Pop Culture Princess

Pop Culture Princess
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Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Savor the darker side of love with dysfunctional duets



As an interesting Valentine's Day eve treat,I thought that instead of the traditional batch of love songs,it would be fun to feature what I call "dysfunctional duets"-two folks singing about how destructive their relationship actually is.



Sure,it's sweet to remember those musical moments where the two lovers get to declare to the world just much they adore each other,but what about those tunes in which a couple can't stand to be near each other or one person is more in love than the other? Better yet,what about a song about how love has taken a turn for the worse,inspiring the need for restraining orders? Let's take a look:

PARADISE BY THE DASHBOARD LIGHT

Meatloaf may not seem like the ideal Romeo but he does have the pipes to sing rather seductive tunes. Most folks recall the "Will you love me?" section of this song,which is a debate between an about to get amorous couple in the backseat of a car on the nature of their romance. Something tells me that this song could be a reenactment of many hasty marriages:



I'LL NEVER TELL

One of the best bittersweet moments of the renowned Buffy musical episode,"Once More,With Feeling" is this tribute to pre-wedding jitters by Xander(Nicholas Brendan)and his former vengeance demon lover Anya(Emma Caulfield). Too bad those two crazy kids didn't really listen to each other during this song and dance number,it would've spared them alot of future heartbreak:



BY THE SEA

Sweeney Todd is not just about murder and meatpies;it's about the brutal things we sometimes do for love. Mrs. Lovett's longings for a real romance with Mr. Todd are best expressed in this little ditty in which Sweeney doesn't contribute much to her frenzied fantasies but tell me that you haven't heard conversions like this from long time married couples while out at the mall:



AGONY,PART TWO

This is a rather unusual entry,since it's about two brother comparing their current relationships with women other than their wives. Into The Woods delightfully turns many of the conventions of fairy tale characters on their ear and even Prince Charming is not safe from being mocked for his less than faithfulness:



DON'T YOU WANT ME BABY

It's pretty obvious that the answer is "no" but some guys refuse to listen. I've always liked this song,especially since it sounds like the soundtrack to many a celebrity relationship gone sour:



OBSESSION

My sister helped me to remember this funky Animotion tune,with it's upbeat tone and wacky costume choices. I don't which fashion statement is scarier,the historical outfits or the clothes that the band actually chose to wear:



YOU DON'T BRING ME FLOWERS

For the finale,I just had to go old school and who better to do that than Babs herself? This classic salute to the slow death of a relationship by Streisand and Neil Diamond was considered rather romantic in the day but take a careful look at those lyrics,folks. This is a damn sad song:



Happy Valentine's Day,everyone!

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