Released: 2022
Ellie Goulding’s ‘Easy Lover’ featuring Big Sean dives deep into the complications of a turbulent relationship. The song speaks about the struggles and repeated cycles of a love that is hard to let go. The repeated phrase ‘we are only young’ suggests the youthful and somewhat naive nature of their love.
The song starts with Goulding reflecting on how difficult the relationship has always been: ‘It was never easy, lover / When you’ve given all you had to each other’. She highlights the emotional toll it takes to keep coming back to each other despite the hardships.
The chorus is a plea for a smoother relationship: ‘Easy lover / Keep it cool on me / Don’t be cruel to me’. Goulding is asking her partner to be gentle and not repeat past mistakes, indicating that there’s been hurt before.
Big Sean’s verse adds depth to the story, reminiscing about their shared dreams and how they’re still connected despite the distance: ‘Time gon’ pass but all of these feelings hadn’t’. He admits to his mistakes and emphasizes that he still needs her: ‘I wouldn’t still be here if I didn’t need ya’.
The repeated line ‘Easy lover’ throughout the song is both a call for ease in the relationship and a bittersweet acknowledgment of its inherent difficulties. The closing lines, ‘This gone too far and too deep, I can’t sleep / I’m still foolishly in love with you’, capture the painful yet persistent attachment they have.
Overall, ‘Easy Lover’ paints a picture of a relationship full of love but also full of challenges. Goulding and Big Sean express the desire to make things work despite past hurts and ongoing struggles.
