Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: emo
Song Meaning of “Suck Buddies” by Speedy Ortiz
Speedy Ortiz’s song “Suck Buddies” is an upbeat, lighthearted track with tongue-in-cheek lyrics that poke fun at relationships. The protagonist is a cynical narrator who pokes fun at overly-dependent couples who never leave one another’s side. The title itself is a play on the phrase “soulmates,” a sarcastic allusion to the notion of two people being inseparably linked.
The narrator is clearly skeptical about the idea of a relationship based mainly upon dependency. She sings, “you’re just suck buddies / co-dependent buddies” in an almost mocking tone. The narrator has no trust for mutual affection based solely on convenience and hints that the relationship she is describing is anything but romantic.
The lyrics also depict how these relationships have a tendency to become codependent and stagnate, repeating the same cycle as the two involved in it “cycle through the same old routine”. The narrator sings “we fall again, we circle again” to illustrate the idea of routine as well as the lack of true connection between the two thus explaining why relationships that last solely due to convenience rarely last.
Speedy Ortiz’s “Suck Buddies” is a clever take on the pitfalls of codependency that does not take itself too seriously and ultimately serves as a tongue-in-cheek inspiration to viewers to find meaningful and genuine relationships. While the lyrics may be tongue-in-cheek, the message is clear: too much of a one-sided relationship will eventually lead to stagnation and ultimately break down.