Andy Grammer’s “Honey, I’m Good” is rapidly becoming one of my favorite pop songs of the year — meaning the song has accomplished exactly what it wants. I’ve never heard a pop song that tries to make you love it as much as this one does. Grammer trades in on an ingenious sort of “cute for adults” persona that affords him as much sex appeal as he needs minus the pernicious Lothario-isms of most male pop stars that exert a sexualized image; he’s got this down to a T on “Honey I’m Good.”
The premise of the song fits with this. Grammer’s on tour, surrounded by beautiful women obsessing over him; he acknowledges the desire, but he’s committed to his partner. Even if you’ve never seen a picture of Grammer, who’s stunning, you know from the song he’s sexy: “I could have another but I probably should not.” The moral for the audience: you can crush on Grammer, but it won’t lead to anything.
The language is a bit sexist, though not terrible compared to most male-sung pop tunes (give Maroon 5’s V a spin and cringe). Grammer refers to women with body-part synecdoches (“those long long legs are damn near everywhere”) and calls the woman he’s turning down “honey.” But at least he holds himself responsible for his desires, stating that “better men than me have failed drinking from that unholy grail.” “Unholy grail” thus comes across less as some disgusting moral-panic metaphor for a vagina and more as a synonym for Grammer’s own lust.
“Honey, I’m Good” initially scans as an advertisement for monogamy, especially in tandem with a violently cute music video depicting scores of couples kissing each other, with signs showing how long they’ve been together. But it thankfully doesn’t frown on promiscuity, just infidelity. In fact, an anti-monogamy reading isn’t hard to come up with; Grammer is near-constantly tempted, raising the question of how happy he really is in his relationship.
In other words, you don’t have to interpret this song as propaganda, and what we’re seeing here isn’t sexual morality but a new kind of sexuality. In a post-Robin Thicke era, it’s increasingly difficult for male pop stars to advertise themselves as Casanovas. But Grammer showcases an effective new approach to male sex appeal in pop: being as cute as earthly possible with only the bare minimum of sex-symbol posturing. His exuberance is infectious, and hearing a singer this joyful is endearing.
That joy carries “Honey I’m Good.” The song is essentially Rusted Root’s dreadful 1995 hit “Send Me On My Way” (which you may remember from Matilda and Ice Age) EDM-ified. Instead of Rusted Root’s folky textures and incomprehensible babbling, there’s airtight disco and a voice that seems to be yelling in ecstasy. It’s just about the most likable thing ever, and even people who might be put off by its saccharinity will dance to it while drunk.
At the end of the day, pop is all about psychology, and “Honey, I’m Good” is pretty much the equivalent of Andy Grammer proposing to your brain. Saying yes — and gaining a new guilty pleasure in the process — is the best decision I’ve made this year.