Organization: Sloppy, little to none
Date: Wednesday, 15 Apr 1992 23:28:25 EDT
From: Joy Haftel <JKH107@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: soc.singles
Subject: Re: More Disc on Romantic Songs
 <92103.010528JKH107@psuvm.psu.edu> <1992Apr15.093130.3846@wam.umd.edu>

In article <1992Apr15.093130.3846@wam.umd.edu>, tedwards@wam.umd.edu
(technopagan priest) says:

>In article <92103.010528JKH107@psuvm.psu.edu> Joy Haftel
><JKH107@psuvm.psu.edu>
>writes:
>>Summer of 1989.  I was bummed out on love.  I was involved with
>>two people simultaneously (bad idea, by the way), and both
>>relationships were on their way out, and my emotional level was
>>pretty low.  I had my radio station permanently set to a "light
>>rock" station--having recently given up country music, and my
>>brothers blaring Minor Threat, it was the most I felt I could take.

>What's wrong with Minor Threat for breakup music?

Hmph.  I wonder who got them *started* on Minor Threat?  :-)

Actually, my tolerance of hardcore has gotten higher as I've
gotten older.  Although I prefer the Violent Femmes for breakups...
Or some raunchy AC/DC.  Some kind of music where you feel like you
could throw furniture, but still decipher the words.  And nothing
is as good as country music for crying into your beer with.  Give
me some country any day.  I've always liked this one (I forget the
artist):

I don't remember loving you.
I absolutely positively know that can't be true.
You tell me that I quit my job and drank myself insane;
You say that I ran down the highway screaming out your name;
Well that's not the sort of thing that I would do.
I don't remember loving you.
I heard you mention children, did you say there's one or two?
(etc.etc.)

>>The last thing I wanted to think about was love, but it was
>>constantly being sung about on the radio.  So I started to listen
>>to the lyrics, in the vain hope that they would be related to my
>>situation and I could get some center on my feelings (another
>>bad idea).

>I had a similar incident my freshman-sophomore summer...after breaking
>up, and driving an AM-only car, I started listening to, oh no, rap.
>At first it was hideous (but better than conservative talk-show hosts).
>Soon I could really understand the songs, and really got into it...
>"Girl you know it's true"...and there is one particular woman who always
>brings "Girl, ya got what I need...but you said he's just a friend..."
>to mind.

That happened to me one summer when I worked next to a man who would
play rap on his desk radio all day.  The thing about it for me, is I
can't concentrate on the lyrics much--I just want to get up and dance!
(And my favorite rap song, "Push It", is not exactly angst ridden).

>>"Bridge over Troubled Water" --Simon and Garfunkel

>Somehow S+G, while wonderful in terms of musical quality,
>has too many subtle connotations over a diverse number of events
>in my life to be fully appreciated by my mind without defense
>mechanisms...can anyone else relate to this, or is it just me ?

I think the Beatles and Billy Joel are that way for me.  For example,
when I was about 14, my brothers and I did a performance for the adults
in the family by doing lipsyncs and acting out "When I'm 64", "Uptown Girl",
and a few other songs.  I shall never forget my great-aunts and uncles
dancing around to some of the other songs on the albums after the
performance ("Great-Aunt Olga gets down to Billy Joel").

Simon and Garfunkel seem timeless to me...there's only one song, "Why
Don't You Write Me" which I associate with a relationship, for obvious
reasons :-).  But the rest of it seems particularly *untied* to events.

>and I can't think of a more inspiring song for hope in this
>young spring than Enya's "Carribean Blue."

A song of HOPE?  Now you've done it, Thomas, I shall have to find a song
in my collection that isn't humorous and cynical...Or maybe just buy that
Enya album :-).


Joy Haftel               "Surprised by joy--impatient as the Wind
JKH107@PSUVM              I turned to share the transport--Oh!"
                                  --Wordsworth
Newsgroups: soc.singles