It’s About Making Babies!

NML on Baggage Reclaim contends that certain themes keep running through the music in her life, themes having to do with love gone wrong, and getting past past mistakes, and about healing.

Now, I am *not* a ‘fallback girl’ and am not getting over an Emotionally Unavailable Man such as NML writes about on Baggage Reclaim.

But I do find some songs, some books, some movies can distract, can help heal emotional hurts.

Ok, so all I have are a few songs that have horrible stories, but are presented so entertainingly.

Lovefool, the Cardigans.

Then there are the classic stories,
It wasn’t God who make Honky Tonk Angels, by Kitty Wells, and by Wanda Jackson and by Loretta Lynn. Copyright 1952, Peer International, written by Jay D. Miller. I heard this on the compilation album, Sioux City Sue, title song sung by Bing Crosby. Sioux City Sue is another classic, horrible song, “Your eyes are blue; I’d swap my horse and dog for you”, only it is Sue that turns out to be dating every one and loving none.

I like Trick Pony, ‘Pour Me’. “I damn sure ain’t looking for a romance’; so Pour Me, Pour Me, Pour Me another shot of whiskey”. I don’t think the alcohol helps, but I like the ‘leave me along while I heal’ theme.

And the fairy tale story movie, ‘Sabrina’, with Harrison Ford came to mind yesterday, how this is a horrible, horrible fantasy to perpetrate. At the end of the story the EUM, Ford, has a change of heart, and the manipulative bastard finds he ls really in love and runs off to leave his obsessive career to be with the Ugly Duckling turned Swan, Sabrina. The music is great, the way Sabrina develops is wonderful, but the thought that bastards change without even realizing it – what a horrible, horrible lie. On the other hand, I adore the stories in Emma Thompson’s “Love Actually” movie.

Some science fiction novels have been important mood lifters for me. A good novel, one that engages the mind and the imagination, usually also engages the emotions. C. J. Cherryh’s “Pride of Chanur” takes a strong female lead, a merchant ship captain, and throws the world at her. Pyanfar must find truth behind the unknown alien on her deck (the only human in the story), battle the Kif, a pirate race, and face the treachery of her own people. Excellent science fiction, a very good novel, and a good emotional catharsis. Another is Sharon Lee and Steve Miller’s “A Conflict of Honors”. Again, not about affairs of the heart, although Priscilla does find a lasting love, I adore how the alien Liadens adopt and befriend this human that drops in the midst of the crew of the trading ship, Dutiful Passage. Immensely rewarding. A more young adult story by the same authors is “Balance of Trade”. A coming of age story without any romance, BoT explores personal growth across cultural boundaries. Gotta love the young psychic twins and Merlin, the cat. I find all three of these stories quite healing.

The A-Teens released a Disco memorium of ABBA tunes, The A-Teens Generation. One of Us is a great lament. The sound is pure ABBA, with a bright new tone. Then there is K. D. Lang’s Absolute Torch and Twang album with the soulful Three Days, with Full Moon Full of Love.

There is Dean Martin’s All Time Greatest Hits from the 1950′s And a movie that uses several of the tracks, Return To Me with David Duchovny and Minnie Driver. I love Helen Hunt’s advice for a first date, “Whatever you do, don’t shave your legs. Hairy legs are your only link to reality.” Minnie tells Helen she should stitch that in a pillow. Great Sinatra tunes, good story, and Frank Loggia and Carrol Oconnor.

How do you heal?