Better Than Words

Babyface “Whip Appeal”

Babyface’s chord structure in “Whip Appeal” is fairly sophisticated but the main trick of it is in gliding effortlessly between mostly minor chords in the verse to mostly major chords for the chorus. The minor chords don’t signal melancholy in this context, it’s more like moving between an unresolved or complicated feeling into something straightforwardly pleasurable and relaxing. The lyrics basically tell the story of the chords as Babyface sings about a love affair that’s a safe harbor from the stresses and boredoms of ordinary life. He describes this as “the strangest kind of relationship” because their communication is almost entirely sexual, but he’s not complaining. There’s no conflict in this song outside of what he imagines this situation might look like to other people, but he’s just confusing himself. He’s already got it figured out – this affection, this sex, this connection? That’s the important part of his days. Everything else is just filler time. His elation in this song isn’t just about who he’s singing about, it’s the joy and relief of being lucky enough to have this in his life.

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