1, 2, 3 I'm loving you

123 I love you ~ Tarrus Riley

So I stumbled upon this song (and video) on Christmas day (2014) and I can't seem to get enough of it. The video makes me reminisce on my teenage years. It's very cute and the lyrics are essentially those of a love song without the sadness or neediness of the usual 'love songs'. So, I really like it, but then I read a few of the comments under the video on YouTube and realized that I've gone completely colour blind or maybe I've always been blind to it. Apparently the young lady in the video is white and "this video encourage(s) young blacks (to) be obsessed with white girls, no matter the danger, shame..." (according to the YouTube member N-zey Cele). This was the first comment I saw and I was taken aback. 

This video has nothing to do with race in my opinion. It's a cute love story about teenagers with protective daddies and the love or infatuation that will lead to outright disobedience of protective parents. That's all. I guess the class statuses shown in the video are extremely opposite to simply exaggerate the difference in their economic realities, however to two teenagers with a love bug that is of no consequence. They are both willing to disobey their parents just to be together because they love, miss and want each other (according to the song lyrics). As another YouTube member, Elise Gray commented, 

"According to me, this video is not racist but realistic in a way. Just wanna remind you that Tarrus is black so wtf with racism? This video shows that love is not about skin colour, economic hierarchie or whatever you think, love is all about feelings. There is no rule for it!"

Lyrics

1-2-3 I'm loving you
4-5-6 I'm missing you
7-8-9 I want you back
1-2-3 I love you
4-5-6 I Miss you
7-8-9 I want you back
Here within my arms again.
Long time, no see
Without your love I'm lonely
I miss you
And its too hard to bear
What have you done to me?
I'm waking up in the middle of the night
Without you
And its so unfair
I toss, turn, reach for you
Only my pillows
Awake, the morning
Sun rises, but I'm alone
Hurts me so.

1-2-3 I'm loving you
4-5-6 I'm missing you
7-8-9 I want you back
1-2-3 I love you
4-5-6 I Miss you
7-8-9 I want you back
Here within my arms again.
It shows, on my face
Evidence is right here
My smile has been erased
Can't you tell?
I have no appetite
My food has no taste
I'm losing weight
Thought you could be replaced
I day dream of you and me
And how great we used to be
And I firmly believe
Of turning these dreams into reality
Like a child would say so easy to you

1-2-3 I'm loving you
4-5-6 I'm missing you
7-8-9 I want you back
1-2-3 I love you
4-5-6 I Miss you
7-8-9 I want you back
Here within my arms again.
Brett-like solo
Long time, no see
Without your love I'm lonely
I miss you
And its too hard to bear
What have you done to me?
I'm waking up in the middle of the night
Without you
And its so unfair

1-2-3 I'm loving you
4-5-6 I'm missing you
7-8-9 I want you back
1-2-3 I'm loving you
4-5-6 I'm missing you
7-8-9 I want you back
Here within my arms again