Marry You Song Analysis (with Lyrics)
The song "Marry you," by Bruno Mars is a catchy and a fun song. However, examining through the sociological lens, one can learn that this song is singing about displaying deviant behavior, social norm conformation as well as violation, marriage, divorce, and so on. This song could have been any other norm violation, but Bruno Mars' choice of marriage could have been because our society we tend to idolize marriage or wedding as something perfect. Something a girl plans ever since she first sees a wedding dress. It is a rite of passage to some cultures, but this song devalues almost artificial meanings of marriage. Also, Bruno Mars illustrates deviant behavior in the song by portraying two people getting married for "fun," and ignoring to ask permission to marry from parents or talking about it seriously between them.
Though drinking is not viewed as violation of our social norm, being drunk to the point that they're "trashed" and marrying someone is. In our society, marrying someone is a big commitment and is not something that they should be if they're "trashed" or under the influence of alcohol, "dancing juice," that they can't make sound judgment. Marrying someone just because they're "looking for something dumb to do," is not only violating the social norm, it shows the minimal courtship in the relationship.
It's likely that the marriage was exogamy as implied by his "let's just run," implying running away from others' judgments and expectations, and expecting that they will "break up" next morning. Also, going to a "little chapel up the boulevard," further bolsters this possibility suggesting that many will not welcome that marriage so they have to go have the wedding somewhere else. Additionally, though he claims that they're "trashed," it's possible that homogamy factors influenced them, such as both of them being "trashed," wanting to waste the "pocketful of cash," "looking for something fun to do"
Another violation of social norm is when he sings "want to break up, that's cool," talking about divorce. The divorce rate in our country is approximately 50% and in the song he's talking about divorce even before the wedding, acknowledging it's likely especially - if the relationship was exogamous - and he will just view the marriage as "fun." Additionally, Bruno Mars mocks divorce by singing "I won't blame you" referring to the usual "it's not you, it's me." Interestingly, though Bruno Mars sings about violating the social norm, he's conforming to the norm. "Chapel," " ring," "choir bells," and "I do," are give a picturesque view of the traditional marriage even though he's talking about getting married drunk and for fun. Though they are not breaking any formal norms, marriage and divorce are legal; they will be violating informal social control once people learn that they got married for fun with expectation of breaking up next morning.
The social class argument is also present in this song. "Pocket full of cash to blow," suggest two possible social classes. One would be that the actor in the song is from lower or working class so is not used to having so much cash that he's thinking of "blow[ing]" it on something "dumb" since he won't have large amounts of much of money again. Other possibility is the actor in the song is from an upper class so is used to spending large amounts of money casually, so he can "blow" it on "something dumb" for "fun."
Lyrics:
It's a beautiful night,
We're looking for something dumb to do.
Hey baby,
I think I wanna marry you.
Is it the look in your eyes,
Or is it this dancing juice?
Who cares baby,
I think I wanna marry you.
Well I know this little chapel up the boulevard we can go oh oh oh,
No one will know oh oh oh,
Oh, come on, girl.
Who cares if we're trashed got a pocket full of cash we can blow oh oh oh,
Shots of patron,
And it's on, girl.
Don't say no, no, no, no-no;
Just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah;
And we'll go, go, go, go-go.
If you're ready, like I'm ready.
Cause it's a beautiful night,
We're looking for something dumb to do.
Hey baby,
I think I wanna marry you.
Is it the look in your eyes,
Or is it this dancing juice?
Who cares baby,
I think I wanna marry you.
I'll go get a ring let the choir bells sing like oooh,
So what you wanna do?
Let's just run girl.
If we wake up and you wanna break up that's cool.
No, I won't blame you;
It was fun, girl.
Don't say no, no, no, no-no;
Just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah;
And we'll go, go, go, go-go.
If you're ready, like I'm ready.
Cause it's a beautiful night,
We're looking for something dumb to do.
Hey baby,
I think I wanna marry you.
Is it the look in your eyes,
Or is it this dancing juice?
Who cares baby,
I think I wanna marry you.
[x2:]
Just say I doooooo-ooo uhu,
Tell me right now baby,
Tell me right now baby, baby.
Oh, it's a beautiful night,
We're looking for something dumb to do.
Hey baby,
I think I wanna marry you.
Is it the look in your eyes,
Or is it this dancing juice?
Who cares baby,
I think I wanna marry you.