Pat Monahan and Gregg Wattenburg write their songs and music about their opinions and emotions. Love and happy endings are controversial ideas that people all view diversely. Many agree with Monahan and Wattenburg’s ideas. Pat and Gregg agree that this is true; love and a happy ending are known to go hand in hand. Speaking in first person narrative mode, in “If It’s Love” pat Monahan combines sensory symbolism, dramatic hyperbole, and ironic metaphor in order to convey his idea of fear of “no happy ending”.
Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent things such as ideas and emotions. Pat uses symbolism to exaggerate his emotions. In the third verse Pat uses”Henry Lee” as symbolism for his fear of “no happy endings” when he sings “no happy endings, no Henry Lee”. He does this because Henry Lee is known for having many wives and being identifiably happy with each one. He also uses birds to symbolize how much the speaker cares for his significant other declaring “we can be them two birds of a feather, and flock together”. Monahan explains how he feels inseparable from her and wants to be with her always. He also portrays this idea when he explains “traveling to Spain” as an example of things they could do together because he wants to do everything by her side.
Hyperbole, an exaggeration that is used to create an effect, is combined by Pat Monahan in his song “If It’s Love”. This idea is almost a controversial idea in that he dramatically exaggerates things beyond comprehension. The idea is so clear that it seems unclear when one over thinks about it. He brings up the idea of bearing children with this woman and sings “have 10 kids and give them everything”; which further exaggerates the idea that he wants to be with this woman forever. He also over-exaggerates when he says “and just be glad we made it here alive on a spinning ball in the middle of space”. This hyperbole exaggerates his fear of no happy ending because he didn’t think they would make it but he’s implying a sort of shock and happiness after the fact. Though Pat’s use of hyperbole is brief it is also potent because it truly affects the meaning of the song as well as provides it with more literary merit.
A comparison void or “like” or “as” is a metaphor. Simile, a comparison using like or as is a type of metaphor. Pat utilizes both simile and metaphor in his song “If It’s Love”. In the first verse of the song he compares himself to everyone else in this line “when everybody else is getting out of bed, \I’m usually getting in it” this line to show how deeply different he is form other people. Pat sings “buy you everything except cologne, \ cause its poison”. This is a metaphor comparing cologne to poison because people who wear cologne wear too much and it poisons them as a person. He also uses simile to compare in this symbolic statement “my feet have been on the floor, flat like an idle singer”. This compares his “feet” to an idle singer in a sense that he’s got a solid life and idea of where he’s at; his feet are firmly on the ground.
Pat Monahan uses many literary devices in his song “If It’s Love”. He utilizes such devices to show one of his fears. Monahan’s song employs the idea that if one really loves someone one would do anything for them. He also employs in the song “If It‘s Love“, that if it’s love, that should be enough for everyone. Speaking in first person narrative mode, in if its love pat Monahan combines sensory symbolism, dramatic hyperbole, and ironic metaphor in order to convey his idea of fear of “no happy ending”.
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