Song Meaning
Kim Carnes's "Blinded By Love" isn't a saccharine endorsement of romance; it's a stark, almost clinical dissection of its self-destructive potential. The song meaning hinges on the paradoxical comfort found in willful ignorance. Carnes doesn't just sing about being in love; she identifies the specific point where passion curdles into delusion, where 'slaves to the heart' actively choose to ignore warning signs for the sake of preserving a feeling, however fleeting or ultimately damaging. This isn't love as liberation, but love as a gilded cage.
The lyrics subtly paint a picture of a relationship already fracturing. 'We're fallin' apart/And we never saw it coming' isn't an admission of surprise, but of active avoidance. The repeated line 'Blinded by how good it feels to be blinded by love' reveals the insidious nature of this delusion. It's not just about the pleasure of the relationship itself, but the intoxicating feeling of *choosing* to be oblivious, of prioritizing emotional gratification over clear-eyed assessment. There's a distinct power dynamic at play, a shared agreement to maintain the facade, even as the foundations crumble.
The latter verse deepens the sense of unease. The lines 'What becomes of two people/Who don't see things the same way/But don't wanna hurt an old friend' suggest a relationship built on a pre-existing bond that's now strained. The fear of confrontation, of 'words that might show our hand,' underscores the fragility of their carefully constructed reality. They're not just blinded by love; they're actively complicit in maintaining the blindness, even if it leads to their shared demise. 'Blinded By Love' becomes an anthem for those who choose the comfort of illusion over the pain of truth, a choice Carnes presents without judgment, but with unnerving clarity.
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