The cover of his debut album Somewhere Between Beauty & Magic sees Joeboy out by a lake, on a rock, self assured—he knows in a few weeks, he’d be releasing one of the most groundbreaking Afrobeats albums of 2021. As Jon Dolan of RollingStone put it, “Joeboy’s glistening Afrobeats-pop was everything his album’s title advertised.” It was one of the best selling projects of 2021—mind you, the pandemic was in full swing.
But what is it that is so special about his latest effort—‘Body & Soul’? Is it the musicality of it? The fact that he brought back his signature visualisers from the ‘Baby’ heydays? To really understand why Joeboy’s latest release—’Body & Soul’ is truly special, you are invited to consider it within the context of February 14th—Valentine’s Day and how the song effectively supports every possible display of affection or love language.
It’s about giving gifts
A February 14th without sending thoughtful gifts to those we love? Might as well be Independence Day. It is that simple. Joeboy was not trying to slot random words into pockets of melody when he said—“Gimme your bag make I fill am with dough.” That line represents action, the type that commands attention.
So, the message in Joeboy’s latest effort might be the best news for lovebirds whose primary love language is giving/receiving gifts.
It’s about refusing to care about tomorrow
In your gifting, as well as, your loving—there is absolutely no room to overthink February 14th. In fact, the perfect Valentine’s Day celebration means you go all out for those you love. It means you wear your heart on your sleeve. It means nothing else matters as long as you are in the here and now ensuring your person’s life is as easy as possible.
On the flip side, there’s a small chance you’ll wind up with the short end of the stick because it’s the stuff that could so easily go unnoticed without trying—but like Joeboy noted—“…don’t really care about tomorrow”. And this is what makes acts of service such an interesting love language on Valentine’s Day.
It’s about affirming directly from your heart
Sometimes woven between the need to express oneself perfectly and needing to say something, anything, quite a lot gets lost in translation. But with Joeboy’s music, even outside ‘Body & Soul’ it is next to impossible to run out of beautiful things to say to your lover. He says, “I’m the only one, you don’t need another…I’m right here, I dey for you.”
So, go ahead. Here are options from one of the most gifted songwriters of this generation, pick a song or a few songs and channel your inner Joeboy. They might be Joeboy’s words, but you would’ve spoken and affirmed from your heart.
It’s about vibes
You know exactly what ‘vibes’ are. In fact, you’re thinking about it right now—if you aren’t, think of the context within which Joeboy announces it on this record. He notes, “it’s a vibe when I’m rocking your body.”
68% of millennials expect some vibes today, the most vibes. For context, this represents nearly double the figures from a person’s wedding night. For those still wondering— physical touch, you’re welcome.
It’s about the eyes
The eyes, they say, are the windows to the soul. Valentine’s Day is the one day in the year where you must stare into those windows. It’s the day for spending quality time with those you love, it’s about noticing the little things. Joeboy declares, “I’ll hold you down, you know this. You notice, baby.” This line is proof that Joeboy is a quality time-type lover.
When you contextualise it further, Joeboy notes, “e no get anywhere wey I wan go. If I could, I would love you in my next life.” It’s songwriting simplicity like this that ensures the completeness of the record.
