Dear Y'all,
I think I have spoken of the sublime sad & long goodbye of The Load Out, but Somebody's Baby, well, it wasn't my baby, until now, because this is The Greatest! It puts me in mind of another couple of songs. Like this song, an odd conflation of feeling: the lyrics are about confusion, questioning, maybe even begging, but listen to the sound- it is surely the most upbeat song ever, as in Hurray! I want you but you maybe don't or I maybe don't and this muddied misunderstanding is so great!
For contrast, try this song, on a similar theme; the tick tock regular rhythm of it pounds out a yes/no yes/no. The confusion is deep and aggravating- "esta indecisión me molesta"- and the steady banging beat sounds like frustration.
This one,* on the other hand, is nostalgia incarnated; the sound and the lyrics. Nothing I have ever heard feels as nostalgic as this, and I tell you, it felt exactly the same hearing it in 1977. I really love this one, but it's kind of junk food, isn't it? Sort of empty calories, like pink frosting, but ooh, it sure is nice to feel your teeth hurt like that, isn't it?
* Also note that his Marianne has walked away- I am so proud of you, Marianne! Amie should probably have committed more fully to walking away; I know they'd both be somebody else's baby in a trice! And so would you, if you find yourself constrained, held, or pinned in some way that you aren't sure about anymore: walk on.
PS Maybe you like to geek out a little bit on culture and meaning, and you wonder about the dates of these songs' first releases? Somebody's Baby- 1982. The Load Out- 1977. Amie- 1972. Should I Stay or Should I Go- 1982. More Than a Feeling- 1976.
