The World Beyond BetterMost > The Culture Tent
"The Ballad of the Sad Young Men" by Fran Landesman
milomorris:
--- Quote from: southendmd on October 02, 2013, 08:02:01 pm ---Listen to the words.
Are they about sad, young gay men? Many think so.
--- End quote ---
And many think not. Such victimization theory can be self-serving.
Not all homosexual men have the same experience.
southendmd:
--- Quote from: milomorris on October 04, 2013, 08:18:42 am ---And many think not. Such victimization theory can be self-serving.
Not all homosexual men have the same experience.
--- End quote ---
The comments on youtube differ quite a bit: some believe the song is about gay men, others about returning Vietnam vets, others believe it refers to all men. Another Rorschach test, perhaps.
I found the lyrics to be sufficiently ambiguous, so I wanted to do a little research into the context. The show "The Nervous Set" has been described as a jazz musical, a cynical, intellectual satire about the beat generation, written in 1959. The context of the song in the show is about a female character's reaction to "wasted lives" of the men she sees around her.
Sason:
I never heard that song before, Paul, but I like it.
Thanks for posting it. It's nice to hear so many different versions too, they all have their own characteristics.
x-man:
Thank you for this posting site, southendmd. I had never heard of the song before, and stumbled in here almost by accident. Those lyrics! I was sitting at my computer at 7 in the morning, crying. You only remember when it is too late.
I checked out YouTube, and there are, indeed, many versions available. The best is Roberta Flack's--simply done, instrumentals restrained, and the emphasis on the words, as it should be. Another version to try is Renato Russo's, performed at the Stonewall Celebration. You know who he is singing to, and who he is singing about.
I hope you were not hurt by the one negative posting to this site. Our experiences do vary widely, but this song captures a certain reality and regret in many of us. Thanks again.
southendmd:
You're very welcome, x-man.
No, I was not hurt in the least.
It's my belief that works of art, either this song, or our beloved BBM, belong to the world, and can be interpreted by the beholder in any way they desire.
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