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Centerfold Lyrics

Does she walk? Does she talk?
Does she come complete?
My homeroom homeroom angel
Always pulled me from my seat

She was pure like snowflakes
No one could ever stain
The memory of my angel
Could never cause me pain

Years go by I'm lookin' through a girly magazine
And there's my homeroom angel on the pages in-between

CHORUS
My blood runs cold
My memory has just been sold
My angel is the centerfold
Angel is the centerfold
(Repeat)

Slipped me notes under the desk
While I was thinkin' about her dress
I was shy I turned away
Before she caught my eye

I was shakin' in my shoes
Whenever she flashed those baby-blues
Something had a hold on me
When angel passed close by

Those soft and fuzzy sweaters
Too magical to touch
Too see her in that negligee
Is really just too much

Chorus

It's okay I understand
This ain't no never-never land
I hope that when this issue's gone
I'll see you when your clothes are on

Take you car, Yes we will
We'll take your car and drive it
We'll take it to a motel room
And take 'em off in private

A part of me has just been ripped
The pages from my mind are stripped
Oh no, I can't deny it
Oh yea, I guess I gotta buy it!

CHORUS
Song Info
Submitted by
the4starish On Jun 17, 2002
21 Meanings

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Cover art for Centerfold lyrics by J. Geils Band, The

There's a clever reveal in this song that gets overlooked, since you'll really only catch it the first time you hear it.

He talks about seeing the girl in the magazine, how it makes him feel, etc, etc. It's only at the end that he reveals he's been standing in a store staring at a porno mag all this time... he's looked at it for so long, he's "gotta buy it" or the clerk is going to get upset.

Cover art for Centerfold lyrics by J. Geils Band, The

Great song. I agree. One of my favorites by J. Geils Band.. They got great rythems in their music, very genious as well, musically. Excellent lyrics too.

Specifically about this song, I wonder if it's true. It'd be funny if it was. Imagine seeing a girl you know in a playboy or something? A girl who I went to school with, I found a photo of her with her pants down, with two other girls.

New England rockers are singing about a New England girl who also went on to become famous: Marilyn Chambers, who went from the 99 and 44/100% pure Ivory Soap box model to porn actress in "Behind the Green Door". Lyrics -- She was pure like snowflakes, no one could ever stain... is the key give away

Cover art for Centerfold lyrics by J. Geils Band, The

The song is about him finding his girlfriend (or a girl he has a crush on) in one of his "girly magazines" (playboy) and now when he sees her, he can only picture her as she was in his magazine.

My Interpretation
Cover art for Centerfold lyrics by J. Geils Band, The

How cool would that be if it actually happened.

Cover art for Centerfold lyrics by J. Geils Band, The

Hate to be a "Debbie Downer" here, but this is one of the few 80s songs that I don't like. The tune is okay, but as a woman I don't relate to the lyrics at all. This song is definitely more of a guy thing.

Or maybe not. I read a tweet from a guy on Twitter this morning who also dislikes this song. The tweet said "Oi! J Geils Band! Your angel can do what she wants with her body. Stop objectifying her you selfish, whiny butt-hurt prick."

Despite my dislike of the song, I'm curious about how the J. Geils Band came up with the lyrics. Maybe one of them really did have a crush on a girl who later appeared in a centerfold. Who knows, maybe this happened to one of their groupies.

@Booboobabies I have always felt that way about this song, despite the fact that I actually do kind of like it. The idea you're thinking of is Freud's maddona-whore complex, which implies that men can't be sexually attracted to women who are respectable and can't respect women who are sexual. (It's also the origin of the virgin/whore dichotomy -- basically the idea that being sexual and being good are mutually exclusive). The narrator of the song doesn't seem to see anything wrong with looking through "girly magazines" but how dare this woman who appeared in the magazine tarnish his memory...

@Booboobabies Personally, I don't find it sexist so much as just the way that guys think when they're coming of age. The narrator has a crush on a girl in his homeroom class and can't get up the nerve to talk to this girls he idealizes ("She was pure like snowflakes / No one could ever stain / The memory of my angel / Could never cause me pain"). He misses his opportunity and later finds her sexualized and commoditized in a magazine like Playboy, causing this painful fall from grace for her in his mind ("Those soft and fuzzy...

My Interpretation
Cover art for Centerfold lyrics by J. Geils Band, The

this is one of the better songs of the sucky hair band 80's, i was there..maybe you love being a Debbie Downer

Cover art for Centerfold lyrics by J. Geils Band, The

This song is about Marilyn Chambers. She was on the Ivory Snow box and also a XXX Porn Star and Playboy centerfold model.

@Funny bunny No, it’s about Suzanne Sommers, the singer went to high school with her and had a crush on her. True story, I saw the interview.

Cover art for Centerfold lyrics by J. Geils Band, The

It’s about Suzanne Sommers, the singer went to high school with her and had a crush on her. True story, I saw the interview. Positive

Cover art for Centerfold lyrics by J. Geils Band, The

This song rocks. :)

Cover art for Centerfold lyrics by J. Geils Band, The

AWSOME!!! -This is the song that was number 1 on the billboard charts when I was born!!! Such a jam. A feel good song from the 80's!!!!

 
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