| Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – Me and Mia Lyrics | 19 years ago |
|
I stumbled across a pro-ana/mia community a few years ago. They used Ana and Mia as code names, which seems really obvious now. I actually pretty much agree with everyone's interpretations and the obvious ED associations, but from an ironic pro-ED point of view. The song is about the entire pro-ED community, not just one person. Just from reading the comments to this song, you see that Ana and Mia affect a ton of people. I think the point of view changes. The verses are a person undergoing recovery and looking back on how he/she felt while it was going on, and the chorus is the community saying "come back to us." So every time a chunk of the song starts with, 'Do you believe in something beautiful?", that's the rally cry of the ED-lifestyle. "I know how hard you try I see it in your eyes Call your friends, 'cause we've forgotten What it's like to eat what's rotten, and what's eating you alive, might help you to survive." It actually takes a lot of coordination to pull of an ED lifestyle. It's not like they don't like food; that's why people BINGE. So people with Ana and Mia network for support. A lot of the lyrics sound supportive; WE know how hard you try, WE understand you -- that's the ED community saying KEEP BEING BEAUTIFUL. The second-to-last verse sounds really angry; You can tell he actually disapproves of the ED lifestyle. His choice of words says "All that you contrive, and all that you're deprived." He's painting a nasty picture of what it takes to not eat, and it's obvious it's not good for you. At one point he says "Me and Mia, Ann and Ana, ooh, we'd been unkind." They're not good friends. The last verse of the song I think is a breakaway, it's Ted Leo's thoughts. Celebrities don't live our lives, and they'll never know what it's like to be us. They have professional trainers and professional diets, and they tell us to be thin, but it's different for us than it is for them. He reminds us, even, that some people are thin beyond their control, that there are more important things than hunger that doesn't really change society. He says, just because other people are dying, doesn't mean that you have to. If you want to change society, find some other way to do it. If you're going to starve, make it meaningful. |
|
* This information can be up to 15 minutes delayed.