As Long As You Understand Me

Justin Bieber - As Long As You Love Me

By now it should be self evident that "As Long As You Love Me" is a pop song that will stand the test of time. However, there are still doubting Thomas' out there who don't BELIEVE and refuse to acknowledge the artistic integrity of this overwhelmingly heartbreaking melody. 

Picture the scene. A youngster from the wrong side of the tracks (played subtly yet stunningly by our very own multi-talented JUSTIN BIEBER) falls for a fair maiden whose cruel (possible mobster) father, blinded by his own love of status and wealth, just can't seem to see how deep their love runs.*

"I was just like you", growls the money grabbing monster, clearly not having grasped just exactly which pop deity's presence he is in (a testament to JUSTIN BIEBER's pure method acting skills), and thus he banishes Justin without a thought for the broken heart of his beautiful daughter. Here, we may well draw comparisons between our late great poet/playwright WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE and JUSTIN BIEBER. Indeed, it is agreed by many experts in the field of Literature & Culture, that if Shakespeare were alive today he would approve of this re-incarnation of the classic Rom & Julie tale. 

For lesser men than JUSTIN BIEBER our story may well end here. However, after some deep soul searching (and some great dancing) our JB decides his love means more than any prejudices across class borders. This is where that beautiful chorus line, "As Long As You Love Me" really gains poignancy. The star cross'd lovers must abandon everything they know in order to be together, but as Justin so rightly sings, "We could be starving, we could be homeless, we could be broke." As the montage of them writing on each other and smiling into each other's eyes shows, they are made for each other, and prepared for every consequence.   

The lovers hit the road, and at this point Beiber calls on the renowned philosopher BIG SEAN, who draws upon a multitude of ancient belief systems in order to describe to the audience the couple's true love. One striking example is the use of the ancient and sadly long forgotten Chinese Proverb - "草不喜新厭舊的另一端，你的水是綠色的- "The grass isn't always greener on the other side, it's green where you water it." Thanks, BIG SEAN, who after all is well known for his admiration of the Aristotlian Politics, as well as Neo-Confucianism, Nietzschian Existentialism, Emotivism and a fierce admirer of John Locke and the Enlightenment movement. Combining all these elements, it is clear that BIG SEAN is, in fact, the Twenty First Century's answer to T.S Eliot, and his epic poem, "The Waste Land". Who else could compile such a huge composition of cultures to tell one story of the modern age AND rhyme whilst doing so?

Unfortunately, all the worthy advice in the word cannot save Justin on his dark path he hurtles down with his lover. He is (SPOILER) tragically intercepted on-route to escape by the aforementioned Evil Emperor Father. Justin heroically (of course) refuses to stand by and let his true love slip away from him for ever. However, as the upstanding moralist we know him to be, JUSTIN BIEBER cannot lay a hand (although he would undoubtedly crush) the father of his to-be bride. Therefore, he valiantly gets a good pummeling, until he is nothing more than a bleeding orifice of a man.

His fair lady is snatched away from him (possibly for ever? TBC) and our man is left broken, yet not defeated as the final haunting syllable of "As long as you love me" sweetly caresses our eardrums, and Justin's bruised eyes stare defiantly into our own. We know this is not the end. No. This is not the end.    

*For more information on how deep love can indeed run, please see our Bee Gee's How Deep EXACTLY Is Your Love (?) webpage.