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Love Me Like A Local
(Verse 1)
You show up with the season, suitcase full of sweet talk
Promising forever with those ticket stub promises
Say you love my architecture, the way my history feels
But you're just here on vacation, looking for something to steal
Yeah, you trace my lines on a map you didn't draw
Tell your friends I'm paradise, ignoring every flaw
(Pre-Chorus)
And I was open for business, I took the love you paid
But this high season's endless, a debt that can't be waived
You're building your hotels on all my sacred ground
And I'm forgetting the music of my own hometown sound
(Chorus)
Please, oh please, don't love me like a landmark
Another pretty picture you can check off in the dark
Don't wear my heart out like a cheap souvenir
Learn the backstreets of my sadness, darling, the reasons for my fear
I need you to love me like a local, or please just let me be
'Cause the rush of your affection is overwhelming me
(Verse 2)
You pose for pictures in my quietest thoughts
And you claim you know my corners, the battles I have fought
But you never stay past closing, you never see the mess
When the magic wears away and I'm something so much less
I'm drawing borders on the bedsheets, a line you cannot cross
Fighting for a territory I'm terrified I've lost
(Pre-Chorus)
You call me your discovery, a treasure you unearthed
But I was always living here, I always knew my worth
You're putting up your fences, you're changing all my views
I can't live with this beautiful, suffocating news
(Chorus)
Please, oh please, don't love me like a landmark
Another pretty picture you can check off in the dark
Don't wear my heart out like a cheap souvenir
Learn the backstreets of my sadness, darling, the reasons for my fear
I need you to love me like a local, or please just let me be
'Cause the rush of your affection is overwhelming me
(Bridge)
You want my sun, but you curse my rain
You crave the beauty but you pave over the pain
Don't you call this heaven when you're paving my hell
Learn the language of my silence, not just the stories that you tell
I'm not a monument you visit, I'm the air the people breathe
The dirt beneath the pavement, the roots under the trees
(Chorus)
So please, don't love me like a landmark
(Don't you check me off your list)
A pretty picture that you shoot for in the dark
Don't wear my heart out like a cheap souvenir
(Find the real me that you've missed)
Live in the backstreets of my sadness, know the reason for my fear
Oh, you gotta love me like a local, or baby, let me be
'Cause your beautiful destruction is all I can foresee
(Outro)
Love me like a local...
Not a headline story
Love me like a local...
Not for temporary glory
Love me...
...Just love me.
About The Song
“Love Me Like A Local” transforms the complex global issue of “revenge travel” into an intimate and powerful metaphor for a suffocating relationship. Inspired by news of tourist hotspots being overwhelmed by a love so intense it becomes destructive, the song recasts the narrator as a “destination” and their partner as a well-meaning but damaging “tourist.” The partner loves the idea of the person—the landmarks, the picturesque views—but fails to engage with the messy, authentic reality, the “backstreets” and the “locals.” The song’s central plea, “Love me like a local, not a landmark,” is a cry for genuine connection over performative affection. Musically, it pulls from the slick, bass-driven synth-pop of artists like Sabrina Carpenter, creating a compelling tension between its danceable production and the raw desperation of the lyrics. It’s a song for anyone who has ever felt like a beautiful place to visit, rather than a home to be lived in.
Production Notes
Genre: Synth-Pop / Indie Pop
Vocals: The lead vocal should have a modern pop feel—close-miked, intimate, and breathy in the verses, moving to a more strained and powerful belt in the choruses. Use a condenser mic like a Neumann U 87. Vocal chain: UA 1176 for compression to catch peaks, followed by a Pultec EQP-1A for warmth, and very light, tasteful Auto-Tune. Layered, almost-chanted backing vocals should appear in the final chorus and outro to create a sense of mounting anxiety.
Instrumentation: The track is driven by a syncopated, funky bassline (like a vintage Moog Model D) and a tight four-on-the-floor drum machine pattern (LinnDrum or Roland TR-808). Glistening synth pads (Juno-106) should create atmospheric texture, with staccato synth stabs adding rhythmic punctuation. A subtle, clean electric guitar can double the bassline in the chorus for added impact.
Arrangement: Build the song dynamically. The first verse should be minimalist—just vocals, a kick drum, and the bassline. The pre-chorus introduces hi-hats and a synth pad, building tension into the full chorus. The bridge should strip back to just a filtered pad and the lead vocal before exploding into the final, most intense chorus.
Mix: Keep the vocals front and center. The bass and kick drum need to punch through the mix to maintain the disco/funk feel. Automate reverbs and delays to create space and moments of intimacy—drier in the verses, wider and longer in the choruses and the outro, which should feel like it's fading into a cavernous, empty space.
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