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Shall We Dance? ****
w a sneak preview of Shall We Dance? last night. This is the remake of the Japanese hit, this time with Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon and yes, Jennifer Lopez. I liked it. The central theme -- passion can be found in many things other than sex, and it's worth the search -- is an unusual one in film these days, and all the more sweet for that reason. I'm not saying the movie is flawless -- it stumbles quite badly toward the end -- but it is hopeful and kind and funny, and there was a song I couldn't get out of my head. So I looked it up, and I find that it's called The Book of Love (not the one you're thinking of, though). It was written by Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields (I freely admit I'm not versed in current music trends, so this probably means more to you than me.) I'm reproducing the lyrics here:
The book of love is long and boringThese lyrics match the tone of the movie perfectly. How often does that happen? I have no idea, but I like this because it's odd and funny and truthful and sweet. And it helped pull me out of my slump, and really, what more could I possibly ask for?
No-one can lift the damn thing
It's full of charts and facts and figures
And instructions for dancing
But I, I love it when you read it to me
And you, you can read me anything
The book of love has music in it,
In fact that's where music comes from
Some of it is just transcendental
Some of it is just really dumb
But I, I love it when you sing to me
And you, you can sing me anything
The book of love is long and boring
And written very long ago
It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes
And things we're all too young too know
But I, I love it when you give me things
And you, you ought to give me wedding rings
I, I love it when you give me things
And you, you ought to give me wedding rings
PS: also, Stanley Tucci is here playing against type, and he's almost worth the price of admission by himself.
October 3, 2004 10:03 AM
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Comments
ooh, thank you for that, I didn't know the song or the musician, and had just heard of the movie last night and was hoping it might be good. So, three good things!
Posted by: robyn at October 3, 2004 01:10 PM
Reminds me a little of WH Auden - the "Tell me the Truth about Love" collection.
Posted by: Meredith at October 3, 2004 11:23 PM
Sounds like a great song! I am a huge fan of Magnetic Fields...their lyrics are very inventive, their melodies simple, their music often dance-able. Can't wait to see the film!
Posted by: Christy at October 4, 2004 06:21 PM
I am getting married this Saturday, and I'm walking down the aisle to "The Book of Love" by the Magnetic Fields. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the song being used in a huge blockbuster movie starring Jennifer Lopez, but if it gets the song heard by people who may enjoy it, that's great.
The song came off a three-disc set called "69 Love Songs," which is absolutely brilliant. If you appreciated the wit of "The Book of Love," you'd probably enjoy a lot of "69 Love Songs."
Posted by: nanette at October 13, 2004 12:07 PM
nanette -- what a great choice for a wedding celebration. really, I don't think people will think of JLo or the movie, which hasn't made so much of a splash, after all. best of luck on Saturday.
I'll have to look into 69 Love Songs.
Posted by: sara at October 13, 2004 01:18 PM