I’ve always had a predilection for sad songs, sex songs, freedom songs, and rebel songs. I tune into songs that tell a story; songs that have a moral; songs of accountability; songs that communicate, and songs that impart wisdom and a cautionary tale.
I saw my ex again last night, Mama
She was at the dance at Miller’s store
She was with that Jackie White, Mama
I killed them both and they’re buried
Under Jacob’s’ sycamore. (Psycho)
Pop music is all very well and dandy. It has no agenda other than to provide some pleasant background sounds. Its sensory pleasures are fleeting. As mood music, it can be quite nice, but it’s really for those moments when you don’t want to think. It’s for those times you just want to let your hair down and groove. It’s for when you are gagging for a quick shag and not the ethereal, throw me against the wall and fuck the life out of me, experience!
Quickies are nice though, they bring instant gratification, but what does it all mean?
When Aretha Franklin wrote and sang:
His name is Doctor Feelgood in the mornin’
And taking care of business is really this man’s gain
And after one visit to Doctor Feelgood
You’ll understand why Feelgood is his name
Oh, yeah, oh good God of mine
And the man sure makes me feel real – good (Dr Feelgood)
she wasn’t singing about the most wonderful three minutes of her life. She was rolling about on the altar of love, shrieking with joyous abandon:
(Forever) Forever, and ever, (you’ll stay in my heart and I will love you)
(Forever) Forever, and ever, (we never will part Oh, how I love you)
(Together) Together, forever , (that’s how it must be To live without you)
Would only mean heartbreak for me, ooh (I Say A Little Prayer)
Suzi Quatro is as pop as pop gets. In her heyday, she busted the stereotype of what and who women could be. She forged an image that exuded confidence and self worth. The lady had balls, and she was in control of her life.
Don’t tell me what to do
And don’t tell me how to spend my time
I ain’t got nothing to hide
I’m free to be what I want to be
And nobody owns my mind
I’ve got my sunshine eyes and I’ve got my sunshine smile
I may be lonesome at times
I’m free to be where I want to be
And nobody owns my time (Rolling Stone)
Suzi was the one who provided me with my first rebel songs that have become my theme songs. You Can Make Me Want You, CatSize [pronounced Cat's Eyes], Devil Gate Drive, Half As Much As Me, Tear Me Apart, The Wild One, Four Letter Words, I Maybe Too Young, Rolling Stone, Born to Run, the obligatory sex song Roman Fingers, You Are My Lover, and the snarling spittery of Glycerine Queen.
At the moment, CatSize is resonating rather strongly with me.
Now I’m done playing with fools
And I’ve paid all my childhood dues
I find the mountain much steeper to climb
Am I just one of the crowd?
I decided a few days ago
There’s no room. Room for me in this show
I changed my make-up completely this time
Now I’m not one…one of the crowd (CatSize)
It marks an epiphanic moment. The awareness of being different hits hard. The protagonist knows that they don’t fit in. They also know that if the current situation does not make them happy, then change needs to happen, and the instigator of that change is them, you. That is, me!
Other than the LETTING GO ceremony I spoke about in Hit the Road Jack, I am giving serious thought to marking my change with a tattoo.
I’m not going to share what I may get, until I have decided for sure, because I still want the option to chicken out. If I do decide to get a tattoo, it will be hidden. It won’t be for public adornment. It will only be for me. A mark on my body to remind me always, of who I am!
