monday song #23: first communion
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number 23. the mystical number for fans of psychic tv and throbbing gristle. and the chicago bulls.
i realized after i posted last week’s song that that the memory parade of our protagonist had begun in the late 30s with a 30s style song. figured the next milestone might happen in the early 50s, and so i went with a ‘kansas city’ style boogie woogie early 50s song. a high school memory of his first foray into the world of comingling.
the result has definite flavors of elvis costello, an updated 50s vibe with a more modern subject matter. the only give away being the “sophisticated” bridge, with the conversion language that gave me the title.
i was glad for the opportunity for an old style barrelhouse solo. while i was working on the structure it struck me that the insistent rhythm and syncopation is about as close as you can get in music to the sexual act: exciting, off balance, and visceral. it’s fun with a price.
as i built this section, i kept thinking i wanted to end with a nod to ‘tommy’: ‘it’s a boy, mrs walker it’s a boy.’ the foundation of a happy life and the foundation of tragedy. i think they mostly go together.
until next week and the next decade; the summer of love, seen through the eyes of a man who missed it altogether.
