The Boss thread

#101

Sexual desire and its manifestations are difficult to discuss, in part because of the conundrum created by feminist shallow-thinkers, as opposed to deep-thinkers, like ‘a little knowledge is dangerous’ type thing. Viewing a phrase from a song without giving credence to its complexity is to misread it entirely.

The song at its core is talking about the all-consuming desire for connection with another person and how that manifests as a sexual and physical force, even in the absence of the other person’s physical presence.

Now to feminism. On the one hand allowing for freedom of sexual expression, using terms and ideas like ‘little girl’ and ‘daddy’ is just fine. However, a sloppy understanding of sexual freedom would say that such roles are bad for women as they reinforce infantilism and lack power for women.

So how to balance sexual freedom with the idea that doing what you desire is damaging to women? If someone wants to be called a whore and spat on doing sex, that is up to them. Should they stop wanting that because it is damaging to women?

I think we can safely say that the song is not a pedo song, however.

#102

Right, I think there’s a huge difference in using re-appropriated titles for your sexual partner as opposed to, say, pornography plots around incest. There is a squeamishness around calling your partner “daddy,” that seems to be an either you get it or you don’t phenomenon. I absolutely think that normalizing dangerous behavior is irresponsible by making it visible and acceptable (incest porn), similar to how racist jokes normalize being racist, but this is a whole different thing to that.

He could literally just be making reference to the fact that this is a diminutive woman with a youthful appearance who is married to someone who works all the time and is older than she is.

#103

Right, because that topic is already covered in Working on the Highway.

#104

Seems like the Stones were much more blatant about their perverse sexuality in their lyrics.

It was a different time than what it is now. @mustbeburt heard it from his daughter “this must be old because of the lyrics”.

I am concerned that ART is being filtered through a politically correct lens - and that some artists may be afraid of being canceled in the future if they put anything in that could be construed as being misguided down the road.

#105

One shouldn’t take ‘Good Morning Little Schoolgirl’ outside of its context and time period to judge it.

#106

Aint no hangin’ matter
Aint no capital crime

Or wait…

#107

I completely agree. And yet, Working on the Highway is actually about statutory rape and probably about transporting a minor across state lines to commit statutory rape. I mean, he ends up in prison for it. So, it’s a bit weird. Not Ry-ry weird, but still weird.

#108

You know, he didn’t actually do that himself. Whereas Ry-ry…

#109

"She was just 17, you know what I mean…’

No one fried the Beatles for it, even now.

But my point about ‘I’m on Fire’ is that the song is not about pedo stuff, it’s more about lover’s ways of talking to one another, be they tasteful or not.

#110

springsteen borrows a ton from his early influences…

Daddy and Darlin are in damn near every song on his first six albums.

definitely not about incest.

#111

Did you think that was what I meant? I actually meant the opposite…

#112

when i was 15 my dad had that album on and told us what rosie was about…

Rosie palm and her five sisters…

awkward…thanks dad!

#113

yes.

we’re all good

wink

:wink:

#114

Just to, like, elaborate on calling your partner daddy… the association I always had with it was that it was play on the rockabilly revival scene. No one was calling their actual father “daddio,” in a serious manner, that’s for your husbando. I call my husband daddy sometimes but you know, like he’s the daddy and I’m the mom. We have a family together. It’s funny to me that people can’t see it from that angle. No woman is really thinking about her father when she’s calling a man daddy… This has to be a generational thing.

#115

I used to bartend in the swing nightclub that was the setting for the movies ‘Swingers.’ I got called daddy and money and all that crap from people who came in because they saw the movie.

All the hardcore rockabillies and the bands that played did not do that. FWIW

#116

Hey all. Good takes. Yeah, I had never perseverated on the lyrics before (not that there’s a lot of them - There’s basically 2 verses). I wasn’t implying that he was singing about incest, either. At face value it sounds like a man singing about a girl who is underage. Now, maybe the lyrics were written when both people were young and living at home. And you have to assume that when he’s singing “is he good to you” he’s singing about a 3rd person. Again, the lyrics are brief. It still makes me uncomfortable to listen to, but that’s just how I’m reacting to it.

#117

i see it as him being this white knight saving a girl from an abusive relationship…

I’m On Fire is by far one of my most played and favorite Bruce songs…especially the live 75-85 version…it’s sooooo fucking great.

#118

I always loved this version:

#119

Ha. Oops different song. Sometimes all my Bruce runs together.

#120

i love this one too.

when bruce first wrote this song he climbed into graceland to meet the king and give it to him…

the king was not home…he was escorted off property.

the king died months later and bruce never got to give to him