Interpretations:I'm Your Boyfriend Now (Demo)
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I think it is lierally supposed to be about a guy obssessed with a girl and not a fan in my opinion. I also think that you're really supposed to feel for the guy even though he is a creepy stalker. That is why it the song is played as a really pretty-like song. The guy only has good intentions but sadly he doesn't know that he's being a stalker and we are supposed to feel bad for him because of that and not think of him as a creepy loser but as a poor misguided human-being.
It is common knowledge of course that Linnell is a big fan of personal space and has little patience for the fawning giants fan. The theme of the celebrity being stalked was first tackled by the Giants on the famous polka, it is probably a good thing for Linnell's sanity that the Giants' remain only a cult band, as he probably would not have coped if the Giants had been as big as they once threatened to be in the late 80s. By mixing it with obsessive love -- another favoured theme -- and one of his most winsome melodies, the only real question is why the song has not made it onto a proper album so it gets the audience it deserves. Easily one of the best Giants songs. (mr Tuck)
I have a hunch this is from the lyricist's personal experience, but taking the view of a fan who has been plaguing him.
Okay, I decided to fill this out, because it's been here for a while and everyone's neglected it. This song is about an obsessed fan. That's pretty much it. He isn't violent or anything, but he obviously has some problems. (i.e. listining to voices in my head)
-- Mr. Nuclear
I totally agree with Mr. Nuclear on this one. I like that you added that the obsessed fan has problems, but then again, don't all of Linnell's songs feature messed-up people? That's like his main theme right there. -JW.
- 20-aug-2003
If my memory serves me correctly (and it has been known to fool me on ocassion), I do believe that there was a rather lengthy interpretation for this song appearing here at the wiki. I think it was submitted by one of our lady contributors. However, I don't see it in the previous wiki revisions. To Duke (or anyone else who's been here a while): do you recall if we had in interp for this? I sure hope there's been no sort of wiki malfunction. --SR
- 21-aug-2003
I remember it too - there was something about not assuming the author was a woman.
- 31-aug-2003
OK. I have expanded the number of days revisions stay active to 90. It was 14 or something low. I think what might have happened was someone edited the page and accidentally removed the previous text. After so many days, the revision history rolled off. That's too bad... the lost interp was really good and I don't think the author visits us any longer. I currently keep a five day rolling back up of the entire site. Maybe I'll start keeping weekly snapshots offline to prevent something like this from happening again. --SR
I think this song isn't about a fan, but a guy who stalks his crush. The song is called "I'm Your Boyfriend Now" isn't it? He is forcing the girl into a relationship by telling her everything about himself, hoping she will like him. Am I taking this song too literal? You tell me.
Squeak
In "Nightmare on Elm Street," Fred Krueger calls up the main character Nancy and says "I'm your boyfriend now." Coincidence?
- BoBo
This song is one the best by the Giants. I say this because I, too, take this song quite literally (and will until one John or the other tells me otherwise. Directly or indirectly). I hold this song as one of those songs that has a better effect when you happen to hear it after a similar experience (though, as I recall, I never said I was her "boyfriend now," but oh well). Even the line about other people veiwing him/her as strange reigned true (alot of people said she looked like an effeminate guy when seh was in her marching band uniform). I would get louder than I usually am (is that even possible?) whenever she was around to show that "I'm not just that creepy guy who stares at you all time; I'm can also be kinda funny and interesting in a self-derogatory way! And I wasn't staring; oh no! It was...uh...GLANCING! Yeah "glancing" that's the ticket!" Well, either way, that was a rather pathetic time in my life and I'm not prone to do go the staring route. Also, about the "voices in my head thing" it may be the guy insluting himself (like "you're not good enough" and "she will never love you") and perhaps doesn't want it to come true and therefore let her hear it so she can believe the voices and he can continue to be depressed. And, Kelsey, by the way, if you happen to read this (I doubt you would. You don't seem the TMBG type to me) I'm really sorry about being creepy. Any guy who has been the same way will agree with me on the literal interp. Definitely one of the best TMBG songs ever. - rabiddeadworm
here here, the same thing happened to me (sorry for being creepy Megan!) -Cody-schmidt
Gotta go with the usual interp here. I think it's pretty clearly about a guy who is MADLY in love with a girl. She's all he can think about; all he really wants is to be close to her. The problem is, he takes it a little too far and begins stalking her, feeling that only he can have her and that no one else should be allowed to. He claims that he's her boyfriend--maybe she has a real boyfriend, maybe she doesn't, but even if she does, the singer doesn't care. All he cares about is himself and the girl, and so he's following her, trying to get her to love him as much as he loves her--and in that little fantasy universe he's created (the "voices in his head"), she already does, and he is actually her boyfriend. In reality, though, he's just some poor, delusional guy with a major crush on a girl who doesn't reciprocate his feelings for her. It's almost adorable, in a creepy sort of way. ~Anna Ng hears your words.
I agree with most of the interpretations here except that this idea that the narrator of this song isn't messed up. The line "Your boyfriend wants/To meet someone who shares his interests/In listening/To voices in my head" kind of confirms that he's messed up.
