Love™︎

From words that have connotations in two opposing relationships, we come up with opinions that are in line with each other's opinions, which can also be seen as a middle ground. Also known as the antithesis, here I consider the two opposites as Pro and Kontra. Here is what I found as the opposing relationship.

Love For Sale

Composed by David Byrne in 1986, this song was included in the album True Stories by Talking Heads in the same year. This album was made for the movie of the same name.

Can't Buy Me Love

A 1964 composition by Lennon/McCartney, recorded by The Beatles on their album A Hard Day's Night in the same year. This album was made for the movie of the same name.

Here, the above two songs are referred to as "Pro" for "Love" which is buyable and "Kontra" for "Love" which is unbuyable.

Pro (Love For Sale)

The lyrics suggest a reflection on growing up in a society saturated with commercialism, as indicated by lines like "I was born in a house with the television always on." This suggests a childhood spent consuming television and the accompanying commercials.

Continuing with "Guess I grew up too fast," it's implied that the 1980s, when the song was written, were characterized by mass consumption and production. This era saw a proliferation of commercials catering to various consumer goods, as exemplified by references to "blender," "cooler TV," "lipstick," "jeans," "video," and "toaster" in the lyrics. While these items may not symbolize the era directly, they represent David Byrne's apt depiction of consumer culture. Recognizing this constant influx of new commercials could create an illusion of having matured prematurely.

The lines "And I forgot my name" may serve as a mere rhetorical emphasis. Following this, "We're in cities at night and we got time on our hands," along with "So leave the driving to us" and "And it's the real thing," suggests a desire to escape from this melancholic societal atmosphere. However, even in this attempt to flee, indulging in the infrastructure and products of civilization seems to ironically underscore the sense of entrapment within consumer culture.

Living in a society where everything is commodified implies that even intangible concepts can be assigned a monetary value. The lyrics allude to the possibility that "Love" itself, with its diverse interpretations, could have been tagged as countable or buyable, reflecting the zeitgeist of the time. While such tagging may be perceived as erroneous, it's appropriate to view it as one of David Byrne's personal interpretations overlaying onto the objective fact of commodities.

Kontra(Can’t Buy Me Love)

From the lyrics, Paul McCartney's perspective may be inferred as follows:

"I'll buy you diamonds ring my friend" suggests that "Money" and "Diamonds" are exchangeable...1

Following this, "If it makes you feel alright," implies that "Diamonds" can be exchanged for "Love" (though not explicitly stated, the intention seems to be to obtain "Love" through the gift of "Diamonds")...2

From 1 and 2, it follows that "Money" and "Love" are exchangeable...3

However, he rejects the notion presented in 3. While he may acknowledge that "Love" could be buyable, he doesn't perceive it as a commodity. Despite following a different thought process from the Pro perspective, he arrives at the conclusion that "Love" can be traded for money, yet he denies it.

Also, comparing Pro and Kontra, "Love" is less commodified in Kontra than in Pro; Paul's subject is more oriented toward "you (no specific name given)," and his interpretation seems to be more confined to the personal sphere of life than Pro.

In the end, is "Love" purchasable? I don't think so. While the idea of love being transactional with money may work as a linguistic exercise, the concept of purchasing an intangible notion like "Love" seems implausible. Moreover, while many things may appear purchasable, they merely control the recipient's affection through money, suggesting that there's no correlation between "Love" and money. "Love" is an intangible concept intertwined with individual consciousness, and any semblance of purchaseability is merely a convenient label assigned for discussion purposes.

Unfortunately the title “Love™︎doesn’t work as technical problem...