Flapper Girl

I just finished rereading The Great Gatsby for the 3rd time the other day and today I came across this song. I didn't make the connection at first, but after listening to it a few times and reading the lyrics, I have realized this song has strong ties to Fitzgerald's classic. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'll share my thoughts anyway. Obviously set in the "roaring" 1920s, I believe the Lumineers are portraying the fast-paced short-lived time period that Fitzgerald captures so beautifully. The "flapper girl" to me is Daisy Buchanan, and the song is sang through the perspective of the desperately romantic Gatsby who, after being separated from his beloved through five years of war, holds onto blind hope. Even though Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan- or really, his money, Gatsby's wasted heart holds onto the impossible. Now, it could just be the love story of a random 20s couple, but the song makes specific references that I can't ignore. For instance, "Cadillac, Cadillac. Businessmen dressed in slacks. I'm gonna buy one for us when I get back. A big Cadillac." Gatsby was from humble beginnings, and Daisy was born into old money. Gatsby throughout the novel has a desire to achieve the wealth that people such as Daisy and Tom simply inherited. When he does get "back" (from war), he works his way up to extravagant wealth, but does not win Daisy. Another direct reference is the "neck of pearls," though on this site it reads "curls." If the correct lyric is "pearls," this would be referencing the necklace that Tom gave Daisy as a wedding gift-the one he essentially tries to "buy" her with and the one we find in the trash can the day before their wedding. The repeated line, "Would you write, would you call back baby if I wrote you a song? I been gone but you're still my lady and I need you at home" shows Gatsby's undying love for Daisy and how lost in the past he is. Until finally, "Lovers come, lovers go. Lovers leave me alone. She'll come back to me." Perhaps this is the last glint of hope we see in Gatsby before his tragic ending. Still, he refuses to see the unbelievable goal of the American dream and the impossibility of him having a future with Daisy...which further goes into American culture, capitalism and human nature, et cetera. Oh, my heart goes out to you, Jay Gatsby. Perhaps this isn't even remotely what Flapper Girl is about, but I thought it was worth a shot.

History Context: In the 1920s cars were starting to become more mainstream and because of the boom (in the industry etc) in America, people could now afford them! A Cadillac was a brand of car. So what 'The Lumineers' are saying is that "I'm going to buy a car when I get back". Prohibition- The action of forbidding something, esp. by law. E.g. In the 1920s it was prohibited to consume or sell alcohol in America. FlapperGirls were a "new breed" of young Western women in the 1920s who wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptable behavior. So this links to the first verse where it's talking about cutting all of her hair off. This pratically labeled her as a Flappergirl. Also, Flapper girl usually were found with golden hair and pearls- with exception. So basically, he fell in love with a girl but had to move away. While he was gone she became rebellious (became a flapper girl, drank illegally) but it doesn't matter because she's 'still my lady' and 'she'll come back to me'.

After breaking down the lyrics I think this song is about a soldier returning home after WWI and finding the girl he returns to is not the same girl he left behind. he wants her back the way she was not the way she is.

"Cut-off all of your hair. Did you flinch, did you care? Did he look did he stop and stare at your brand new hair" Pre WWI women wore their hair quite long and traditional. the women of the 20's were freer, more daring and most sported cute little bob-style haircuts--cutting off your hair represented a non conforming, risk taking, free spirit who doesn't care what people think. The He could be reference to another man but it could just be men in general--in other words it's a sarcastic comment like do you really think that looks good?

"Local Boy, Local News. Power Lines hanging boots. Firemen in the trucks cut loose a local boys shoes." Many nowadays think that shoes on power lines is a sign that drug or gang activity is nearby. However, back in the early part of the 20th century it was a symbol of a soldier's return home from combat service--ie, his boots are back and there was frequently a big to-do an celebration in town.

"Cadillac, cadillac. Businessmen dressed in slacks. I'm a buy one for us when I get back, a big cadillac." Cadillac's were one of the most luxurious cars of that time aimed a very high end market. the army also used them to transport their officers both domestically and abroad so it was a desirable symbol of affluence. So this is the soldiers promise to his girl for the future he hopes to have with her.

"And you can wave to all of your friends. And I'll never leave you again. Would you write would you call back baby if I wrote you a song. I've been gone but your still my lady and I need you at home." this is the soldier recognizing his girl has changed in his absence but still wanting to fix it. He doesn't want to lose her but he's having a hard time accepting this new life she leads--wants her to go back to what she was. the girls of the early 20's were very independent compared to the previous generation. These girls (Flapper girls) had to enter the workforce, they drank and smoked openly, they danced wildly and had to take care of themselves while their men were abroad fighting. It was one of the earliest examples of women busting free of societal norms. Many found return to the previous version of themselves very difficult once the war was over and thus the women's movement was born.

"Romeo, Juliet. Balcony silhouettes. Makin' o's with her cigarette. It's Juliet" romeo and Juliet--starcrossed lovers, so romantic but they never really had a chance. the makin o's is a reference to the 20's girl bucking society's traditional image by not only smoking in public but blowing smoke rings in it's face.

"Flapper girl, flapper girl, Prohibition in curls, Hair of gold and a neck of Pearls, It's flapper girl" Prohibition was obivously in full swing then but curly hair was also seen as wild and untamed so Flappers frequently curled their hair to maintain this image. They also typically wore these super long pearl necklaces with their fringy dresses.

When the chorus comes back this is him trying again to convince her to come back and he gives the ultimatum. "If you ain't behind my door. Then I ain't got a home anymore" and it backfires. She chooses her new life over him.

"Lovers come, lovers go, Lovers leave me alone, She'll come back to me" He lets her go but holds onto a bit of hope that someday she will come to her senses.

or something like that.

Set in the 1920s. But its about how he loves his girl even though they've been separated...

I love the twenties and I think it is captured beautifully in the song.

However, this was wrong on at least one lyric for certain. The actual line is "a neck of pearls," not curls. And then I could be wrong on this one, but I thought it said "making oaths with a single breath" instead of "making o's with her cigarette." Both lyrics would fit, but the one I think it is seems to fit better to me.

In the story of Romeo and Juliet, even though Juliet is somewhat more cautious than Romeo, they are both very impetuous and don't think of the consequences. They make promises but cannot be together. So the Flapper Girl in the song is quick to make oaths of loyalty ("with a single breath") but when the narrator leaves for a while (perhaps to fight in WWI) she does her own thing and virtually forgets about him. She becomes a flapper and doesn't go by society's rules. From the "did HE look..." part, I'm thinking it is referring to another man, for whom she has left the narrator. To the narrator, she is still the "lady" that he left behind, despite her new lifestyle. And he wants her back. He bribes her with wealth and status ("I'm gonna buy one for us when I get back, a big Cadillac" "You can wave to all her friends") and love ("I'll never leave you again" "if I wrote you a song")_whichever is more important to her, as long as she comes back. To the end, he clings to the belief that she WILL come back, although acknowledging that lovers come and go, he does not think it possible in their relationship. This ending leaves you a little sad, because it is apparent that he loves her so much more than she will ever love him.

Anyways, that's what I think..,

Just to add;

Throughout the song he refers to the flapper girl by refering to her as "you", but in the very last sentence he refers to her as "she". The explanation for this may be that he's slowly realising that there's a small chance of ever getting back togheter with her.