Music of the Day, 12 May 2024
none of the moms
I wasn’t planning on writing MotD today, as Mother’s Day has never been among my top holidays to celebrate.1 I’d mostly avoided mentions of it, but an onslaught of email early this morning reminded me, and also sparked a faint memory of a song that might be appropriate for my mood today.
Certain only of the duo who composed and performed it and recalling that it’s an older song, I prepared to do some serious excavating to find it. It did take a while—which was complicated by my not being able to pull myself away from several songs that were not what I was looking for, but still so good I had to listen to them. A further complication is that the relevant section is fairly deep in this “feminist love song” and is an aside rather than the main theme. But the song is spot on, so with that descriptive caution in mind, here we go:
This song would have resonated with my mom had she been alive to hear it. The most difficult period of our relationship came when I returned home after my first year at university; I think seeing how I’d bloomed there triggered envy and resentment that she’d chosen to marry just before turning 20, and had her first child at 21. Of course, I had the advantage of the second wave of feminism buoying and propelling me, which she didn’t. I don’t remember when I first heard “50/50,” but I’m pretty sure it solidified my commitment to staying single.
I discovered Garfunkel and Oates on Ray William Johnson’s “=3”2 YouTube channel,3 which featured this video (language warning). It amused me, so I searched for more and found well-written, clever songs that often have an adult twist. Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci have seen success4 in both music and acting since then. Garfunkel and Oates’ YouTube channel is a great starting point for exploration. For those who are more interested in their music, it can be found in the Apple Store and on Spotify.
For those who prefer something a bit more inspiring regarding Mother’s Day, historian
published a great piece last night detailing the deeper meaning of the US holiday.With a mom who seemed to never feel that we were appreciating her enough (or in the correct way … as if we could read her mind) and a mother-in-law who always made it clear that no woman could be good enough for her sons, is it any surprise? I ditched the holiday along with that marriage, and my kids have never been expected to mark it
Some of its content hasn’t aged well, but that’s where I also discovered the great comedian Gabriel Iglesias
Searches for it go to his current channel; I did find some specific vids from =3 using that and other relevant terms, but it’s hit or miss
together and individually