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No Time For Love, Dr. Jones!

Have we met?  If we have, you'll learn something quick about me.  I'm a romantic.  I love love.  I love wooing.  If you ask me, there's not enough of that kind of thing going on anymore. And even though I was born in 1975, I loved the music both of my time and before my time for it's strong game of wooing properties.  As I listen, I can't help but notice how music has changed over decades.  In the 60's it was all about courting the girl and then marrying the girl. 


Sam Cooke, 60's soul singer.  Pretty much every song was about
loving the girl and taking her to get married.
From "Win Your Love":
"If you'd only come to me
This torch I wouldn't have to carry
And if everything goes right
To the church we will go to marry...."



Martha and The Vandellas sang in 1967:
"Third Finger, Left Hand"
My mom had this record on 45.  Okay, so maybe not every girl
wanted to get married in 1967.  But most of them did.


The 70's started changing it up a little.  It started becoming more about the beauty and magical traits that was the object of one's affection.  We'll call it changing with the times.....not everyone was up for rushing to the altar anymore.  And also there was "free love".  And pot. 


Elton John's "Your Song" from 1970:
"And you can tell everybody this is your song
It may be quite simple but now that it's done
I hope you don't mind
I hope you don't mind
That I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you're in the world...."


John Denver's "Annie's Song" (You Fill Up My Senses) from
1974 was getting a wee bit more provocative, but still sweet.
"Come let me love you
Let me give my life to you
Let me drown in your laughter
Let me die in your arms
Let me lay down beside you
Let me always be with you
Come let me love you
Come love me again....."

Firefall's 1976 "You Are the Women" is probably the height of
the 1970's woman as object of admiration song.
"You are the woman that I've always dreamed of
I knew it from the start
I saw your face and that's the last I've seen of my heart...."


In the 80's something really started happening.  There was still the magic and mystery of love, but something had changed.  The subtle messages still existed but they were getting more straightforward.  Maybe it was the blunt over-the-edge feeling of the 80's.  Maybe it was the influence of Johnny Rotten.  No matter what, it was definitely changing.
In 1982, Modern English had a huuuuge hit with "Melt With You".
"Moving forward using all my breath
Making love to you was never second best
I saw the world crashing all around your face
Never really knowing it was always mesh and lace...."
Okay, not as subtle but still fairly genteel.  I saw them years later play this song
in a club opening with the lead singer saying this song was about getting
down and just fu*cking.  Yeah.  It was a little ruined for me after that.


It was 1984.  The end of romance.


Maybe we can blame Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom which was released to theatres in 1984 and this line that threw all the bets out the window.  Of course, some bands were still trying to keep it sweet even if they went one step further.  Or several steps.


Level 42 still kept it pretty quiet in 1985 with their huge hit,
"Something About You".
"If ever our love was concealed
No one can say that we didn't feel
A million things and a perfect dream of life (gone) fragile but free
We remain tender together
If not so in love
And it's not so wrong; we're only human after all...."
Hmmm.  It's a little complicated and esoteric.  Kinda like love,
the 80's and life itself, one could say.


Nothing left to the imagination in any of Samantha Fox's songs. 
The darling of the late 80's.  Naughty Girls need love too. 
'Nuff said.


Cut to the New Millennium where there's really no time to chase a girl and tell her how cute she is.  We gotta get down to bidness.  And right now!


Do we really need to spend much time on the douchiness that
is Nickelback?  Nah.  I'll just leave the lyrics of 2003's
"Figured You Out" right here:
"I like your pants around your feet
And I like the dirt that's on your knees
And I like the way you say please
While you're looking up at me
You're like my favorite damn disease...."
(Yeah, kids.  It really happened.)


T.I.'s "Whatever You Like" from 2008 also leaves little to the imagination:
"Late night sex so wet so tight,
I'll gas up a jet for you tonight."

Tons of peeps had a problem with the Robin Thicke, T.I., Pharrell joint,
"Blurred Lines" for all kinds of reasons.  Sure it was catchy, but were you listening?
"OK, now he was close
Tried to domesticate you
But you're an animal
Baby, it's in your nature
Just let me liberate you
You don't need no papers
That man is not your mate
And that's why I'm gon' take you...."


And this new female rapper known as CupCakke may just
take the cake with any one of her songs, which I'm pretty much
too embarrassed to quote here.
In the end, I have to be fair.  I'm sure there have always been explicit songs.  Hell, the blues could be very explicit and AC/DC and The Rolling Stones have been around for a looong time.  And rock/pop singers have always managed to slyly hide their true intent.....even The Beatles and Elvis could be called raunchy, and they got all kinds of radio play. And there are still plenty of artists singing beautiful love songs like Adele. I guess I just miss the subtlety of it all.  Either that, or I'm just getting old.  Le sigh.  All I know is I'm still looking for the love in my love songs, the dance in my dance songs, and the fun in my fun songs. 


In the ancient age of 1974, Charlie Rich sang about being
"Behind Closed Doors".
"And when we get behind closed doors
Then she lets her hair hang down
And she makes me glad that I'm a man
Oh no one knows what goes on behind closed doors...."

Which is maybe why like Rob Gordon, I've always dug this song.  What can I say?  The heart, and the body, wants what it wants.  I guess I just like mine with a side of privacy.
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