather backtrack.
I’m not sure who Chris Brown’s girlfriend is these days, or if he even has one, but this song may well ward future lovers off. Brown’s virtually saying that his primary consideration for marriage is on the basis of sex alone. But he doesn’t really want to listen to this woman when they talk. And, if he’s being honest, he wishes he would have realized earlier that he’s not in it for the long haul. Those aren’t really the ingredients you need to make it last.
So, while Chris may be undecided, I’m sure many listeners won’t be when it comes to this song’s problematic messages about intimacy and commitment … or lack thereof in Brown’s “undecided” case.
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
