Slick production and a catchy chorus can only distract so far from lyrics which demonstrate that Jonas's mental age has not kept pace with his new 'grown-up' appearance.
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On the surface, this warm, poppy tune from Disney alumnus Nick Jonas is catchy, well-produced and difficult not to dance to. Aside from a slight shortage of originality there would be little to criticise about ‘Jealous’—if not for the lyrics.
Penned perhaps to suit his updated tough-guy image (which, aesthetically, sits somewhere between Channing Tatum and a well-trained chimpanzee), in Jonas’ own words ‘Jealous’ describes the “feeling of threat men experience when another man … interacts with their girlfriend”. Filled to the brim with menacing, controlling undertones, these lyrics make the track difficult to listen to without a decidely sour aftertaste. With such distasteful gems as “I wish you didn’t have to post it all/I wish you’d save a little bit just for me/Protective or possessive, yeah/Call it passive or aggressive” Jonas somehow manages to cram even more macho posturing into the lyrics than he does in the (tacky, and apparently completely unrelated) music video.
Ultimately I find myself struggling to decide whether it’s more infuriating that this song will continue to affirm countless abusive relationships the world over… or that if not for the lyrics I would have actually quite enjoyed it.
‘Jealous’ is out on February 22nd via Island Records.
