You Know You Could Have Been a Candle
Today's popular songs don't contain the lightheartedness, lyricism, and easy-going fun of the Motown era of the mid to late 1960s. Truth is, the songs of the 70s didn't, either. Politics, civil rights, the woman's movement, the psychedelic era quickly turned many Motown songs like the Marvelette's Forever ("I'll be your slave for the rest of my days") and Mary Wells' My Guy ("I'm sticking to my guy like a stamp to a letter") into anachronisms, at least thematically. College students plugged into protest movements looked for more meaningful music ( CSN &Y's Ohio--"This summer I hear the drumming/ Four dead in Ohio) beyond the love ballads (Temptations, My Girl), love tributes (Tops, Bernadette), and love breakup/makeup songs (Tops, Shake Me, Wake Me; Supremes, Back in My Arms Again) that Motown offered. Feeling the pressure, Motown itself, changed, packed up for the left coast, and produced (or overproduced if you will) songs more in tune with the times: Temps, Psychedelic Shack, Ball of Confusion; Four Tops, Still Water for Peace; Marvin Gaye, What's Going On?, Supremes, Love Child; and Freda Payne's, Bring the Boys Home (From Vietnam).Still, nowadays when I go to an affair that offers music, it's those inescapable songs of the 60s that exert the strongest gravitational pull, drawing everyone immediately toward the dance floor. Tone deaf aunts and uncles suddenly become lip-synching superstar vocalists, point at each other and smile during key moments of the song. Motown songwriters like the team of Holland-Dozier-Holland and the one-man show himself, William Smokey Robinson, cranked out hundreds of two and a half minute masterpieces, just long enough for you to stomp, shake, shimmy, or slow jam with the partner of your choice.
As I take a break from grading student creative journals with figures of speech dancing in my head, I present you with a song that might give you a temporary cure from Testcycleistis or Teacherscramitinus. It's a Smokey Robinson written, Temptations performed classic, that puts the metaphors where they sound best--in the lyrics of the cool pop song--The Way You Do the Things You Do. For best effects, of course, find a copy (download a file?) of the song and play it til you start to feel the fun spread by the clever lyrics and smooth Temptations' harmonies. I challenge you to submit your own oldies song that's filled with figurative language, like the one that follows. Bonus point if it's Motown.
Here's the song:
You got a smile so bright,
you know you could've been a candle,
I'm holding you so tight,
you know you could've been a handle.
The way you swept me off my feet,
You know you could've been a broom,
The way you smell so sweet,
You know you could've been some perfume.
Well, you could've been anything that you wanted to
And I can tell...The way you do the things you do,
As pretty as you are,
you know you could've been a flower,
If good looks cause a minute,
you know that you could be a hour,
The way you stole my heart,
You know you could've been a cool crook,
And, baby, you're so smart,
You know you could've been a school book.
Well, you could've been anything that you wanted to
And I can tell...The way you do the things you do,
You made my life so rich,
You know you could've been some money,
And, baby, you're so sweet,
You know you could've been some honey.
Well, you could've been anything that you wanted to
And I can tell the way you do the things you do,
The way you do the things you do.(The way you do the things you do.)You really swept me off my feet.(The way you do the things you do.)You made my life complete.(The way you do the things you do.)You made my life so bright.(The way you do the things you do.)You made me feel all right.(The way you do the things you do.)
posted by JTF @ 10:55 PM
11 comments
11 Comments:
As one of your colleagues says, "Having said that," we still can't say (that is, it would be bogus to say) that 60's music is BETTER than the noise called music today? "Isn't it a pity, isn't it a shame?" Recognize the author? I KNOW you do. How about your "enlightened" readers?
Quite a group of sentences there new guy! I'm gonna go with "Pity Party" by Leslie Gore. Did i get it?
new366,
Let's stay focused so we don't confuse the rest of our readers. The song you quote, "Isn't It a Pity?," is by that George Harrison, and it's pretty literal and religious / philosophical. I'm trying to inject a little fun into your life. "Get on the good foot," as the Hardest Working Man in Show Bizness would say.
unelightened,
Leslie Gore? Man, you must be as old as Imus.
unenlightened--sorry, my comments were to jtf. i wouldn't presume to talk to you. i don't know you. to address jtf as if this blog is an e-mail is my problem.
and no, you didn't get it.
jtf--sorry, i'm writing to you not the readers, as we discussed.
i am the first to agree that the bulk of great music came from the 1960's era and maybe nowadays music cannot be seen by others as possibly a classic or legendary.
(this really has nothing to do with literature, just a rant about music from a die hard music obsessed student)
the 'noise called music' that was referred to? you were probably talking about hte noise on the radio. yeah, i'm sick of the static too. hasn't anyone learned that the best music doesn't always have the most radio playtime? how many bands from the 1970's have rarely gotten a number one hit? yet, how many amazing bands can u name from that decade that ppl, even the young'uns today, still listen to?
before u criticize my generation's music, open up your ears and see all that is out there instead of making judgements from the static played on your WSTW station...
no one puts baby in the corner said...
first of all----that is one of my favorite songs of all time. I went on a beach day trip with my girls over the summer, and when that song came on, I belted out the entire song. And thanks for the "Bernadette" addition, another great one, only because it is written about me of course... (But you, you give me the joy this heart of mine has always been longing for) I just love oldies because they are just much simpler and sweeter than today's music. It seems ironic, but my iPod is full of oldies. As far as figurative writing goes, I think one of the best has to be Sam Cooke- Wonderful World:
Don't know much about history
Don't know much biology
Don't know much about a science book
Don't know much about the French I took
But I do know that I love you
And I know that if you love me too
What a wonderful world this would be
Anyway, this was a good topic! I wish music today was a little more "I'm so in love with you
Whatever you want to do
It's alright with me" (Al Green) and a little less "I wanna lick, lick, lick, lick you from your head to your toes." (Ludacris) Alright, that's all for me.
Visitors to Schoolsville ,
There's room for responders of all ages and tastes here at Schoolsville. Let's play nice. We have teachers and students reading and writing on the site, which is pretty cool. Many of the teacher responses are in-jokes directed toward the few teachers who read this thing. I'm still getting a kick out of writing entries and waiting for friends to chime in with jokes or comments. I enjoy the student comments just as much, especially the ones that directly respond to my questions. However, whenever people don't play nice, their comments might be sent to the corner (deleted completely), or at least given a time-out session (edited). I hope you keep visiting and keep writing at Schoolsville. It would be awfully lonely if you didn't. You all come back now, hear?
hmm lets see, out of my collection, I'll just pull a cd made a year ago from a band called Saturday Looks Good to Me.
"[Their] music was brand new and oddly familiar at once, presenting new ideas on the boundaries of songwriting, while taking sonic notes from the happiest Motown singles or Beach Boys moments." -polyvinyl record co.
It seems as though music is not at all lost. Check out these lyrics to their song "Since You Stole My Heart":
"I don't know what's come over me
Since you stole my heart
You've got a power that no one can see
And it reaches down to the ocean
Seagulls fly in circular motion
Childrem spinning in rollercoasters
Since you stole my heart"
klare,
Listened to a couple of cuts from Saturday Looks Good to Me and yes ... songs do have their Beach Boys, Motown, even earlier 60s moments. Thanks for the tip.
I've been criticized for my taste in music a lot. My brothers tell me my music should stay in the past, my parents are just shocked that I've even heard of the music I listen to, saying its from their time. Well I still hear it, and I'd much rather listen to old good music than new horrible music. Just 2 days ago some kids that I work with laughed when I told them I love oldies music.
If you don't already, you should tune in to Sunny 104.5, they play really good motown and soul music. Here's a good one in my opinion.
You're sweet as a honeybee
But like a honeybee stings
You've gone and left my heart in pain
All you left is our favorite song
The one we danced to all night long
It used to bring sweet memories
Of a tender love that used to be
Now it's the same old song
But with a different meaning since you been gone
It's the same, same old song
But with a different meaning since you been gone
Ah, oh a sentimental fool am I
To hear a old love song
And wanna cry
But the melody keeps haunting me
Reminding me how in love we used to be
Keep hearing the part that used to touch our hearts
Staying together forever
Darling, breaking up never
It's the same old song, can't bear to hear it
But with a different meaning since you been gone
(Oh, it hurts to hear it)
It's the same old song
But with a different meaning since you been gone
Precious memories keep a lingering on
Every time I hear our favorite song
Now you've gone
Left this emptiness
I only reminisce the happiness we spent
We used to dance to the music
Make romance to the music
Now, it's the same old song
But with a different meaning since you been gone
Now, it's the same old song
But with a different meaning since you been gone
I, oh I
Can't bear to hear it
It's the same old song
But with a different meaning since you been gone
(Ooo, it breaks me up to hear it)
It's the same old song
But with a different meaning since you been gone
ddgreen,
You're a throwback, for sure. If I had to be pressed to name my favorite songs, this one would be in my top ten, for sure. I absolutely love the sax solo in the musical bridge. My other favorite Four Tops songs are Shake Me, Wake Me and Without the One You Love. The band behind the group rocked. They played on all of the Motown songs and were called The Funk Brothers. Guess I better add Sunny 104.5 to my presets.
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