☝️ Key Points
- The main characters Vincent and Linda both struggle with difficulties and pain related to love
- Vincent discovers his homosexual feelings, which initially confuses and scares him
- Linda begins to question her planned future with Ben, the football star, and doubts if her feelings for him are truly love
- Vincent eventually accepts his sexuality and is happily married, while Linda and Ben are separated
- The song communicates the universal difficulties, challenges, and changes that come with love and that there is no easy 'cure' for it
Interpretation
The song lyrics are about two main characters, Vincent and Linda, who both struggle with the difficulties and pains of love.
Vincent is a young man who realizes he is sexually attracted to men ('Vincent doesn't get aroused when he thinks about girls'), which confuses and frightens him ('Mom, what should I do now? I think I have to die'). His mother tries to reassure him and assure him that it's normal to have those feelings ('It's just love, and there's no medicine to cure it').
On the other hand, Linda has carefully planned her life, including marriage and children with Ben, the football star. However, she begins to doubt her decision and wonders if her feelings for Ben are really love ('And she thinks of him, and of the time when she was so in love'). She feels lost and desperate, similar to Vincent.
In the final verse, we learn that the lives of the two characters have changed. Vincent has apparently come to terms with his sexuality and is now happily married with children ('Vincent has two children and a strong husband'), while Linda and Ben are separated and Ben now kisses models in America.
Overall, the song is about the difficulties and challenges that come with love, regardless of sexual orientation or life circumstances. Love can be confusing, painful, and complicated, but it is a universal experience that many people go through. The song emphasizes that there is no easy solution or 'medicine' for love, it is a process to be lived.