Dissturbing undercurrents in great artists

[abcdefz]

If she had never recorded "Respect," she'd sound pretty regressive. Seriously. So many of her songs are like, "You made a fool out of me... I never loved a man the way I love you... you make me feel like a natural woman..." Any one on its own doesn't sound so bad, but if you listen to a bunch of her work in one sitting, you start to get the sense that she really needs a man to complete her.

And with Buddy Holly, who's one of my top artists of all time... he's got this real misogyny going on. "I'm gonna put my foot right down on you... that'll be the day... when Cupid shot his dart, he shot it at your heart so if we part I leave you..." Stuff like that. Every now and then I'm listening to these folks and it just hits me the wrong way.

I guess it's one thing when the Stones sing "Stupid Girl," because they don't have a fresh scrubbed image and I'm more prepared.I guess.

Do any of your favorites ever surprise you -- hit you sideways like that?

[yeahwho]

You brought up an obvious one in your post, I always felt that one of my favorite artists sabotaged a classic album by including a song called "Stupid Girl" , Neil Young's Zuma. It's a really poorly written tune with 0 redeeming value.

The rest of the album sizzles then that dud comes on.

[Drederick Tatum]

they could just be products of their context.

[Waus]

If she had never recorded "Respect," she'd sound pretty regressive.

Wasn't "Respect" actually written by Otis Redding too?

They mentioned that in some book I read about men wanting respect more than love.

[Documad]

I was listening to Rubber Soul the other day. Every time I hear Run for Your Life it stops me in my tracks, so now I just skip it. I don't think the lyrics would bother me as much if the music was less happy sounding. Is that what you call discord?

That Beatles song has bothered me since I was a kid, but for some reason Under My Thumb and other Stones songs that bother other women have never made me bat an eye.

An obvious one is He Hit Me (and it Felt Like a Kiss). He's a Rebel was probably my favorite 45 ever -- I played it over and over when I was a tiny kid. Something about the production of that --I've always been a huge sucker for clapping in songs. My older siblings had a giant box of 45s, so I fished He Hit Me out of it one day -- it had the same yellow and orange Philles label and it was by the same group, but man, was that a different song. It's not just the awful lyrics -- It even sounds shitty. What a difference from He's a Rebel and He's Sure the Boy I Love. It's fine if you love a rebel, but the guy shouldn't have to prove his love by pounding on you.

[Documad]

Re a different girl group -- I've never understood the appeal of dirty fingernails. I get the attraction to guys wearing big bulky sweaters that match their eyes and hair that's a little too long, but what's with the dirty fingernails?

[yeahwho]

I was listening to Rubber Soul the other day. Every time I hear Run for Your Life it stops me in my tracks, so now I just skip it. I don't think the lyrics would bother me as much if the music was less happy sounding. Is that what you call discord?
The above was a trivia question last week at work, "Which Beatles song did John Lennon regret writing?" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Run_for_Your_Life)

The hints leading up to it were Elvis presley and Rubber Soul... I still missed it.

I also missed "What did George Harrison Collect".

[Documad]

What did George collect?

[yeahwho]

Gnomes (http://www.rankopedia.com/CandidatePix/3410.gif), garden gnomes.

[abcdefz]

An obvious one is He Hit Me (and it Felt Like a Kiss). He's a Rebel was probably my favorite 45 ever -- I played it over and over when I was a tiny kid. Something about the production of that --I've always been a huge sucker for clapping in songs. My older siblings had a giant box of 45s, so I fished He Hit Me out of it one day -- it had the same yellow and orange Philles label and it was by the same group, but man, was that a different song. It's not just the awful lyrics -- It even sounds shitty. What a difference from He's a Rebel and He's Sure the Boy I Love. It's fine if you love a rebel, but the guy shouldn't have to prove his love by pounding on you.


Yeah -- that's a pretty nasty bit of work, there.

[abcdefz]

Wasn't "Respect" actually written by Otis Redding too?




First time he heard her version, he supposedly said, "Damn -- that girl just stole my song!"

[abcdefz]

"Dissturbing"?

It's hard typing on an phone on a bumpity bus. :(

[Ally Al]

i think the most dissturbing undercurrent in great artists is ultimately they all end up making shit music ;)

[Guy Incognito]

Are we allowed to even talk about michael jackson?