I cannot think of any better way of explaining the ridiculous ways we behave when we are in love, because we are ridiculous. Love itself is ridiculous when you trhink about it, and as such, I think that as a society we afford the newly in-love a bit more slack because we know how silly and absurd love is. It makes fools of us all and in all ways.
"Sheela Na Gig" by P.J. Harvey (Acoustic Only) – I have to say, I really do not like and cannot therefore recommend the electric version of this song, which I just find too hard. Although the lyrics remain the lyrics and are just terrific in their cheekiness. (I’ll print them below because if you don’t know them, they are whimsical, cheeky, funny, and read almost like a schoolyard rhyme.) Sheela Na Gig does have a sort of schoolyard charm to it. It has the “I ran up to you in the playground and kissed you” thing going on, or “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours”. It’s funny. Again, I think it really only works in the acoustic, perhaps because that lends it more of a schoolyard feel and the electric makes it too grown up for the what the song is lyrically, in my view. It is harder to find the acoustic version, but not impossible.
"Ive been trying to show you over and over / Look at these my child-bearing hips / Look at these my ruby red ruby lips / Look at these my work strong arms and / You've got to see my bottle full of charm / I lay it all at your feet / You turn around and say back to me / He said / Sheela-na-gig, sheela-na-gig."
"The Winner Takes It All" by Abba – So why should this, of all break up songs, make the list? Because if you ask me this song set the freaking archetypal, pop-ballad MOLD for "I hate you and I hate me and go fuck yourself" and self pity on the stadium level. Everything these songs tend to say is done in this sort of mythic way. I mean any song that actually directly has the get up to reference the gods, well, you gotta give em props – “the gods may throw a die,” and lines that are just brutally honest and cruel like, “I apologize if it makes you feel bad, seeing me so tense, no self confidence, but you see – the winner takes it all.” Wow, talk about telling him what for – she’s saying, “Sure, yeah, so you win. You devastated me. Proud?” Shame shame, tish tish.
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