So, were back to the dodgy song reviews for the Dog Days of Summer. There are, alas, lots of possibilities for creepy stalker songs in the still-male-dominated music industry, from “Stan” by Eminem to “Run For Your Life” by the Beatles to “Every Breath You Take,” by The Police, but Im going to pick a fairly obscure hit from 1983 called “I Still Cant Get Over Loving You” by Ray Parker, Jr., instead. Remember him? He sang the theme song to “Ghostbusters” soon after. Well, this is a far cry from that. It starts out innocuously enough as a sort of guys torch song about a woman who left him because she no longer loved him. Nothing spectacular. She didnt cheat on him with his best friend or run over his dog. She just left. The first minute or so, he ruefully sings about how he “still cant get over loving you.” Understandable. I think weve all been there in the dumped and unrequited department. It takes a while to get over that. But it quickly gets weird (especially in the Gothic video for the song - yikes). First, he talks about how, when he meets mutual friends, he obsessively asks how his ex is doing and – more specifically – what guy shes with now. Then he starts getting more and more violent, talking about how he cant forget her. Theres a bit about three-quarters through where he admits it was her choice to leave, to fall out of love with him. But then some switch flips and he starts ranting about how hes never going to let her go. This is pretty strange, since its been clear up to that point she left a while ago. He then ends with the ominous line, “Dont you ever leave./Itll be the last thing you ever do.” Whoa. Okay, now, guys, when a woman leaves, she is gone. Sure, some women may waffle back and forth, but once shes left, shes left, dude. That whole thing about turning someone loose, giving them their freedom? Unless you two are married, you dont really get a say. Stalker exes dont understand that and neither does the narrator of this song. I chose this one because its so lacking in conscious irony or self-awareness about what is a very dark and controversial topic. Im not even sure Parker, Jr. was aware of what he was talking about. He does quote infamous stalker song, “Every Breath You Take” in his own, making that hit from a few months before an obvious influence. However, the writer of said tune, then-Police member Sting, has talked at length of how dark “Every Breath You Take” is, how nasty and full of sinister meaning – and how flummoxed he is that so many people think its a gentle, romantic song, anyway. I was rather relieved to hear that about Sting, because I always thought the song disquieting and its definitely not a favorite. I dont think theres anything wrong with writing creepy stuff (I love the crap out of another Police hit from the same album, B movie horror “Synchronicity II”), but artists should know when theyre pushing boundaries and what that means. Sting did and I think thats why that song works. Awareness and intent made the subtext organized and therefore, more focused. Im not convinced Parker, Jr. knew what boundary he was pushing. I think he believed the feelings and thoughts of his narrator were romantic and acceptable, as too many people (women, too) also believe. Even if he knew he was writing a creepy stalker song about an unstable and potentially dangerous narrator who needed to get some help pronto and stay the hell away from his ex, he did not get that across well. It still sounds like your standard weepy, angsty 80s song about lost love. With synthesizers. And a restraining order: https://youtube/watch?v=3eVxUBz-_KI
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 05:28:46 +0000