Althouse: "Is the Mothers of Invention’s exuberant 'Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance' a song of joy or a song of comfort?"

August 30, 2008

"Is the Mothers of Invention’s exuberant 'Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance' a song of joy or a song of comfort?"

"Is Meat Loaf’s 'Bat Out of Hell' a love song, or does its cautionary motorcycle-crash conclusion make it a song of knowledge?"

Questioning Daniel J. Levitin's theory that there are 6 kinds of songs. The types are: songs of friendship, songs of joy, songs of comfort, songs of knowledge, religious songs and love songs.

What about songs of mockery, which is how I always heard "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance"?

28 comments:

UWS guy said...: first.; 8/30/08, 12:14 PM
UWS guy said...: Southpark episode of Cartman taking over the christian rock world would say that religious songs and love songs are the same...

anyone have a link to that hilarious video?; 8/30/08, 12:15 PM
UWS guy said...: hahaha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5btRmGiYi6Q&feature=related

best of the bunch.; 8/30/08, 12:18 PM
DaLawGiver said...: uws guy,

If you learn how to use hyperlink tags like this one, people are much more likely to view the content you post. It's easier and faster for your audience than cutting and pasting is.; 8/30/08, 12:59 PM
UWS guy said...: I hyperlink all the time...was just too lazy.; 8/30/08, 1:02 PM
UWS guy said...: if you know shortcuts, cutting in pasting is pretty fast, you're right though.; 8/30/08, 1:02 PM
DaLawGiver said...: Don't You Eat That Yellow Snow

Bobby Brown

He's So Gay

Some of my favorite Zappa tunes. What categories do these fall in?; 8/30/08, 1:25 PM
Bissage said...: (1) Daniel J. Levitin is probably an easier read than Joseph Campbell.

Just guessing, here.

Wah, wah, wah WAAAAH!!!

(2) Six categories, huh?

Here’s a song that picks up everything under the curve.

Dogs seem to dig it, too.; 8/30/08, 1:26 PM
vbspurs said...: Another great thread idea! Wish others were contributing, since I am musically illiterate.

I might've heard Meat Loaf's "Bat out of Hell" (I've watched Rocky Horror, was it there?) but I simply wouldn't know its title if I heard it. I'm bad musically, that way.; 8/30/08, 1:26 PM
DaLawGiver said...: Bat Out of Hell

In Rocky Horror Picture Show Meatloaf AKA Eddie sang Hot Patootie-Bless My Soul.; 8/30/08, 2:12 PM
Revenant said...: How about "Particle Man" by They Might Be Giants? Which of the six pigeonholes is that supposed to fall into?; 8/30/08, 2:49 PM
Ralph L said...: What, no Meat Loaf label? What kind of blog is this?

Victoria, Bat out of Hell is a great album. The lyrics have a style all their own: "Can't you see my faded Levi's bursting apart?" We assume he meant the front, but with Meat Loaf, who knows?; 8/30/08, 3:06 PM
DaLawGiver said...: Oh yeah, Meatloaf attended Lubbock Christian College.; 8/30/08, 3:27 PM
Kirk Parker said...: "songs of mockery"

Be My Yoko Ono.; 8/30/08, 3:34 PM
blake said...: Pfeh.

Isn't most epic poetry originally sung?

IOW, what about narrative songs?

Johnny Cash sings "The Man Who Couldn't Cry"

There are clearly songs about sex that are not about love.

What the hell is a "song of knowledge"? This?

Songs of irony?

Songs of anger? Grief? Songs without words?

Far be it from me to say that some taxonomy might not be interesting, but this wouldn't seem to be it.; 8/30/08, 4:54 PM
ricpic said...: You Can Leave Your Hat On is a song of worship.; 8/30/08, 5:06 PM
Richard said...: "Is Meat Loaf’s 'Bat Out of Hell' a love song, or does its cautionary motorcycle-crash conclusion make it a song of knowledge?"

Inquiring blondes want to know ...; 8/30/08, 5:22 PM
Will Cate said...: I don't think Frank would appreciate Mr. Levitin's pigeon-hole music theory.

"... like dancing about architecure..." as I quoted in a recent comment hereabouts.; 8/30/08, 5:28 PM
Will Cate said...: ... probably should have said "would have appreciated" to be accurate.; 8/30/08, 5:29 PM
chickelit said...: As an example of how Youtube can completely make over a song, offer the link. It's footage of atom bomb testing.

I especially like the 10 seconds between 2.30 and 2.40, as the explosive force slowly raises the ground before bursting through. The White Zombie soundtrack adds sort of a heavy metal demonic twist. While I'm no fan of White Zombie, I did go buy the song at iTunes.; 8/30/08, 5:46 PM
chickelit said...: Watching the link again, I realized that it's H-bomb test footage, not "Atomic" bomb as the header says.; 8/30/08, 5:49 PM
Crimso said...: I would vote for an additional type: song of fear.; 8/30/08, 6:42 PM
Anonymous said...: where do the sad songs fit?; 8/30/08, 7:34 PM
marklewin said...: When I am in need of comforting I often turn to BB King's "Nobody loves me but my mother, and she could be jivin' me too"; 8/30/08, 7:52 PM
Trooper York said...: I am sorry to say that I have Bat Out of Hell in vinyl, cassette and CD versions. Am I pathetic or what? It's the perfect sing a long album for long drives.

Jim Stienman who is the guy who wrote all the songs was also responsible for the music in one of my favorite Walter Hill films "Streets of Fire" which is a great movie to get from Net Flics. Lot's of fun.; 8/30/08, 8:36 PM
blake said...: "Streets of Fire" sounds like a Meat Loaf album.; 8/30/08, 10:58 PM
Ralph L said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 8/31/08, 3:06 AM
Ralph L said...: "Outside the street's on fire, it's a real death-waltz, between what's flesh and what's fantasy."

Springsteen's "Jungleland", from memory so it's probably wrong.; 8/31/08, 4:55 AM