Drive west on Sunset to the sea Turn that jungle music down Just until we’re out of town This is no one night stand It’s a real occasion Close your eyes and you’ll be there It’s everything they say The end of a perfect day Distant lights from across the bay
Babylon sisters shake it Babylon sisters shake it So fine so young Tell me I’m the only one
Here come those Santa Anna winds again
We’ll jog with show folk on the sand Drink kirschwasser from a shell San Francisco Show and Tell Well I should know by now that it’s just a spasm Like a Sunday in T.J. That it’s cheap but it’s not free That I’m not what I used to be And that love’s not a game for three
[chorus]
[solo]
My friends say no don’t go for that cotton candy Son you’re playing with fire The kid will live and learn As he watches his bridges burn From the point of no return
[chorus]
-Steely Dan
***
So, if I’m understanding correctly, this song is about a guy who has probably hired two hookers (like a Sunday in T.J. – which is known for a place you go to find hookers) and they’re doing heroine (cotton candy is a term for heroine). Sure he says, “tell me I’m the only one” like he wants to pretend it’s more than just a one night stand, but he knows it really is just that. And maybe he’s doing this to feel like he’s still a big shot and a young and energetic fella, but he knows that he’s not what he used to be. Probably because of the drugs he’s done, he’s worn down now. Love isn’t a game for three. Here he admits he’s not going to find something deep in this tryst. Obviously they are not candidates for a potential polyamorous connection, but he likes pretending that he hasn’t gone past the point of no return, soon to burn out. But I’m sure there are equally valid interpretations that don’t totally agree with me.
It’s funny that Steely Dan has been considered easy listening, but they always talk about such topics (albeit not always in a straightforward manner) as rape, prostitution, incest, or some other socially unacceptable subjects. It’s just that the delivery is so sexy… the irony in it all is such a great part of it. The word games and lyrical choices make them like a modern day Shakespeare. All that and so many references to New York city and I feel like I could have met them.
Music & Lyrics: Genners Wade Vocal: Michelle Pfeiffer
If you really want to know What I want in a guy… Well, I’m lookin’ for a dream on a mean machine With hell in his eyes. I want a devil in skin tight leather, And he’s gonna be wild as the wind. And one fine night, I’ll be holdin’ on tight…
To a coooool rider, a coooool rider. If he’s cool enough, He can burn me through and through. Whhoa ohhhh If it takes forever, Then I’ll wait forever. No ordinary boy, No ordinary boy is gonna do. I want a rider that’s cool.
That’s the way it’s gonna be, And that’s the way that I feel. I want a whole lot more than the boy next door, I want hell on wheels. Just give me a fine motorcycle, With a man growin’ out of the seat. And move aside, cause I’m gonna ride…
(Chorus)
I don’t want no ordinary guys, Comin’ on strong to me. They don’t know what I’m lookin’ for, They don’t know what I need. They’re gonna know when he gets here, Cause the crowd will be shakin’. I’ll do anything to let him know, That I’m his, his for the takin’.
I want a coooooool rider, A cool, cool, cool, cool rider. I want a coooooool rider, A cool, cool, cool, cool rider. I want a C-O-O-L R-I-D-E-R. I need a C-O-O-L R-I-D-E-R.
Oh my god. I have been in love/lust with Kylie Minogue since May 2002, the first time I saw her in Can’t Get You Out of My Head. I wanted to be her. I wanted to be with her. I wanted to be in her.
Okay, I’m not like a stalker fan. For some reason I didn’t even really consider contacting her, but when I see her on the screen, you’ll find a huge grin on my face, my entire body warms up, and I just want to writhe around on the ground with her. For me celebrities are more to just be admired from afar. And I don’t get so carried away that I have delusions of being pals with them. I don’t think I put them up in such a high pedestal that they can only disappoint me were I to actually reach for them. I’m just saying she is someone to be admired. And hopefully if I did meet her one day, I wouldn’t act like bumbling fool. And maybe I’d get a kiss from her.
In any case, I’m sure I will not get any argument from anybody about how super hott and sexy she is. Now I’ve recently gotten into better shape after a tough time battling certain personal issues (among other things, the 30s can really screw with your body!) and sometimes imagine that I could try to get into the kind of shape she is in. Especially when I saw her before I was in my 30’s and thought it would be all over for me once I got to that age. Well, seeing her on that screen when she was 34 (as I myself approaced the third decade of my own life) - she was looking like a lovely vision, so energetic and youthful - made me somehow feel less discouraged about leaving my 20’s behind. And it’s not hopeless. There may be a lot of hot young models or even just ordinary women who get props simply because they are fresh out of college with tight young 20 something bodies that “everybody” drools over, but some of hotest women are at least in their 30’s.
Not that I can compare my struggles to what Kylie has been through, especially since she has battled with breast cancer, or that I would ever look as good as she does, but she does inspire me. Okay, she’s apparently not the greates actress (although I’ve read a review, I haven’t actually seen her performances as such), but I don’t really care about that. You can’t deny the raw sexuality that this woman has.
This woman who may very well be the essence of Sexy…
You want to talk sexy? Let’s get the man with the smooth dreamy voice up here. His songs immediately transport me into a magical place… another icon of my childhood. As a kid he always had a calming effect on me. As a woman his music touches my heart. What I wouldn’t do to get a serenade from Julio Iglesias!
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