Re: sTuff

[jeffy@syrinx.umd.edu (Jeffrey C. Burka)]

Woj writes:

>hol is a bunch of love songs, again, but from an older perspective than
>the sex-driven tunes of tki. instead of the hormone overdrive, we see
>a look at mother-son love, father-daughter love, fear of love, and a
>lover willing to trade places with her paramour. i dunno where "the big
>sky fits in here at all.

Two comments regarding The Big Sky.  The most obvious is that it's simply
"love of life."  I think it's one of the most joyous songs around that
haven't been inspired by a religion.

The other comment has to do with the mysterious "You never understood
me / you never really tried." which I've heard speculated as dealing
with a failed relationship.  In that light, the song could be viewed as
directive not to let a failed romance interfere with your love of 
life--if they weren't enhancing your life then they're better out of it.

>hmmm. perhaps tsw's theme is feelings? sensuality, love, anger, confidence,
>desire, understanding, hurt, longing, exultation. the only songs that do
>not fit this pattern are "heads we're dancing" and "this woman's work."

How about assigning "self-disgust" to "Heads We're Dancing" (for the feeling
that the character receives when she realizes that not only was she
dancing with a monster, but was enjoying being charmed by him) and
"remorse" to "This Woman's Work".  TWW is the song to which I've seen
more people break down and start sobbing than to any other song.  To
say that it doesn't fit a pattern of describing feelings is absurd.
I chose 'remorse' as a one-word description because it feels to me like a 
large part of the angst in the song is given words in the "All things we
should have done but never did / all the things that you needed from me /
all the things that you wanted for me / all the things I should have given
but I didn't ..."

<jeff starts to choke up a bit at this point and decides it's time to 
send this>


Jeff
-- 
|Jeffrey C. Burka                | "Show what you are / Be strong, be true  |
|                                |  Time for you to / Be who you are."      |
|jeffy@syrinx.umd.edu            |                         --Happy Rhodes   |