Reggie Becton stands up against toxic masculinity with new single « Listenin »
Bae (Baby)
« Listenin », by Reggie Becton
Are you listenin’ (Are you listenin’)
As soon as you call I go through withdrawals (I do)
Bae (Baby)
All I wanna do is get high with you (All I really want, all I really want)
This Wednesday August 26th, the Los Angeles-singer-songwriter Reggie Becton came back with a new single called « Listenin ».
This might be the first piece of a new musical project. The R&B artist already released two EPS: « My Beanie’s Orange » in 2019, and a debut EP entitled « Phases » in 2018.
Reggie Becton claims writing music for the Millenals. Boys and girls included. To him, music is a way to express what confuses him in this society or in relationships. Toxic masculinity is indeed a recurrent theme in his work. Once again, « Listenin » is showing it’s ok for a man to be vulnerable and opened with this feelings when he needs to be.
“At its core, « Listenin » is about a yearning for someone you know isn’t really good for your being. It serves as one last call to a lover to see if they’re ‘Listenin’” and if they understand that you are dying without them. It is about the end of a relationship that never really got off the ground, but it was still deeply felt” explains Reggie Becton.
We’re used to hear songs where the female singer complains about a cheating or a distant partner. She’s the one hanging by the phone, desperate for some news. This time, « Listenin» proves us this scheme isn’t always the same. This time, Reggie Becton is the one longing for this loved one. He’s the one trapped in a one-sided love.
« Bae » is the one Reggie Becton is calling for during the entire song. Someone he cares about before anyone else: that can be a sign of a toxic relationship, if the feelings aren’t shared.
At first, the song starts off in a romantic way, with a smooth melody and R&B vibes. He’s just a man wanting some attention from his partner, but something ain’t right: « As soon as you call I go through withdrawals ». He repeats it multiple times, letting us know this person controls him in a certain way. Reggie Becton gets « so many options » but he can’t let go of his bae.
That’s because this toxic relationship is kind of addictive to him: « What’s love if it ain’t toxic » he asks us. « It just ain’t the same ».
He’s too involved in this relationship, and he understands it in the second verse: « Telling me you’d never leave me lonely, but the feeling ain’t the same and I’m starting to feel a way it was a while ago (ago). » When reality hits, his tone gets jerky, as incomprehension, pain and anger replace love and adoration for this person. « I probably call you when I get lit »: he knows he’s being weak too, but he’s not ashamed by it.
Reggie Becton wrote « Listenin » after a chat with his roommates about love, and how toxic it can be. This track takes us on an emotional rollercoaster, showing how complex modern relationships can be.
