Burning Love

Song Meaning

Mark Oliver Everett, known for his raw emotionality, ignites a primal fire in "This That." The song's feverish declarations aren't subtle; they're a full-throated plunge into the kind of overwhelming desire that borders on self-immolation. The repeated imagery of rising temperature, flames, and outright burning suggests love as an all-consuming force, one that threatens to obliterate the speaker's sense of self. It's that dangerous, exhilarating edge that Everett so skillfully captures. The plea for help amidst the inferno hints at the vulnerability beneath the bravado, the awareness that such intensity can be both life-affirming and destructive. But "This That" isn't simply about lust; it's about the transformative power of connection. The repeated line, "Your kisses lift me higher / Like the sweet song of a choir," elevates the physical experience to something transcendent. The choir imagery implies a spiritual dimension, suggesting that this burning love provides a kind of ecstatic release, a feeling of being lifted beyond the mundane. The juxtaposition of the sacred (choir) with the profane (burning desire) is central to the song's tension, hinting at the ways in which physical and emotional experiences can blur the lines between the earthly and the divine. The recurring phrase "hunk, a hunk of burning love" in the outro hammers home the idea of love as a raw, visceral force. The repetition itself becomes almost hypnotic, mirroring the obsessive nature of intense desire. Everett isn't offering a nuanced portrait of love; he's presenting it as a primal scream, a desperate, ecstatic surrender to the flames. In a world often obsessed with emotional restraint, “This That” dares to embrace the messy, chaotic, and potentially destructive power of unbridled passion.