Friday Tunes: Caught Up

This week’s instalment of labour themes in popular culture is John Legend’s “Caught Up”. I couldn’t really find a decent video (Legend’s live vocals are pretty nasty) so I went with this interesting a capella cover.

The storyline is the singer works hard at a job he hates and finds solace by doin’ it. Not exactly a deep critique of the structural dimensions of capitalist employment. Yet the idea of escaping the unpleasant realities of life via sex is a recurring theme in worker’s stories.

Back in January, I reviewed a book called “Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America”. The book is basically an insider’s view of what it is like to be a member of the working poor. The author directly engages the issue of sex as escapism, noting how sex is one of the few recreational pursuits available to the poor and how the poor are then demonized for engaging in it.

The book is an interesting read about classism and how one’s employment—one’s means—affect what behaviour is socially sanctioned. I doubt John Legend was thinking the when he wrote lyrical gems like “I finally got to take the night off/So we can make some love tax right offs” (oh, my ears! MY EARS!) but these kinds of songs are useful in reminding us of how profoundly alienating many people’s employment can be.



I'm so, excited
I'm home, been grindin'
Let's go, tonight
Just make some money you know
I've got it, if you want it
If you love it

I'm on it, I'm on it
So come on it
I need your loving tonight

I'm tired of my job
I'm tired of my boss
I'm taking you out
You taking it off
Only thing on my mind is how we bout to get it on

[chorus]
I wanna get caught up in your love tonight
You can help me just breathe, breathe
I'm tryin' get caught up in your love tonight
You can help me just breathe, breathe

Now we got time
Let's stay in
I'm sayin'
I'm a make her stay home from church

I'm prayin'
I finally got to take the night off
So we can make some love tax right offs
We'll light some candles with the lights off
So we can set the mood right off

[chorus]

I'm so, excited
I'm home, been grindin'
Let's go, tonight
Just make some money you know

I got it
If you want it
If you love it
I'm on it, I'm on it

So come on it
I need your loving tonight
I need your loving tonight
I need your loving tonight

[chorus]

I wanna get caught up in your love tonight
I'm tryin' get caught up in your love tonight
I wanna get caught up in your love tonight

--Bob Barnetson