Owl City: Deer in the Headlights Review

'Deer in the Headlights' is a catchy little tune from Owl City's (Adam Young) sophomore album from Universal Republic. It’s aptly named 'All Things Bright and Beautiful' (a title that easily describes what Adam enjoys). It contains electronic pop that celebrates life through the eyes of an idealistic romantic. 'Deer in the Headlights' is no exception. Actually, with a humorous twist, this song does poke fun at one aspect of romance. Adam Young explains in one of his 'Track by Track' videos that sometimes people get lonely and desperately want to be in a relationship in order to fulfill that particular need. I've heard it said that some people are 'in love with being in love'. This song explores that notion through the eyes of a male; he is hoping a girl he meets randomly will suddenly fall in love with him so he can stop feeling alone. A section of the lyrics draws inspiration from this old pick up line, "Was it love at first sight, or should I walk by again?" The actual chorus of the song is: 'Tell me again was it love at first sight, When I walked by and you caught my eye, Didn't you know love could shine this bright, Well, smile, because you're the deer in the headlights'.

One of the most humorous lines in the song is when the girl retaliates against this 'forced romance'. Adam opens the song with, 'Met a girl in the parking lot, And all I did was say hello, Her pepper spray made it rather hard, For me to walk her home, But I guess that's the way it goes'. This conveys that love sought for the wrong reason will not bring anyone good results. The female continues with a more aggressive rejection: ‘Met a girl with a graceful charm, But when beauty met the beast he froze, Got sense I was not her type, By the black eye and bloody nose, But I guess that’s the way it goes’.

Musically, this song displays Owl City’s safe haven with his usual happy-sounding digital pop. It includes various sounds, such as a continuous backdrop of piano notes and the usual synth beats to create a toe-tapping satirical single that will likely have you smiling.

The creative music video was directed and edited by Steve Hoover and produced by Brandon Bongfilio; Animal was the production company. It was comprised of various aspects that I believe successfully communicates the song with humor and visual effects. Surprisingly, the original Delorean from the ‘Back to the Future’ movie series provides Adam transportation for a not-so-mundane trip to a convenient store. On arrival, not only does he spot a deer hanging out in an aisle, but he also meets a girl he instantly falls for. The only problem is that she is a figment of his over-active endorphin-induced imagination. After hopping back into his vehicular time machine, he journeys forward to meet none other then his future self. You might recognize the space costume he's wearing from the ‘Alligator Sky’ music video. Not with-standing various sights of random figures, such as a dinosaur, jellyfish, farm animals and unnamed space graphics, ‘The Deer in the Headlights’ music video explores a precarious issue of love with an exhilarating, eye-popping style.

He describes his song and video for AOL music:

"It's a quirky video for a cheeky song that quips, 'Why are we in love if it's for all the wrong reasons?' The song is about fending off the blinding light of superficial fluff relationships and saying, 'Thanks, but I'd rather be alone and thus avoid a million shallow heartbreaks until I meet the girl of my dreams'."

Excerpt from an interview with Christianity Today:

"I enjoy writing largely from the imagination, and usually that produces rather abstract imagery. But with "Deer in the Headlights," I wrote a personal song that plays close to the chest in a way that no other song I've written ever has. I was ending a serious relationship at the time, and I was harrowed by the fact that so many people (specifically me) have a funny tendency to desire romance merely for the sake of avoiding loneliness, which ultimately means it's not about LOVE at all! Sometimes it's easy to be "blinded by the light" and forget all about what true romance is designed by God to be. When all you focus on are the warm fuzzies, a relationship can become dangerous and disastrous very quickly. So the song plays closely to the fact that I needed to pull myself out of the lights and remember what's more important than the romantic butterflies."