Reprinted without permission, or How I learned to stop worrying and love schmaltzy shit
I was just thinking of how so often, in the middle of a relatively trite, even schmaltzy song, there can be a moment of lyrics beauty and/or brilliance. Take this following passage from, of all things, one of the schmaltziest songs ABBA ever wrote, Our Last Summer:
the paris night
Did it’s best to please us
And strolling down the elysée
We had a drink in each café
And you
You talked of politics, philosophy and i
Smiled like mona lisa
I don't know, maybe it's just me, but this was ringing in my head, and nothing else was. I liked the passage, went and looked up the rest of the song, and it was incredibly bland romantic slush. Perhaps this is too, but, again, I like this passage. It brings a vivid image to mind. Perhaps it's just the mention of politics and philosophy.
Some might call it Hallmark, but I disagree. It's what Hallmark tries to be.
I have a disturbing theory, though, that some time in the future, poetry critics might embrace schmaltz and maintain that it is actually an important movement in art that was overlooked by the pretensions of the time.
I'm scared.
posted by kusturica @ 11:23 AM
3 Comments:
Isn't your disturbing theory a variation on the idea of kitsch art ?
I personally don't like kitsch art. It's too kitsch. But I absolutely love the lyrics you pasted. In no way do I want to hear the music, nor especially the voice. The lines were written for a woman, so if a woman sings them it becomes "bland romantic slush". You know, the gender roles. The smart guy and the mysterious goose who has nothing to hide but the fact she has nothing to hide.
No, the text must be musicless and genderless. This way, the Mona Lisa smile can mock the glib-talking wannabe, or the inspired visionary can make the slightly bitter smile marvel at the possibilities in life, or they're both drunk after visiting all these cafes, and they're just ranting and smiling idiotically and feeling like peeing.
Poetry lies where the undecidable is, don't you think so ?
No, not kitch. People like kitch for the sake of embracing poor taste. I'm saying that it may become appreciated as sincerely good work. It's possible.
The rest of the song isn't really that bad, especially with the music, unless you hate ABBA schmaltz. But it's not as good as that passage. There is a good section later in the song:
Those crazy years, that was the time
Of the "flower-power"
But underneath we had a fear of flying
Of getting old, a fear of slowly dyingI almost posted it along with the other part, but that would be weird... two sections of the lyrics are good, the rest too schmaltzy without the music. I do think that music can elevate banal words, even though the best songs have words that work on paper as well as in the song. Or maybe it's the opposite, and the best songs don't work without the music. I know Ederlezi is more profound with the music.
Oh, that sucked, the next paragraph blending witht the lyrics like that. Oh well.
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