Christina Aguilera
Album: Ain't No Other Man
Song: Ain't No Other Man
Reviewed by: Krystal Burns
Note: We focus on reviewing songs, and therefore cannot comment on the appropriateness of the album in its entirety. Please use your best judgment whenever purchasing or listening to music.
Artist:
After a couple quiet years, Christina Aguilera is back on the charts belting out her teen dance-pop songs with that famously powerful voice. Born on Staten Island and raised in Philadelphia, the diva jumpstarted her career by joining Disney’s “The New Mickey Mouse Club” (along with Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears). She released her debut album in the summer of ’99 featuring hit songs “Genie in a Bottle” and “What a Girl Wants.” After a Spanish tribute to her Ecuadorian roots and a holiday album, Aguilera’s image took a turn south in ’02 with the release of “Stripped,” which relied heavily on sexual content for sales.
Album:
In June ’06, Aguilera released a Motown single titled “Ain’t No Other Man.” While the content hints that she’s cleaned up her act, the chorus includes one profane word and references to lovers “both past and present.” In the video, the star and her back-up girls do most of the singing in their underwear. A complete album will follow soon, so we’ll have to wait to see whether or not Christina Aguilera is on a different path or not.
Song:
“Ain’t No Other Man” is about a girl finding a guy she thinks is the boy of her dreams. He’s seemingly perfect, and she vows she will never want anyone else. “Ain’t no other man can stand up next to you/ Ain’t no other man on the planet does what you do/ You’re the kinda guy a girl finds in a blue moon.”
Sounds like their off to a great start! After all, he’s got soul, class, and style -- what else could a girl want? We don’t know how old their relationship is, but typically these songs are belted out near the beginning. Why? Well, after about three months of bliss, couples usually start discovering some of the not-so-perfect qualities of the other person; that’s when trouble starts. You’ve probably noticed the same thing with the dating couples in your neck of the woods.
Wouldn’t it be great if (or when) you find the person you want to marry, this could be your song every year, just the way God intended it to be? In order for that to happen, we have to stop thinking about love as just how happy that person makes us feel and start listening to what God says about it. After all, God IS love, so He probably knows a thing or two about the topic.
Aguilera says she loves her boy because: “You are there when I’m a mess/ You talked me down from the ledge/ Give me strength, boy, you’re the best.” It seems her feelings are based on what he does for her. It’s good to appreciate what someone does for you, but real love goes deeper than that and appreciates someone even when he or she can’t (or won’t) do anything for you.
That’s tough to do, but it’s the way Christ loves us. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” It is perfect love -- the kind that doesn’t fade after three months -- because it’s not based on what we have done or will do. God just loves us and that’s it; no strings attached. Whether towards our friends, our parents, siblings, strangers at school or at the mall, or maybe someday a spouse, this is how God tells us to love others. Next time you tell someone you love him or her, think about what you’re really saying. Do you mean it? Are you ready to make that kind of Christ-like commitment?
So What Do You Think?
1. Are you a big fan of Christina Aguilera?
2. Do you think she needs to clean up her image after her last album in order to compete with other artists on the charts?
3. What do you remember about your first crush? Why did the feelings fade?
4. Read the famous love chapter 1 Corinthians 13 (especially vv. 4-7). How would you apply God’s definition of love to romantic love?