This is absolutely beautiful.
Portia and I discussed the various ideals and ideas that this song represents and illustrates. I seriously considered trying to type them out into this post, but then I thought better of it. I realized the song is powerful enough to speak for itself.
So...
Watch it.
Be moved.
Portia and I discussed the various ideals and ideas that this song represents and illustrates. I seriously considered trying to type them out into this post, but then I thought better of it. I realized the song is powerful enough to speak for itself.
So...
Watch it.
Be moved.
I'm just going to make this comment because this had been gnawing at my mind all summer (working nine-hour days means that I spend a lot of time listening to the radio). Most songs that describe a woman from the perspective of a man all focus on how "sexy" she is -- what she has to offer him physically, how she "turns him on".
ReplyDeleteThe man in this song is laying his whole life on the line for a woman -- he literally won't be moved except by her. Interesting metaphor for how man-woman relationships work...
I sense an amazing conversation coming on...
Amen! One of my favorite parts of the song are the lyrics:
ReplyDelete"Maybe I'll get famous as the man who can't be moved,
And maybe you won't mean to, but you'll see me on the news,
and you'll come running to the corner,
Cause you know it's just for you"
The fact that he's offering all this to his love is just incredible. And I was musing about how he seems so hopeful. If he can just get his lady love to find him, to see him on tv, to notice him, then he's so sure of winning her heart. So sweet. And very Helena-esque...This is definitely one of those songs that I added to my "Helena Playlist". Also, the part that goes:
"I know it makes no sense, but what else can I do?
How can I move on when I'm still in love with you?"
This part DEFINITELY smacks of Helena, who's often described as illustrating the foolhardiness of love (which I agree to a certain extent...) as she says: "love is blind, and lovers cannot see the pretty follies which they themselves commit." Like we were talking about last night, Midsummer's about the raw passion, and what happens when that's in conflict with one's intellect, and what happens when that intellect is removed. But, to bring me back to my point, the Man knows what he's doing is not the most "practical" or "sensible" but it's what he's got to do. And he's willing to do what it takes to get his lady back. Continuing my Helena metaphor: H. found true love, she found her soulmate in Demetrius; and then she comes back to find him completely changed, scorning her. But she refuses to let go. It's impossible for her to move on-she's still in love with Demetrius. I remembered that this was what I was thinking about during Mass this morning:
Yes, the man is supposed to be the pursuer, and the woman the pursued, but Helena's not really the pursuer in this case. I know that sounds weird but just hear me out:
Helena's already been pursued and won by Demetrius. Then, he rejects her, but she refuses to be rejected. She knows beyond all doubt that she's found her soulmate-and she won't be moved or persuaded out of loving him. She sees that "like in sickness" he loathes her, thus her pursuit of him is her attempt to return him to health. Her unshakable loyalty, the same sort of loyalty the Man Who Can't Be Moved exhibits, is part and parcel of true love. So, yes, those are my thoughts...Jeepers, that was quite the tangent. :P I'll chalk it up to lack of sleep. ^_^