Can't Fight This Gamma

The unintended self-exposure of the good friend's ulterior motives

Feb 04, 2025

The idea that one can separate the art from the artist is a false one propagated by people whose enthusiasm for artistic sordidries perpetrated by obviously flawed individuals overwhelms their better judgment. While we don’t have any evidence - yet - that Stephen King has the bodies of underage victims of sexual assault buried in his garden, the fact is that due to his novels, it would be considerably less surprising if he did than if, say, they were to be unearthed in Brad Pitt’s backyard.

Art may not be the artist, but it certainly reveals the character and the interests of the artist. And in this vein, it’s fascinating to contemplate the lyrics of a pop rock song from one of the more successful bands of the early 1980s, REO Speedwagon. The song Can’t Fight This Feeling was sufficiently successful to have inspired its own Wikipedia page.

"Can't Fight This Feeling" is a power ballad performed by the American rock band REO Speedwagon, written by lead singer Kevin Cronin. The song first appeared on the 1984 album Wheels Are Turnin'. The single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and held the top spot for three consecutive weeks from March 9 to March 23, 1985. It was the group's second and last number-one hit on the U.S. charts (the first being 1980's "Keep on Loving You", also written by Cronin) and reached number sixteen in the UK.

Now, consider the lyrics of the song:

I can't fight this feeling any longer
And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow
What started out as friendship has grown stronger
I only wish I had the strength to let it show

I tell myself that I can't hold out forever
I said there is no reason for my fear
'Cause I feel so secure when we're together
You give my life direction, you make everything so clear

And even as I wander, I'm keeping you in sight
You're a candle in the window on a cold, dark winter's night
And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might

And I can't fight this feeling anymore
I've forgotten what I started fighting for
It's time to bring this ship into the shore
And throw away the oars, forever

My life has been such a whirlwind since I saw you
I've been running 'round in circles in my mind
And it always seems that I'm following you, girl
'Cause you take me to the places that alone I'd never find

'Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore
I've forgotten what I started fighting for
And if I have to crawl upon the floor, come crashing through your door
Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore

Much like with the description by science fiction novelist John Scalzi of his onetime Potential Creeper Moment, the song is an unusually informative explication of the Gamma perspective of a situation in which he is “friends” with a woman to whom he is attracted.

What I find particularly interesting is the fundamentally feminine emotions being expressed, so much so that it almost makes one wonder if it’s possible that this is actually a song being written to express a female point of view. The singer feels safe and secure with the unwitting object of his affection, she grants him clarity and direction. But the cowardice, the fear of rejection, and particularly, the line “I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might” tend to make it clear that it is, in fact, the Gamma perspective being articulated.

Lest you doubt my interpretation, consider the songwriter’s own words concerning his inspiration for the song.

According to Cronin, the inspiration for the song was the hurt he felt when he became attracted to a woman who was part of his friend group. Cronin states that this woman was “…of course, going out with my friend, so I kept it to myself. There was a group of us who would hang out together...and she was always there. Eventually she and I were becoming friends, but there was no hanky-panky going on. The more I got to know her, the more I liked her, but I couldn't say anything about it.”

Indeed.

And in other Gamma-related news, Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer have been sued in civil court for allegedly sex trafficking and sexually assaulting the victim of his unwanted tubcuddling.

Fantasy writer Neil Gaiman and his estranged wife were sued in a set of federal cases filed in New York, Wisconsin and Massachusetts on Monday, alleging the best-selling author violently raped and sexually abused the former nanny of his child. The suits brought by Scarlett Pavlovich come after Gaiman, 64, was recently accused in a New York magazine cover story of sexually assaulting, abusing and forcing at least eight women into sex while at the height of his success.

Pursuant to which, Vibe Patrol is releasing three remixes of Mr. Tubcuddle that should be available within one week on Spotify, YouTube, and elsewhere. But since you are among the elite and the informed, you have the first opportunity to hear the latest and greatest one, namely, the southern rock mix known as The Corinthian.