Turning Me Upside Down!

Yes... This is true that there is an awful lot of sexism going on in the music industry today, especially with rap music. True as well, however, is that female degradation through music did not begin with rap...

So... today I'm on my way home from yet another beautiful September birthday celebration complete with bright colored balloons stuck on ceilings, more food and desserts per person than anyone should eat in a four hour period, plus a bouncy castle to aid children and antsy adults in expending exceptional amounts of energy, when a song I used to think I liked drifted into my ears complements of the dashboard radio.

Oops!

Back up...

Actually... Saying I used to think I liked this song is not exactly an accurate representation of the facts. More correct would be that I used to try to make myself like the song.

Now... Why in the world would I want to do a thing like that!?

Well the answer lies in the reason as to why the little voice in my head chimes in to taunt my emotions as they prepare for the musical seduction.

The fact of the matter is that the little voice actually has every right to interrupt my rumination, to remind me that this song has been causing me more and more aggravation as time goes by, because said voice is forced to endure every single refuting thought about the lyric each time I hear the song.

Part of the problem with this here tune is that it comes and it goes. One day it is here. The next day it is gone. Sometimes months or even years pass without my hearing the song and then, the next thing I know, there it is again. Mesmerizing. Tantalizing. Confusing my senses. Like the lover no one ever wants to lose, the wretched song forces me to forget about its double sided provocativeness and then coerces me to indulge in it all over again, reinstating the fact that I am at odds with it each time, each set of months or period of years down the line, that I do not have to lend my ears to its putrid message.

With that said, and in all sincerity, I fully admit my awareness to reasons why I tried to make myself like this song. First off, the song is performed by Diana Ross. I happen to think Diana Ross is fabulous - and what an entertainer! Second off, I associate her with Michael Jackson, which of course actually means I correlate her with the Jackson 5 that, according to Ed Sullivan, she discovered; although even as a child, I knew there was something special about Michael the very first time I heard his voice, thus, I single him out. Of course, this was long before he grew up and life overcame him but that is another story altogether.

Any who, other reasons to want to like any song Diana Ross crooned is that she is not just a singer, she is a great singer who hasn't done too badly on the acting scene either. Yeah, I know... Mahogany did earn the Flop of the Year Award, but great beings shouldn't have to pay penance for a mere measly one or two downfalls.

Yes... Indeed... Diana Ross almost always hones in her listeners with her enchanting voice and her words and music almost always tend to be so gosh darn seductive as well! This one song, though, began to send me into a different type of craze than the fervor intended by the singer when she recorded the number. This bamboozlement began years and years back as a consequence of the lyric's blasted message. It is that blasted message that summons my little voice and prompts it to remind me why this is not a song to like; and that in fact, this tune is one to deplore!

Funny thing... During all those years, I never bothered to mention my displeasure with the song. Instead, I would simply skip over it when it came up on one of my CDs, or change the station when it sounded across the airwaves.
 
No matter from which medium it begins, however, the song nearly always manages to suck me in before I have a chance to silence it! It's doggone progression of an F#m7 chord with the 3rd in the bass to the B7 and then to the E manages to suck listeners in so effortlessly that it would take many a romantic persons a moment to collect their bearings before finding the strength, or the will, to douse the tune.

I think this is a pretty sneaky trick!

Why?

Simple. From my perspective, as the mesmerizing introductory melody sets up its listeners by inebriating the senses with tender flirtatious notes, the prelude paves the way for Diana Ross to croon the lyrics with her equally intoxicating voice. All the while the musical arrangement sneakily brainwashes listeners into agreeing with words that, if they thought twice about, instead of allowing themselves to be sucked into, they might scream and shout that they were appalled with singer and songwriter alike for their blatant attempts to  bamboozle their fans - especially the women!

Alas! As I gaze out the window, taking a gander at passing hills and flowers and trees, "Upside Down", which back in 1980, topped the charts in the United States for an entire month, at last beckoned me to scream out, "That is the dumbest song ever!"

Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers might have meant well - from a man's point of view - in writing such a song but Diana Ross singing it! I mean... Exactly what kind of man did she sing about when she professed, "Ain't no mountain high enough"? I believe that was a love song not a fool song. Also, to whom was she speaking with, "Touch Me In The Morning"? Wasn't that a heart breaker? In furtherance, what about "Stop! In The Name Of Love" in which she sang about her heart breaking? How could your heart break if you respectfully accept that your partner is cheating!?

The worst thing about Upside Down, at least from my way of thinking, is that so-o-o many people loved it thirty years ago and fans continue to strap themselves to it today!

Does anyone really listen to what they are saying when they sing along with this lyric? I mean this song is complete with verses such as, "I know you play the field - I'm crazy to think you're all mine," and the biggie, "Respectfully I say to thee I'm aware that you're cheating but no one makes me feel like you do". What in the world is that supposed to mean!?

These lyrics so disgust me, in fact, that I hesitate to give the song any type of promotion here in my blog post; and only do so for readers who have never really listened to the song or may not know the song period despite its popularity. So go on and feel free to utilize this link to take a listen to Upside Down and judge for yourself.

While listening to the piece, ask yourself is this not a clear cut case of sexism in the music world. I must admit that I have heard a few lyrics that came close to a man saying he would do almost anything for the woman of his dreams. I have never, however, heard a song in which a man said he did not care that his lover played the field or that he respected her cheating ways. Perhaps someone can enlighten me...