[brucemas day 6]
NB: This is a genuinely terrible writeup, because my computer has decided to have itself a faily little Christmas and I may have to get it fixed and I DISAPPROVE OF THAT, so I'm a wee bit distracted. I provided an upload to bribe you all into forgiving me. /o\
My Lover Man
I acquired this song from quicknow way back when I was just a baaaaaby Bruce fan, on a mix she made called "Gay Cowboys." It's one of the unreleased tracks gathered on, er, Tracks, also known as the boxed set of AWESOME.
There are so many things I love about this song. I love the instrumentation and the beat, which make me want to do some kind of ballroom dance (only not really, because I don't know how, but, like, a box-step). I love the gender-bend; I always love songs that were almost certainly written with a singer of the other gender in mind being flipped. I love that that the fact that it is a guy singing this one makes it a gay song, and that there's no hesitation in the performance, he's just all the way in this. I love that it's tender and sweet and also a little dirty, and I love that it fits solidly in the Bruce sub-genre of bad idea songs, as in "Oh, characters, this is SUCH A BAD IDEA." Because while the narrator may genuinely want to try again, he may also just want to get laid and ooh, boy, is THAT going to blow up in his face.
Bruce doesn't give us coded-female POV very often (believe me; I'm the person about whom it has been joked that "making a fanmix"="putting Bruce songs in a new order," and doing so for a female-character fanmix SUCKS), so it's an interesting switch-up in perspective. I really AM going to have to do the "women of Bruce" essay, because his perception of the female presences in his songs is so specific, and only after I put my theory of that into words will I be able to contrast this song with it. Of course, that's IF you take the POV as female; then you have some kind of weird gender issues coming up with the forgiveness, and the boys-will-be-boys-ness of it all, and come on, kick his ass to the curb and leave him there! On the other hand, she seems to genuinely love the dork. He's probably Bruce-Stu, charming loser that he is.
But you gender-flip it and it gets more complicated, because hi, gender stereotypes, we haz them. And I wish I could analyze it more deeply than that, but whenever I do, I start mapping fictional characters onto the song and I can't stop. I think it was likeadeuce who pointed out that it's a perfect Angel/Wesley song (it even has a gypsy curse!--and that's a topic for another day, too, Bruce and gypsies, what's up with that?). I've used it on an embarrassing number of slashy fanmixes. I would still love to see a Hornblower vid to it (Horatio/Archie, of course) someday.
This is a very scattered and non-contentful Brucemas. Sorry, guys. Maybe I'll do better tomorrow. Have an upload? Upload!
You treated me hard and made my heart ache
I know you're only human, and men they make mistakes
Your life with her turned to black
And now you want our love back
Well come into my arms and fall, my lover man
Was it a gypsy's curse or a hex sign
Or was it just that simple thing that led you from these arms of mine
Oh yes, I've had the days
To grow used to your foolish ways
And what is it really, after all, my lover man
I can see the change in your eyes
There's no need to apologize
We stood at the wishing well
Our dreams like coins into the water fell
The water so cold and black
There was no going back
I don't mean to cause you hurt or cause you pain
Life is short and love's a dirty game
Now there's no need for our game to end
Come close and we'll begin
To find our beautiful selves again, my lover man
My lover man
My lover man
My Lover Man
I acquired this song from quicknow way back when I was just a baaaaaby Bruce fan, on a mix she made called "Gay Cowboys." It's one of the unreleased tracks gathered on, er, Tracks, also known as the boxed set of AWESOME.
There are so many things I love about this song. I love the instrumentation and the beat, which make me want to do some kind of ballroom dance (only not really, because I don't know how, but, like, a box-step). I love the gender-bend; I always love songs that were almost certainly written with a singer of the other gender in mind being flipped. I love that that the fact that it is a guy singing this one makes it a gay song, and that there's no hesitation in the performance, he's just all the way in this. I love that it's tender and sweet and also a little dirty, and I love that it fits solidly in the Bruce sub-genre of bad idea songs, as in "Oh, characters, this is SUCH A BAD IDEA." Because while the narrator may genuinely want to try again, he may also just want to get laid and ooh, boy, is THAT going to blow up in his face.
Bruce doesn't give us coded-female POV very often (believe me; I'm the person about whom it has been joked that "making a fanmix"="putting Bruce songs in a new order," and doing so for a female-character fanmix SUCKS), so it's an interesting switch-up in perspective. I really AM going to have to do the "women of Bruce" essay, because his perception of the female presences in his songs is so specific, and only after I put my theory of that into words will I be able to contrast this song with it. Of course, that's IF you take the POV as female; then you have some kind of weird gender issues coming up with the forgiveness, and the boys-will-be-boys-ness of it all, and come on, kick his ass to the curb and leave him there! On the other hand, she seems to genuinely love the dork. He's probably Bruce-Stu, charming loser that he is.
But you gender-flip it and it gets more complicated, because hi, gender stereotypes, we haz them. And I wish I could analyze it more deeply than that, but whenever I do, I start mapping fictional characters onto the song and I can't stop. I think it was likeadeuce who pointed out that it's a perfect Angel/Wesley song (it even has a gypsy curse!--and that's a topic for another day, too, Bruce and gypsies, what's up with that?). I've used it on an embarrassing number of slashy fanmixes. I would still love to see a Hornblower vid to it (Horatio/Archie, of course) someday.
This is a very scattered and non-contentful Brucemas. Sorry, guys. Maybe I'll do better tomorrow. Have an upload? Upload!
You treated me hard and made my heart ache
I know you're only human, and men they make mistakes
Your life with her turned to black
And now you want our love back
Well come into my arms and fall, my lover man
Was it a gypsy's curse or a hex sign
Or was it just that simple thing that led you from these arms of mine
Oh yes, I've had the days
To grow used to your foolish ways
And what is it really, after all, my lover man
I can see the change in your eyes
There's no need to apologize
We stood at the wishing well
Our dreams like coins into the water fell
The water so cold and black
There was no going back
I don't mean to cause you hurt or cause you pain
Life is short and love's a dirty game
Now there's no need for our game to end
Come close and we'll begin
To find our beautiful selves again, my lover man
My lover man
My lover man