After a couple of bowls of ice cream, my roommate and I had gone delirious with dairy, and were exchanging awkward stories. Apparently, she once dated a musical theater major who would sing to her in bed. He thought this was quite romantic. Unfortunately, from what I gathered, her opinion on singing was a little more on the lines of this:
All right, I'm not going to make you watch this whole Monty Python clip (even though you should, because it's a great movie), so fast forward to 1:03.
Yeah, Prince Hubert's father may be a balding a-hole, but he's got one thing right: no one wants her life to spontaneously become a musical.
…Okay, I immediately regret writing that. I would love for my life to be a musical, and if I could dance at all, I would get my ass up on the subway every morning and do the hustle 'til the cows come home. But as usual, I digress...
More specifically, being serenaded, while sweet in theory, is just awkward in practice.
Now, unlike Prince Hubert’s papa, I’m not a giant dick. I’m not going to yell, “No no, stop singing!” in an absurd British accent if a guy wants to sing for me. Hell, I’ll even find it a little cute. The fact is though, every time a guy has sung to me, I’ve had trouble with the following:
1) My face What the hell are you supposed to do with your face while he plays to you? It’s like when some guy shows you a YouTube video that isn’t that funny, or plays you a song on their iPod that you don’t really like—he keeps watching your face to see if you’re enjoying it, and you feel more on display than the media he’s showing you.
I usually end up having this sort of awkward half-slanted bemused smile that probably looks more like I’m watching my little sister trying to fit the triangle block in the square hole than watching a boy profess his lyrical love to me.
One thing that I have mastered is eye contact: you’ve got to be looking at him the whole time while he’s playing. You can stare at his feet, stare at his gee-tar, or look into his eyes if you’re brave and have the stamina to do so, but you can’t look at the weird velvet curtains or the Flaming Lips poster on his wall. It seems terribly rude. So, you’re forced to sit there for two minutes, distracted so much by the way your face looks to him that you’re having trouble enjoying the song.
2) The Afterglow Besides my weird facial dilemma, I never really have a problem with the song while he’s playing. Sure, like marzipan or most things made by Paula Deen, it might be a little too sweet for my taste, but usually it’s a pretty song, so I generally enjoy it. What really gets me is the post-song (or lack thereof).
If he were to just stop playing and let me pounce on him, we wouldn’t have an issue, but more often than not, HE NEVER STOPS.
He’ll have seen my awkward face slant, assumed that I was over the moon about them, and keep playing forever. Song after song after song. Like the makers of the Land Before Time movies, guitar-playing guys never really know when to quit.
So dear Guitar-Playing Guys, Yeah, I love that you’re playing for me, again, that’s really nice in concept, but please, one is enough. Take your hands off those frets for a moment and come play Yoshi Story so we can have some together time.
And just so no sweet guy gets terribly offended: don’t stop playing for your ladies. I’m just weird.
But just in case… anyone else have this silly pet peeve?
YES! oh my god, i love this post to death. i think tons of girls would love it if a guy would sing to her, i know i love it, but we definitely all have our things that we are just plain awkward about. for me, its giving back rubs. i have no idea why, but i am the weirdest person when any guy has ever asked for one. i know it's supposed to be sexy, but i have no idea how to sit or if i'm even doing it right. my panic fear about them has even stretched to me now, because i don't even like getting them because i'm so weird about giving them, and avoid them at all costs. total freakshow.
"More specifically, being serenaded, while sweet in theory, is just awkward in practice."
Oh this was great! I knew a guy who seranaded his gf at a concert (was also there) - everyone then assumed he was going to propose afterwards and when he didn't it...just made it that much more awkward!
On the other hand, I have karokee'd my drunken heart to my ex at a bar once...sadly it was a Michael Jackson song, only because she couldn't find our song after the years past we'd been together and forgot it.
bahaha im in total agreement!
i dated a musician once, and once was enough.
of course when i started dated him i thought it was awesome, cuz he was in a band and it was totally hot and yadda yadda. BUT not only was he ridiculously high on himself, he had to incorporate music into everything. EVERYTHING. which also included bed time. and yes, it is awkward to be sung to sleep.
never again.
I suppose it can be cute.
My bf can't sing and I don't think he's fond of it anyhow lol
if some random guy serenaded me out of the blue and I don't even like him that way, it is awkward and I'll probably be thinking, omg, don't! but if it is a guy that I like, then pretty much whatever he does, singing included, makes me swoon and I don't mind the encore performances. I'll just stare at him and keep smiling I can withstand maybe a dozen encores, but after that, stop and move onto the good stuff
I used to always sing and dance for my ex. But I would purposely make myself look retarded while doing it just to get her to laugh. Usually worked. I never made up songs on the spot though...working on that now heh.
My bf is not a musician, but I love it when he sings to me. It's sweet, cute, and romantic to me because he doesn't do it very often ^.^
you're an AWESOME writer! this was so amusing. the whole 'let me play guitar and sing for you' never happened to me before, but I can totally imagine the whole face thing. how awkward!
My boyfriend plays guitar and after we'd been dating a while, my birthday rolled around and he sang random songs to me at the pond that night. It was actually romantic. We were by the pond with the fountain going, and the stars were out, and we sat under this big willow tree while he just played random songs. Not so much looking at my face to watch my every expression, but playing whatever he felt like. At the end of the evening, just before he had to take me home, we kissed and he was shaking. I asked if he was cold, he was like "no, I'm fine." and continued to shake. A few minutes later, he gave me this amazing kiss and paused in the middle saying "K---, ... I love you." and I said it back, and well.. it was one of those really sappy movie love moments, when the kiss was like in The Notebook, haha. I think the guitar set the mood a lot, but I meant every word when I said it back. It wasn't really awkward at all. Sappy though? Definitely, but I loved it. Still in love with him. :]
I think being sung to is very very cute. :)
I have the same problem. My ex would just constantly play for me over the phone and we would have absolutely no coversation. And how you do you compliment it if he WONT stop playing long enough...& I don't know what to do while hes playing. With my face or how to sit. Its awkward.
Monty Python! <3 I have to watch that movie every few months. I make it something that needs to happen. Haha.
This is sad! I've been serenaded to sleep by a guy and I loved it! Not to mention I am a musician myself and it is my greatest joy to sing and play guitar to the man I love. So ladies, if you really love your man let him sing to you! it's not always about you its about him as well, and I'm sure it would make him really happy to know that his girl loves his songs. And at least your boyfriend isn't ignoring you or at a strip joint chasing naked girls. There are worse things than a boyfriend singing to you
You rock!!
When my boyfriend strummed a guitar- I had my eyes set on the anatomy and physiology text book. Low stamina when it comes to eye-contact, you see.
This is hilarious! The only way I could stand to be serenaded would be like if we were camping together and he just busted out his guitar as we sat there, and I could gaze into the fire while he sang. Then I could immediately change the subject to s'mores.
"It’s like when some guy shows you a YouTube video that isn’t that funny, or plays you a song on their iPod that you don’t really like—he keeps watching your face to see if you’re enjoying it, and you feel more on display than the media he’s showing you."
lmfao. I absolutely love that. and very true.
Haha this is a great post. I had a guy sing to me a little while back and I enjoyed it. This was probably because I was drunk, the lights were off and I was drunkenly swaying to his singing on his couch, all the while leaning in closer to him. He must have noticed because he stopped playing soon after and our make-out session began. I think it's sweet as long as the dude knows when enough is enough.
HAHA. I'd been thinking about that question recently. I don't know how and where to look at if hes playing a song for me. I'd rather he play the piano so we don't really have to make eye contacts (Provided he isn't a pro in piano.)
hahahaha that was hilarious. I've always asked people that same question. I'm glad someone has taken the time to write about how awkward it is when someone sings to you.
oh god i have this problem
I love to just lounge around and listen to the guy I'm with strum his acoustic, but I could imagine if a guy would ever serenade me, it would feel a tad awkward since he is no longer in his own little guitar world, but singing and playing FOR me. Too much pressure to be impressed and swooned.
OMGG haha this happened to me with my first boyfriend, he was like in love with me, and I still felt like I was getting to know him. And one day he told me he had something to show me, and he started singing & playing the guitar, and I didn't realize the song was about me until like the middle and I was like "OMG HE WROTE ME A SONG!" and after that it was just so awakard. I didn't know what to do with my hands, or my head, or anything. Or what to say afterwards? That was the worst part, "Thank you? I'm so glad your in love with me?" AWKARDDD> Of course, after that I started to fall in love with him, and he became uninterested. Go figure. But I have yet to have that happen to me again, but it is soo cute when you think about it.
the guy i am crushing on now says he always has a song in his head. and we have a huge lecture class together, so he will randomly burst out into whisper singing. it has to be the cutest/coolest thing ever. and he always sings for the right amount of time. hahahaha
Ahh, I've had the same problems! Definitely with the face issue, and more often than not, he keeps on and on and on. He plays numerous instruments. And I'm just like, "Yeah, you know, I'm glad you have something you're passionate about and I think it's sweet that you want to play for me... but can you stop now?"
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YES! oh my god, i love this post to death. i think tons of girls would love it if a guy would sing to her, i know i love it, but we definitely all have our things that we are just plain awkward about. for me, its giving back rubs. i have no idea why, but i am the weirdest person when any guy has ever asked for one. i know it's supposed to be sexy, but i have no idea how to sit or if i'm even doing it right. my panic fear about them has even stretched to me now, because i don't even like getting them because i'm so weird about giving them, and avoid them at all costs. total freakshow.
"More specifically, being serenaded, while sweet in theory, is just awkward in practice."
Oh this was great! I knew a guy who seranaded his gf at a concert (was also there) - everyone then assumed he was going to propose afterwards and when he didn't it...just made it that much more awkward!
On the other hand, I have karokee'd my drunken heart to my ex at a bar once...sadly it was a Michael Jackson song, only because she couldn't find our song after the years past we'd been together and forgot it.
bahaha im in total agreement!
i dated a musician once, and once was enough.
of course when i started dated him i thought it was awesome, cuz he was in a band and it was totally hot and yadda yadda. BUT not only was he ridiculously high on himself, he had to incorporate music into everything. EVERYTHING. which also included bed time. and yes, it is awkward to be sung to sleep.
never again.
I suppose it can be cute.
My bf can't sing and I don't think he's fond of it anyhow lol
if some random guy serenaded me out of the blue and I don't even like him that way, it is awkward and I'll probably be thinking, omg, don't! but if it is a guy that I like, then pretty much whatever he does, singing included, makes me swoon and I don't mind the encore performances. I'll just stare at him and keep smiling
I can withstand maybe a dozen encores, but after that, stop and move onto the good stuff
I used to always sing and dance for my ex. But I would purposely make myself look retarded while doing it just to get her to laugh. Usually worked. I never made up songs on the spot though...working on that now heh.
My bf is not a musician, but I love it when he sings to me. It's sweet, cute, and romantic to me because he doesn't do it very often ^.^
you're an AWESOME writer! this was so amusing.
the whole 'let me play guitar and sing for you' never happened to me before, but I can totally imagine the whole face thing. how awkward!
My boyfriend plays guitar and after we'd been dating a while, my birthday rolled around and he sang random songs to me at the pond that night. It was actually romantic. We were by the pond with the fountain going, and the stars were out, and we sat under this big willow tree while he just played random songs. Not so much looking at my face to watch my every expression, but playing whatever he felt like. At the end of the evening, just before he had to take me home, we kissed and he was shaking. I asked if he was cold, he was like "no, I'm fine." and continued to shake. A few minutes later, he gave me this amazing kiss and paused in the middle saying "K---, ... I love you." and I said it back, and well.. it was one of those really sappy movie love moments, when the kiss was like in The Notebook, haha. I think the guitar set the mood a lot, but I meant every word when I said it back. It wasn't really awkward at all. Sappy though? Definitely, but I loved it. Still in love with him. :]
I think being sung to is very very cute. :)
I have the same problem. My ex would just constantly play for me over the phone and we would have absolutely no coversation. And how you do you compliment it if he WONT stop playing long enough...& I don't know what to do while hes playing. With my face or how to sit. Its awkward.
Monty Python! <3 I have to watch that movie every few months. I make it something that needs to happen. Haha.
This is sad! I've been serenaded to sleep by a guy and I loved it! Not to mention I am a musician myself and it is my greatest joy to sing and play guitar to the man I love. So ladies, if you really love your man let him sing to you! it's not always about you its about him as well, and I'm sure it would make him really happy to know that his girl loves his songs. And at least your boyfriend isn't ignoring you or at a strip joint chasing naked girls. There are worse things than a boyfriend singing to you
This is hilarious! The only way I could stand to be serenaded would be like if we were camping together and he just busted out his guitar as we sat there, and I could gaze into the fire while he sang. Then I could immediately change the subject to s'mores.
"It’s like when some guy shows you a YouTube video that isn’t that funny,
or plays you a song on their iPod that you don’t really like—he keeps
watching your face to see if you’re enjoying it, and you feel more on
display than the media he’s showing you."
lmfao. I absolutely love that. and very true.
Haha this is a great post. I had a guy sing to me a little while back and I enjoyed it. This was probably because I was drunk, the lights were off and I was drunkenly swaying to his singing on his couch, all the while leaning in closer to him. He must have noticed because he stopped playing soon after and our make-out session began. I think it's sweet as long as the dude knows when enough is enough.
HAHA. I'd been thinking about that question recently. I don't know how and where to look at if hes playing a song for me. I'd rather he play the piano so we don't really have to make eye contacts (Provided he isn't a pro in piano.)
hahahaha that was hilarious. I've always asked people that same question. I'm glad someone has taken the time to write about how awkward it is when someone sings to you.
oh god i have this problem
I love to just lounge around and listen to the guy I'm with strum his acoustic, but I could imagine if a guy would ever serenade me, it would feel a tad awkward since he is no longer in his own little guitar world, but singing and playing FOR me. Too much pressure to be impressed and swooned.
OMGG haha this happened to me with my first boyfriend, he was like in love with me, and I still felt like I was getting to know him. And one day he told me he had something to show me, and he started singing & playing the guitar, and I didn't realize the song was about me until like the middle and I was like "OMG HE WROTE ME A SONG!" and after that it was just so awakard. I didn't know what to do with my hands, or my head, or anything. Or what to say afterwards? That was the worst part, "Thank you? I'm so glad your in love with me?" AWKARDDD> Of course, after that I started to fall in love with him, and he became uninterested. Go figure. But I have yet to have that happen to me again, but it is soo cute when you think about it.
the guy i am crushing on now says he always has a song in his head. and we have a huge lecture class together, so he will randomly burst out into whisper singing. it has to be the cutest/coolest thing ever. and he always sings for the right amount of time. hahahaha
Ahh, I've had the same problems! Definitely with the face issue, and more often than not, he keeps on and on and on. He plays numerous instruments. And I'm just like, "Yeah, you know, I'm glad you have something you're passionate about and I think it's sweet that you want to play for me... but can you stop now?"