A-Ha: "Take On Me"

this was playing on the radio
we were sitting in the driveway

...

We're talking away
I don't know what
I'm to say I'll say it anyway
Today's another day to find you
Shying away
I'll be coming for your love, OK?

Take on me, take me on
I'll be gone
In a day or two

So needless to say
I'm odds and ends
But that's me stumbling away
Slowly learning that life is OK.
Say after me
It's no better to be safe than sorry

Take on me, take me on
I'll be gone
In a day or two

Oh the things that you say
Is it life or
Just a play my worries away
You're all the things I've got to
remember
You're shying away
I'll be coming for you anyway

Take on me, take me on
I'll be gone
In a day or two

...

i still don't really get it
so i tried to figure out what other people
thought this song meant…

one person said: "this song is about the responsibility
of entering a relationship in some form"

another said: "Reminds me of that golden age of
music and videos when this song came out.
Also someone I left behind when I
moved back home. Of course, I promised to write
to her and of course, it never happened - and when
I made it back almost a year later,
she was long gone. Funny how life can make even
the most optimistic among us want to cry sometimes.
Strangely, I didn't realize just how
great this song was until years later!"

he, he-who-must-not-be-named, said:
"I can't believe this is playing right now…"

i was thinking:
you'll be gone, you'll be gone, you'll be gone
he'll be gone, he's gone

what do you think?

what does a-ha think?
check out a-ha's website, maybe we'll find out
download this not so great radio recording
for free, of "take on me"
and if you're moved,
buy the album "hunting high and low"

Bikini Kill: "Jet Ski"

repeat
he's so not worth it
and you're way too good for him

...

Ain't got no more
No more candy for you
I'm not your rocket ship
Or your motor boat
Your movie set
Or your cartoon show
Not your fucking VCR
Not you avantegard postcard idea
I'm not your oilwell
I'm not your bloodbank
I'm not your bullet proof vest
Or your Visa card
I ain't got no more candy for you
I said I'm not your vacation spot
I'm not your footnote, freakshow
Or your latest cause
I'm not your view to a kill
I'm not your background tune
I'm not the nutty story
That your neighbors been telling to you
I ain't got no candy for you
I said I'm not your oilwell
I'm not your dimestore novel
Or your prison cell
I ain't got no candy for you

...

this made it through my car speakers
about six or more times on my drive
back to portland from my mom's house
after hiding out from heartbreak
for a couple of days

on the way down, i drove in silence
four hours and some minutes of it,
minus some old radio show action
in the last hour... which lost me, quickly
nazis and such, that was the takeaway, bombs

on the way back, a special little lady
told me to blast some music and rock out
or cry or whatever i needed to do
so i decided to do just that

i thought for a while,
what would not turn me into
a gushy ball of heartbroken tears?

bikini kill

then this track came on
in the random playlist of angry girl
goodness

totally did the trick
perfect for the haters
blast it, hate them
love you
(and bikini kill)

the usual:
website / buy it / download
check it / worth it / play it / do it

xo freelurvers



-->

The Format: "Give It Up"

Well I made my way back down to the valley
Right on past 83rd street
That's where we once belonged
But I’m gone
I swear I’m long gone

[CHORUS]
So give it up, throw your hats in the air
And change just as they land,
you’re saying "We'll get out of here"
Something tells me that you’re too scared to go

So the stairs that you could climb
Are the ones you’ve left behind
And your eyes light up when we talk about the past
God, I miss those songs we used to sing
Talking like getting away would be the greatest thing
Well me, I got out,
And you, you kept singing to me
Like that's really going to set this free

[CHORUS]

Like a ghost
You’ve been haunting all these dusty old roads and old homes
The ones we swore we'd never go, oh oh

As for Joe
Oh I’ve seen him around
Then there’s Adam
He’s afraid to go out
I don’t blame him, I just wanted to go out to eat

Then there’s Mark
God damn, I wish him the best
We were kids back then, as if we could progress
Sometimes I, I just can’t sleep
Thinking of everything we could have been so

[CHORUS x2]

...

fitting for a road trip flick's soundtrack.
cue it just as the car pulls out of the driveway.

fitting for my road trip, which may represent
the first time i actually leave for more than a
few months at a time. few people have faith in that,
or at least that's what they tell me. all i know is
a lot of tears were shed upon my exit, so it better
last at least as long as the sobfest did.

while i'm excited to spend some time with
myself, in the car... i'd be lying if i said it
would suck if someone filled in as co-pilot.

as i've mentioned, freelurving for one
is sometimes necessary, but freelurving with a
plus one is often more fun. too bad not-so-stranger boy,
my brother, or one of my freelurving besties* couldn't
throw their hat in the air and run away with me.

it could have been so romantic.
like thelma and louise without the abuse, rape, or suicide.
or natural born killers without the guns.
can you see it?

the format's website
download "give it up"
(or buy it)

*over/getting over these, just to clarify...

Salt-N-Pepa: "Let's Talk About Sex"

	Salt-N-Pepa - Let's Talk About Sex (Original Recipe Club Mix)
	Found at skreemr.org

been on the road, again. sorry
for the delay. i've been waiting
to put this one up here.

...

CHORUS:
Let's talk about sex, baby
Let's talk about you and me
Let's talk about all the good things
And the bad things that may be
Let's talk about sex [4x]

Let's talk about sex for now
to the people at home or in the crowd
It keeps coming up anyhow
Don't decoy, avoid, or make void the topic
Cuz that ain't gonna stop it
Now we talk about sex on the radio and video shows
Many will know anything goes
Let's tell it how it is, and how it could be
How it was, and of course, how it should be
Those who think it's dirty have a choice
Pick up the needle, press pause, or turn the radio off
Will that stop us, Pep?
I doubt it
All right then, come on, Spin

[CHORUS]

Hot to trot, make any man's eyes pop
She use what she got to get whatever she don't got
Fellas drool like fools, but then again they're only human
The chick was a hit because her body was boomin'
Gold, pearls, rubies, crazy diamonds
Nothin' she wore was ever common
Her dates heads of state, men of taste
Lawyers, doctors, no one was too great for her to get with
Or even mess with, the Pres she says was next on her list
And believe me, you, it's as good as true
There ain't a man alive that she couldn't get next to
She had it all in the bag, so she should have been glad
But she was mad and sad and feelin' bad
Thinkin' about the things that she never had
No love, just sex, followed next with a check and a note
That last night was dope

Let's talk about sex, baby (sing it)
Let's talk about you and me (sing it, sing it)
Let's talk about all the good things
And the bad things that may be
Let's talk about sex (come on)
Let's talk about sex (do it)
Let's talk about sex (uh-huh)
Let's talk about sex

Ladies, all the ladies, louder now, help me out
Come on, all the ladies - let's talk about sex, alright
[repeat]

(Yo, Pep, I don't think they're gonna play this on the radio
And why not? Everybody has sex
I mean, everybody should be makin' love
Come on, how many guys you know make love?)

[CHORUS]

...

this song has stuck with me since i was in
kindergarten, 1991, the year of its release,
to be precise. i remember singing it with my
friends while walking to school, dancing to the
video in my living room, and blasting it
on the three disc cd player in my bedroom.

despite knowing all the words, and playing
it on repeat multiple times, it really didn't
mean much to me at that point in time. today
it's a little different, as you can imagine.

i found this song especially fitting
for a recent conversation i found myself
in the midst of the other day. leaning
against my car was my not-so-stranger boy,
listening to me say, "sex is serious,"
and him saying something to the effect of,
"sex is always better when both people can
talk about it."

so, yes, salt 'n' pepa, let's talk about sex.
because not-so-stranger boy has a point,
and i know i was right too.

that being said, i am donating this song
to anyone who is talking around, not talking
about, or trying to figure out how and when
to talk about sex. download this gem,
burn a cd or throw it on your i(whatever),
and hit play when your not-so-stranger boy/girl
is in the car with you. it will be the perfect
icebreaker for any and all conversations
about sex. really tricky parents could even
use it to initiate the dreaded sex talk...
imagine that.

salt 'n' pepa's website
download "let's talk about sex"
(or buy it, i did)

Audra Mae: "The River"

	"The River"
	Found at skreemr.org

this track so worked for me the other night.
as usual, i was sitting in my car.
and it made a lot of sense.

...

I've done a bad thing it's okay
I'm going down to the river today
And the river's gonna wash my sins away
Til I'm born again tomorrow
Oh to get over my head
Make me forget my sorrow

I'm going down to the river alone
Don't tell mama and daddy I'm gone
And if they cry when I don't come home
Just lie and tell them I'm funnin'
Water get out of my eyes
Into the river wide I'm runnin'

And I can't swim
But it's alright
'Cause all my sin would drag me down even if I could
And if it weren't for him and the love that night
I'd be living for the light like a good girl should
'Cause a good girl should

This old town'll have my skin
I can't speak the trouble I'm in
So if I don't come back again
Go lie beneath the willow
'Cause where I carved my name
Is where my soul will remain
And I'll still know

Lord, and I can't swim
But it's alright
'Cause all my sin would drag me down even if I could
And if it weren't for him and the love that night
I'd be living for the light like a good girl should
'Cause a good girl should

When I meet the Lord so kind
I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind
And I'll tell him I wanna know why oh why
When he's so damn forgivin'
My daddy won't look in my eyes
Mama knows the lies I'm living

Oh, I can't swim
But it's alright
'Cause all my sin would drag me down even if I could
And if it weren't for him and the love that night
I'd be living for the light like a good girl should
'Cause a good girl should

...

sex and religion and love and such.
what a mess.

i was about to write that not being religious
makes freelurving much simpler pour moi,
but it doesn't. i'm not changing my nonreligiousness,
just letting my mind meander through the pews
momentarily.

i'm still plagued by feelings of guilt and regret,
the way any god fearing person should be, but
eventually am able to sort them out with the
party(ies) involved, rather than talking to god about it.
and after the sorting out takes place, i may still be hard
on myself about whatever may have happened, but am
typically able to walk away with a huge smile
on my face and am much more at ease.

like i said. sex, love, and religion... a mess.
(if that threesome offends anyone reading,
you should stay away from threesomes all together)

audra mae's website
download "the river" (or buy it)

and, a shout out to philly's 88.5 FM
for playing this song while i was driving to work
last fall... otherwise i don't think i'd be listening
to audra mae.

freelurving for one

	Ratatat - Seventeen Years
	Found at skreemr.com

while freelurving is definitely a
two person sport... sometimes you
just have to go it alone.

i was driving in my car and
this ratatat track came on and
the beat just hit me, like with most
ratatat tracks, but then i thought
about the lyrics and how in your face
they are and the ego / drive they convey.

thinking about freelurving as a solo sport
made me think of alone in kyoto, by air.
discovered this gem while watching one of my
favorite movies and it's always spinning on
my "working" and "really working" playlists.

either song can be taken in many ways.
whichever way you choose, hopefully
you'll agree they rock.

ratatat's website
download "seventeen years" (or buy it)

air's website
download "alone in kyoto" (or buy it)

on repeat: "Red Cave"

on the road again...
so this video is fitting,
as they are in motion as well.

if you are impatient, like many people,
you can fast forward to 2:30 and that's
where "red cave" starts. if not, sit back
and enjoy, it's a pretty interesting take
on live music videos.

original posting for lyrics
and download of yeasayer's "red cave"

Yeasayer: "Red Cave"

I went out past the willow and the well
caught my breath upon the hill
at the edge of the domain and I went down
and further down
and when I got up,
I'm at the red cave

and with that sound
as if I had been put under a spell
she led me to her abode
despite a winter's day

Mary's house in the hollow of the
white hazel rapid whirlpool
and the church of red cave

I'm so blessed to have spent that time
with my family and the friends
I love with my short life I have met
so many people I deeply care for
[repeat]

...
so this is what we do with a
sentimental heart... someone should let
zooey deschanel and m. ward in on
this gem of wisdom.

i am most definitely blessed to have
spent all the time with my family and
amazing friends, and especially the many
random people i have met and shared brief
moments in strange times and distant places with.

like the boy from australia that i met
on the bus on the way home from nyc
on that very cold and windy day and ended
up actually going out with later that week.

or the boy i met at the bus stop in denver
with nowhere to sit and nowhere to find solace
from the hot, hot sun or dust blowing on
my face from the bustling interstate
just a stone's throw away.

or neverending boy, that i am still
reminded of by random glimpses of my freelurving
favorite, "dreams", and other otherwise
insignificant details of my travels.

great great car song. repeated many times
in mine. makes you want to go places,
but reminds you of the people that really
matter most in your life. being somewhat of
a gypsy, i know home is where the heart is,
but these chance meetings are one of
the main things that keep me moving.

yeasayer's website
download "red cave"

The Flood: "Sweet Janeen"

O, my unlucky stars
They are aligning in the shape of a guitar
But no one wants to hear me sing
So I think I'm gonna have to starve
Damn all the money lending
Notes are bending somewhere
Soft and sweet
I'm gonna find 'em girl, and if you wanna come
I can't promise anything
But I know you always wanted to learn to sing

CHORUS
Oh my darling, sweet Janeen
Pack up your trunk and come with me
I'm just a loser, sweet Janeen
I just wanna hear the guitar ring

Baby, what's the goddamn point of toiling
When I've got these melodies?
Already shot my soul into these lines
Now I've barely got the strength to breathe
Can't watch the brilliant rays through a windowpane
I'm gonna open it wide
And if you do the same I'm gonna meet you, girl
Down where the river bends tonight
Cuz I don't want no other life

CHORUS

I know you think it's cool
All my books and my words, so lush and true
But I could never be your only one
Unless you're boring too
I've got this crazy dream, but I just need some peace
Are you gonna stick with me
Through all the silent days under my stony gaze
Right now
You've gotta tell me

CHORUS

...

can't really help it.
heart aches a little every time.

i tend to overshare (yes, one word),
but that's all i've got on this one.

the flood's website
download "sweet janeen"

another bettye lavette moment...

so, you know those bettye lavette moments
that i have mentioned more than once?
well, this one just hit me yesterday while
listening to her on youtube. it's so
strange how since day one on this blog business
she has somehow crept up on a regular basis.

...

here me now. ooo girl!
ohhh now now. ooo now.

when you give more than you get
you're in danger
you might find out you're lovin' a total stranger...

danger! heartbreak's dead ahead...

...

not that i've fallen in love
with a total stranger...
not that i know of at least.
but i have definitely been in that
give more than you get situation.
it always ends with my crush reminding
me why they're called a crush.

have a friend in need of a little
nudge, a gentle reminder, that they
should watch out, that the person they
are lurving now isn't worth lurving
tomorrow? throw this on a mix cd
and nonchalantly play it while you're
in the car with them. music is a powerful
thing, bettye lavette may be what you
need to get your point across.

[[and, if for any reason you or a friend
is in legitimate danger, like not just
heartbreak... click here for more info]]

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros: "Home" (original and Fromage Disco remix)

sorry for the lack of updates recently, freelurving
has been in cali and without internet connection.
so here's a two in one special for you!

...

[Her:]
Alabama, Arkansas,
I do love my ma and pa,
Not the way that I do love you.

[Him:]
Holy, Moley, me, oh my,
You're the apple of my eye,
Girl I've never loved one like you.

[Her:]
Man oh man you're my best friend,
I scream it to the nothingness,
There ain't nothing that I need.

[Him:]
Well, hot and heavy, pumpkin pie,
Chocolate candy, Jesus Christ,
Ain't nothing please me more than you.

[Both:]
Ahh Home. Let me come home
Home is wherever I'm with you.
Ahh Home. Let me go ho-oh-ome.
Home is wherever I'm with you.

La, la, la, la, take me home.
Mother, I'm coming home.

[Him:]
I'll follow you into the park,
Through the jungle through the dark,
Girl I never loved one like you.

[Her:]
Moats and boats and waterfalls,
Alley-ways and pay phone calls,
I've been everywhere with you.

[Him:]
We laugh until we think we’ll die,
Barefoot on a summer night
Nothin’ new is sweeter than with you

[Her:]
And in the streets you run afree,
Like it's only you and me,
Geeze, you're something to see.

[Both:]
Ahh Home. Let me go home.
Home is wherever I'm with you.
Ahh Home. Let me go ho-oh-ome.
Home is wherever I'm with you.

La, la, la, la, take me home.
Daddy, I'm coming home.

(Talking)
Him: Jade
Her: Alexander
Him: Do you remember that day you fell outta my window?
Her: I sure do, you came jumping out after me.
Him: Well, you fell on the concrete, nearly broke your ass, you were bleeding all over the place and I rushed you out to the hospital, you remember that?
Her: Yes I do.
Him: Well there's something I never told you about that night.
Her: What didn't you tell me?
Him: While you were sitting in the backseat smoking a cigarette you thought was gonna be your last, I was falling deep, deeply in love with you, and I never told you til just now.

[Both:]
Ahh Home. Let me go home.
Home is wherever I'm with you.
Ahh Home. Let me go ho-oh-ome.
Home is where I'm alone with you.

[Him:]
Home. Let me come home.
Home is wherever I'm with you.

[Her:]
Ahh home. Yes I am ho-oh-ome.
Home is when I'm alone with you.

[Her:]
Alabama, Arkansas,
I do love my ma and pa...
Moats and boats and waterfalls,
Alley-ways and pay phone calls...

[Both:]
Ahh Home. Let me go home.
Home is wherever I'm with you.
Ahh Home. Let me go ho-oh-ome.
Home is where I'm alone with you...

...

[me:]
why aren't you ever there when i'm there?

[boy:]
you're never anywhere

[me:]
i'm with you a decent amount of the time.
i'm a gypsy.

and there you have it.
a love song for nomads, gypsies, and others,
who have learned that the allure of home
rests not in the bricks or boards,
the street signs or landmarks,
but with those that you share your being with.
whether that's in the car, la, boston, vermont,
tennessee, on a boat, colorado, whatever.
you'll know it when you find it.

to my you(s),
can't wait to come home.

edward sharpe & the magnetic zeros' website
download original version of home

fromage disco's website
download fromage disco version of home

MSTRKRFT: "Heartbreaker"

first it was easy love,
now it's heartbreaker.
promise there will be an uplifting track tomorrow.

...

Remember when I caught your eye
you gave me rainbows and butterflies
we did enjoy our happiness
when our love was over
I was such a mess
I smiled at you
and you smiled back
that's when I knew, there's no turning back
you said you loved me, and I did too
now though it's over, I still love you

you're in my mind
you're in my heart
I wish I knew right from the start
all my friends said you'd break my heart
A heartbreaker right from the start

I tried to fight it
I tried so hard
and every day, I pray to god
that you and me were meant to be
but you had another, you had a lover

And now it's gone, I don't know why
I feel like crying, just want to die
I can't look at you, and you know why
no, I tried so hard, to catch your eye

you're in my mind
you're in my heart
I wish I knew right from the start
all my friends said you'd break my heart
A heartbreaker right from the start
[repeat]

...

if this song was playing in the car
nine years ago, i would be saying,
"why did he say he loved me?"
"why was i so stupid to think
he and i could actuually be together?"
"why did i risk friendships for
that one stupid kiss in the hall?"
and lastly, the one that lingered the
longest, "why do i feel so horrible?"

i felt so horrible because it was
the first time i had been in love...
whether what i felt then would be
considered love in my mind today,
i really can't even say. but, it was
the most wonderful and harshest thing
i'd ever felt, usually all at once.

on top of that, i was so young that
boys, my friends, and yeah... boys and
my friends were the two most important things
to me, at the center of my universe,
always on my mind, affecting every decision
i made. so when you told me you didn't
ever love me, that you had always loved her,
and didn't want to see me anymore,
well that was devastating. and when you
later said you wanted me back, i couldn't
have said yes faster, only to be crushed again.
and when you continued to call,
i knew i shouldn't, but i kept listening.
you were one of the hardest people
not to talk to. eventually, i stopped though.
i said never again. no more neverending there.
i haven't forgotten though.

mstrkrft's website
buy "heartbreaker"

Solander: "Looking for Gold"

how come you're so cold
speaking is only when told to
i wasn't looking for gold
i was looking for you

i wasn't looking for gold,
but i was looking for you girl
i wasn't looking for gold,
but i was looking for you girl

how come you're always in bed
sleeping is only when scheduled
i was not joking
i was trying to get you involved

i wasn't trying to fool you
i was trying to be the one you want
[6x]

...

oh to be misunderstood.
i don't know how many times
what i was saying has been so
completely misconstrued in
freelurving situations.

i'm not going to pretend i know
what solander is saying in this song,
but i will tell you a little story
about a misunderstood boy and a mix cd.

i had my wisdom teeth removed one summer.
i was home alone and in a lot of pain.
luckily you lived right up the street
and were there to hang out and watch me
eat jello on my couch and nag me for
my painkillers i refused to share.
you made me a mix cd and called it
"donde esta tus dientes" for my moment.

i listened to that cd in the car
a few days later, and immediately had this
feeling you were trying to tell me something.
instead of listening to my gut reaction,
which malcolm gladwell tries to tell us to
do in his book blink... i shrugged it off and
thought, no, we're just friends, he wouldn't.

well you did, and you had wanted to
for a long time. i didn't know until it was
too late and you exploded. we haven't talked
in ages. everything turned awkward, too many tears,
too many misunderstood moments, too much.

you were just trying to be the one i wanted.
and i'm sorry. i was blinded by my love of us
as friends, the boy and girl next door,
inseparable and easy. i misunderstood.

solander's website
download looking for gold

on repeat: "Skinny Love"

who will love you?
who will fight?
who will be far behind?

...

my brother told me he would
give his leg or foot for my life,
but that he wouldn't want to give
his hand... he's an artist.

later that week i had a dream
and in it there was this man chasing
me, trying to kill me.
eventually he caught me and as i
was pleading for my life, i found myself
asking him to cut my arm off, below the
elbow, attempting to convince him
he didn't actually want to kill me.
i couldn't find my brother.

original post
(for lyrics and download)

on repeat: "Depression"

don't know if you're
feeling this one today...
but there is something
very catchy about it to me.

also, another random thought,
how often do you think
david longstreth is alone
now that dirty projectors are
so loved by so many?

so rest easy knowing he
(just an assumption) could
get most girls he wanted and
spends lots of time riding in
his van with the rest of his gang.

original posting
(for lyrics and download)

The Blow: "Hey Boy"

Hey Boy
Why you didn't call me?
I waited for days
I can't believe you didn't call

Hey Boy
Why you didn't call me?
I waited for days
I can't believe you didn't call

A. You're gay
B. You've got a girlfriend
C. You kinda thought I came on too strong or
D. I just wasn't your thing
no ring

Hey Boy
Why you didn't call me?
I waited for days
I can't believe you didn't call

When we sat outside for an hour at the party and talked
I thought something good could be starting
It's not a lot that I want
just some talking
and really, you just injured my pride

Hey Boy
Why you didn't call me?
I waited for days
I can't believe you didn't call

Susan said that maybe you're scared
Shelly says there always is a reason
and Chris said you're probably surrounded by girls
and I'm just not one of them you're needing

...

so fucking true. i think
almost everyone can relate, even boys.
no, definitely boys.

i was driving in the car with one of my
very good boy friends and we were listening
to the original freelurving double disc mix
i gifted to him. this track was
on the "lurving (-)" disc.
for obvious reasons it didn't
make the "lurving (+)" one.
anyways, when this came on he looked over
and said to me, "that is so true!"
i also love that his name is one of the
ones used, check the lyrics.

it's apparently very easy for boys
to say all the right things...
and then totally ignore you.
i've definitely had it happen to me, and
seen it happen to more than one of my friends.

still catchy and smile provoking track though.

the blow's website
download hey boy

Twig Palace: "TA-X2i"

i wouldn't call it love in a normal sense
but i chose this tie because it matched your eyes
and the other day would be a coincidence
but this time right and i met in line for good reason

i wouldn't call it love in a normal sense
but from the first clock you were out of sight
you filled my cup, you gave me the time
you knew what i wanted
you were there for me

i wouldn't call it love in a normal sense
but all the signs in life they all look so right
how i feel, i feel as dark as light
takin' my takin' my time (5x)

...

heard twig palace for the first time while
driving in the car with my brother in washington,
headed towards the beach. as i approached
the top of the dunes and felt the breeze on my legs,
exposed in my short cutoff jean shorts, i got
goosebumps. when i looked out over the water i cried.
it was my first time seeing the pacific ocean.
i was so happy.

p.s. this song is picture perfect.

twig palace's website
download ta-x2i