Madison Beer Lovergirl video

In the spirit of honoring the release of her deluxe edition of Locket, Madison Beer has rightfully chosen “Lovergirl” as the “lead single” from that version of the record (and, tonally, it’s a far cry from the more “seductress-y” singles of “Make You Mine” and “Yes Baby”). Accordingly, she’s also offered up a self-directed video for it. Something that marks a bit of a first in that Beer, in recent years, usually co-directs with Aerin Moreno to achieve the effect she’s going for with her visuals.

But, considering how personal this particular song and video is, it makes sense that Beer would feel more comfortable directing it alone. The way she appears to be in the opening scene of the video, standing against a pillar beneath a boardwalk in front of the ocean while wearing overalls. A sartorial choice that demarcates the first sign of this video’s particular breed of innocence (for only someone totally unafraid of public [i.e., the internet’s] opinion would choose to wear overalls). One that very much mimics the same kind of innocence that was still present in late 90s/early 00s videos for various pop hits. Videos that, like “Lovergirl,” were often set against beachy backdrops (think: 98 Degrees’ “Because of You,” Christina Aguilera’s “Genie in a Bottle,” LFO’s “Summer Girls,” Jennifer Lopez’s “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” and Jessica Simpson’s “Sweetest Sin”).

However, perhaps the most iconic of the “beachy” videos from that era is Britney Spears’ “Sometimes,” shot in Malibu’s Paradise Cove. Which is perhaps why certain scenes in Beer’s “Lovergirl” video look so familiar. For Beer also wields the Malibu setting to capture the love and sense of romance between her and her real-life boyfriend, Justin Herbert (better known to some as the quarterback of the L.A. Chargers). And it doesn’t take long to showcase the “lovey-dovey” nature of the song as Beer throws her arms around a still as-of-yet unidentifiable Herbert and kisses him. Indeed, the majority of the first thirty seconds features a lot of close-up shots of her before the lyric, “One look right into your eyes” plays in time for some well-coordinated close-up shots on Beer and Herbert’s eyes. The swooning chorus then comes on as Herbert carries her, “across the threshold”-style, through the outdoor landscape. Yes, it has all the unapologetic cheesiness of what Spears’ Nigel Dick-directed “Sometimes” offers (complete with her backup dancers forming a heart shape with her at the center of it—the full effect of that scene being achieved with an overhead shot of the formation).

And yet, rather than Beer’s blatant demonstrations of schmaltz being “annoying,” there’s something…heartening (pun maybe intended) about seeing this kind of unabashed display. As if there’s at least still someone out there who doesn’t want to succumb entirely to cynicism. Particularly when it comes to matters of romantic love (more to the point, romantic monogamous love). Yet, funnily enough, the original version of Locket is all about dealing with the sadness that inevitably comes with the end of a relationship—the unavoidable emotional fallout. Which apparently led Beer, after much reflection and more than a few tears, to a place that Lana Del Rey would call “out of the black, into the blue,” therefore opening her up to the possibility of a new love. Even though, at first, she expresses some of her residual cautiousness on “Lovergirl” with the lines, “I care too much all the time/Love so hard it makes me cry.” Yet, by the same token, “No, it’s not worth it to deny/‘Cause when it’s good, it’s so good, it’s so nice.”

As it seems to be when Beer and Herbert are running around, holding each other, kissing and/or generally looking like they’re posing for engagement photos (to that point, there’s a moment where Beer incorporates a Malibu residence known for being rented out as an engagement party/wedding venue). In fact, there’s a brief scene in “Sometimes” when, Spears, too, lets her guard down long enough to be held in a similar manner (that is, in the “carried across the threshold”-style pose). Though it’s quite short-lived since “Sometimes” is a song that’s all about Spears’ skittishness when it comes to getting close to another person (offering some eerie foreshadowing about how she was totally right to be paranoid). No matter how au courant he dresses or how cute his dog is.

In a sense, that’s what “Lovergirl” speaks to as well—only Beer is more willing to give in to the temptation of falling completely head over heels without overthinking it too much. As evidenced by the chorus, “I, I just can’t help that I’m a lovergirl/Why not embrace a simple pleasure?/Let me hold you close/And we can take off all our clothes/I thank god I found you in this lonely world” (the latter line also feeling like an unwitting 98 Degrees reference…specifically, to their only number one song as a feature on Mariah Carey’s 1999 single “Thank God I Found You”). In contrast, Spears holds fast to her exhortation, “If you really want me, move slow/There’s things about me you just have to know.” Beer would prefer to have those things become known as they go along, rather than bothering to “take it slow.” Even though some would argue it doesn’t get any slower than playing a game of patty-cake (a.k.a. pat-a-cake)—which is exactly what Beer does with Herbert at another moment in the video, perhaps taking it one step too far on the “cheese factor” in this scene.

Driving around, whispering “sweet nothings” in each other’s ears, taking “old-timey” photos together in a photobooth and playing cards as the sun sets are just some of the other wholesome “date activities” the two get up to during the course of the video. And what stands out most about it all is the fact that there isn’t any sign of the internet or technology in sight, which is likely what adds to the “bygone era” feel of the narrative. To be sure, it’s a video that smacks not only of Spears’ “Sometimes,” but also late 90s/early 00s teen rom-coms in general. A time when it was so much easier not to feel quite so jaded about romance.