Shmaltzy Emo Lyrics Post

[tinhuvielartanis]

On iTunes the song "Seventeen Again" by the Eurythmics just played. This song never fails to bring big globular tears to my eyes. It's like they reached into my memories of the 80s and turned them into a song. Sure, they were writing about their own memories, but I never dreamt that the Eurythmics were sharing the wild, wondrous, and tragic moments of that decade in much the same way as I. It drew me even closer to this band that scored the movie of my life throughout the majority of the 80s.  Perhaps quite perfectly, the song ends with Annie singing "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)." It just clinches the poignancy and intensity of "Seventeen Again" and draws every listener who was there with the Eurythmics back then back to those precious moments in an almost physical capacity. This song is magickal and is just this side of being successful at actual time travel. So here are the lyrics, behind a cut so I won't offend those who don't like lyrics posts. My message to them is in my body of my LJ cut.


SEVENTEEN AGAIN
Yea though we venture through
The Valley of the stars
You and all your jewelry
And my bleeding heart

Who couldn't be together
And who could not be apart

We should’ve jumped out
Of that airplane after all
Flying skyways overhead
It wasn’t hard to fall

And I had so many crashes
That I couldn't feel
At all...

And it feels like
I’m 17 Again
Feels like I’m 17

Times might break you
God forsake you
Leave you burned and bruised
Innocence will teach you
What it feels like to be used

Thought that you’d done everything
You didn’t have a clue

And it feels like
I’m 17 Again
Feels like I’m 17
Again

Looking from the outside in
Some things never change

Hey hey I'm a million miles away
Funny how it seems like yesterday ...

All those fake celebrities
And all those viscous queens
All the stupid papers
And the stupid magazines

Sweet dreams are made of anything
That gets you in the scene

And it feels like
I’m 17 Again
Feels like I’m 17
Again

Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree
I travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody's looking for something
Yea
SEVENTEEN AGAIN

Yea though we venture through
The Valley of the Stars
You and all your jewelry
And my bleeding heart

Who couldn't be together
And who could not be apart

We should’ve jumped out
Of that airplane after all
Flying skyways overhead
It wasn’t hard to fall

And I had so many crashes
That I couldn't feel
At all...

And it feels like
I’m 17 Again
Feels like I’m 17

Times might break you
God forsake you
Leave you burned and bruised
Innocence will teach you
What it feels like to be used

Thought that you’d done everything
You didn’t have a clue

And it feels like
I’m 17 Again
Feels like I’m 17
Again

Looking from the outside in
Some things never change

Hey hey I'm a million miles away
Funny how it seems like yesterday ...

All those fake celebrities
And all those vicious queens
All the stupid papers
And the stupid magazines

Sweet dreams are made of anything
That gets you in the scene

And it feels like
I’m 17 Again
Feels like I’m 17
Again

Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree
I travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody's looking for something
Yea


Thinking about this song, and how it transports those of us who were part of this time back to that time, has made me think about the ability of time to ravage a person's spirit. As I get older, I come to understand why Tolkien's Elves and so many Vampires throughout literature seem so forlorn. When they outlive people, creatures, and even eras, all they have are the memories and, as time treads onward, those memories begin to bring pain as much as pleasure. Knowing that you can never recapture that moment or interact with that person or creature begins to pierce the heart like nothing else can. With mortals, that piercing becomes fiercer with age and only death can bring relief and release. But with the immortal tribes, the piercing grows ever more intense and there's no release from it ever. It only grows with time and it eats away at the immortal's spirit. There's no escape from time's ravages and the immortal begins to walk in woe, enshrouded by her loss. Thinking of it this way, and knowing how each loss beats me down more with every passing year, I don't think I would ever choose to become immortal. I think I'd much rather embrace my mortality and lift up a sign large enough for the Reaper to see that says "CHECK PLEASE!"

So yeah.

***EDIT***
And it gets even emo-ier (that's not a word, but work with me here)! I read a lot of my posts to Aunt Tudi, who flat out refuses to have anything to do with the Internet, despite my pleas and seductions. About halfway through reading this post this post to Aunt Tudi, I started crying like a beer-swilling weasel. I really should have my Sith card revoked and be shot on sight.

Comments

[green-goblin7t.livejournal.com]

The Marilyn Manson cover of Sweet Dreams is better. ;P

[nonabloch.livejournal.com]

Emo happens. I should know.

Schmaltzy....

[oleander56.livejournal.com]

Hi!

I like your aunt Tudy, she seems to be a steadfast woman with principles.

Ahhh... you humans...

Life has it´s matters to deal with, as has death, and theres no rush leaving this life, death WILL come when it´s time, and meanwhile, let´s keep curiousity alive...

All the Best!

[falkenna.livejournal.com]

During that time between my depression ending, and my new life, and ability to love, beginning, I occasionally experienced a curious phenomenon. Memory would suddenly flood through me, but despite a strong element of melancholy, the sweetness of the memory was paramount, and I was wrapped in a happy glow, almost a hallucination. It was as though memory was completely the half-full of having known it, rather than the half-empty of loss. I was about 51-52, and I interpreted this as a mechanism of comfort provided by an aging body. I expected it to increase, but now I think it may require a certain resignation that nothing new of importance will happen to you. When I felt love again, the moments vanished. I am optimistic they will return if I need them again.

Immortals would be living active lives, so would not be subject to that resignation. You are too young, and plenty is going to happen to you. But I think those moments of sweetness await us both -- and perhaps they become longer the more we lose touch with the "real" world.