MetaChat - Tenderness vs. Honesty

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01 November 2005

Tenderness vs. Honesty →[More:]To me, the most intriguing musical debate of the 1970's was between two songs, one written by Paul Simon ("Just give me some tenderness Beneath your honesty") and Billy Joel ("If you search for tenderness It isn't hard to find... Honesty is hardly ever heard And mostly what I need from you").

So, which is more important to you?

(And if you think this is a stupid topic, what are your favorite two songs with diametrically opposed messages?)

post by: wendell at: 21:41 | 14 comments

Honesty. Well, that's a lie.

Uhh...Southern Man and Sweet Home Alabama? That's the first one I can think of...

posted by muddgirl 01 November | 21:44

Well, if a chicken is honest, he'll probably get beat up a lot, which is tenderizing of a sort. So I don't really think you need to choose, wendell.

posted by jonmc 01 November | 21:44

Sebadoh songs by Lou Barlow take on this issue all the time. If anyone wants to hear any, and can also read m4as, I'll post a couple.

posted by interrobang 01 November | 21:45

Why can't you have both?

posted by amro 01 November | 21:45

Linky Linky

posted by muddgirl 01 November | 21:46

You can have both:

"Love me tender, love me true ..."

The King don't lie.

posted by dg 01 November | 21:48

Umm... Nick Lowe's "Cruel to be Kind" and Spacehog's "Cruel to be Kind"?

posted by Eideteker 01 November | 22:33

Honesty in my life generally takes the "you look like you've put on weight!" form. I'll take the tenderness.

posted by jrossi4r 02 November | 00:01

Honesty and kindness can conflict. I'll take integrity and kindness as the better pair. If you need to know it, I'll tell you.

posted by dreamsign 02 November | 00:25

dg, I must yield to the wisdom of Elvis, which apparently settled the dispute more than a decade before it began...

Snce it specifically mentions the previous song AND its artiste, wouldn't "Sweet Home Alabama" be considered a Reply to "Southern Man"? Reply songs are a whole 'nother animal; in fact Neil Young did a Re-Reply song: "Alabama".

As for the two "Cruel to Be Kinds", I wonder how they relate to Three Dog Night's "Easy to Be Hard"...

As for my original topic... WHO ARE YOU CALLING A CHICKEN, JONMC???

posted by wendell 02 November | 01:24

How about Elvis "Don't be Cruel" vs. Cannibal Corpse "Fucked with a Knife".

You don't get much more diametrically opposed than that.

posted by nomis 02 November | 01:51

Two oddly diametrically opposed songs I like:

Arcade Fire, "Rebellion (Lies)":
Sleeping in is giving in
No matter what the time is
Sleeping in is giving in
So lift those heavy eyelids

The Forecast, "Sleep Tight Tonight":
Sleeping in I’ll begin again
To shed this skin and be born again

posted by stilicho 02 November | 02:39

must yield to the wisdom of Elvis

Motherfuck him AND John Wayne.

posted by jrossi4r 02 November | 10:02

3y3 <3 jrossi4r!

posted by Eideteker 02 November | 15:27

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