Released: 2015
“Dopamine” by BØRNS dives into the torrential pull of intoxicating love, using popular neuroscience to highlight the addictive qualities of an all-consuming romantic bond. This song is a trip, pushing the boundaries of pop music as it crafts a narrative exploring chemical dimensions of desire, temptation, and the obsession-promoting pleasures of dopamine.
The song opens with ‘Wanna feel that stream of dopamine’/ ‘I mixed up so terribly’ / ‘Your body language talking over me’. Here, BØRNS connects to the theme of addiction. ‘Dopamine’, a neurotransmitter in the brain, is often associated with pleasure and reward, explaining why the singer yearns for this ‘stream of dopamine’. This is layered delicately over the turmoil of a frustrating communication dynamic, signified by the phrase ‘Your body language talking over me’. It hints at a romantic entanglement where words are losing their ground to more primal forms of expression.
Taking a step further into the rabbit hole, BØRNS sings: ‘And I crave your taste under my tongue everyday’ / ‘Keep the forbidden fruit coming my way’ / ‘I wanna feel your sugar in my veins’. These lines show a lustful longing, likening the lover to the biblical ‘forbidden fruit’. The phrase ‘sugar in my veins’ is a common pop trope used to illustrate an intense desire, transforming the beloved into a necessary substance, intertwining with the theme of addiction.
As the song progresses, there’s this verse: ‘You sip what the devil’s drinking’ / ‘Hot as hell and I’m thinkin” / ‘Baby, baby, baby, can you take away my pain?’ The lover is seen flirting with danger (‘sip what the devil’s drinking’) while our protagonist is caught in a fiery dilemma. He wants his lover to become his salvation out of his pain, seeking solace in a presumably tumultuous relationship. This paradoxical situation is a staple in pop music, representing the struggle between love’s pain and pleasure.
Wrapping up with ‘Laying in your ecstasy, I’m floating away’, BØRNS paints a picture of surrender. Transcending the physical world, he enters a realm of emotional euphoria, where love’s ‘Dopamine’ sends him on a euphoric ride. It’s a poignant way to encapsulate the dizzying highs that often accompany intense romantic experiences.
In conclusion, “Dopamine” by BØRNS is a masterful blend of neuroscience, biblical references, and pop music tropes. It presents the universal experience of passion with a unique spin, turning the rush of love into both a neurotransmitter and an intoxicating drug.
