Silly Love Songs
(I wrote this as an opening to a live reading event on the theme of Love.)
What’s love got to do with it? Pretty much everything, Tina. Some would argue – like Andy Gibb – that love is even thicker than water. He’s talking to you Heaven’s Angel, Devil’s daughter. The Beatles argue that love is all you needand Captain and Tennille vow that love is what will keep us together. So think of that, babe, wheneva!
It has been documented in song that Elvis wants to be loved tender and sweet, Lionel Richie and Diana Ross like it endless (though that sounds exhausting), and David Bowie is never going to fall for modern love and all its trappings.
The trouble is that this love thing is a risky proposition that doesn’t go well for everyone. In fact, the J. Geils band insists that love stinks (yeah, yeah), Pat Benatar proclaims it’s a battlefield, Soft Cell outright claims it’s tainted. I mean, who can blame him? It took his tears and that’s not nearly all! Bon Jovi accuses someone of shooting him right through the heart, forever more giving love a bad name. There are plenty of other victims of love too, like Hall & Oates who confront their girl in song for having lost that loving feeling. Gentlemen, did it ever occur to you that she didn’t lose that love for nuthin’? I personally find it refreshing that some of us, like Johnny Lee, take some damn accountability for our romantic disasters due to our looking for love in all the wrong places.
For others, the risk of heartbreak isn’t a deterrent. They see love as unconditional, eternal even. Whitney Houston is one to say she’ll always love you, Sandy is hopelessly devoted to Danny Zucco, and Michael Jackson just can’t stop loving you … even if it’s immoral and illegal, apparently. Queen acknowledges the insanity love brings us when we’re under its spell with crazy little thing called love and Elvis can’t help falling in love even when wise men tell him not to rush in.
Many of those who’ve been burned are more cautious. The boys of Foreigner wanna know what love is, Carole King asks the million-dollar question, will you still love me tomorrow? and the Bee Gees wonder aloud, how deep is your love?
The smug ones get life-coachy about it, telling us how love should work. Kool & The Gang insists we cherish the love,Huey Lewis preaches about the power of love, and The Supremes claim we can’t hurry love (though I personally tried my darndest to disprove this in my twenties) when I was out there treating fraternity houses like love shacks. I was, shall we say, misguided in my quest to make like Freddy Mercury and find me somebody to love.
Just when we think we’ve experienced all the love there can be with romantic love, many of us get introduced to baby love and can see how our deep investment in another human can become our greatest love of all. Along the way, with all the sacrifices and joys we offer our children over the years, we can’t help but wish they’d tip their hats, at least on Mother’s Day. Would it hurt for them to count each one of their blessings, look us in the eye, and quote Celine by saying, “You know, Ma, it’s all because you loved me.” Is that too much to ask? In fairness, we mamas know we don’t always get it right, but never question that we love you, yeah, yeah, yeah.
My wish for tonight, after all the beautiful writing you’re going to hear, is that you’ll pick up the phone, call someone (even if that call’s made to heaven) and say, I just called to say I love you, and mean it from the bottom of your heart.
