I was in the post office yesterday and heard Carly Simon's wonderful "You're So Vain" (Pity about the shoulder pads in this video - I think her big smile is really cute at the end).
It struck me what a great classic relationship revenge song this is, and made me wonder about other revenge songs. "I had some dreams they were clouds in my coffee" is a particularly poignant commentary on love gone wrong. And "you're with some underworld spy or the wife of a close friend" is so harsh! I love how the bitterness contrasts with the happy-go-lucky upbeat tune.
So then I got to thinking about the totally rocking "Song for the Dumped", the first Ben Folds song I heard at Brownie's in the early 90's when he was still playing to small crowds and jumping all over the piano (Mark Bonasera where are you now?). A completely different style but it is also a potential winner.
When I surfed YouTube this morning to find a fitting tribute for a friend's 50th birthday, I knew I was on a roll and would have to blog about revenge songs. I found this song this guy wrote "for" his ex-wife on the occasion of her 50th and laughed until I cried. Not at his lyrics but at his performance (sorry dude). Listening to it again I am already giggling. It only takes about 30 seconds to get the picture, but there is a nice bonus lyric at the very end if you have the stamina.
I'm sure all three of these targets have heard the song that was written for them and had that feeling that we all know they should have had.
Send in your favorites and I'll make a top ten list.
You have friends who are 50?? You must be OLD!
Posted by: Russ Nelson | March 23, 2008 at 07:54 AM
You go to the post office? You must be OLD!
Posted by: Dave K. | March 25, 2008 at 08:56 AM
Guess why I was at the post office - because of BookMooch! Check out http://www.bookmooch.com - receive and send books from your wishlist for free! I love it.
Many people see the books I am giving away and think "oh I have the same taste in books as Isabel". Not so - the books I give away are the ones I find not worth keeping. They're my trash.
Posted by: Iz | March 27, 2008 at 03:04 PM
On this subject, as on almost all others, Dylan says it best.
When your rooster crows at the break of dawn
Look out your window and I'll be gone
You're the reason I'm trav'lin' on
...
I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind
You could have done better but I don't mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
But don't think twice, it's all right
Posted by: Sam | June 02, 2008 at 07:04 AM