Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Emily Bear returns with ‘God Forbid a Girl Gets Used To This’, her first solo release in almost a decade and the first taste of her forthcoming debut album. Exploring the vulnerability of finding genuine love, the song captures the unexpected anxiety that comes with finally having something wonderful to lose. As Bear explains, it’s about learning to believe that “maybe a good thing can just be a good thing.”
Musically, the track is a beautifully sophisticated blend of jazz, soul and contemporary pop. Gentle acoustic guitar opens proceedings before understated piano and keys add a cinematic warmth to the arrangement. A tight, soulful drum groove brings a touch of Stevie Wonder-inspired rhythm, while Bear’s vocals are soft yet powerful, delivering the lyrics with warmth and feeling. There’s a distinctly smooth, almost sophisti-pop quality to the whole thing, with plenty of musical detail beneath its accessible melodies.
Despite its upbeat, feel-good sound, there’s a subtle nervousness running underneath, particularly in the central refrain, “That’s the trouble with happiness / Every time that I get my hands on it / I got trouble with happiness.” It’s a clever contradiction that captures the fear of losing something wonderful just as you’re beginning to enjoy it. Warm, soulful and wonderfully accomplished, the track is a promising introduction to this new chapter of Bear’s career.
