The Dark Romance of M...

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Master and Servant ~ Depeche Mode

My Dear Friend Nikki warned me that I'd better include this tune and I was happy to oblige. It titillated me back when I first discovered it as an innocent teen and still manages to stir up the naughty-sauce of my psyche. The key to this song's meaning lies in the lyrics, "Domination's the name of the game/in bed or in life, they're both just the same/Except in one you're fulfilled at the end of the day." Word.

Magic ~ Olivia Newton-John

I loved this song when I first heard it back in 1980 and over 30 years later I keep going back to it for its sheer romance. Because what could be more romantic than knowing you'll always be caught when you fall, always be supported, and even guided if necessary, by one who loves you and sticks with you to the bitter end, and believes you capable of any feat, no matter how impossible? To me, that kind of love really is magical. It's the kind of love parents feel for their children, lovers feel for their mates, and even, I honestly think, the kind of love that God feels for us all. (I know that last bit isn't the kind of thing some folks may expect from me, of all people, but hey - I contain multitudes, OK?)

Magnificent ~ U2

Dudes - when I first heard this song, I thought I'd die from the swell of emotion that overtook me. With its pulsing bass line, a guitar riff that alternates between melancholic yearning and triumphant jubilation, that driving snare, and prayer-like lyrics, it's a gorgeous, sweeping, soul-magnifying love song that pushes you along to a conclusion filled with glorious promise. I realize my feelings for it won't be shared by everybody and y'all can just keep that yourselves - for me, this song is sacred. Yes, sacred. (And, according to the Wikipedia article, which I've linked to the song's title, others agree, using words like hymn and anthem to describe it.) (So there.)

The Dark Romance of L...

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Lay Your Body Down ~ Divinyls 

This song didn't garner as much attention as another on the same album, I Touch Myself, but in my opinion should've been the big hit instead. It celebrates a lusty woman who acts on her desires and takes command in the bedroom (or wherever), rather than awaiting the leisure of her lover, for which I can only cry, "Hear, hear!" You crack that whip, Chrissy Amphlett. Unfortunately, the only videos I can find of it are a live performance which doesn't show Divinyls to their advantage, and this fan video which layers the studio version of the song over that performance video and orgiastic snippets from Xena: Warrior Princess. (Strangely, this kind of works.)

Love Burns ~ Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (BRMC)

This was the very first song of BRMC's I ever heard and I've been in love/lust with the band ever since. The plaintive chorus of "Now she's gone, love burns inside me," thrilled me to my very core. Who among us has not known the anguish of a love lost? (If, by chance, you haven't, I congratulate you. But you don't know what you're missing in terms of ice cream and alcohol overload.)

Love in a Trashcan ~ The Raveonettes

I'm not sure exactly what this song's about. Maybe it's about hunting down a one-night stand. Or maybe it's about a vampiress seeking her supper in a dive bar. Possibly, it's about settling down with a disposable lover for a time, till the right one comes along. I dunno, I just dig the retro feel, man.

The Dark Romance of K...

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Kiss and Tell ~ Bryan Ferry

I'd forgotten all about this song till My Dear Friend Nikki reminded me of it. Ferry's got one o' them voices that damn near puts me into a swoon, as does the very typical sound of the bass in his songs. I don't know what that effect is (or even if there is one), but it hits me in all the right places. (And in all the wrong ones, too.) A song about the betrayal of a former lover, it sets a dark (if suavely sexy) tone for today's A to Z Challenge letter.

Kinda I Want To ~ Nine Inch Nails (NIN)

Oh, Trent, boy do I EVER know your pain, man! I'm sure we've all been there (or close enough). That person that's captured your fancy is so enticing, so alluring, but also so pernicious to your well-being that every instinct screams against engaging in any type of relationship whatsoever. You know it's bad, bad, bad for you, you know it, YOU KNOW IT! But then you go ahead and engage anyway. Gah!

Killer Wolf ~ Danzig

As I've mentioned before (and you may have noticed), I dig wolfie themes. Too, I enjoy the Little Red Riding Hood story and this song riffs on the idea of wolf as seducer. A predatory seducer, yes. No less arousing for all its menace, but still vewy, vewy scawy! AooROOO!

The Dark Romance of J...

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Arriving in "J" land I had to fish around a bit for things which fit my theme and today's letter, and so I begin with:

Joan Jett's cover of Do You Wanna Touch Me

Would you believe the original is by Gary Glitter? I had not known that and, frankly, preferred not knowing. But anyway, Joan's asking the question like she doesn't already know the answer. Do you wanna touch her there? Hells yeah, you do! (I'm guessing.)

Jerk It Out ~ Caesars

OK, so officially (according to the band) the song's simply about being pumped up for a night out on the town and "jerking it out" refers to letting all that energy loose while dancing and just generally having a good time with your pals and whatnot. Some fans assert it's about self-pleasuring. In either event, I like to think that the singer's got his girlie nearby, ready to lend a hand. As it were.

Journey to the Center of a Girl ~ The Cramps

Yes, it's about just what you're thinking. Naughty.

The Dark Romance of I...

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I'm Your Boogie Man ~ KC and The Sunshine Band

With boyish charm and that little take-you-by-surprise growl of promise, Harry Wayne Casey sang about wanting to do whatever he could to love me, please me, and just about everything else that would rock my world, at damn near any time of day convenient to me (or all day long, if that's what it took). It would be churlish to refuse. Churlish, I tell you!

I Want You Now ~ Depeche Mode

I remember buying the Music for the Masses album (on cassette tape!) in the fall of 1987. I sat down on the floor in the middle of the bedroom I shared with my sister, popped the tape in, and slipped on my headphones so I could absorb the beauty and wonder as fully and intimately as possible. I was in heaven. I flipped over to side 2, rocked as quietly as I could to Behind the Wheel, and then was stunned into motionlessness by the almost religious intensity of I Want You Now. Lord, Lord, Lord...WOOF!!!!! The best bit of that first experience however, besides having my teenaged socks rocked, was how I nearly jumped out of my skin at the eerie laughter at the very end of the tune (you've been warned). There's not an official video, so the one below is a simple vid with good sound quality - close your eyes and let it sink in...

I Dig You ~ Cult Hero (very early The Cure)

It's all very simple: there's me, there's you, there's us, and it rocks - huzzah! :-D

The Dark Romance of H...

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Hot Stuff ~ Donna Summer

C'mon, I don't really have to explain this one, do I? Girlfriend wants some hot stuff, baby - you gonna give it to her, or what? I wouldn't keep her waiting for too long, if I were you.

Howlin' for You ~ The Black Keys  

Here's a tune about how some chick brings out Dan Auerbach's inner beast...in the sexiest possible way, of course. Apart from digging the song, I enjoy the wolfie metaphor and, frankly, Auerbach's voice makes me go all melty...you know what I'm gonna write next, dontcha? Woof. (PS: This video, according to the Wiki entry I linked to the title, is "a parody of a sexploitation film trailer" and in it, we finally learn what Willis was talkin' 'bout.)

 

Hella Good ~ No Doubt

Homegirl Gwen represents for the ladies, singing about how her fella makes her feel so groovy. Of course, no one says "Hella" anymore, but I will - that bass line, though nothing fancy, makes me feel hella HAWT!

The Dark Romance of G...

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A Girl Like You ~ The Smithereens

I remember reading, God knows where ('cause I sure don't remember, though it was likely Wikipedia), that this tune was meant for the soundtrack of the movie "Say Anything," only the powers-that-were decided the lyrics revealed too much of the story, so they bagged it. Losers. This powerful rock song, with its expression of everything the singer would do just to have a girl like me (or you; geez, play along with me, here) latched onto my heart and hasn't let go in over twenty years. (OK, the video's incredibly goofy, but the song kicks ass.)

Girlfriend ~ Matthew Sweet

Here's another song I've loved for (slightly over) twenty years - though I admit I wonder if I'd've loved it so long had I seen the video for it sooner. The camera angles on Mr. Sweet give him a slightly creepy stalkerish look which detracts somewhat from the appeal of this groovy tune, but not enough to put me off it. Besides which, I can't resist the charm of the cocky opening line, "I wanna love somebody. I hear you need somebody to love." C'mon, that's pretty cute. (I dunno how I'd react to that in a bar, or whatevs, but still - adorbz!)

Ghost of a Texas Ladies Man ~ Concrete Blonde

Folks, this is a love story from the great beyond (which you know I dig). It's got a fast, relentless beat that won't let up, twangy gee-tars, and clever lyrics that tell a spooky story of spectral sexiness. Best line: "He seemed so glad to see a woman in the flesh and I really liked his spirit." Brilliant.