Music Review: Sam Smith "Stay With Me"

Sam Smith

Stay With Me

Album: In the Lonely Hour

Year: 2014

                Sam Smith admits to himself he needs more than sex in a relationship in the                     broken “Stay With Me.”

             A searching piano opens the single, setting a pondering tone.  She sits up on her bed and fastens her bra. He rubs her back with his hand and tells her there’s no rush. He puts his fingers between hers and she furrows her eyebrows. However, she folds her fingers over. He figures she’s appeasing him. Shame wells inside him. Pleasantries are ignored.  (“ Guess it's true, I'm not good at a one-night stand/But I still need love cause I'm just a man/These nights never seem to go to plan/I don't want you to leave, will you hold my hand?”)

           In the chorus, he asks her if she could cuddle with him. He says it’ll be an hour or so and then she go to has to do. He understands she’s only pretending but it’ll make him feel better. (“Won't you stay with me?/Cause you're all I need/This ain't love, it's clear to see/But darling, stay with me.”)

         He sniffs and bites his lip, trying to keep the tears from dropping from his eyes onto her shoulder. But it only contains his tears for so long. As they drip onto her hair, he apologizes and reaches for a tissue. He wants to dig a hole under his bed, crawl into it and stay there. She pats him on the chest and tells him it’s fine. He’s tried so hard to keep his emotions locked up but they always find a way to escape. He throws the tissue away and wraps his arm around her. Right now, she’s the only thing stopping him from losing it completely. (“Why am I so emotional?/No it's not a good look, gain some self control/And deep down I know this never works/But you can lay with me so it doesn't hurt.”)

             The chorus is sung three times to end the single.

          Smith’s fragile vocals are hang on but the loneliness is getting harder to choke down. With each one-night stand, his desire to have a real relationship pounds, demanding to be met. However, he’s been distant and believes he pushed any possibility of a real relationship a long time ago. The poor guy needs to be hugged hard and reminded that he deserves love, too.

            The  heartache of  “Stay With Me” go throughs every muscle, sparking a nurturing reaction.