God, that's awful.

He hit me and I knew he loved me

It brings a whole new dimension to the term "I'd hit it".

wanna follow this up with Antony and the Johnson's Fistfull of Love?

(i have always been fascinated with this song, thanks for uploading it)

heh! "Controversial" is right. I do this song. The first time was at the dedication of a new wing at the local domestic violence shelter.

The song inspired wonderful debates. :D

I still sing it on selectied occasions, but no longer faithfully follow the Crystal's style. It sounds considerably less sweet.

Mrs.Pants, I've heard of that cut you listed, but have never listened. A dust-up could happen over that one, too. (yay!)


This is great. I LOVE controversial songs; music tells so much about a culture's habits of thought.


I don't usually try for the YouSendIt links.. a combo of sloooow connection, and the fact that I can't resume a big download (they say their downloader link lets you resume, but it doesn't work) really limits me.

I'm going to make a try for a (hopefully) offensive Fistfull.

Thanks to you jon, and Mrs.Pants.

if you like that song reflecked here's another love song from Antony!

God, that's awful.

Well, yeah. That's kind of the point. As someone who's been on the recieveing end of violence and verbal abuse himself, I don't offer any apologias for domestic violence. But, as an exploration of the age-old question "why do women stay with guys like that?" this song is pretty unbeatable. I've known plenty of women who's boyfriends treated them like shit but when asked "then leave him?" they'd say "but he looves me?" and this song illustrates the mental process behind that in black and white. and it's chilling.

and fear, sexuality, agression and love are all deeply intertwined in our psyches and untangling them can be a nasty business.

the song is a story about people. I can vaguely see its offensiveness from a certain feminist pov, but I dont see it as even being about "abuse" at all. It's about her wanting to be punished so she can feel absolved for something bad she did.

The fact that it comes in the form of a man hitting a woman politicizes it, especially today, but I dont see the story as the typical one of "abusive man/woman who is afraid to leave him" at all.

drjimmy.. just ..omg.


You're a wise man, jonmc.

People don't change unless the alternative looks more attractive, and many people live with all kinds of abuse because it's a known danger, and there are illusions of control for both sides in a violent relationship.

I think that the poetry and imagery music helps me to get inside other's heads, both as an influence when i sing, and when I hear the songs of others.

Thanks Mrs.Pants... that Fist tune just finished and it's outrageously awful; I like it. I think that if I arrange it "ala Morphine" (bass, drum, sax and voice), it will be a really down and dirty piece.

heh.. I'm not sure if Antony himself is a keeper, though. :D

Have you ever heard the "answer song" that Spiritualized did a few years back? It's called "She Kissed Me (It Felt Like A Hit)," and it is smokin'.

You're a wise man, jonmc.

Not really. I just like thinking about stuff. and we liberals like to look at the root causes of things like crime and terrorism, yet when it comes to our big boogeymen-racism, misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia, we all of a sudden get skittish and think that just saying "racism/sexism/homophobia is bad!" is going to do the trick.

Yes, we have to call out and remedy these ills and their effects where we see them, but that's only half the battle. It's never going to go away until we realize that these things do not develop in a vacuum and that we have to treat them as a disease like alcoholism or addiction. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I don't have the slightest idea what that treatment might entail, but taking a long unbiased look at things might be a good first step.

As an ex-family lawyer who dealt with many hundreds of domestic violence cases over the years, it's a story I've heard countless times. Women trapped in fear and ignorance. Usually fear of the unknown, not of the partner.

Thank you, boring postcards; I had no idea there was an "anti-HeKissedMe" song. That's excellent.

jon, just the fact that you don't live with your head in the sand....... *nod*

essexjan, respect to you for all the work you've done.

I'm in it for the littles, mostly. Any kid who has a chance to see that you can have a life and a family without abuse, is a kid who knows there are other ways to be.

The generational trap gets sprung.

Courtney Love's band Hole played a cover of the song as part of their MTV Unplugged performance. Love introduced the song by saying 'This is a really sick song. It's one of those Spector songs and it was written by Carole King, which...you have to think.' At the end of the song Courtney commented 'Nice feminist anthem.'

Courtney Love lost all credibility when she shot her husband to death.

This is one of those songs I've read about but never actually heard. Creepy stuff, with the vibrato at the beginning and especially the string solo with the background vocals. Beautiful arrangement juxtaposed with a dark and questionable subject. Should have known Spector was behind this. Apparently the group didn't even like it.
Kinda puts it in a different context when you learn that Spector (seemingly) pushed them to record it. And it doesn't suggest anything other than the literal translation of the lyrics. They could've really played around with that, but then again it was '63.

Thanks jon. I wanted to add to this list (of controversial songs), but couldn't think of any. Got any more?

Courtney Love never had any credibility to lose.