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Friday, January 15, 2016

Go Naked in the World

Go Naked in the World (1961)
With that title, and these actors, this sounds like a joke. But it’s not. 

Link: 

Starring Ernest Borgnine and Gina Lollabrigida. Son of a successful Greek emigrant is torn between the expectations his father has for him and his passionate love affair with a beautiful prostitute.


Monday, January 04, 2016

Bang Bang by Jessie J

Scanning 865 channels of DirecTV for New Year's Eve entertainment, I came upon pop singer Jessie J performing her smash hit Bang Bang. "Bang bang into the room/Bang bang all over you," she crooned. What exactly does that mean? 

At first I thought it meant that Jessie J planned to walk into the room and spill something  all over me. Perhaps she wants to throw a glass of champagne in my face. After all, it's New Year's Eve. But this doesn't explain the "bang bang" phrase. 

Another interpretation: she's saying "bang bang" happened and it's all because of me. But I quickly rejected this notion when I heard the next verse: "Bang bang there goes your heart/Bang in the seat of my car." Ah, now I understand. Compelling thoughts. 

As for the use of "Bang Bang" in the song's title, we find ample precedent in earlier works. To name a few:
  • Bang by Nicole Scherzinger: harmless;
  • Bang Bang by Sonny and Cher; seemed dark and disturbed to me as a child; 
  • Bang Shang a Lang by The Archies: simply dreadful; 
  • Boom Bang a Bang by Lulu: the UK entry in the 1969 Eurovision Song Contest; and 
  • Bang Bang Burlesque: showgirls performed in the Boom Boom Room in the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach;
Since we've put Boom Boom into the mix, let us not forget:
Bang bang. Boom boom. Now that's entertainment. Happy New Year.