When I just checked the Billboard rankings, Jordin Sparks’ song “Tattoo” off her self-titled debut album was at number 11 and climbing. The Jordin Sparks album was released less than a week ago and already it’s in the top 10.

The song “Tattoo” isn’t about that tiny little man from Fantasy Island, but rather another kind of fantasy that collides with reality. The fantasy is that we can love, leave and stop loving those we leave. The song is about the marks that love leaves on us even when we leave the situation (or lover) behind.

Jordin Sparks brings a certain strength, power, vulnerability and innocence to the lyrics as she honors the tattoo of love lost from a past relationship. The video features both a pier (straight path) and merry-go-round (circular path) that Jordin takes to heal the wounds of the past.

As a special surprise Blake Lewis, compatriot from the last American Idol, joins in with Jordin near the end of the video, accompanying her on the merry-go-round. This not only symbolizes the love theme in the song, but the whirlwind career that Idol has spawned for both of them.

Love may have left its tattoo on Jordin Sparks, but in return, she will be leaving her mark on the recording industry for many decades to come.

Filed under: Artists