Jerkish characters (beginning with The Beatles) in songs

Cafe Society
61

In “Young Girl” the singer struggles with his conscience and after two verses and three choruses comes to his senses and tells her to hurry home to her mama before he changes his mind. The song that crosses the line is Puckett’s “This Girl Is a Woman Now.”

But for sheer jerkiness, Gary Puckett is a minor league lecher compared to Lou Christie’s angel on one shoulder, devil on the other confession to his girlfriend, “Lightning Strikes.”

Every boy wants a girl
He can trust to the very end
Baby, that’s you
Won’t you wait but ‘til then?
When I see lips beggin’ to be kissed (stop)
I can’t stop (stop) I can’t stop myself (stop, stop)
Lightning is striking again

But wait, there’s more!

When I settle down
I want one baby on my mind
Forgive and forget
And I’ll make up for all lost time
If she’s put together fine and she’s readin’ my mind (stop)
I can’t stop (stop) I can’t stop myself (stop, stop)
Lightning is striking again
Lightning is striking again and again and again and again

There’s even more than that, but we’d run into fair use violations.

But enough from me, here’s a far more detailed breakdown of the song.
http://www.rebeatmag.com/it-was-50-years-ago-today-lightnin-strikes-by-lou-christie/

62

I started the this thread after a listen to “Lovely Rita” from Sgt. Pepper’s, and I thought it really atypical for Paul to be boasting about getting out of a ticket, a free dinner and perhaps lamenting that two sisters on the one couch prevented him from getting laid. Perhaps that’s the aspect that makes the song so good.

Lennon and some other Beatles sorta apologized for “Run for you life” though John said it was George’s favourite - I reckon very likely because George plays a wicked (no pun intended) guitar solo and plays another guitar too.

Yet I was reminded today that Lennon “borrowed” the line.

I’d rather see you dead, little girl, than to be with another man."

from Elvis Presley “Baby, let’s play house” in 1954.

So it was the times, man.

Peter Gabriel’s “Predator” didn’t kill anyone and Frank Zappa’s “I am the slime has nothing to be sorry for”

I am gross and perverted
I’m obsessed and deranged

Spinal Tap has some answering to do for “Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight”

You’re sweet but you’re just four feet
And you still got your baby teeth
You’re too young and I’m too well hung

Tonight, I’m gonna rock you
Yeah, tonight, I’m gonna rock you
Tonight, oh yeah

Parody lives!

63

“Your Southern Can is Mine”, originally written by Blind Willie McTell and covered by the White Stripes on De Stijl, is fucking harrowing:

64

After listening to more of “Rubber Soul” I’ve gotta say that John’s comment (I’ll assume it was one of his Playboy interviews) was some kind of equivocating or outright BS.

“Rubber Soul” hast two George songs “Think for yourself” *(Paul on chorus and harmony) and “If I needed someone” that rival anything else on that album except perhaps John’s “in My Life”

65

For something more modern, there is Bad Guy by Billie Eilish

I’m the bad type
Make your mama sad type
Make your girlfriend mad type
Might seduce your dad type
I’m the bad guy
Duh

66

Paid in full by the drummer.

67

It is widely know that this song is actually about his dog… not quite as jerkish as their “One in a Million” on the same album. G N’ R Lies.

68

Be that as it may, the song’s narrator killed her because she “bitched so much” and then buried her in his backyard.

69

I wasn’t implying it’s not jerkish, only the other one is worse.

70

Aqualung

71

Gordon Lightfoot was a great singer-songwriter but he liked his booze and women. Many of his songs reflected his lifestyle and jerkish behaviour “For Lovin Me” “Sundown” “Carefree Highway”.

72

Alice Cooper Goes to Hell bubbled up to the surface earlier today, on the flash drive full of albums I have plugged into my car.

You’d poison a blind man’s dog and steal his cane
You’d gift-wrap a leper and mail him to your aunt Jane
You’d even force-feed a diabetic a candy cane
You can go to hell

73

Haven’t we had this discussion on the SDMB before? He didn’t light the house on fire, he just bummed at her house while she was at work. Lit a fire in her fireplace.

I started listening to The Beatles when I was a little kid and never once did I think that the singer burned down the lady’s house. Apparently there’s many who think he burned the house down.

74

The guy in Leaving On A Jet Plane, who let her down and played around so many times, but of course, that don’t mean a thing. It’s funny, so many people think it’s such a sweet song.

75

Paul McCartney thinks he burned the house down: “In our world the guy had to have some sort of revenge. It could have meant I lit a fire to keep myself warm, and wasn’t the decor of her house wonderful? But it didn’t, it meant I burned the fucking place down as an act of revenge, and then we left it there and went into the instrumental.”

76

In review from worst to least worst, I reckon:

The Man in Black shot a man in Reno just to watch him die. I don’t think songs are admissible in court yet Johnny Cash did go to Folsom Prison to perform so it’s all good.

Well, I’d rather see you dead, little girl
Than to be with another man

That line is in a 1954 Elvis Presley song, “Baby, let’s play house”. The girls must have swooned, “Oh he’ll beat me up if I cross him he loves me so much!”. John Lennon took the concept to a bit higher level but threats of violence aren’t admissible in court. Oh, wait, I think they are. Probably not in songs though. So there goes “Your Southern Can is Mine” and bricks.

We never learn why Freddy Mercury killed a man. He certainly regrets it, and like Johnny Cash made up by playing lit ive a lot.

Nothing positive to say about the characters - not the songs - from Warren Zevon (Excitable Boy, Werewolves of London). Or Maxwell and his silver hammer. BOLO for all - not yet apprehended.

Gary Puckett’s character debated over his chance with an underage girl but didn’t go that far. Kiss, Nugent and the Rolling Stones bragged about doing it.

Poor young Jim Croce (in the song “5 minutes”) gets 20 years (!) for an encounter with a teenage girl.

There’s just something sly about even a 20 year old McCartney singing “you know what I mean” in “I saw her standing there”. I saw a youtube of (an 80 year old plus) him performing the song just a year or so ago and a teenage girl was dancing on stage next to him (I don’t believe they made contact). Paul did get a peck on the cheek from his guitarist.

I had the single to Ringo’s “You’re sixteen” when I was seven. Even then I thought the notion of some way old guy (33) and a sixteen year old girl was kinda odd. I believe Paul’s only contribution was the Kazoo solo just to add to the instruments he can play. Yet he’s not as good as Stevie Wonder on drums or Kazoo!

I’ll add “My Best Friend’s Girlfriend”. from The Cars. My brother is still married to his (ex) best friend’s girlfriend. Still, if (the late) Ric Ocasek girlfriend met (the way too early late) Benjamin Orr I can see that.

ETA:: It is not safe to leave the boy with Uncle Ernie tonight. Though he (Moon) is hilarious at the end of the film.

77

Lady Madonna, baby at your breast.

You should get your ass up and make Kraft Mac & Cheese dinner, to feed the rest.

78

“Cocaine Blues”

Early one mornin’ while makin’ the rounds
I took a shot of cocaine and I shot my woman down

Shot her down because she made me slow
I thought I was her daddy, but she had five more

79

Eh? Are you saying she’d a jerk for not feeding her children?

80

I think it’s “made me sore,” although there are a gazillion versions.