[Dixielandjazz] hat is "love" was Song lyric import

[Steve Barbone]

Ha Ha, I agree with your take, except that lasting relationships usually
result in sexual connection and "sex" doesn't have to be mentioned directly
in order to get the point of the lyric.

Just what is love? What is "making love"?  A few "innocent" kisses? Check
out Louis Armstrong's take on kisses. Source, "Louis Armstrong, In His Own
Words". Below from a hand written letter to Joe Glaser during a Las Vegas
gig, August 2, 1955. It concerns "Sweets" a gal whom Louis got involved with
and with whom he thought he had a child. (He was married to Lucille then,
and he told her about the affair and the supposed "child")

"As much as she tried to talk me out of it - I just kept laying those hot
Kisses up on her fine chops. When two people are in a room by themselves,
Kissing will lead to f****** every time."

Now that fits; "Lips tell me no, no" to a Tee. Why should we assume that the
lyricist did not have exactly that situation in mind?

Lyrics may be about "Young Love", and or Kisses, and or whatever. But the
kids who hear them, hear them quite differently from us dried up old folks.
"Too Young" was a favorite song of mine and a certain young lady. It
developed into a lasting relationship (two years). It also developed into a
sexual awakening as most lasting relationships were wont to do at our ages
then. Yeah, I think the lyricist knew exactly what kids would hear.

Songwriters have been pushing the "decency" envelope from the very
beginning. Same for film directors etc. Gosh, remember how shocked we all
were in 1939 when Clark Gable said; "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a DAMN."
I think most of us would be surprised to know that the film director was
fined $5000 by the PC police for using such banned and indecent language.

Love lyrics? Heck, not much has changed in 2700 years, except that the
ancients were more up front about their sexuality. E. G.:

"He Is More Than A Hero" - Sappho  (Greece, circa 650 BC)

He is more than a hero,
he is a god in my eyes --
the man who is allowed to sit beside you.
He who listens intimately
to the sweet murmur of your voice,
the enticing laughter that makes my own
heart beat fast. 
If I meet you suddenly,
I can't speak -- my tongue is broken;
a thin flame runs under my skin.
Seeing nothing,
hearing only my own ears drumming,
I drip with sweat. 
Trembling shakes my body
and I turn paler than dry grass.
At such times death is not far from me.


Cheers,
Steve Barbone 

on 8/8/07 6:33 AM, pat ladd at pj.ladd at btinternet.com wrote:

> Or what about our experimentation with sex to "They Tried To Tell us We're
> Too Young"?>>
> 
> I am not going for that one Steve. The next line is`too young to really fall
> in love`. Its about young love and maybe a bit of petting in the back seat.
> The lyric is NOT `too young to have sex` Sex doesn`t even get a mention.
> The `then someday we may recall we were not too young at all` line suggests
> a long lasting permanent relationship not a one night quickie. Something to
> be promoted I would have thought.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Pat.