Tuesday, May 3, 2011

A Little Bit of Accordion Music Goes a Long Way

And I mean this in the very best way!  I have been sitting at my desk, bubbling booklets in prep for our state testing that starts in 2 days, while listening to the Amelie soundtrack on repeat (like you, T).  Now, this is the most mundane of tasks, made bearable,  no, enjoyable because of this music that's heavy on the accordion, and full of rich visual memory cues for me associated with my favorite movie of tout temps!  I may not be skipping rocks in the Seine right now, but I as good as am. 

Music has such power to influence, inspire, depress, awaken.  I went through a bit of a retrospective on my way to work this morning. I am a radio station hopper, bouncing between my 12 pre-set stations to find the best song of the moment.  It started with Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue by Crystal Gayle (right?), and I was back in Angelica's basement, sitting by her record player amid a scene so thoroughly 70s, it could have come straight out of Saturday Night Fever.  This song was very confusing as a kid because how in the world can brown eyes turn blue???  Then I listened to Def Leppard's Pour Some Sugar on Me and I was back on the dance floor at the PHS Mixers, where CC and I always made sure we were dancing right next to each other, as we had choreographed 'moves' to go with the lyrics.  Now this song was confusing on a few levels: 1. Is it fast or slow?  I suppose it depends most on who you're dancing with, i.e. cute=slow, anyone else=fast. 2. The lyrics!  I tried to transcribe them once onto some loose leaf in my Trapper Keeper and man, they were weird.  "Love me like a bomb baby come and get it on. Livin' like a lover with a red eye phone."  WHAT?????  Anyway, I cranked up the volume and thought about my formerly feathered bangs and smiled!  I finished the ride with a little rewind back to the early 80s and Kim Carnes' Bette Davis Eyes.  This song fascinated me mostly because of how she sang it:  'All the boys think she's a spaaaaaaa, she's gaaaat Bette Davis ahhhhhhhhhs.'  It's still one of the best sing-along songs ever, as long as no one else is within earshot. 

So, here's to Tuesday and lookin' like a tramp, like a video vamp!

3 comments:

  1. And this is exactly why we get along so well!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Never, ever have read an analysis of "Pour Some Sugar On Me". Would have thought it impossible before seeing it done here!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Friend! You have got to check out the Gwenyth Paltrow version of Bette Davis Eyes from the Duets soundtrack (now *there's* a flick to add to your queue!). Hard to do, but she fills it with justice. And I'm secretly pleased you've adapted the Repeat Style -- and love you all the more for it!

    ReplyDelete