The "see-saw" in the song is the wheel of karma. The Hindu ideal is to jump off the wheel of karma. It's easy, of course, to interpret this song in a more nutsy-boltsy way: The see-saw is the promise of the glories of "normal" civilized, urban life.
There's the direct angle that it has dawned on the singer that the see-saw is a losing proposition from a simple cost-benefit standpoint. But I like to think that this song ups the ante and goes for broke... and calls into question the most fundamental assumptions of human relationships and "civilized" existence.
When people talk about the old '60s rock'n'roll, what are they talking about? If you stand back and take in the big picture, one thing stands out: Rock'n'roll was very much a bold assault on the music marketing offices to reclaim romance from the suits. And Ride My See-Saw was very much an early marker of this budding trend. This new pop aesthetic dared to suggest that the cozy little normal life that modern society dangles before us, encouraging us to nestle in and raise our broods with smug assuredness, would not be the last word in self-actualization and fulfillment.
Of course, this couldn't last. In the end, people gave up trying to storm heaven, got both feet planted firmly on terra firma, and resumed the search for the perfect hamburger. But there was that brief window when we thought an alternative, workable set of values was within reach, and '60s rock'n'roll gave us the poetic images and ideas that gave hope to that enterprise.
And you should consider all this when you listen to "Ride My See-Saw"!
The "see-saw" in the song is the wheel of karma. The Hindu ideal is to jump off the wheel of karma. It's easy, of course, to interpret this song in a more nutsy-boltsy way: The see-saw is the promise of the glories of "normal" civilized, urban life.
There's the direct angle that it has dawned on the singer that the see-saw is a losing proposition from a simple cost-benefit standpoint. But I like to think that this song ups the ante and goes for broke... and calls into question the most fundamental assumptions of human relationships and "civilized" existence.
When people talk about the old '60s rock'n'roll, what are they talking about? If you stand back and take in the big picture, one thing stands out: Rock'n'roll was very much a bold assault on the music marketing offices to reclaim romance from the suits. And Ride My See-Saw was very much an early marker of this budding trend. This new pop aesthetic dared to suggest that the cozy little normal life that modern society dangles before us, encouraging us to nestle in and raise our broods with smug assuredness, would not be the last word in self-actualization and fulfillment.
Of course, this couldn't last. In the end, people gave up trying to storm heaven, got both feet planted firmly on terra firma, and resumed the search for the perfect hamburger. But there was that brief window when we thought an alternative, workable set of values was within reach, and '60s rock'n'roll gave us the poetic images and ideas that gave hope to that enterprise.
And you should consider all this when you listen to "Ride My See-Saw"!