I know I’m supposed to feel ashamed about all the 70’s pop music we so often listen to around here, but I just don’t. It’s the music of my childhood, dude and it’s not tacky, it’s vintage: 10CC and The Doobie Brothers are the original Diane Von Fursternberg wrap dress of music. I know I should only admit that I really like P!nk (and enough to care about that little exclamation point) grudgingly and with some apology. But I think the girls a total badass, and see no need to apologize. In plenty of circles — and according to my sweetheart’s ears — the times that I feel the need to sing along tearfully with Kate Wolf, Janis Ian or Holly Near with absolute sincerity should possibly cause me great embarrassment, but I tend to be all “Whatever, man: I can be as crunchy, potluck and lavender as I wanna sometimes, just like you can air-saxophone in the dining room, wearing nothing but your socks, while blaring 25 or 6 to 4.”
But when I find myself raucously headbanging to Avril Lavigne — on repeat ALL DAY, no less — and belting out “You make me so hot/ Make me wanna drop/ You’re so ridiculous/ I can barely stop…You’re so fabulous/ You’re so good to me Baby/ Baby, Baby / BabeeEEEeeee…” I feel like I need more than a few moments of complete and utter disgust with myself. I need a cold bath in holy water, a hairshirt and some professional help.
December 8th, 2007 at 8:01 am
unfortunately, i need the holy-water bath of shame as well. a lyrical content-analysis of avril while listening to her at the same time is a witheringly embarassing experience!
if nothing else, the rhyme scheme makes most of her songs pretty easy to sing along to!
December 8th, 2007 at 9:27 am
Based on my experience in the classroom(s), I’d say P!nk, and Avril Lavigne even more so, are two singers whom many teenage girls and young women (~14-18) look up to as strong, musical female role models. So, you could consider your listening pleasure (and/or embarrassment) to be both personally enjoyable AND a musical connection to a lot of your ST readers and users.
December 8th, 2007 at 1:09 pm
In my humble opinion, your music sensibilities are a large part of what make you special — swear!
December 8th, 2007 at 6:02 pm
Having been a teenager during the 70s and remembering doing the Bump to many of those songs in the mid 1970’s I also will say I am not ashamed of still listening to it. I will say the Kansas hit Carry On My Wayward son still speaks to me. It’s helping me survive a huge personal tragedy in my life. That song and your support Heather.