Music Review: Sam Smith "Like I Can"

Sam Smith

Like I Can

Album: In the Lonely Hour

Year: 2014

            Sam Smith knows his boyfriend won’t ever be to able to replace him in the             forthright “Like I Can.”

             A placid guitar opens the single, setting a rueful tone. His boyfriend’s gaze is far off into the distance. He glances his head in the direction and sees who has grabbed his boyfriend’s attention: it’s a man, dressed in a suit and tie. The man puts a napkin to his mouth and adjusts his tie. He looks at his boyfriend again, knowing the silent betrayal. (“He could be a sinner, or a gentleman/He could be a preacher, when your soul is damned/He could be a lawyer on a witness stand/But he'll never love you like I can, can/He could be a stranger you gave a second glance/He could be a trophy of a one night stand/He could have your humour, but I don't understand/He'll never love you like I can, can, can.”)

             In the chorus, he wonders why his love isn’t enough. He helps him through his problems. He makes sure to protect him. Nonetheless, his boyfriend still chooses to look somewhere else. (“Why are you looking down all the wrong roads?/When mine is the heart and the salt of the soul/There may be lovers who hold out their hands/But they’ll never love you like I can, can, can/They'll never love you like I can, can.”)

                He imagines his boyfriend has acted upon on some of his attractions. Nonetheless, each person his boyfriend sleeps with ultimately becomes meaningless. (“A chance encounter of circumstance/Baby he's a mantra, keeps your mind entranced/He could be the silence in this mayhem/But then again, he’ll never love you like I can, can, can.”)

                 The chorus is sung again.

               In the bridge, he’s still afraid , waiting for the shoe to drop. His boyfriend has emotional issues he can try to delve into but not truly solve. He hopes one day his boyfriend can admit the truth. (“We both have demons that we can't stand/I love your demons, like devils can/If you're self-seeking, an honest man/Then stop deceiving, Lord please.”)

                 A shortened chorus is sung. (“Why are you looking down only one road?...he'll never love you like I can, can, can.”)

                    The chorus is sung again to close the single.

                   Smith knows the situation. Frustrated and upset, he can’t make his boyfriend see. What type of void is inside in his boyfriend that he can’t fill? He’s close to the breaking point.

                The earnest “Like I Can” the most upbeat of the singles, handles its pain with short bursts of anger and self-awareness.