Tonight, Part 2

“Now therefore, while the youthful hue

Sits on thy skin like morning dew,

And while thy willing soul transpires

At every pore with instant fires,

Now let us sport us while we may,

And now, like amorous birds of prey,

Rather at once our time devour

Than languish in his slow-chapped power.”

“To His Coy Mistress” – poem by Andrew Marvell, 1681

tonight (n): the present or coming night

Okay, so a quick review of the last post (the teacher in me cannot be suppressed…review is necessary!) before we move on to this new one.  So far, tonight has been split into two categories:  tonight as possibility and tonight as an end unto itself.  Both views of tonight are motivated by fear of what might happen tomorrow and, therefore, those who see tonight this way are banking on the fact that the benefits of tonight will provide something solid that will help to quell their fear.

Got it?  Good.  J  Then we move on.

#3 – Tonight as contradiction

This is the category that I went back and forth on in terms of how to label it.  I’m still not sure “contradiction” is the right name, so if you think of a better one while reading the lyrics and explanations I provide, please leave a comment with your idea.  Part of my dilemma stemmed from the fact that some of the contradictory lyrical ideas in these songs lead the singers into category #2 (tonight as an end in and of itself).  I believe categories #2 and #3 go hand-in-hand because contradictions tend to lead to quick solutions.  We are rational human beings and people (often?  usually?) know when they are being inconsistent.  Once we become aware of that contradiction we either (A) want to avert attention away from it as soon as possible or (B) want to use that contradiction to achieve a desired outcome.  In the case of tonight, I think (B) is the more popular choice.  Take a look at what I mean.

“We’ve Got Tonight” by Bob Seger

I actually laughed out loud while I was reading these lyrics (despite the fact that they are pretty pathetic-sounding) because of the blatant flaw in the singer’s argument to his lady friend:

“Deep in my soul, I’ve been so lonely / All of my hopes fading away / I’ve longed for love, like everyone else does / I know I’ll keep searching, even after today / So there it is, girl, I’ve said it all now / And here we are, babe, what do you say? / We’ve got tonight, who needs tomorrow? / We’ve got tonight, babe, / Why don’t you stay?”

First, the singer claims, “I know I’ll keep searching [for love], even after today.”  Then he asks, “We’ve got tonight, who needs tomorrow?”  Um…hate to break it to you, dude, but as a matter of fact YOU need tomorrow.  You’ve just shared that you’re going to keep looking for love “after today”!  But, the contradiction is necessary in order to get what he wants right now – the girl to stay.  His desire is to push the loneliness aside for a night so he can pretend to forget about it, and if he has to be illogical to get that, by golly, he’s going to be.  This is where category #3 meshes with category #2.  In order to create the pathway to treating tonight as an end in and of itself, the singer presents a contradiction about tonight that helps pave the way.

Just as a side note, I don’t know about you ladies out there, but if I was hearing this presentation about why I should stay, the most offensive part would probably be the fact that this guy is basically saying, “Well, you seem great and all, so you can help me with my loneliness problem tonight, but clearly you aren’t future love material, so I’m going to keep searching after our adult sleepover.  Thanks!”  Nothing like a boost of confidence to make you want to stay the night.

“Will You Love Me Tomorrow” by The Shirelles

I am glad that I was able to find a song from a little while back to draw into this conversation.  This song by The Shirelles presents a similar contradiction that Bob Seger’s song does, but I think it’s a little sneakier.  Here’s what the ladies have to say:

“Tonight you’re mine completely / You give your love so sweetly / Tonight the light of love is in your eyes / But will you love me tomorrow? / … / I’d like to know that your love / Is love I can be sure of / So tell me now, and I won’t ask again / Will you still love me tomorrow?”

I think that in the first part of the lyrics, the question makes the singer seem unsure of the situation (and herself in the situation), so the question makes her appear to be cautious and smart.  She seems to realize that in “tonight land” love is easy to give.  However, as the song continues, it turns out she is asking the question for the same reason Bob Seger was: she wants to be able to justify later what it is she wants to do now.  If she isn’t sure her man will love her tomorrow, maybe she should think twice about what she’s doing now.  I give the lady some credit for even thinking about tomorrow, but she wants an answer about tomorrow right now so that what’s happening right now can continue.  Tonight is still the ultimate goal.

#4 – Tonight as respite and strength for what’s coming tomorrow.

This was the category that surprised me.  I didn’t go into this expecting to find songs with a positive view of tonight, but it happened anyways.  I suppose I really shouldn’t be surprised since not everyone is obsessed with the right-now-in-the-moment lifestyle.  And therefore it’s possible to find healthy views of life in songs, as I did with these two.  In both cases, tonight is presented as a sort of hideaway.  It’s that place that we can always go when things are bad to be rejuvenated.  This makes a ton of sense since night time is when we sleep (usually), and sleep is such a renewing activity for human beings.  These singers see the positive function of night time, too.

“The Way You Look Tonight” by Frank Sinatra (and about a bajillion other great singers)

I’ve always wanted to dance to this song at my wedding.  It’s such a beautiful commentary on how a moment can last for much longer than a moment.  Furthermore, it is one of the first songs I found that suggests tonight has a function beyond just pleasure or killing loneliness:

“Someday when I’m awfully low / When the world is cold / I will feel a glow just thinking of you / And the way you look tonight.”

So many other artists seem to want to bask in the quick solution that tonight can provide.  They encourage listeners to snatch the moment and enjoy it while it lasts, but they forget to consider the fact that life goes on after tonight.  Even the singers who do recognize that tomorrow will eventually arrive seem to deal with it in unrealistic ways.  West Side Story suggests that tonight’s love can change tomorrow into a “star” of a world and that the “just an address” world of today will be gone.  Bob Seger doesn’t even really want to acknowledge tomorrow – he pretends like it’s not necessary!  The Shirelles use tomorrow as a tool to get what they want tonight and avoid really considering what tomorrow might bring if tonight happens the way they want it to.

For the singer of “The Way You Look Tonight”, it’s about embracing a moment while recognizing that he cannot live in it.  He knows life goes on – and it’s going to be hard – but tonight helps.  Tonight is worth enjoying even if it is a moment that will pass.  The awareness of that fact is part of what gives this song a healthier view of tonight.

“Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” by Elton John

One of my favorite things about music is the marriage of words and sounds.  A songwriter can take the most calming and serene words in the world and completely change their meaning by introducing high-energy music to go along with them.  This Elton John song, however, creates a whole picture of peace with words and music.  If you’ve never heard this song (because you live in a box), check it out.  I think you’ll see what I mean.  For now, here are the important lyrics:

“There’s a calm surrender to the rush of day / When the heat of the rolling wind can be turned away / An enchanted moment and it sees me through / It’s enough for this restless warrior just to be with you / And can you feel the love tonight / It is where we are / It’s enough for this wide-eyed wanderer that we’ve got this far / … / There’s a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors / When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours.”

Much like “The Way You Look Tonight”, the singer here sees tonight as an escape.  Unlike the previous singer, who is seeing tonight for its future escapism, this singer sees tonight as a way to escape the day that has just occurred.  Tonight is a respite from the “heat of the rolling wind” and the “rush of day.”  This is the first song I have examined that really sees tonight as a small part of a big today.  So many other singers have seen tonight as the biggest, most important part of a day.  Here, there is an acknowledgement that tonight is part of it, but not all of it.  Furthermore, what happens tonight helps to make sense of the bigger world (“There’s a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors / When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours”).  I appreciate that this song recognizes there is a bigger world and that tomorrow is coming.  Tonight gives this singer strength for tomorrow because tonight is not the end – it’s simply the end before the start.

So, you may be asking yourself, “What about the Fun song?  That’s how this whole post started.”  I’ve thought a lot about “We Are Young” and where it might fit in.  The problem I’ve encountered with this song (besides the disgusting number of times it is still being played) is that the song can’t make up its mind.  Let’s pick this last set of lyrics apart.

Exhibit A:

“Give me a second I / I need to get my story straight / My friends are in the bathroom / Getting higher than the Empire State/ My lover she’s waiting for me / Just across the bar / My seat’s been taken by some sunglasses / Asking ‘bout a scar / And I know I gave it to you months ago / I know you’re trying to forget / But between the drinks and subtle things / The holes in my apologies / You know I’m trying hard to take it back / So if by the time the bar closes / And you feel like falling down / I’ll carry you home / Tonight / We are young / So let’s set this world on fire / We can burn brighter than the sun.”

Here, we have two types of “tonight as possibility”, a smaller version and a more grandiose version: (1) perhaps his offer to carry her home when she feels like falling down will do something to fix their relationship or (2) because we’re young, we have the ability to change the world (at least that’s what it sounds like…).  So far, not so bad.  In fact, for the 2.2 seconds I liked this song, I totally appreciated the "set the world on fire" concept.

We continue…

Exhibit B:

“Now I know that I’m not / All that you got / I guess that I / I just thought maybe we could find new ways to fall apart / But our friends are back / So let’s raise a cup / Cause I found someone to carry me home / Tonight / We are young / So let’s set the world on fire / We can burn brighter than the sun.”

Here come the problems.  All of a sudden, tonight is “a contradiction” and it’s also “an end in and of itself.”  The previous set of lyrics suggested that one of the benefits of tonight would be that it might fix the future of this couple's relationship (no matter how unrealistic that might be).  Except now he’s saying that they could find “new ways to fall apart.”  Oh, and now wait…the friends are back!  So forget all the stuff he just said about apologizing and fixing things because he really just wants to drink.  And in the midst of all of that, apparently he’s found someone to carry HIM home.  What happened to carrying your lady friend home?  And is it your lady friend carrying you home or someone we haven't met yet?

(Don’t forget that somehow the possibility still stands that they will set the world on fire simply because they are young.)

It gets worse…

Exhibit C:

“The world is on my side / I have no reason to run / So will someone come and carry me home tonight / The angels never arrived / But I can hear the choir / So will someone come and carry me home / Tonight we are young / So let’s set the world on fire / We can burn brighter than the sun / So if by the time the bar closes and you feel like falling down / I’ll carry you home tonight.”

More of “tonight as an end in itself”, more phony “possibility”, and even more “contradiction.”  This is what I mean about the song not being able to make up its mind.  I know that many songs could be placed into multiple categories, but I think that this particular song’s schizophrenia is a current reflection of the average person’s attitude toward the “tonight” of life.  My guess is that most people see tonight a variety of different ways depending on how it benefits them the most.

I really think people want to believe that what happens tonight will help them “set the world on fire,” and the possibility of that sounds wonderful.  (And that imagery can mean many things to many people.)  But when you actually read the lyrics, this singer isn’t setting the world on fire because he is young enough to make positive change in the world.  He’s setting it on fire so that he and his friends can be seen more clearly (“We can burn brighter than the sun”).  It’s a scorched earth policy when you look at it that way.  It’s pure selfishness.

Here’s what I want to know.  How many people are embracing what tonight has to offer because they believe that tonight will help them to ignite something warm, bright, and powerful in their lives without realizing that keeping that fire going takes work, sacrifice, and fuel?  And how many other people are getting a fire going for a night but letting it die out by the time morning rolls around?  These are the questions that “We Are Young” leaves knocking around my brain (which might, in fact, suggest that I’m not very young...ha!).  I can't really say that I know the answer to those questions, either.  It's just something to think about, I suppose.

You can see up above that I included the definition of “tonight.”  What struck me most about this dictionary entry was that tonight can only be defined in terms of today.  There is no tomorrow in the definition of tonight.  However, that doesn’t mean that tomorrow doesn’t exist.  It’s still there…waiting to arrive.  And while it’s a separate entity from “tonight”, it cannot be ignored.  So, in the end, while we can always find benefits in living a "Carpe Diem" sort of lifestyle, it's pretty short-sighted.  Much like I said in the last post, living only for tonight makes us unable to see the wonderful possibilities that tomorrow might bring.  I believe we have to find the middle ground between embracing the now in case we don't get tomorrow and expecting that tomorrow will always bring better things that what we see now.

For me, tomorrow will bring a new topic!  I've had a request from my friend Noah to discuss traffic.  He and I have already hashed it out a bit, and I'm excited about it.

Until then!