Bein’ Good Isn’t Always Easy

The assignment:  a playlist of the sultry, the lusty, the sexy.  Bein’ Good Isn’t Always Easy

Via social media, I asked friends to give me 3 songs they found to be “sexy, slutty, or, I guess, romantic. Any genre with words.”  I received some good responses, from which I selected some; responses prompted more ideas, and with a playlist structure put together, I filled in some cracks.  During the process, and after its conclusion, I wrote some words.

Pretty cool collaboration.  Let’s do more of this.

One striking theme is a sense of wanting, yearning.  From a person being 500 miles away to the begging “Call Me.”  Braggarts and bravado, certainly, and flat out nasty.  I’m digging the subtle, forbidden love, of “Son of a Preacher Man”.

1. Marvin Gaye – Let’s get it on

Nick Hornby made this song OK for guys everywhere.  “There’s nothing wrong with me; Loving you, Baby, noooo”

2. The Temptations – My Girl

I love this era.  The pretty voices, the sweet dance moves, the icky uniforms.  Beautiful singin’.  Romance.

3. Prince – Cream

Yikes – this is just nasty.  (Hooray!)  Diane offered this one up, and rightfully so.

4. Roxy Music – Avalon

Another Diane selection.  Bryan Ferry, a voice could make boys cry.  “Much communication in a motion; Without conversation or a notion”  Yum.

5. Pink Martini with singer Storm Large – Până când nu te iubeam

Garwood played the game, with several good choices.  Without help, I have no idea what Storm Large is singing about, but it sure sounds sultry, eh?  By the magic of Internet translation services, the Romanian title becomes “Before I Fell in Love with You”.  (Romanian!?)  Here’s the first verse:

Before I fell in love with you
My love, my love
I used to sleep like a baby
My love, my love.

From Portland, OR, Pink Martini is a band I’ve been meaning to learn for far too long.  I hope my readers dig into this one; they’re an original.

6. The Cure – Pictures of You

It just wouldn’t be right if Robert Smith ever found happiness.

7. The Makers

There was a time that The Makers were Seattle’s greatest live band; they didn’t even live here.  It was the post-Grunge era, before we completely collapsed in on singer-songwriter emo-esque boys.  Girls used to come to the shows, screaming, “Michael!”; “Oh, Michael, you’re beautiful.”  Lead vocalist, Michael Maker, was a Prince look-a-like, with giant, bug-eyed shades.  Hilarious.  Cool band.

8. Guns n Roses – Rocket Queen

Ty played the game.  I feel bad for his young bride.

I’ve never been a Metal guy, save a few examples from high school, so I struggled to place this anywhere in the lineup.  Tension is one of the Haiku rules that I try to observe, which in my practice tends to be a sudden transition in mood or visual, or a comedic line.  I’ve said before that I question my segue skills– let the tension live.

9. The Rolling Stones – Beast of Burden

You can’t really have a clutch of slutty songs and not have Mick Jagger singing – statistically speaking, I’d think it’s cosmically impossible.  Don’t you think he’s trying to be nice in this song?

10. David Bowie – Heroes

Another Garwood selection, this is one of my favorite Bowie songs.  I’ve always imagined this as a wedding anthem, if I could ever indulge, “…nothing, will keep us together“

11. Bow Wow Wow – Louis Quartorze

I love these kids.

Louis, Louis’s locking my door, Louis’s serious, I’m delirious
No plays, he just doesn’t care, Louis Quatorze starts to undress me

12. Andy Williams – Moon River

This was a group effort.  Thomas recommended other AW songs, but Diane recommended this one.  I struggled to fit this into the flow, but I think I’ve found a sense of Southern; I’ve really enjoyed the cohesion of the backend of this playlist.

13. Peter, Paul and Mary – 500 Miles

Thomas also recommend this song.  I chose a different artist.  (I’m the editor.  I’m allowed to move in mysterious ways.)  This song reminds me of “Why I Live in Memphis”, which is a song I really like, but I couldn’t find a YT version that I wanted to use.

14. Paul and The Broken Bones – Call Me

Some new-fangled soul from Alabama, and a return of that yearning theme – wanting, not having.  Local DJ once told Paul Janeway, “Dude, you could sing the phone book and it’d sound amazing.”  Yap.

15. Dusty Springfield – Son Of A Preacher Man

Sweet taboo.

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