In seventh grade music class we
had to analyze a song for the music theory part of the class.
I don’t remember if the teacher
took requests or not, and if she had, undeniably the song we all would have
picked was Like a Virgin.
Because when you’re twelve there’s
nothing more sizzling than a song about having sex for the
very first time.
Much to our dismay our teacher had
other plans and chose the relatively innocuous song “And She Was” by the Talking
Heads. Sing with me, children of the
80s!
I know you totally sang it like I did. It’s uplifting to know that although I can’t
remember where I left my house slippers, I still know allll the words to a
thirty-year-old song.
You can imagine what went on in our tweenage minds
as we read the lyrics and listened to this sort of obscure song. After all, in the mid-80s we were mostly
listening to the pop hits station on our clock radios, and if you were me you
could only get a clear signal from the soft rock station and had to make do
with adult contemporary hits by Chicago and Billy Ocean. If you were lucky you knew Talking Heads
from watching Friday Night Videos or MTV.
And she was lying in the grass
And she could hear the highway breathing
And she could see a nearby factory
She's making sure she is not dreaming
See the lights of a neighbor's house
Now she's starting to rise
Take a minute to concentrate
And she opens up her eyes
And she could hear the highway breathing
And she could see a nearby factory
She's making sure she is not dreaming
See the lights of a neighbor's house
Now she's starting to rise
Take a minute to concentrate
And she opens up her eyes
She fell asleep in the yard, the more innocent
among us offered. She’s really relaxed,
said a few intuitive students. She’s
having a hard time waking up and is stuck between dreaming and sleeping, the
cerebral kids said.
She’s on drugs, said the tough kid.
The world was moving and she was right there with it (and she was)
The world was moving she was floating above it (and she was) and she was
The world was moving she was floating above it (and she was) and she was
She’s still sleeping! She’s still dreaming! we cried.
She’s on drugs, the tough kid repeated.
And she was drifting through the backyard
And she was taking off her dress
And she was moving very slowly
Rising up above the earth
Moving into the universe
Drifting this way and that
Not touching ground at all
Up above the yard
And she was taking off her dress
And she was moving very slowly
Rising up above the earth
Moving into the universe
Drifting this way and that
Not touching ground at all
Up above the yard
We giggled.
She’s naked now? Why would she
take off her dress? Isn't she
embarrassed? How is she
floating? Is she a superhero? Maybe she’s a GHOST!! SHE
DIED!! Things were getting interesting.
SHE’S ON DRUGS.
Louder, now.
She was glad about it...no doubt about it
She isn't sure where she's gone
No time to think about what to tell them
No time to think about what she's done
And she was
And she was looking at herself
And things were looking like a movie
She had a pleasant elevation
She's moving out in all directions
She isn't sure where she's gone
No time to think about what to tell them
No time to think about what she's done
And she was
And she was looking at herself
And things were looking like a movie
She had a pleasant elevation
She's moving out in all directions
Total confusion.
What, she’s lost? Who’s she
telling what to? What did she do? If she’s dead, she’s going to heaven,
right? Stories were getting tangled.
She’s on drugs, the tough kid sighed. What a bunch of dopes.
I don’t remember what exactly was about the girl in the song.
We went on to our next class maybe talking about it, maybe not. “Drugs” may have been whispered carefully as
we tried out the taboo word and wondered what exactly it meant. Drug education was spotty back then.
And She Was became one of those nostalgia-triggering
songs for me. Sometimes I still hear it on
the new wave channel on satellite radio.
I never bothered to look up what it was about until now. I wasn’t surprised to find out.
*******
This post inspired by:
Prompt #5: Analyze a popular song you heard on the radio (present or past).
What exactly does it mean?