Released: 2018
Features: Cardi B
“Girls Like You” by Maroon 5, featuring Cardi B, is a pop track that’s all about longing and the thrill of that push-pull kind of love. The kind of love that’s fun, a bit reckless, but deeply wanted. Adam Levine croons about needing more time and trying to make things right with a special someone, while Cardi B brings her own fire, talking about the rough edges of being in love and her unique flavor to a relationship.
Let’s dive in. The song kicks off with Adam Levine talking about spending 24 hours and needing more hours with “you”. This “you” seems like someone he’s had ups and downs with – they’ve had their late nights trying to fix their issues. When Levine says, “Roll that backwood, babe, and play me close“, he’s using slang for rolling a cigarette (or more likely, a blunt) and asking to be kept close, signaling an intimate moment between them.
Then there’s the chorus that everyone loves singing along to, where Levine admits “girls like you” mix well with “guys like me“. This talks about the magnetic pull between different kinds of people who are just right for each other, despite their differences. When they talk about needing a girl “yeah, yeah”, it’s like saying, “you’re exactly what I want and need.”
When Cardi B comes in, boy, does she flip the script. Her verse talks about her past, dancing for money and letting someone meet her mom as a big deal, hinting that she’s serious about this relationship. “Not too long ago, I was dancing for dollars” shows her raw journey from struggle to fame. She warns, “You don’t want a girl like me, I’m too crazy“, but then immediately questions “Why is the best fruit always forbidden?“, suggesting that there’s something irresistible about her, despite the warnings. Her mention of “white Porsches and carats” instead of a traditional white horse and carriage flips the script on fairy-tale romance, showing her preference for luxury and realness over old-school romance.
So there you have it. “Girls Like You” isn’t just a catchy pop song – it’s a blend of longing, love, and the complexity of relationships. Adam Levine and Cardi B show us how opposites attract and how, sometimes, those intense, crazy loves are the ones we need the most.
