Monday, November 06, 2006

Witness My Madness

Les Miserables has been dominant in my brain lately. It's what I listen to in my car, as a matter of fact. There is a line which has always bugged me, and so it's the subject of today's blog. Here is a taste-test of the progression of thought that almost always comes whenever I hear that part of the play.

It comes from the song Drink With Me. Setting: friends are gathered in a tavern, lamenting their oncoming battle, knowing full well they might not survive.

"Here's to pretty girls who went to our heads. Here's to witty girls who went to our beds."

Why do the witty girls go to their beds, but not their heads?

Why don't the pretty girls go to their beds??

Why are pretty and witty mutually exclusive?

Am I pretty? Or am I witty?

Which is better? Going to a man's head or his bed? And why?

Which is the kind that you marry?

Are men dumb?

7 comments:

Sister Mary Lisa said...

Uhhhhhhm, to the last question, Yes. (No offense to all the males I admire who may read this.)

To all previous questions, I don't know. To know would to be male.

Thunderchops said...

19th century mind set.

There's your answer.

It's all very reminiscent of Gordon B. Hinckley marvelling at how the church's women can now drive cars, operate computers, etc.

Anonymous said...

The song is sung from the perspective of the guy--hsi attitude is that pretty girls go to his head (i.e., he likes pretty girls) and, form his perspective, the "smart" ones will go to bed with him. It's just a funny line. BTW, I have the three-disc complete version in my car at almost all times. I saw the show twice when it came to town (with Randall Keith in the lead--without a doubt the best Jean Valjean ever).

Sideon said...

I can take that music in doses. There's a reason it's called "the miserable." The story-lines and twining and intertwining themes of identity, love, unrequited love, redemption... all against a backdrop of the French Revolution. Don't take the lyrics too seriously or personally.

Try "Phantom of the Opera" for a while. The movie version soundtrack is pretty damn good.

Rebecca said...

The "Phantom of the Opera" movie sucks. Watch "Almost Famous."

Sideon said...

It SO doesn't suck! Not even close to Hooveresque!

**HMPH** I'll have to add "Almost Famous" to my list of movies.

Just one of many said...

Don't let the lines fool you...horny men will take any type of girl to their beds...it's just that they remember the pretty ones!!