Do Not Freak Out
I almost never do this. In fact, I don't think I ever have done it, except once last summer I did the inverse--I criticized a love song.
Today, I'm gonna praise one. It's called Kiss Me. Don't freak out; I have a good reason for doing this.
First, a little background. I came into work one morning and was waiting around to pray before the corporate day began, which is company policy (the prayer, I mean, not the waiting around beforehand). Davy asked me which of his playlist songs he should put in his ipod, or some such, so I wandered over.
I should make it clear that Davy has excellent and clean taste in music, which is why I was so surprised to see...
"Davy! Are you crazy? 'Kiss Me'? You have a song on your playlist called 'Kiss Me'?!"
"Christy, it's a great song! Seriously! I want to play this song at my wedding!"
"Uh-huh." I said, skeptical. Davy likes a lot, a whole lot, of different kinds of music. I knew that he has good taste, but his capacity for enjoyment of forms that don't appeal to me does not impune the purity of his discerning wisdom with regard to content.
"Here, I'll play it for you."
"Oh, Davy!"
"No, really! Trust me!"
He has very seldom steered me wrong, and I owe him for numerous introductions to excellent stuff, so I sat down to listen through another of Davy's songs.
Enter a sweet bluegrass guitar with light syncopated beat in the background...
Cue Lyrics:
Kiss me out of the bearded barley
Nightly, beside the green, green grass
Swing, swing, swing the spinning step
You wear those shoes and I will wear that dress.
[Chorus:]
Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight
Lead me out on the moonlit floor
Lift your open hand
Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance
Silver moon's sparkling
So kiss me
Kiss me down by the broken tree house
Swing me upon its hanging tire
Bring, bring, bring your flowered hat
We'll take the trail marked on your father's map
This song has everything: a story, poetry, parts, unity, everything. Let's begin with its excellence of form. Notice the alliteration, assonance, and consonance throughout. There is almost no sound in this song that is not repeated, elaborated, recollected, and resolved. There are parts for the guy to sing "bring your flowered hat," and parts for the girls to sing, "you wear those shoes and I will wear that dress."
Of course, much is lost without the actual music, but consider the chorus. It evokes the public and the private, the band and, in a surprising twist, the fact that all observers are nonhuman--fireflies, mere tiny lamps for the scene which is more widely lit by milky twilight. Also the open hand, symbol of generous love. And as we began with the milky twilight and plea for a kiss, so we end with a silver moon and request for... a kiss.
Now notice something else. The first verse sets everything up for the chorus, which is excellent, but the second verse actually fills out the story, which is even better. We now have a broken treehouse (belonging to the male half of the sketch, no doubt) symbolic of boyhood frolics, but broken and deserted now for the more interesting adventure of adulthood (that's one in the eye for Peter Pans). Nevertheless, childhood is evoked again, in all its sweetest aspects, by the mental image of the boy swinging his girl on the old tire. Finally, a romantic walk... but not just any walk; it is a walk down an old familiar trail, the one marked on "your" (probably the girl) father's map.
The eagerness for a kiss, then, is not mere sensuality. It is the fitting conclusion to a long story of childhood playmates who are now beginning a much more serious sort of thing, no longer pretend, but still joyous. One can easily envision the "kiss me" of today growing out of the "catch me!" of yesterday's tag game.
That's what I love about this song. It hasn't rushed anything, but when it gets there, it's delighted with this part of life too.
Today, I'm gonna praise one. It's called Kiss Me. Don't freak out; I have a good reason for doing this.
First, a little background. I came into work one morning and was waiting around to pray before the corporate day began, which is company policy (the prayer, I mean, not the waiting around beforehand). Davy asked me which of his playlist songs he should put in his ipod, or some such, so I wandered over.
I should make it clear that Davy has excellent and clean taste in music, which is why I was so surprised to see...
"Davy! Are you crazy? 'Kiss Me'? You have a song on your playlist called 'Kiss Me'?!"
"Christy, it's a great song! Seriously! I want to play this song at my wedding!"
"Uh-huh." I said, skeptical. Davy likes a lot, a whole lot, of different kinds of music. I knew that he has good taste, but his capacity for enjoyment of forms that don't appeal to me does not impune the purity of his discerning wisdom with regard to content.
"Here, I'll play it for you."
"Oh, Davy!"
"No, really! Trust me!"
He has very seldom steered me wrong, and I owe him for numerous introductions to excellent stuff, so I sat down to listen through another of Davy's songs.
Enter a sweet bluegrass guitar with light syncopated beat in the background...
Cue Lyrics:
Kiss me out of the bearded barley
Nightly, beside the green, green grass
Swing, swing, swing the spinning step
You wear those shoes and I will wear that dress.
[Chorus:]
Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight
Lead me out on the moonlit floor
Lift your open hand
Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance
Silver moon's sparkling
So kiss me
Kiss me down by the broken tree house
Swing me upon its hanging tire
Bring, bring, bring your flowered hat
We'll take the trail marked on your father's map
This song has everything: a story, poetry, parts, unity, everything. Let's begin with its excellence of form. Notice the alliteration, assonance, and consonance throughout. There is almost no sound in this song that is not repeated, elaborated, recollected, and resolved. There are parts for the guy to sing "bring your flowered hat," and parts for the girls to sing, "you wear those shoes and I will wear that dress."
Of course, much is lost without the actual music, but consider the chorus. It evokes the public and the private, the band and, in a surprising twist, the fact that all observers are nonhuman--fireflies, mere tiny lamps for the scene which is more widely lit by milky twilight. Also the open hand, symbol of generous love. And as we began with the milky twilight and plea for a kiss, so we end with a silver moon and request for... a kiss.
Now notice something else. The first verse sets everything up for the chorus, which is excellent, but the second verse actually fills out the story, which is even better. We now have a broken treehouse (belonging to the male half of the sketch, no doubt) symbolic of boyhood frolics, but broken and deserted now for the more interesting adventure of adulthood (that's one in the eye for Peter Pans). Nevertheless, childhood is evoked again, in all its sweetest aspects, by the mental image of the boy swinging his girl on the old tire. Finally, a romantic walk... but not just any walk; it is a walk down an old familiar trail, the one marked on "your" (probably the girl) father's map.
The eagerness for a kiss, then, is not mere sensuality. It is the fitting conclusion to a long story of childhood playmates who are now beginning a much more serious sort of thing, no longer pretend, but still joyous. One can easily envision the "kiss me" of today growing out of the "catch me!" of yesterday's tag game.
That's what I love about this song. It hasn't rushed anything, but when it gets there, it's delighted with this part of life too.
posted by Praelucor at 4:53 PM
6 Comments:
Trissie-
Oh, you've discovered that song! Rejoicings!
I first heard that song while shopping. At Ross's. Over a bad sound system, so that all you could hear was mumble-mumble-mumble, "Kiss me." And then "Kiss me" repeated several more times. And they played it over and over. I hated the song with a firm and decided hatred.
Then I came to PHC. A bunch of us were at the Tigges's house really late, amusing one another with their computer playlist, and Firinteinne puts THAT one on. I object.
Firinteinne demands to know if I've actually listened to the lyrics. I have to admit not. He insists. And points out all their virtues: it's a clean modern love song, it's pretty, and I forget what all.
Lo and behold, I notice it's a good song. :-)
So now we are in agreement, Trissie! Happies.
I like to make irrelevant comments, so here's one: great blog title. Almost as catching as "Do Not Look" or "Do Not Read This." :)
Thanks for all the insight. I'll probably be stubborn and insist on not liking it, but you've given me much to think about and made sense of what had previously registered as nonsense.
Do Freak Out.
This sounds like a cool song, and really quite innocent, especially since I've been going around today with the song in my head "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy." (How do I pick up these things? Honestly!!)
Question: Why is everyone posting about courtship and matrimony and the ideal man? Is this the inevitable effect of summer on the college student ;)?
Lol, no dear--it's the ongoing life of a single, not summer per se. ;-)
Personally, I've been planning a "miniature treatise" (doesn't that sound delightfully snobby?) on courtship for some time. I'm also thinking about discussing the subject--among others--in the novel that I have to do for practicum next spring. So, you see, for me at least this is research. :-)
And who doesn't like to kick around a hairy, relavent, interesting issue? :-P
AAACKK!!!!
Regarding Steeg's parody, I mean. It's definitely ackable.
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