'Body Work' is the result of a collaboration between American progressive and electro house DJ Morgan Page and Canadian pop duo Tegan and Sara, for Page's third studio album In The Air (2012), which featured collaborations with various artists across different genres (club, pop, indie). His intention was to "to try some new flavors and attitudes, while keeping my sound intact" (Muumuse.com, 2012).
The track certainly echoes Olivia Newton-John's 'Physical' (1981) in its adrenaline-pumping eroticisation of athleticism. But while Newton-John exuded an air of charismatic confidence in her frank admission that 'there's nothing left to talk about/ unless its horizontally' and urgently insisted on 'getting physical' and hearing some 'body talk', identical twins Tegan and Sara are slightly shy, awkward and hesistant at the entrancing sight of all that vigorous, well-toned musculature: “You do your body work/ I feel my pulse working overtime/ I get shy in these lights/ I feel your body doing overtime."
Its the contrast between the banging, energetic club beats and tender, introspective lyrics that makes the track intriguing and endearing. It places some emotional depth in the typically mechanized world of EDM music. There's space for Tegan and Sara to reflect on their visceral, immediate reactions to the 'body work' on display, while contemplating on a method of making a romantic connection that takes the desired other's emotions into consideration (this clearly isn't a track that simply objectifies a beautiful body, which tends to the typical impulse):
'Can I take all the steps I’m planning tonightWithout risking it allCan I make all the moves I’m making tonightWithout hurting you back.'
(Don't we all wish we had the physique to induce such thoughtful adoration and admiration?)
