Nothing Even Matters by Ms. Lauryn Hill and D'Angelo

Let's talk about the love lines on a classic song from a classic album.

Transcript

Love Lines from Nothing Even Matters by Lauryn Hill and D’Angelo

Love is a drug, so the proverbial they say. Possibly the most potent of all. Though I haven’t tried enough variants to confirm or deny the assertion.

Here’s what Harvard University says love does to your body:

High levels of dopamine and a related hormone, norepinephrine, are released during attraction. These chemicals make us giddy, energetic, and euphoric, even leading to decreased appetite and insomnia – which means you actually can be so “in love” that you can't eat and can't sleep.

Sounds like drug-induced effects to me. 

There are an abundance of songs referencing such passion as medicine, therapy, or unshakeable habit. One that comes to mind is Addicted to Love, my favorite version of which is performed by Florence + The Machine. Others include The Weeknd’s Can't Feel My Face and Just Like a Pill from P!nk.

The stream of melodies with artists who subtly and overtly compare romance to an intoxicating substance is endless. That said, few do so with the blissful tenderness of D’Angelo on Nothing Even Matters, a duet on which he’s featured alongside the incomparable Lauryn Hill. It’s one of the many classic tracks from her Grammy-winning album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. 

The two musicians go back and forth, exchanging sweet sentiments and one-upping each other on what ceases to matter when they’re together. They don’t care about jobs, natural disasters, or having cars repossessed! D’Angelo begins his list of things now rendered useless with:

See I don't need no alcohol
Your love makes me feel ten feet tall
Without it I'd go through withdrawal
Cause nothing even matters, at all

He not only feels bigger than his body, but higher than any human. This is what love is supposed to do, lift you up and make you better. It should add value to your life. The best love compels the best version of you.

Of course, there is another side. Especially if your joy and fulfillment are completely dependent on another person, it can be detrimental to your autonomous wellbeing. The problem with floating on a cloud comes when you’re crashing back down to earth. It’s hard to leave what seems like heaven. But my goodness if it isn’t glorious while inside.

Nothing Even Matters is intimate and smooth. The kind of song you could just lay out in the sun and listen to on repeat. Its relaxed groove fits two of the most distinctive voices in music perfectly. This is a slow burn. A warmth you wish to take your time wading through and hope never comes to an end. You don’t rush this kind of love. You can’t when it feels this good. 

The song winds down with Lauryn and D’Angelo singing “nothing but you” over and over. They end by reiterating what does matter. And isn’t this the root of metaphoric comparisons to intoxication? When you experience exhilarating or otherwise consuming love, you want it again. You want it more. You chase that feeling and the person who supplies it because nothing and no one else compares. 

This is adoration so extraordinary that should the day come when you must separate yourself from it, the day is destined to entail beautiful struggle. It is a day you will likely resist. A love that will never allow you to forget how sufficient it felt.