Bed time with The Girl last night, in which she asked me to sing “Wonderful Tonight”
“It’s late in the evening”
Why is it late in the evening?
Because it is night-time.
“she’s wondering what clothes to wear”
The Girl hears “closed to where” – long discussion follows.
“She puts on her make-up”
Why does she put on make up?
Some people feel better when they wear make-up.
“and brushes her long red hair.”
Who brushes her hair?
The women in the song.
“And then she asks me, ‘Do I look all right?’”
Who does she ask?
The man in the song.
Who is the man?
Eric Claptoin
“And I say, ‘Yes, you look wonderful tonight.’”
Who says that?
The man in the song.
Eric Clapton?
Yes, Eric Clapton.
Who looks wonderful?
The woman in the song.
Who is the woman in the song?
I don’t know.
AND THERE ARE TWO MORE VERSES AND A CHORUS BEFORE THE SONG ENDS!! HOLY FREAKEN CRAP!!!!!
Hey, we experienced this disconnect between the spectacle of music and what the songs were actually saying.
One of our staple music videos between the time when Andrew as 6 and 10 was Cindy Lauper in Paris. It’s not available on dvd, and it’s just killer music. Our kid insisted on seeing it almost every night for a long time, and we loved it, so there was a cultural symbiosis. But how do you explain “she bop” to your 7-year-old son? (how do you explain it to your 48-year-old self?)
Then there was the time we were watching a Hall & Oates video of “Open All Night”, and Andrew asked us, “Is this a sad song?”
You’ll never be able to interpret music to your kids. They’ll cleave to its context, and that context won’t be you. And it’s wonderful.
She’s going to grow up to be a professor. Of lit crit, probably.
: )