Re: Review of TRS

[Chris Williams <chrisw@wwa.com>]

Ronald W. Garrison <rwgarr@intrex.net> wrote:

>When I first heard "Song of Solomon", the thought went through my mind
>that maybe Kate had gotten to an age where she no longer felt the need
>to be a "good little girl", even in her own unusual way. I've seen cases
>where women have reached middle age, gotten burned in the romance game,
>and adopted a cynical attitude, resulting in their going out and
>becoming promiscuous and yet very cold and unfeeling at the same time.
>Perhaps this happens to men too, but with most men it seems to usually
>go the other way--they start out being a**holes and later on mellow out.
>But anyway, it seemed that maybe Kate had had some experiences that
>pushed her in this direction. 

   Funny, I don't get that at all. It sounds more like a woman telling
her lover "Shut up and make love to me!" Sometimes a person wants love
and understanding and tenderness...and sometimes that person just wants
raw, naked sweaty sex. The line "don't want your bullshit" is counter-
balanced by the other lines "write me your poetry in motion/write it
just for me/and seal it with a kiss". Not cold and cynical at all. More
like "yes, I love you too...put it *IN* already!"

>Probably it wasn't love-gone-wrong. It may
>have had a lot to do with her mother's death, along with her own age
>creeping along. I think there's a vague reference on the album to a
>friend being ill with AIDS, or some other dread disease. These things
>have a big effect over time, of course.

   Those are factors through all of The Red Shoes, but SoS sounds more
like an escape into pleasure. 

>In any case, "Song of Solomon" came across as, I agree, a very un-erotic
>song. ("Be Kind to my Mistakes", on the other hand, while also
>acknowledging those deep, dark secret feelings, is another matter--it
>still makes chills go up and down my spine!)

   To each their own tastes. While not Kate's most erotic song, it
is (IMO) filled with erotic need.