Old Time Sensuality

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I woke up one morning thinking about Nathalie Imbruglia sings 'I want you / but I want you to understand...'.

One thought was, that's a good lyric, a nice inversion.

A second thought was: it's OK to sing 'I want you' nowadays. It even sounds vague, admirably, understatedly unspecific. In the 00s singing 'I Want You' practically sounds demure, whatever that means.

A follow-up or accompanying thought was: so when was it not OK to sing a line like 'I want you' - not just that line, that's not the point, but any number of equivalents that you might be able to think of? I mean: what lyrics of the past were risky and risqué in ways that were not way off the chart and banned by the Lord Chancellor or Mike Read, but tense and different, difficult enough to make the casual radio listener's neck's hairs stand on end for a second?

And once again, does anyone know what I'm on about?

― the pinefox, Saturday, 26 July 2003 13:49 (twenty-two years ago)

I want to understand.

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 26 July 2003 13:56 (twenty-two years ago)

I want you. To understand.

― the pinefox, Saturday, 26 July 2003 14:02 (twenty-two years ago)

(I like that song, or at least those lines. Sometimes I have to be reminded of what current pop songs I like. Sorry this has nothing to do with your question.)

― Al Andalous, Saturday, 26 July 2003 14:46 (twenty-two years ago)

(I mean not the lines as though they can stand alone, but the lines as sung.)

― Al Andalous, Saturday, 26 July 2003 14:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Dylan's 'I Want You' + the Rolling Stones' 'Let's Spend the Night Together' - 'coming out' recs for 'the new explictiness' (post-Beatles chart pop)? Blues, jazz, old tyme music all awash w/ coded sex slang/come-ons, and the afterhours filth tracks that ppl like Jackie Wilson recorded still seem more taboo-breaking than 'Cocksucker Blues.

Parallel w/: explicit religious reference in secular pop - Brian Wilson's 'God Only Knows' - and the 'Christ' in 'The Ballad of John and Yoko' still stands out on the radio.

― Andrew L (Andrew L), Saturday, 26 July 2003 21:14 (twenty-two years ago)

As late as Kate Bush had to change 'A Deal With God' to 'Running Up That Hill'.

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 26 July 2003 21:23 (twenty-two years ago)

= 'as late as 1985'

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 26 July 2003 21:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Who made her change it?

― Andrew L (Andrew L), Saturday, 26 July 2003 21:30 (twenty-two years ago)

As far as I recall (don't remember where I read this) it was the record company. I don't think they were specifically pressured by anyone in turn, I think it was just general anxiety that it wouldn't play well in certain markets (the US bible belt?). But yeah, seeing as she didn't change the lyrics, it seems a bit stupid.

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 26 July 2003 21:38 (twenty-two years ago)

great question

inspired by the prince thread, i'd certainly say cream was a pretty risque title, subject, thing when it came out, for as much airplay as prince was accustomed to get from u.s. top 40. the song did well, was considered something of a small comeback or at least return to form.

but let's reach way back before we look more at the obvious ones

elvis sang this in a fairly early pop gospel crossover:

i want you
i need you
i huhi looove you...

not too risque i think
i know you said don't just focus on the phrase you started with but still: my point is, when dylan said it, he meant it. when elvis said it, it was framed so differently.

there's a great passage in i'm with the band where pamela talks about buying the first stones lp as a kid, and being totally blown away by the line "let me put it in, it feels alright" and i think it's likely that for city kids who wanted to find this stuff, ever since little richard at least, they could often find it.

― mig, Sunday, 27 July 2003 06:12 (twenty-two years ago)

"I wanna fuck you like an animal", obv. = the big 90's breakthrough

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Sunday, 27 July 2003 06:29 (twenty-two years ago)

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