“Love Story” by Indila

Singers from some non-English parts of Europe seem to do things a bit differently than what some of us oriented in the mainstream West may be used to. For instance, their love songs sometimes require a bit more imagination on the part of the listener to comprehend. So for instance in the latter two verses of this piece (“Love Story”), it isn’t specified who the vocalist is – the remorseful guy who serves as the subject of the first verse or his estranged lover. And which one of them is speaking makes a world of difference, as there are enough details packed into this piece to outline a small novel.

But we will proceed under the presumption that Indila is taking on the role of the aforementioned male throughout the song based on a couple of factors. First, as specified in the chorus, this is in fact “his love story”. Secondly, in the final verse, when the vocalist comes off as really being romantically frustrated, based on the first two verses, that would most likely be the male, as opposed to the female in this equation. 

And it’s interesting how this piece progresses, because it really does start off along the lines of a tender love song where you feel sorry for the victim of a broken heart. But later on, it turns into something that can be read differently depending on a listener’s perspective.

Verses of “Love Story”

In the first verse, we are met with this guy who is so obsessed with a certain female that he sometimes even sees her when she’s not there. And it is very important to take the first couple of lines of the song into consideration. For it is there that it’s initially implied, early on, that the two of them have broken up.

That idea is buttressed in the second verse, where the vocalist comes off as being apologetic towards this lady. He seems to acknowledge that when they were together, he behaved ‘stupidly’. Moreover, this may be the case of a dude getting dumped because he was not “rich” enough to impress the woman he loves – maybe. But what the second verse really reads like, more honestly put, is the pleadings of a man who wants his ex back so badly that he believes her leaving was his own doing. Or put differently, he’s prepared to admit to any personal fault he can think of or promise to be anything she wants him to be, so long as she will take him back.

Indeed, the third verse further reveals that at this current stage he is unwilling or perhaps even unable to picture the future without her. In the back of his mind he knows said fantasy may be akin to a pipe dream in the eyes of others, even this selfsame ex. But he has resolved that even if he’s behaving like “a fool” in the process, still he will keep pursuing this lady, as his heart dictates.

In Conclusion

So perhaps if Indila wanted to be more precise with this song’s title, she would have called it “Modern Love Story” or something mature like that. Well, it is a love story alright, though definitely not a fairytale as implied by such a simple name. Instead it speaks to some of the, shall we say less-than-ideal possibilities that arise with being in love, such as being the victim of unreciprocated emotional need or, as also arguably in this case, being obsessed with a disinterested partner.

Indila

Indila is a singer from France, being 37 years old as of the writing of this post, whose discography commenced in 2010. Thus far she has only released one album, a 2014 EP titled “Mini World”, which performed exceptionally well in her home country and in Poland.

“Love Story”

“Love Story” was officially released with the rest “Mini World”, via Capitol Music France, on 24 February 2014. Later that same year, it was also issued on its own as the album’s fifth and final single. 

The song did manage to chart in France and Belgium.

Did Indila write “Love Story”?

Yes. In addition to being a fine singer, Indila is also a talented songwriter. “Love Story” was written by solely by her and produced by Skalpovich, the latter being the industry figure who helped launch her career.