Play on, Give me Excess of It
A wonderful short post by Lace Stockings has prompted me to write my own musical interlude.
I was reminded of just how lovely it can be in relationships when you get to a stage of mental intimacy that you begin to pick out songs that mean something to you both. Music holds such a sway over all of us that it’s no surprise really that couples end up having songs that come to represent their entire time together, usually chosen around the beginning of the relationship. Some songs are timeless – ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ is one of ours – whereas something more anchored in the time you started dating can hold a special meaning and memories of that night. Jet’s ‘Are You Gonna Be My Girl?’ is another of ours that relates to this point.
In Scarlet magazine they have a regular mini-feature where they interview contributors to discover their ‘Best Fucking Song Ever’. Whether this means the Best song for fucking to or just the best song for them I can’t decide as some choices are peculiar; I like the ambiguity, although it’s more probably the former in regards to the publication it features in.
A recent fucking song for me was ‘Dancing Barefoot’ by Patti Smith. I wrote about it previously, and as it was such an awesome night spent with him and I feel it deserves another mention. This tune is full of beautiful refrains such as ‘She is sublimation/She is the essence of thee’ and also explores the drive that music delivers into our veins: ‘Some strange music draws me in/Makes me come on like some heroin/e’. Check it out if you can. I’m not one to usually have music playing whilst we are making love (I feel it makes it a little fabricated and cinematic to have a soundtrack playing along with us), but this was a new album purchase at the time, and it just felt right for the mood and moment.
‘This Is Love’ by PJ Harvey is another with direct and powerful refrains. ‘I can’t believe life’s so complex/When I just want to sit here and watch you undress’. Simple. To the point. Sums up economically the pissing about in relationships that goes on when really all you need to remember is this. I love poetry, I can harp on about it forever. The guitar in this particularly draws my desire to it. The video is pretty hot too – Sexy white suit thing she wears.
As with anything in coupledom (gosh what a horrid term that is) subjectivity is never distant. What works for one partnership could hold its antithesis for another. There are particular songs that I will switch off immediately for they hold painful memories. I guess that’s it really, when we come to some sort of conclusion. Music links so strongly to the memory – places, people, images, emotions. It’s all encapsulated within a three minute bubble. As with so many things, the Bard holds court over quotations of relevance:
If music be the food of love, play on.
Don’t ever stop hitting the repeat button.
Beau said,
June 10, 2008 at 8:36 am
My Favorite Sweet Will play to boot–you’re a peach, luv
Best song ever? As Time Goes By–Casablanca 1942–my first prom a lot of years after that and she kissed like the wind in my hair and a star danced in my eyes and my heart fluttered and my pulse raced through the galaxy and I was in first truelove–her name was Julia and she was a dream and a lightness of being and the sweetest thing my soul ever looked on–I have been haunted by her and by that night for so long now–we were so very young at a time when young got lost in a war and I found a point of light in the universe and a sonnet came alive, blessed me, healed me, took me into her generous heart, gave me hope again. What a compassionate soul. And her name was Anne.
Then we get To Sad-eyed Lady of the Lowlands andBobby. and…
Thunder Road :
The screen door slams
Mary’s’ dress waves
Like a vision she dances across the porch
As the radio plays
Roy Orbison singing for the lonely
Hey that’s me and I want you only
Don’t turn me home again
I just can’t face myself alone again
Don’t run back inside
Darling you know just what I’m here for
So you’re scared and you’re thinking
That maybe we ain’t that young anymore
Show a little faith there’s magic in the night
You ain’t a beauty but hey you’re alright
Oh and that’s alright with me
Doesn’t get much better than that one–oh my no-would love to dance and have danced to that just recently with a lovely from California and a few others too–God that song resonates in my soul. Whoa! wish I could have danced that with my Annie, my lovely, lovely Annie. She crept into my heart and I couldn’t let her go, How could I and she’s still there, she took up residence and how could I ever let her go. Not a heavy load to carry after all. She was magic in the night. She was a beauty and that was alright: Annie!
Beau still in love with Annie–good song title that: Still in love with Annie
And so no surfeit of it either.
lacestockings said,
June 10, 2008 at 10:23 am
Twelfth Night! Wow, I haven’t read that in an age.
I suppose, love is everything. The multi-billion dollar industry of music doesn’t sing about the credit crunch or wars (not very often anyway)..it’s all about love. So I guess love and music are interchangable, they’re just different ways of expressing the other.
Tell me if I’m talking complete and utter rubbish.
Innocent Loverboy said,
June 10, 2008 at 3:53 pm
You see, when I first saw the first line of this post I thought it said, “A wonderful short post by Lace Stockings has prompted me to write my own musical.” I was about to wish you good luck with writing a musical. I tried twice and didn’t finish either.
And now I don’t know what to think…
lacestockings said,
June 11, 2008 at 9:55 am
A musical! Hurrah! Obviously, it must have lots of sex in it.
It’ll be the greatest musical EVER
ladypandorah said,
June 11, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Maybe Andrew Lloyd-Webber would be interested in creating a TV show based around the search for its stars? I’m sure John Barrowman would leap at the chance.
ladypandorah said,
June 11, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Ahh conflicted thoughts, ILB, I cherish making my readers have those.
Beau said,
June 11, 2008 at 11:20 pm
Lace there is already one hell of a lot of sex and passion in Sweet Will’s play–but a modern boost wouldn’t hurt one iota
Beau
Innocent Loverboy said,
June 12, 2008 at 8:23 pm
I actually, actually did once write half of a musical with lots of sex in it.
ladypandorah said,
June 12, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Do tell us the title of said piece….
Innocent Loverboy said,
June 13, 2008 at 2:08 pm
I never managed to think of a title. I know, shocking!
The Drinker said,
June 14, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Yes yes yes, music is the ultimate romance. Mix tapes and CD players, lying down listening to the new album, revisiting old favourites, falling asleep, or even – dare I say it – using the music to cover up your sexytime?
Do you think that music about love is more powerful than poetry? I’m with you on the lyrics – words are so important, and when you put them to music the cadence, rhythm, rhyme, everything is heightened. There’s a bit in (ahem) Music and Lyrics where Drew Barrymore’s character says that lyrics grab you immediately then the music is the bit you think about later, that haunts you. She likens it to falling in love.
Excess, please!
xx
Blacksilk said,
June 16, 2008 at 2:06 pm
All these posts about couple music are making me feel rather left out! I don’t think me and Fractal have any songs that are ‘our’ songs.
We sat down and thought about it for all of twenty seconds actually and decided that perhaps the only one we can think of is one that we gets stuck in both our heads too much and that we both like. The song? Son of Sam by Elliot Smith. Yes. The only vaguely couple song we can think of is about murdering couples. Huh.
Of course we could use the song that was playing when we first made love….. Which is about some woman murdering her bloke for sleeping with someone else…