This can be enjoyed as just a fun, light, funny song. But it has a lot more going for it than that.
The song has the form of The Hero's Journey, but our hero isn't looking to gain obscure knowledge or save his village. Our hero is looking for something more personal. Trapped in early years of the long grind of adulthood, he's looking to rituals of the past for joy and connection.
At first, the outlook is grim, but he commits to his quest ("he heard the sound of laughter and he followed it for fifteen blocks") and he's rewarded. He finds his place and the place finds him. It turns out he's just what this party needed. Maybe by the standards of "34 but who's counting" he's a little immature, but for this crowd he's a mentor.
It gets even better with the next verse. Using his special knowledge to take his new friends on an adventure, he faces a moment of doubt. Has he gone too far? Is he about to be punished? He faces what may be his (or any man's) greatest fear: the six "most justified angry ex-girlfriends". But once again, his pursuit and sharing of joy is rewarded. Instead of tearing him apart, the women of his life bestow upon him sweet mercy and understanding. Surely the greatest birthday present any man could have. From there the party becomes the best party ever.
[Maybe in real life the six most justified angry ex-girlfriends would never to do this. But that's OK, Dar has done it for them.]
In the last verse Dar demonstrates true mastery as a songwriter. The story's over with the second verse, right? In the hands of a lesser writer, yes, but Dar does something transformative with the denouement. She shows how our hero's quest for childhood innocence, joy and (female) connection ("his mom there to help him out") has been fulfilled, and suggests that there are lessons there for the rest of us if we, like our hero, listen.
["Lift your head, lift your head."]
It was in the late 1990s when I bought Dar's CD "The End of the Summer", on which this is track 2. I still love this song. God bless you, Dar.
This can be enjoyed as just a fun, light, funny song. But it has a lot more going for it than that.
The song has the form of The Hero's Journey, but our hero isn't looking to gain obscure knowledge or save his village. Our hero is looking for something more personal. Trapped in early years of the long grind of adulthood, he's looking to rituals of the past for joy and connection.
At first, the outlook is grim, but he commits to his quest ("he heard the sound of laughter and he followed it for fifteen blocks") and he's rewarded. He finds his place and the place finds him. It turns out he's just what this party needed. Maybe by the standards of "34 but who's counting" he's a little immature, but for this crowd he's a mentor.
It gets even better with the next verse. Using his special knowledge to take his new friends on an adventure, he faces a moment of doubt. Has he gone too far? Is he about to be punished? He faces what may be his (or any man's) greatest fear: the six "most justified angry ex-girlfriends". But once again, his pursuit and sharing of joy is rewarded. Instead of tearing him apart, the women of his life bestow upon him sweet mercy and understanding. Surely the greatest birthday present any man could have. From there the party becomes the best party ever.
[Maybe in real life the six most justified angry ex-girlfriends would never to do this. But that's OK, Dar has done it for them.]
In the last verse Dar demonstrates true mastery as a songwriter. The story's over with the second verse, right? In the hands of a lesser writer, yes, but Dar does something transformative with the denouement. She shows how our hero's quest for childhood innocence, joy and (female) connection ("his mom there to help him out") has been fulfilled, and suggests that there are lessons there for the rest of us if we, like our hero, listen.
["Lift your head, lift your head."]
It was in the late 1990s when I bought Dar's CD "The End of the Summer", on which this is track 2. I still love this song. God bless you, Dar.