Comments on: The seductive allure of the music… http://karenrayne.com/2009/10/12/the-seductive-allure-of-the-music/ Sun, 14 Mar 2010 16:41:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: figleaf http://karenrayne.com/2009/10/12/the-seductive-allure-of-the-music/comment-page-1/#comment-5115 figleaf Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:52:08 +0000 http://karenrayne.com/?p=729#comment-5115 Great topic, Karen! For the record even in 1949 the subtext of Baby It's Cold Outside wasn't lost on the comedy duo Homer and Jethro. I can't find the lyrics online (and they're complex anyway) but I did find a video of them from the 1960s, reunited with June Carter Cash, that seriously gets the point across! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhUNLlXLBZg) I always thought Rod Stewart's "Tonight's the Night" is the outright creepiest -- "Stay away from my window / Stay away from my backdoor too?" "Let me pour ya a good long drink?" "Don't say a word, my virgin child?" Yikes! But then there was never a point where I thought it was ok. The Four Seasons' "Cherish" seemed pretty cool at the time but a few years ago I realized "You don't know how many times I wished that I could hold you / You don't know how many times I wish that I could / Mold you into someone who would cherish me as much as I / Cherish you" is somewhere between grooming and outright manipulation. Then in the 1970s Smokey Robinson had a string of loner/stalker/sexual-harasser hits like "Take a Letter Maria," "Just My Imagination," and "Knock Three Times." The one-hit wonder "In the Summer Time" had "if her daddy's rich / take her out for a meal / if her daddy's poor / just do what you feel." And then there was Paul Anka's "Havin' My Baby!" ("What a lovely way of sayin' how much you love me.") On the upside, if you closely read the lyrics to "Stand By Your Man" they're pretty contemptuously subversive. The list goes on. Anyway, I agree that since many of those songs were written for the emergent-adolescent market, where generally speaking the audience was trying to process new emotions and hormones around things they hadn't yet actually experienced the results could easily have been as pernicious as the accusations made against exposure to porn at the same age. figleaf Great topic, Karen!

For the record even in 1949 the subtext of Baby It’s Cold Outside wasn’t lost on the comedy duo Homer and Jethro. I can’t find the lyrics online (and they’re complex anyway) but I did find a video of them from the 1960s, reunited with June Carter Cash, that seriously gets the point across! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhUNLlXLBZg)

I always thought Rod Stewart’s “Tonight’s the Night” is the outright creepiest — “Stay away from my window / Stay away from my backdoor too?” “Let me pour ya a good long drink?” “Don’t say a word, my virgin child?” Yikes! But then there was never a point where I thought it was ok.

The Four Seasons’ “Cherish” seemed pretty cool at the time but a few years ago I realized “You don’t know how many times I wished that I could hold you / You don’t know how many times I wish that I could / Mold you into someone who would cherish me as much as I / Cherish you” is somewhere between grooming and outright manipulation.

Then in the 1970s Smokey Robinson had a string of loner/stalker/sexual-harasser hits like “Take a Letter Maria,” “Just My Imagination,” and “Knock Three Times.”

The one-hit wonder “In the Summer Time” had “if her daddy’s rich / take her out for a meal / if her daddy’s poor / just do what you feel.”

And then there was Paul Anka’s “Havin’ My Baby!” (”What a lovely way of sayin’ how much you love me.”)

On the upside, if you closely read the lyrics to “Stand By Your Man” they’re pretty contemptuously subversive.

The list goes on.

Anyway, I agree that since many of those songs were written for the emergent-adolescent market, where generally speaking the audience was trying to process new emotions and hormones around things they hadn’t yet actually experienced the results could easily have been as pernicious as the accusations made against exposure to porn at the same age.

figleaf

]]> By: Rebecca http://karenrayne.com/2009/10/12/the-seductive-allure-of-the-music/comment-page-1/#comment-5114 Rebecca Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:36:00 +0000 http://karenrayne.com/?p=729#comment-5114 Its amazing how many songs can be totally ruined if you actually listen closely to them. I used to really like "Baby It's Cold Outside" but now it seems super creepy (I think the part about her maiden aunt was what first tipped me off). Its hard to find pop music that can really stand up to close inspection. Of course now that I am not a teenager I get kinda bored by all the dating related songs - seems like there are so many about the beginning of relationships and so few about long term relationships - and almost none about (heaven forbid) people over 30. Its amazing how many songs can be totally ruined if you actually listen closely to them. I used to really like “Baby It’s Cold Outside” but now it seems super creepy (I think the part about her maiden aunt was what first tipped me off). Its hard to find pop music that can really stand up to close inspection.

Of course now that I am not a teenager I get kinda bored by all the dating related songs - seems like there are so many about the beginning of relationships and so few about long term relationships - and almost none about (heaven forbid) people over 30.

]]> By: Alice http://karenrayne.com/2009/10/12/the-seductive-allure-of-the-music/comment-page-1/#comment-5113 Alice Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:41:50 +0000 http://karenrayne.com/?p=729#comment-5113 We used to openly refer to "Every Breath You Take" as "The Stalker Song." I LOVE that song though, so I hope my flippant attitude isn't too offensive. (A lot of Sting's songs poke fun at unhealthy relationships.) We used to openly refer to “Every Breath You Take” as “The Stalker Song.” I LOVE that song though, so I hope my flippant attitude isn’t too offensive. (A lot of Sting’s songs poke fun at unhealthy relationships.)

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