"Be What You Will/And Then Throw Down Your Life"
I learned a lesson today. Sometimes it's a good idea to listen to the lyrics of a song before you declare your love for it and put it on mix CDs for everyone you know.
Former roommate Socrates asked me yesterday about the necrophilia song I put on one of his CDs. I scoffed at him. "Necrophilia?" I said (with an eye roll, even). "Surely you jest."
Oops. Today I listened just a little more carefully to "Staring at the Sun" by TV on the Radio, a song that I used to think was just about a fun time on the beach (or something) and gazing up at the life-giving sun. Not so much. Even with the lyrics in front of me, I'm not entirely sure what it DOES mean, but it is clearly something distressing.
Here are some sample lyrics:
"Cross the street from your storefront cemetery
Hear me hailing from inside and realize"
[What the hell is a "storefront" cemetery and to what does the "from inside" refer?]
"Oh my own voice
Cannot save me now
It's just
One more breath
And then
I go down"
"Beat the skins and let the
Loose lips kiss you clean
Quietly pour out like light
Like light, like answering the sun"
[And here's the chorus]
"You're staring at the sun
You're standing in the sea
Your mouth is open wide
You're trying hard to breathe
The water's at your neck
Your body's over me"
Former roommate Socrates asked me yesterday about the necrophilia song I put on one of his CDs. I scoffed at him. "Necrophilia?" I said (with an eye roll, even). "Surely you jest."
Oops. Today I listened just a little more carefully to "Staring at the Sun" by TV on the Radio, a song that I used to think was just about a fun time on the beach (or something) and gazing up at the life-giving sun. Not so much. Even with the lyrics in front of me, I'm not entirely sure what it DOES mean, but it is clearly something distressing.
Here are some sample lyrics:
"Cross the street from your storefront cemetery
Hear me hailing from inside and realize"
[What the hell is a "storefront" cemetery and to what does the "from inside" refer?]
"Oh my own voice
Cannot save me now
It's just
One more breath
And then
I go down"
"Beat the skins and let the
Loose lips kiss you clean
Quietly pour out like light
Like light, like answering the sun"
[And here's the chorus]
"You're staring at the sun
You're standing in the sea
Your mouth is open wide
You're trying hard to breathe
The water's at your neck
Your body's over me"
posted by OleNelson at 12:57 PM
4 Comments:
Aha! This only confirms my long-running contention (which you and ******* from the block disputed) that music is secondary to lyrics. How does it feel to be so wrong, and thereby promoting necrophilia? Answer both questions please.
Well... I'm not quite willing to grant your contention. After all, I still like the song, even though it may or may not be about necrophilia. I will just perhaps grant that the lyric should not be ignored.
And it pains me to grant even that.
As for promoting necrophilia, I only fear that I'm now going to get a lot of really scary hits on my blog.
Gack - I love that song, and I think I'll keep loving it in spite of the message it sends to today's impressionable youth.
Just say no to fondling the dead, boys and girls!
cool. can you make me a mixed cd?
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