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Eddie Money is a Real Man
May. 27th, 2005 01:19 pm You're so money and you don't even know it!
--Swingers
I'm driving at lunch, and Eddie Money's "Take Me Home Tonight (Be My Baby)" comes on the local Clear-Channel-O-Matic 80s station, like it normally does 3 or 4 times a day. This time, however, as I was listening to the lyrics I realized that this song epitomized the manly prowess that is Eddie Money. The lyrics are subtle and, yes, even elegant in presenting the case Money is making for true manhood in those confused times of the mid 1980s.
I feel hungry, it's a hunger
That tries to keep a man awake at night
Eddie, of course, starts out the song with a man's basic primal nature. One might even call this the neanderthal nature of man, if recent studies hadn't proved we actually have no direct lineage from neanderthals in our DNA. This was unknown in 1986, however, which proves Mr. Money's farsightedness. While early psychologists described the drives of humanity as being food, sex, and power, E.M. cleverly alludes to centuries of poetry and decades of bad movie lines in which all three drives can be compressed into mere "hunger". A literally restless hunger at that.
With all the power you're releasing
It isn't safe to walk the city streets alone
Ah, the conflict of man vs. women. Almost as ancient as Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football. First, Herr Money blames his vixen for causing crime, then with all due chivalry offers to protect her from the streets crossing this naked city, of which 8 million stories have been written. Edward's story is only beginning.
Let's find the keys and turn the engine on.
Men. Cars. Most men nod in appreciation at our lyricist's clever metaphor.
I can feel you breathe
I can feel your heart beat faster.
Ed goes classical at this point. Consider: He can feel her breathe, he can feel her heart beat faster. To do this, his head (or some other sensitive part of his anatomy such as, say, a finger) must be smack between her boobs. Since boobs represent, above all else, one's mother, we have a neat allusion to Oedipus Rex. What our bard is pointing out is that he may be having classic psychological issues with such a strong attraction. No doubt, this is all the woman's fault, taunting him with breathing and heartbeating and all, right in his face. Or finger.
Take me home tonight
I don't want to let you go till you see the light
This first part of the chorus is the crux of the entire psychological profile of the times. He's empathic enough to realize that his apartment may be confusing and unfamiliar to his lover. Plus, he's pretty sure he has dirty socks in the middle of the living room floor. Her home turf would make her more comfortable and perhaps less vulnerable. On the other hand he has this ... hunger let's call it ... with which he wants her to realize how much his attraction to her has caused his psychological paradox. We used to call this syndrome "The 80s Sensitive Man". Once the 1980s ended, we had to think up other names, such as "Passive Aggressive Stalker".
Just like Ronnie sang:
Be my little baby
Edd's redemption comes (so to speak) with more allusion, this time to the classic Ronnettes song, "Be My Baby". But wait, there's more! Not content with mere allusion, he actually drags Ronnie Spector herself out of retirement to sing her internationally famous number one title line in his top-4 hit song. Male territoriality at it's best.
Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh
Be my little baby
Take me home tonight
These three lines are sung simultaneously, the last, gallantly, being our gentleman songwriter. This ending fade-out has brought us to a touching mix of his song title woven lyrically with Ronnie's, with an minimalist, orgasmic celebration of Oh!s for the Money shot. Our sneaky crooner can't leave it there, however. The astute ear will note that the Oh!s and the "Be my little baby" occur at the same time, harmonized. They are also exactly the same voice. In the real life of sweaty eros, there is only one way that such a situation could occur, and Eddie Money gives us his clue to the underlying true nature of men: we all want to make it with twins.
--Swingers
I'm driving at lunch, and Eddie Money's "Take Me Home Tonight (Be My Baby)" comes on the local Clear-Channel-O-Matic 80s station, like it normally does 3 or 4 times a day. This time, however, as I was listening to the lyrics I realized that this song epitomized the manly prowess that is Eddie Money. The lyrics are subtle and, yes, even elegant in presenting the case Money is making for true manhood in those confused times of the mid 1980s.
I feel hungry, it's a hunger
That tries to keep a man awake at night
Eddie, of course, starts out the song with a man's basic primal nature. One might even call this the neanderthal nature of man, if recent studies hadn't proved we actually have no direct lineage from neanderthals in our DNA. This was unknown in 1986, however, which proves Mr. Money's farsightedness. While early psychologists described the drives of humanity as being food, sex, and power, E.M. cleverly alludes to centuries of poetry and decades of bad movie lines in which all three drives can be compressed into mere "hunger". A literally restless hunger at that.
With all the power you're releasing
It isn't safe to walk the city streets alone
Ah, the conflict of man vs. women. Almost as ancient as Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football. First, Herr Money blames his vixen for causing crime, then with all due chivalry offers to protect her from the streets crossing this naked city, of which 8 million stories have been written. Edward's story is only beginning.
Let's find the keys and turn the engine on.
Men. Cars. Most men nod in appreciation at our lyricist's clever metaphor.
I can feel you breathe
I can feel your heart beat faster.
Ed goes classical at this point. Consider: He can feel her breathe, he can feel her heart beat faster. To do this, his head (or some other sensitive part of his anatomy such as, say, a finger) must be smack between her boobs. Since boobs represent, above all else, one's mother, we have a neat allusion to Oedipus Rex. What our bard is pointing out is that he may be having classic psychological issues with such a strong attraction. No doubt, this is all the woman's fault, taunting him with breathing and heartbeating and all, right in his face. Or finger.
Take me home tonight
I don't want to let you go till you see the light
This first part of the chorus is the crux of the entire psychological profile of the times. He's empathic enough to realize that his apartment may be confusing and unfamiliar to his lover. Plus, he's pretty sure he has dirty socks in the middle of the living room floor. Her home turf would make her more comfortable and perhaps less vulnerable. On the other hand he has this ... hunger let's call it ... with which he wants her to realize how much his attraction to her has caused his psychological paradox. We used to call this syndrome "The 80s Sensitive Man". Once the 1980s ended, we had to think up other names, such as "Passive Aggressive Stalker".
Just like Ronnie sang:
Be my little baby
Edd's redemption comes (so to speak) with more allusion, this time to the classic Ronnettes song, "Be My Baby". But wait, there's more! Not content with mere allusion, he actually drags Ronnie Spector herself out of retirement to sing her internationally famous number one title line in his top-4 hit song. Male territoriality at it's best.
Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh
Be my little baby
Take me home tonight
These three lines are sung simultaneously, the last, gallantly, being our gentleman songwriter. This ending fade-out has brought us to a touching mix of his song title woven lyrically with Ronnie's, with an minimalist, orgasmic celebration of Oh!s for the Money shot. Our sneaky crooner can't leave it there, however. The astute ear will note that the Oh!s and the "Be my little baby" occur at the same time, harmonized. They are also exactly the same voice. In the real life of sweaty eros, there is only one way that such a situation could occur, and Eddie Money gives us his clue to the underlying true nature of men: we all want to make it with twins.
