“I Will Possess Your Heart” by Death Cab for Cutie
by Amanda London· Published · Updated
“I will Possess Your Heart” captures the emotional state of an obsessive person in pursuit of his love interest. As the first verse depicts, the narrator believes that he and his love interest would be a good fit, yet she doesn’t see it this way.
');var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; })();He repeats in the chorus that instead of neglecting him, she should rather spend time getting to know him. Though this is quite normal, since the more time you spend with a person, the more likely you are to grow fond of them, a peculiar thing to note is that the narrator is a little too sure that he will ‘possess’ this person’s heart.
In the second and third verses, the narrator’s desperation and obsession becomes clearer when he reveals that he often passes by her window, imagining when he’ll be her lover and given full access into her home. He goes on to reveal that his proposals have been rejected on several occasions by this same person, yet he will not back down. These lines illustrate that the writer often stalks this lady and does not want to accept that this person is simply uninterested. This without a shred of doubt a disposition typical of stalkers.
All in all, this song is about none other than a bona fide stalker. Ben Gibbard himself stated this categorically in an interview with Paste magazine.
“I will Possess Your Heart” Facts
Writing:
');var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; })();- J. McGerr
- N. Harmer
- C. Walla
- B. Gibbard
Production: Walla
Album: Death Cab for Cutie’s 2008 indie rock album “Narrow Stairs”
Release: March, 2008
Was this a Death Cab for Cutie single?
Yes. The band dropped it as Narrow Stairs‘ first single.
A Grammy Nominated Song
In 2009, the band was fortunate enough to have this song nominated for a Grammy. It contested four other rock classics for the title of “Best Rock Song”. However, Bruce Springsteen’s “Girls In Their Summer Clothes” defeated all to claim the title.
