quote:

HungryPoetSon-of-a-Bitch said:
She's made such a career out of producing lesbian anthems

Hello... I was curious about your statement. I don't know what you mean by "lesbian anthems". I'm a big Melissa fan, but I can't really think of any song I would consider to be a "lesbian anthem"... could you elaborate, please? :-)

Yes, please do.

(Welcome bstrongspeaktru. )

Hmmm. I recall Melissa Etheridge 15 years ago when she was advertising in Utne Reader every issue. There was nothing lesbian or butch about her music. Just good strong anthems with emotional power dealing with faith in relationships.

I don't know Melissa Ethridge well at all, only well enough to know that her biggest album was entitled Yes I Am, and the songs "I'm the Only One" and "Come To My Window" seemed to have strong lesbian themes and that they're presented in an anthemic way, though I'm sure they're more multi-leveled than that. I'm only speaking from the perspective of the casual radio listener (at least back then) that happened to pick these things up only from what I heard, or what was given to the random public. If I sounded crass in my sentences, I apologize, but I'm not at all a tiptoer, so I might very casually say such things.

I think they could have been for any type of romantic relationship really ~ she could have been signing to a man too.
I think it is alright (her version) but Toms rocks much more. I just saw it in concert and it was very powerful! Everyone screamed along with it and I really felt empowered by it. Honestly- I am stronger than three days ago!!!!!

Hey HPSOB :-) Not crass at all! :-) I was simply curious about where you were coming from. Thank you for explaining :-) Maybe if you hadn't known that she was gay, you wouldn't have gotten that impression from the songs...? With the exception of songs that were obviously gay-themed, i.e., Scarecrow and Tuesday Morning, Melissa has always tried to make her songs pretty universal. As dahliela says, she wrote songs in a way in which they could apply to any type of relationship...

Anyway, it's been really cool and interesting reading the opinions about the cover. I think she did a pretty good job myself, but I could be considered biased, I dunno... ;-)

Angie
http://www.bstrongspeaktru.com

Wow I dug that too! That’s really saying a lot for me as I highly prefer the original and don’t tend to like covers (of Tom songs anyway) I am not really a fan of Melissa but I do like the sound and feel of the stuff I have heard. She has a gritty voice that is perfect to emulate Tom's. Plus she really didn't mess with it much. Most people butcher a song by dicking around with the cords and or feel of the original. Thanks for posting that!

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With the exception of songs that were obviously gay-themed, i.e., Scarecrow and Tuesday Morning, Melissa has always tried to make her songs pretty universal. As dahliela says, she wrote songs in a way in which they could apply to any type of relationship...

Absolutely, and that's the mark of any decent songwriter -- to keep songs ambiguous enough to apply to many different scenarios. Maybe it was because I'd known she was a lesbian beforehand, but lines like this:

"I don't care what they think
I don't care what they say
What do they know about this love anyway"

-- even though it's subtle enough to be open to many interpretations, and even though it most likely refers to more than one idea, it seems as though the lesbian theme is definitely implied. Even if I hadn't known she was gay, I think that part of the song would have still raised an eyebrow in that direction. It's funny that I made the statement that I did without ever hearing "Scarecrow" and "Tuesday Morning".

Furthermore, now that I think about it a little bit more, I think I came to the conclusion I did because maybe her songs always kind of have a "Refugee" quality to them, and kind of overcoming a refugee status, whether it be with relationships or anything else. And I think dealing with something about yourself that's considered so taboo can kind of set your mind along to thinking in those terms when it comes to other facets of life....if that makes any sense.

But at any rate, I do like her cover.

I see your point about how it could sound that way, I am dating a man much older and I could think it applies to that too. Even if you were rich and your girlfrinds poor... Being from a very small town I know alot of people get in your business when you start to date anyone- so it could apply to anything someone has to say about your relationship and what they see as working or not?

HPSOB, it does make sense :-) In fact, I'm glad you gave the example you gave, because it made me think about how Melissa comments on her writing a song about one thing and the beauty of people interpreting it in their own way. That line about "What do they know about this love anyway" is a prime example. Like dahliela says, it really can apply to any type of relationship that's "out of the norm" per say... but during her concerts, you will see a huge reaction from the audience when she sings that line... seems a lot of gay people read it the way you did. Melissa has commented especifically about it before... :-)

So I do get where you're coming from ;-)

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In fact, I'm glad you gave the example you gave, because it made me think about how Melissa comments on her writing a song about one thing and the beauty of people interpreting it in their own way.

Tom Petty has said the exact same thing. And it all has to do with subtlety and ambiguity. And exactly -- that line "What do they know about this love anyway" can apply to any relationship out of the norm, which is what, I'm sure, her intention was. She wanted the idea to be universal, she wanted it to apply to anyone who may have been given grief about his/her own love. But if you examine the woman herself, it's not very difficult to surmise that she wanted to express the universal notion so that her own situation would be understood on a universal level. It's the same thing with Tom's Echo album for me. Given the actual facts, you know where he's coming from, but he makes it universal and ambiguous enough where I can apply it to my own demons, which I won't even begin to talk about here, but it has nothing to do with divorce. But at the same time, I know that his own divorce is the reason that he's come up with what he's come up with.

Anyway, it's pretty cool that some good songwriting can spark up a pretty interesting and unexpected conversation. Cheers.

dahlielia...uh...how much older?

HPSOAB, vague and obscure and ambiguous lyrics? Boy, are you at the right place. So...what car is Tom needing to turn around and why, in your humble opinion? (I'm thinking the body's rusted out and maybe the bushings are gone, but I'm ever so interested in your take.)

LOL! You really got me stumped on that one. I thought it was a fan belt myself, but who knows -- maybe he's got one too many kids in the back seat on the way to Hershey Park.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Bluegill:
dahlielia...uh...how much older?


18 years. I am 27 and he 45. Why do you wonder, I wonder?