Cluck, cluck, cluck

As you all know, I blog at the drop of a hat (or, you know, when it's a day ending in 'y'. Yay for random Buffy references!) so you'll be unsurprised to discover that I'm writing about two pregnancy-related songs.

The first is Me In Honey by REM.

As always, I went for the lyrics. You can find them behind the cut.
( There's a fly in my honey and baby's got a baby with me )

The other song is Brick by Ben Folds Five. It is, of course, not strictly about pregnancy, but rather is about abortion.
Stupid YouTube disabling embedding!
Lyrics behind the cut.
( She's alone, I'm alone, and now I know it )

What intrigues me is that these wonderful, complex songs are both written by men. Now I'm not a guy, and I may be wrong, but what these songs capture perfectly is male unease and ambivalence about what their partner's pregnancy means to them. The men writing these songs are also torn between detachment and attachment, and struggle to figure out which is more appropriate. To put it simply, these songs are saying, in their own ways, 'I'm half responsible for your existence, but I don't feel responsible, but then again I do feel responsible, but I don't know if I want to admit that I do feel responsible, and then again I don't know if it would be right for me to admit responsibility'. Phew! What a struggle to get your head around that concept!

I tried to think of a comparably interesting song written by a woman about pregnancy, but all I could think of were Suzanne Vega's Birthday (Love Made Real) and Sinead O'Connor's Healing Room. Both of those are beautiful songs, but they're not exactly brimming full of interesting ideas. They're both about the joys of birth and pregnancy. They're uncomplicated, unconflicted and pretty.

I may be drawing far too much on my own experiences (not of pregnancy, of course) here, but two things struck me. Firstly, pregnancy does not evoke a simple, comprehensible reaction in men, and they struggle to articulate the conflicting emotions it causes them. There is no guidance in society as to how they should react, in any case. Secondly, there are very clearly expected and defined reactions for women, and it is very difficult for them to express any kind of ambivalence about the experience.

Remember, however, that this is just me doing what I do best: deriving a whole theory about some aspect of culture from one or two of my current obsessions. The academic in me says, 'we need more examples before conclusively deciding the veracity of this statement'. The blog-happy fangirl in me says, 'intriguing'.

Cluck, cluck, cluck

As you all know, I blog at the drop of a hat (or, you know, when it's a day ending in 'y'. Yay for random Buffy references!) so you'll be unsurprised to discover that I'm writing about two pregnancy-related songs.

The first is Me In Honey by REM.

As always, I went for the lyrics. You can find them behind the cut.
( There's a fly in my honey and baby's got a baby with me )

The other song is Brick by Ben Folds Five. It is, of course, not strictly about pregnancy, but rather is about abortion.
Stupid YouTube disabling embedding!
Lyrics behind the cut.
( She's alone, I'm alone, and now I know it )

What intrigues me is that these wonderful, complex songs are both written by men. Now I'm not a guy, and I may be wrong, but what these songs capture perfectly is male unease and ambivalence about what their partner's pregnancy means to them. The men writing these songs are also torn between detachment and attachment, and struggle to figure out which is more appropriate. To put it simply, these songs are saying, in their own ways, 'I'm half responsible for your existence, but I don't feel responsible, but then again I do feel responsible, but I don't know if I want to admit that I do feel responsible, and then again I don't know if it would be right for me to admit responsibility'. Phew! What a struggle to get your head around that concept!

I tried to think of a comparably interesting song written by a woman about pregnancy, but all I could think of were Suzanne Vega's Birthday (Love Made Real) and Sinead O'Connor's Healing Room. Both of those are beautiful songs, but they're not exactly brimming full of interesting ideas. They're both about the joys of birth and pregnancy. They're uncomplicated, unconflicted and pretty.

I may be drawing far too much on my own experiences (not of pregnancy, of course) here, but two things struck me. Firstly, pregnancy does not evoke a simple, comprehensible reaction in men, and they struggle to articulate the conflicting emotions it causes them. There is no guidance in society as to how they should react, in any case. Secondly, there are very clearly expected and defined reactions for women, and it is very difficult for them to express any kind of ambivalence about the experience.

Remember, however, that this is just me doing what I do best: deriving a whole theory about some aspect of culture from one or two of my current obsessions. The academic in me says, 'we need more examples before conclusively deciding the veracity of this statement'. The blog-happy fangirl in me says, 'intriguing'.

'Nicer than the bird up in the treetop/ Cheaper than the chip inside my laptop'

In a rather roundabout manner, I found myself at a site analysing Massive Attack's lyrics. Sadly, most of the analyses are not particularly earth-shattering (I know, I shouldn't just snipe from the sidelines - if I think I could do a better job, I should do it myself). The thread unpicking Risingson is worth reading, however. I also liked the point someone made in the thread about Dissolved Girl, that Dissolved Girl is Inertia Creeps Part II. (And why can't Inertia Creeps be Dissolved Girl Part II?)

What with all the time I seem to spend here unpicking the meanings of song lyrics, I wonder if I should join some music forums. I've loved unpicking books on book forums. The problem is, even on the internet I'm too self-aware to jump into a new place if I think I'll run the risk of behaving really n00bishly. I've had years of practice talking with authority about books when I don't really know what I'm talking about, but I don't think I quite have the musical knowledge to pull it off on a music forum. Oh, sure, I can analyse lyrics until Massive Attack reforms with its original line-up the cows come home, but when it comes to being all technical about music, I'm lost.

I still think Mezzanine is about CorneliaCaelaNoah and AsterionWeyland in Sara Douglass's Troy Game series, though. And nothing will convince me otherwise.

EDIT: And because this is the way my mind works, the next destination in The Journey of the RonniWanderer was (after much searching on Google) celestineangel's review of the first of Sara Douglass's Troy Game series, Hades' Daughter. I'm still falling over laughing at the character descriptions. I like such messed up books, and such messed up music. (Messed up? Me? Who would've thought?)

'Nicer than the bird up in the treetop/ Cheaper than the chip inside my laptop'

In a rather roundabout manner, I found myself at a site analysing Massive Attack's lyrics. Sadly, most of the analyses are not particularly earth-shattering (I know, I shouldn't just snipe from the sidelines - if I think I could do a better job, I should do it myself). The thread unpicking Risingson is worth reading, however. I also liked the point someone made in the thread about Dissolved Girl, that Dissolved Girl is Inertia Creeps Part II. (And why can't Inertia Creeps be Dissolved Girl Part II?)

What with all the time I seem to spend here unpicking the meanings of song lyrics, I wonder if I should join some music forums. I've loved unpicking books on book forums. The problem is, even on the internet I'm too self-aware to jump into a new place if I think I'll run the risk of behaving really n00bishly. I've had years of practice talking with authority about books when I don't really know what I'm talking about, but I don't think I quite have the musical knowledge to pull it off on a music forum. Oh, sure, I can analyse lyrics until Massive Attack reforms with its original line-up the cows come home, but when it comes to being all technical about music, I'm lost.

I still think Mezzanine is about CorneliaCaelaNoah and AsterionWeyland in Sara Douglass's Troy Game series, though. And nothing will convince me otherwise.

EDIT: And because this is the way my mind works, the next destination in The Journey of the RonniWanderer was (after much searching on Google) celestineangel's review of the first of Sara Douglass's Troy Game series, Hades' Daughter. I'm still falling over laughing at the character descriptions. I like such messed up books, and such messed up music. (Messed up? Me? Who would've thought?)

Howling at the moon

And in answer to my previous post (messed up? moi?)...

You are The Moon

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Moon is a card of magic and mystery - when prominent you know that nothing is as it seems, particularly when it concerns relationships. All logic is thrown out the window.

The Moon is all about visions and illusions, madness, genius and poetry. This is a card that has to do with sleep, and so with both dreams and nightmares. It is a scary card in that it warns that there might be hidden enemies, tricks and falsehoods. But it should also be remembered that this is a card of great creativity, of powerful magic, primal feelings and intuition. You may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial; if you have any past mental problems, you must be vigilant in taking your medication but avoid drugs or alcohol, as abuse of either will cause them irreparable damage. This time however, can also result in great creativity, psychic powers, visions and insight. You can and should trust your intuition.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Howling at the moon

And in answer to my previous post (messed up? moi?)...

You are The Moon

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Moon is a card of magic and mystery - when prominent you know that nothing is as it seems, particularly when it concerns relationships. All logic is thrown out the window.

The Moon is all about visions and illusions, madness, genius and poetry. This is a card that has to do with sleep, and so with both dreams and nightmares. It is a scary card in that it warns that there might be hidden enemies, tricks and falsehoods. But it should also be remembered that this is a card of great creativity, of powerful magic, primal feelings and intuition. You may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial; if you have any past mental problems, you must be vigilant in taking your medication but avoid drugs or alcohol, as abuse of either will cause them irreparable damage. This time however, can also result in great creativity, psychic powers, visions and insight. You can and should trust your intuition.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.