Music Review: Amanda Perez "I Pray (Never Forget)"
Amanda Perez
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I Pray (Never Forget)
Album: I Pray
Year: 2004
Amanda Perez caonizes her boyfriend in the mournful "I Pray (Never Forget)."
A faithful piano starts the single, setting an eulogistic tone. Perez intones that she says a prayer to God every day. In it, she says for her to remember her boyfriend forever. He's her best friend and she would do anything for him. She loves him.
She sings "I pray" and then oohs over the piano.
In the first verse, she said she had a vision of him in one her dreams. Now that he's in her life, she's eager to see the curve of his smile. She lives for his love. It makes her life complete. She confesses that she once felt lonely and unreachable. With his love, he was able to mellow her.
In the chorus, she says that when she dies, she wants to remember the tender gazes they shared. She wants to remember his sweet caresses. She hopes that God will eventually reunite them in heaven. As she passes, she hopes to see only him and their memories. She wants to be together with him again in heaven where they will still be as one.
Her relationship with him is the ideal. It's one people wish they could have. She says life moves quickly and she wants to spend each day with him. She is afraid of death but adds that God has a reason for it. People are given a specific thing to do in their lives. She hopes she is able to accomplish her purpose and meet her boyfriend again.
After the chorus, Perez raps sluggishly. She says she would like to control time. She would return to when she was first born and tell God for her to have a photographic memory. She could die at any moment. Her worst fear would be to forget her boyfriend's face. She asks God to allow her see her life as it happened before she passes.
Album: I Pray
Year: 2004
Amanda Perez caonizes her boyfriend in the mournful "I Pray (Never Forget)."
A faithful piano starts the single, setting an eulogistic tone. Perez intones that she says a prayer to God every day. In it, she says for her to remember her boyfriend forever. He's her best friend and she would do anything for him. She loves him.
"You know with each day that passes by, I pray to God I'll never forget who you are/You mean everything to me/I love you."
She sings "I pray" and then oohs over the piano.
In the first verse, she said she had a vision of him in one her dreams. Now that he's in her life, she's eager to see the curve of his smile. She lives for his love. It makes her life complete. She confesses that she once felt lonely and unreachable. With his love, he was able to mellow her.
"You were in my dream/Before I even knew that there was a you and me/Now I can't wait to see your smile/When I wake up each day/It makes it worthwhile/With the kinda love you plant inside/'Specially with a heart so empty as mine/All your soft tenderness is the one thing that I don't wanna miss."
In the chorus, she says that when she dies, she wants to remember the tender gazes they shared. She wants to remember his sweet caresses. She hopes that God will eventually reunite them in heaven. As she passes, she hopes to see only him and their memories. She wants to be together with him again in heaven where they will still be as one.
"I pray/When it's time for me to say goodbye/
I'll never forget looking in your eyes/I pray/That I feel your touch/And that God doesn't forget our love/
I pray/When I close my eyes/I can still see visions of you on my mind/I pray/That I see you in another life/
I pray that you still by my side/Oh I pray."
Her relationship with him is the ideal. It's one people wish they could have. She says life moves quickly and she wants to spend each day with him. She is afraid of death but adds that God has a reason for it. People are given a specific thing to do in their lives. She hopes she is able to accomplish her purpose and meet her boyfriend again.
"Everything that you give to me/Only comes in a fantasy/It seems like life goes by so fast/But in this time I wanna make it last. (I pray)/I hate that we live to die/But only God knows why (I pray)/We all have a purpose/And to see you again it'll be worth it."
After the chorus, Perez raps sluggishly. She says she would like to control time. She would return to when she was first born and tell God for her to have a photographic memory. She could die at any moment. Her worst fear would be to forget her boyfriend's face. She asks God to allow her see her life as it happened before she passes.
"I wish that I could stop time/I wish that I could rewind/To the very begining of every second of my life/To ask God on my hands and knees/To never let me forget all my special memories/See I'm only promised today/And if it's my time to go/I don't want the love of my life to ever fade away/So one last time/Let me open my eyes/To see what my life used to be like/Oh God."
The chorus ends the single.
In "I Pray (Never Forget)," Perez's prayer is self-serving. It's benefits only her and no one else. She's willing to do anything if it means she will get to see her boyfriend in heaven. Unfortunately, she focuses so much on death and the afterlife that she isn't grateful for the time she has. She just wants, wants, wants.
The morbid subject matter and the religious theme is jarring when it's combined with the sermonic beat. Given the happy tone, Perez comes across as preoccupied with death and obsessed. Neither aspect works in the way it was intended.