Liner Notes: Coming Of Age -- Side B "Post-Lunar" And Conclusion

[penpusher]

"Post Lunar"


I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) – Whitney Houston: A hot video, and an easily filled request, Whitney invites the world out for a dance, and we all go along (“still enough time to figure out/how to chase my blues away”). The real twist is, she wants to be loved by her partner. So, if you dance to the song, you have to find Whitney irresistible. Sneaky.

Faith – George Michael: Well, not really. The cynicism of love is vocalized here (“but I gotta think twice/before I give my heart away/for I know all the games you play/because I play them too”). Is this song about requesting the freedom to follow any romantic lead available, or does it lament not getting commitment from the one person you want? Hard to tell, isn’t it?

Never Gonna Give You Up – Rick Astley: Quite the contrary to “Faith,” there’s plenty of desire for a real relationship here (“a full commitment’s/what I’m thinking of/you wouldn’t get this from/any other guy”). A man, happily giving his freedom up for the love of his life? It can happen.

Wild, Wild West – The Escape Club: It was some criticism of 1980’s US International Diplomacy, as performed by this London based band (“gotta live it up/live it up/Ronnie’s got a new gun!”). Reagan was a big target here, and so were the apparently out of control policies being created by his administration. Star Wars was supposed to be just a movie!

She Drives Me Crazy – Fine Young Cannibals: A very hip clip, and stylish tune, it’s a case of obsession knowing itself (“she drives me crazy/like no one else/she drives me crazy/and I can’t help myself”). The insanity defense works again.

We Didn’t Start The Fire – Billy Joel: A world history lesson taught from an American perspective with Professor Joel, it starts with the guy who dropped the A Bomb (“Harry Truman”) and goes to the confrontation with the students in Tiennamen Square (“China’s under Marshall Law”), 1945 to 1989. That’s especially appropriate, since Billy is a Boomer, too. Nearly as many historic things have happened in the years since then, so what does that say about our times?

Escapade – Janet Jackson: No worries, no problems, just a girl, a guy, a pay envelope and a weekend (“well I’d like/to be with you/and you know/It’s Friday too”). A companion piece to her brother’s song “Off The Wall,” she invites you to forget your troubles and just have fun, which was becoming harder to do for the movers and shapers of the 80’s.

Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice: This song takes the ‘stereotypical’ elements of rap and cliché’s them all the way. Included are the cheap sample (Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure”), the Caucasian guy turned urban hero (Robert Van Winkle), and the requisite lyrics about girls, guns, drinking, driving and drugs. And that hair in the video! Everybody do “The Running Man!”

Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) – C + C Music Factory: There wasn’t much more to this than the title implies (“gonna make you sweat/’til you bleed/is that dope enough/indeed”). But, as everyone knows, dancing is just a prelude to sex, a tribal ritual we all must perform sooner or later.

Emotions – Mariah Carey: She took the name of a 70’s disco group to sing this song, which sounded like one of their hits (“Best Of My Love” by The Emotions). A cute love song and video, Mariah was trying to win you away from everybody else with her four-octave range and those tight mini dresses (“you’ve got me feeling/e-mo-o-tions/higher than the heavens above”). In many cases, it worked.

I’m Too Sexy – R*S*F (Right Said Fred): The ultimate boast, this song is begging to be put in its place (“I’m a model/you know what I mean/and I do my little turn/on the catwalk/yeah on the catwalk/on the catwalk yeah/I shake my little tush/ on the catwalk”). I suppose it has received its comeuppance since then. It’s been used as a jingle for a car commercial.

The Words Get In The Way – Gloria Estefan And Miami Sound Machine: A sweet and tender love ballad, reflecting how we all feel sometimes around the people we care about (“I try to say ‘I love you’/but the words got in the way”). Again, trying to win back that love we’ve lost, Gloria reminds us that you have to speak your feelings to at least attempt it.




Conclusion

Music is meant to evoke feelings, to capture the mood of the composer and project that mood onto the listener. Our generation received a lot of different moods from the early 60’s through the 90’s.

The big questions: what does it all mean? How did this affect us? It’s impossible to say, precisely. We were designed to be more fearful, so we wouldn’t stray or cause trouble for our parents. We were more emotional, as part of that fear. We were less active than the generation before us. We were less dynamic. We were more receptive to outside influences, like television and radio. We wanted to please.

The Space-Agers have not yet made their ultimate mark on the world. The time has come.

Comments

[hermansgold.livejournal.com]

*The Space-Agers have not yet made their ultimate mark on the world. The time has come.*

Sounds like a threat, hee hee. As you know, DJ, from my recent journal entry you replied to, I am getting ready. I feel a resonance. I sense the cue is near, and in the wings I wait...but then what would happen if I went on before the cue? Watch out!

Re: Cues...

[penpusher.livejournal.com]

Ha ha! Well, I think that's part of the problem! We've all sort of been waiting for the "cue" when, in fact, WE are the cue! That's part of what my book is about!

Now, if I could get my cue in line and get the book out on the market!

Re: Cues...

[hermansgold.livejournal.com]

Screw the cue/jump the queue!