I'm trying to determine if I possess a charming naivete or if I'm just plain clueless when it comes to matters of common pop culture knowledge.
*Warning: Some of the revelations below may be shocking to the less informed. Proceed with caution.*
1. I was literally floored, mouth gaping open when revealed to me the true meaning of Frankie Goes To Hollywood's massive hit, 'Relax'. Understandable if I had still been the 10 year old child during the original release date, but no, I just found out by a radio announcer last year. Apparently, the song is an ode to manly self love.
2. Devo's song 'Whip It', long a childhood favorite and a favorite of my own kids. Again, the same radio announcer pointed out the true meaning of the lyrics also pertaining to *ahem* manly self love.
3. Was I the only person alive who thought Salt-N-Pepa's song, 'Push It' was referring to a dance move? Yes? Okay then, forget I said anything about it.
4. One hit wonder artists, The Vapours song, 'Turning Japanese', is supposedly about the scrunching up of one's eyes during passion. That's a new discovery for me. I make it a point to learn something interesting every day regardless of how useless.
5. I furiously defended the good name of my favorite 80's group, 'The Pet Shop Boys', when my friends smeared them as being gay. Absurd, I told them, especially because I had a huge crush on Neil Tennant. Proven wrong once again.
6. How dare anyone impugn the reputation of George Michael. Why he must be straight because George is featured sexily cavorting with supermodels in his videos, and he dates women. The L.A. park bathroom lewd and lascivious behavior arrest was embarrassing for more than just George Michael. I hope he feels terrible guilt over making me look like an ass. I lived with two gay men for a period of time and I thought they'd never let me live this one down.
7. I didn't know Bruce Springsteen's seemingly anthemic hit, 'Born In The U.S.A', was actually a slam on America and the Vietnam War. Yet, they still play it religiously every year at our Church Fourth Of July party. Maybe I'm finally less clueless about this one than other people.
For the record, I did NOT lead a sheltered life. Perhaps I have qualities of childlike innocence combined with denial, and a touch of stupidity? Anyone else?
14 comments:
I think a lot had to do with your age- pretty young! You shouldn't have known differently! Guess I heard of some of these, but Devo?? Nahhh! Look what they said about writing it, having to do with Thomas Pynchon's parodies in Gravity's Rainbow. I never did hear that meaning behind the Springsteen one or listen to it that closely. Hmm. I did hear The Vapours song referred to the same as you have listed for numbers one and two, as a British term. But that was just some guy I worked with who said that back then. I dunno. You would be one of the very last people to be labeled "stupid". Anyway, good for you that you don't automatically look for the sordid in lyrics!
Homework:
1. Cindi Lauper : She Bop
2. Dexy's Midnight Runners: Come on Eileen
3. Steely Dan
Back in those days music was subversive. Nowadays they just say it. (sigh)
"It's not like the old days" he moans.
My mother banned me from listening to David Bowie (circa 1973) after I plucked all my eyebrows out.
Funny - contrary to her worst fears, I never did turn out to be gay. (Not that I know of anyway)
wendela, I appreciate the information, you've saved the day! I'm going to run not walk to my garage and pull out our old Lego style red Devo hats and we will once more frolic and revel with robotic motions to the uplifting sounds of Whip It.
PISCES, you just won the honor of my 'All Time Favorite Atheist'!
I completely forgot about 'She Bop', and originally that song inspired this blog entry. THANKS! As for Steely Dan, even when someone told me as a teenager what their name means I still didn't get it. Huh? What? A vibrator? Whats that? Hard to believe that I'm a shining product of the public schools. What's the hidden meaning behind 'Come On Eileen'? Honestly, I used to sing that song all the time with a friend of mine but only the main verse because we could never figure out what the rest of the lyrics were. Thinking of a guy plucking out his eyebrows especially someone as academic and seemingly serious as you made me laugh. Did you dye your hair orange and prance around in glittery off the shoulder spansdex jumsuits also? Now that would give me a reason for concern with my boys.
I guess I'm not feeling too bad about myself - I knew about half of those, the rest I must discuss with my therapist.
Come On Eileen is a begging song, (lets take off everything) 'nuff said.
Bowie never wore spandex (hadn't been invented) his outfits were inspired by Kabuki theatre outfits.
If I'd known where/how to dye my hair orange I probably would have at the time (I wanted to be an alien).
Come to think of it, I am more of an alien now, even though I do have eyebrows and greying hair.
And yes, if my boys were to do the same as I did, I would probably throw a bit of a wobbly too.
Incidently Steely Dan is a giant silver dildo from William Burroughs' 'The Naked Lunch'.
I knew that about Steely Dan, but not about those songs! My virgin mind is stained now.
As long as you didn't think The Thong Song was about flip flop sandals, I'd say you are excused from all the rest, honestly.
Well, this has been an educational experience. I'll never listen to retro music the same again. Although, Pisces is correct, its more interesting to have the innuendo obscured instead of the current lascivious trend in music.
I thought of another one during the night. My XM radio starting playing a song from my youth, 'White Horse' by Laid Back, a song that has been heavily sampled. I didn't know until just last year while reasding a biography of the artist Basquiat that White Horse is a pseudonym for heroin use. Apparently one of his last paintings was a portrait of a white horse to symbolize trying to kick the habit. He also dated skanky Madonna at the same time, that definitely explains using heavy drugs in place of reality and coping mechanisms.
CARROT, That conjured up some funny Monty Pythonesque imagery. Thanks for the laugh, I needed that!
Carrot! It's not? Oh my goodness. See? This just goes to prove that today music just says it right out, things that they'd never have said in music in our days. I prefer it the old way... let me stay innocent.
In the name of all faeries, darling, where do you live? A church that plays "Born in the USA" every 4th of July? I know no one can understand Bruce, but that is just hysterical!
Oh, and while we're revisiting the Moody Blues, don't forget "Timothy Leary's Dead." In case you didn't know, that one's about yoga.
Oh, and so that I don't leave the 13th post on a blog, I'll just add that this is my first visit to this site, and you're rippin. Not literally. Elastic waistband will put an end to that.
I don't happen to know that Timothy Leary song. Also, usually our Church has priggish music at their 4th of July gatherings. Souza marches as far as the eye can see. However we have a new activity director who is 50 and wild beyond belief. I like her, she's definitely spiced things up and become a target for derision among the Church elite.
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