Perhaps you have heard this Bruno Mars song that is on the radio lately, Grenade. Perhaps not. If you have time, here’s the video and song for reference:
If you don’t have time to watch it, here’s a brief synopsis of the song for you: the protagonist is in love with a woman, and in an attempt to prove the extent of this love he lists a number of unlikely situations to which he would willingly subject himself. In no particular order, these include:
- Catching a grenade.
- Putting his hand on a blade.
- Jump in front of a train.
- Take a bullet through the brain.
- Be run through by a rabid unicorn’s horn.
- Get hammered by the Norse god, Thor.
- Eat his weight in chicken feet.
- Listen to Train’s “Hey, Soul Sister” on repeat.
I am probably making at least some of those up, as I did not listen to the song too carefully or bother to look up the lyrics prior to writing this post — people, I’m a blogger, which means I’m practically a journalist, so don’t expect me to do things like check facts or verify accuracy on something before hitting publish. ANYWAY, I think you get the point.
What I am left wondering is how the hell he thought any of this was going to impress his girl, or win her back. I mean, anyone can promise a bunch of things that sound really impressive because you probably won’t have to deliver on any of them. I can only imagine the response from Bruno’s beloved to all of his promises.
BRUNO: I would catch a grenade for you, baby!
LADY FRIEND: We live in the O.C., not the Gaza Strip. Who’s even throwing grenades around here? UNIMPRESSED FACE.
BRUNO: Well, I would…I would put my hand on a blade for you.
LADY FRIEND: What does that even mean? You don’t know how to use power tools. You don’t even own a good socket wrench set!
BRUNO: Listen, I would jump in front of a train for you…
LADY FRIEND: It’s more like, “I would wander out into traffic because I was texting and wasn’t paying attention to where I was walking.” AMIRITE?
(At this point, no doubt, you can imagine our protagonist getting a little riled up at being called on his bullshit. So, he switches tactics.)
BRUNO: I don’t understand. I would go through all this pain. What do I need to do to prove my love to you?
LADY FRIEND: Instead of telling me you’re going to “take a bullet right through the brain,” how about that you’ll “unclog that slow bathroom drain?”
BRUNO: What? That’s crazy talk.
LADY FRIEND: How about you pick up your dirty socks off the floor? Or if you remember not to slam the door?
BRUNO: I don’t really see what you’re getting at…
LADY FRIEND: Hey, here’s a good one: Don’t dribble on the toilet seat. Ooh! Keep off the carpet with your dirty feet.
BRUNO: Man, this is some bullshit right here. Did I mention the part about how I would catch a grenade….?
LADY FRIEND: Yeah, yeah.
Sorry, Bruno. It’s not as terribly glamorous to say that you’ll clean up around the house for your girl, but it’s a lot more believable than a lot of the stuff you put in your song, and will probably even get you laid.

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