What You Don’t Want
To Hear
I’m a music nerd. I know music stats like some guys know
sports stats. It’s been a life-long process that shows no signs of letting up
anytime soon. I know the things beyond the artist of a song, things like what
year it was released, what album and record label it’s from, who produced it…
that kind of useless crap that will get me absolutely nothing in life.
Actually, my music knowledge has won me a couple of way cool prizes along the
way, but that aside, nada. That in mind, I wanted to write about something I
felt passionate about. Music is that subject, it’s absolutely covers everything
for me. My life experiences are all tied in closely to what I call the
soundtrack of my life. It has hundreds of tracks, all important for one reason
or another. This space is to honor those songs, albums and artist that have
made a difference.
I Told You I Was A
Nerd Section:
‘What You Don’t Want To Hear’ from ‘The Indescribable Wow’
by Sam Phillips, 1988 Virgin Records – Produced by T-Bone Burnett
The Reason
The reason I chose this song first was because above all
songs that I’ve heard and own, this one has had the biggest impact on me. I
identify with it, connect with the words. In my minds ear, it’s about revealing
the ugly truth.
The Story
I listened to Sam back when Sam was still Leslie J. Leslie Phillips was a
star in the contemporary Christian music scene. I loved her music, it ranged
from the dark, ‘Walls Of Silence’ about domestic abuse, to the kick-ass beat of
songs like ‘Song In The Night’. Leslie’s songs seemed more reflective than the
norm of CC music during that time, songs that went beyond the usual Praise God
themes. It was music that mattered. Somewhere along the line Leslie got
frustrated with the system and fled CC music. She re-emerged as Sam Phillips in
1988. I, for one, was thrilled. Her first release ‘The Indescibable Wow’ was
produced by her future husband, T-Bone Burnette.
So You Wanna Be A
Stalker?
I think maybe I ‘a-little-bit’ over identified with
Leslie/Sam. See, here’s why: We both came from a religious experience frustrated.
Hers, with the industry; mine was, well, my life. I read everything I could find out about her
(which wasn’t much, given it was the pre-internet years and she wasn’t really
all that popular). I felt a bond with her that didn’t really exist (hence the
title). But there was a bond with her music. For me, ‘What You Don’t Want To
Hear’ was initially about living in the shadows by being gay, and realizing I
had to reveal this part of myself for my own sanity. I felt there would be a
price for the people that cared for me. I connected with the song at this time
because the lyrics seemed to address the situation. To use a cliché, I ‘felt’
the song, the lyrics comforted me in an odd way. Then a few years passed and
another issue entered my life. I found out I was HIV+ in 1993, and in the
turmoil of that time, I was faced again with revealing a horrible truth to my
loved ones. Again, I found a new connection with the song, it had meaning in my
life again.
On a more cosmetic level, it is one of my favorite types of
songs, what I call a contradiction song. While the lyrics are dark and serious, the
music is another story; it has a ‘bubblegum pop’ feel to it. It honestly reminds
me of the type of song a go-go dancer would dance to… go-go music! It’s melody contradicts
it’s lyrics.
It’s Legacy
If you’ve read this far, I’m sure you have as little of a
life as I did at the time I wrote this (Thatta Boy – Role One for effective
writing – Insult the reader). So, as I
was writing, the legacy of this song is it’s a snapshot of me crossing a
barrier, overcoming a fear. Sam has gone on to divorce T-Bone and become a, for
the most part, unique artist that doesn’t quite fit into any universe but her
own; and her fans, like me. Keep rockin’ Sam, wherever you may be!
Sam Fun Facts (How Tacky Is That?)
In
1995, Sam decided to act, and landed a role as Jeremy Iron’s psychopathic,
murderous girlfriend in Die Hard With A Vengeance.
For me, it was a great compliment to her earlier gospel singing image.
The
title of Sam’s 1995 album was ‘Omnipop (It’s Only A Flesh Wound Lambchop)
