Lyrics…

Did you listen to music in high school, lay on the floor with your frinds in the dark and really LISTEN to the lyrics, let them wash over you, think about what they mean to you, to the artist, to the world in general? I know you did, Wendy, because, as you say, in some ways we were seperated at birth, but others…I don’t know. I did. I analyzed the lyrics to my favorite music, analyzed the tone of voice that the singer used…I loved it. Loved music with such a passion…it was an amazing time. I rarely listen to music that way anymore, and I’m not sure if it’s because there is too much noise in my head nowadays, from some stupid “things to do” list, or how to overthrow the Republican Neo-Cons, or what’s for dinner….or maybe it’s that the lyrics today aren’t as good as they once were? (Don’t quote “Jump” from Van Halen to me…I KNOW that not ALL of the lyrics were good back then…indeed, most of them sucked) Many songs have always been more about the beat, the sound, dancing or whatever…but sometimes you come accross a songwriter who can catch your heart in their hand when they write…really talk to you. Some of the best examples of this, to me, are Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Pink Floyd, the Beatles, Dire Straits, and Aimee Mann. Last night, though, I was sitting after dinner, and Ted had just finished the dishes…the lamb was yummy, thanks for asking, though the purple cauliflower tasted too much like cauliflower for my taste…I was enjoying a glass of wine and reading my book (The Time Traveler’s Wife (glad you mentioned it, Wendy), which is GREAT, thanks…they just got engaged, for those of you who have read it.), and I was struck by the lyrics that were playing on my beautiful iPod Nano via the dock station in the kitchen…it was Laurie Anderson’s Strange Angels album…the song was Ramon. All of her lyrics are very thoughtful and funny and clever and rich…but the ones that struck me, brought me up out of the depths of my book, were these:

So when you see a man who’s broken,
Pick him up and carry him
And when you see a woman who’s broken
Put her all into your arms
‘Cause we dont know where we come from
We dont know what we are.
And You? You’re no one
And you? You’re falling
And you? you’re travelling
Travelling at the speed of light.

Were any of you into Laurie Anderson? Or should I say, ARE you, since she’s still around and touring and making music? I got into her in high school, when her album “Big Science” was in the nerdy science mag I liked, Omni. God, I thought I was cool, walking around with my Sony Walkman, listening to a performance artist who made music on a modified violen. Remember, I grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, and Stockton, California. We barely wore shoes sometimes. This was culture.

So anyway, I’m not sure what my point is…but if you’re ever thinking of trying out something new, assuming you’re not already a Laurie Anderson fan, and if you’re into something different, and you LIKE to really listen to the words…try Strange Angels. You may like it. Let me know.

(P.Ss, the ultimate objectifying men lyrics? Also Laurie Anderson, Strange Angels, the song is ‘Beautiful Red Dress’…lyrics?

I’ve got a Beatiful Red Dress
and you’d look really good
Standing Beside It

You know…not that I’m condoning objectifying men or anything, but with all of the lyrics about women being just the object of lust or whatever, it’s ironic and amusing…and the rest of the song isn’t bad, either.)