| Dido – Mary's In India Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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Wow, I've been mishearing this song since I first heard it. I was convinced that 'Danny' was 'Daddy' for years, and thought that Mary and Dido's persona were sisters, with Mary being the younger sister who's just left her parents' (or, presumably, her single or widowed dad's) home to go travelling in India and doesn't call for a while, and her father misses her and can't get used to not having any daughters still in the house with him. Dido's persona consoles him and reminds him that she's still there for him while Mary's away on her journeys, and eventually he's able to come to terms with the fact that Mary's grown up and moved on. But even with it being about Danny and not Daddy, I don't detect any ill will between any of the characters at all in this song, and I don't get the feeling that Mary didn't care about Danny. If they were romantically involved, I get the impression that it was a good breakup that was simply the result of Mary needing to move on and not wanting either of them to be tied down to the other while they're apart. But I don't think the song explicity states that that's the case- Danny could be a boyfriend, or he could be a friend or a housemate who misses Mary. I also don't think it necessarily implies anything sexual between Dido's persona and Danny (though that could be the result of another mishearing- Dido pronounces 'see' and 'say' in very similar ways)- just that she helps him to recover from his depression after Mary's departure. Sex may very well be a part of that, but I don't think it necessarily has to be understood that way, and it certainly isn't the only element. Overall, I think there's something very mellow, happy and calming about this song. It gives the impression that Dido's persona and Danny aren't doing anything that Mary wouldn't smile at. |
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| Shock Treatment – Shock Treatment Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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The lyric is "locum". And a locum doctor is a doctor who substitutes for a regular doctor when that doctor isn't able to work. I think the line basically means that Cosmo isn't a real doctor, and so he'd never try to operate on himself, though he's more than happy to do so to other people. I love this song. The joy in the way they tease Brad with it is just so much fun. |
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| The Cooper Temple Clause – Talking to a Brick Wall Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| Actually, I've just been thinking about this again, and I think that not only does he contemplate giving up the gratification he finds in secret, but he also begins taking behaviour-modifying drugs to control it. This doesn't work, and just allows him to see the person he's attracted to in a strange glittery trip. | |
| The Cooper Temple Clause – Talking to a Brick Wall Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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God, I absolutely adore this song. I don't know what (if any) interpretations the band have ever given for this song, but one way I've interpreted it is as a pessimistic coming-of-age song. I think it's about a child reaching adolescence and realising that the world he lives in isn't perfect and that in order to be accepted by the polite society he lives in, he has to ignore his own urges and impulses. He finds the majority of people around him disgusting, but has to be polite and pretend that he can stand their company, or else he will be the object of shame and disappointment. He has also discovered attraction and sex, but is forced to keep this secret to avoid being labelled as promiscuous. Over time, this becomes too much, and he indulges his needs for sex, rebellion and violence in secret, knowing that his parents and other people will not understand him or the way he feels. He covers these feelings up, and it depresses him, and he contempltes giving up the gratification he finds in secret and silencing his soul in order to avoid the possibility of stigma from his society. And while all of this is going on, he very attracted to one person, who he knows he can never have, because to do so would disgust both the object of his attraction, and everyone else. I also kind of felt a homosexual overtone in this song, because of the fear of stigma implied by the fearful sordidness of the music, but I guess it could be read either way. |
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| Wet Wet Wet – Goodnight Girl Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I don't know if this is just me, but could this song be about prostitution? It kind of sounds to me like it's about a man who depends on a prostitute to heal him and make his life worth living, but he still keeps his relationship with her a secret. He keeps promising her that he'll love her forever, but in reality, his promises are as shallow as the wishes made into a wishing well, and however much he loves her and however much they both need each other, he can never tell anyone because she's still a prostitute and he's afraid of the stigma, so no one can ever know about his goodnight girl. |
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