Of course it doesn't signify the oppression of women - it' usually sung by women, or by a hermaproditic male. I suppose if one is a literalist, totally devoid of imagination, one might view the song as an expression of ownership of one person by another. Since I'm not so fussy or literalistic, I view it as an expression of a request for honoring a mutual pledge of fidelity made by two consenting teenagers who think they're adults. Now, I suppose this may be offensive to those who find monogamy offensive, but what the hell....

I keep getting complaints about a Certain Someone who is allegedly spoiling this thread. This thread started out pointing to a YouTube recording of a woman singing a 1950's pop song, and the thread originator thought that was nice. And actually, that's about all that could be said about the recording - that it was on YouTube and that somebody liked it. The thread should have ended there. Ho, hum.

Well, that Certain Someone came in and vehemently disagreed, saying that the song was oppressive and that it was vulgar for someone who calls herself a Folk Musician to sing such a song, and so on, and so on, and so on. So, the thread that should have ended with two posts, is now at 211 or so, mostly with post from people who say that the Certain Someone is vulgar and oppressive and unspeakably nasty.

I dunno. The thread was worth about one post. The rest of it has been mildly entertaining squabble, with some valid posts here and there, but I really don't think it's horrible. And if that Certain Someone hadn't posted to this thread, how many of the rest of you would have posted?

Say, isn't there a 1950's song about a Certain Someone that some would-be folksinger can resurrect? Maybe we should all sing this song to our very own Certain Someone.

You are my Someone
My Certain Someone
And you are mine, dear,
And I'm yours. too.
'Coz you're my Someone,
My Certain Someone
And I hope that I'm your Someone, too.

(To the tune of "You Are My Sunshine," another obscenely possessive song)

-Joe Offer-