ARTICLE ~ Sexual Relationships in the Lyrics of Ron Mael

THEMES IN THE LYRICS OF RON MAEL
Part One - Unwitting Chaperons.

In 1974 I had a moment of blissful musical revelation, as a keyboard refrain faded in, built up and propelled guitars into the fray, and then Russel Mael's falsetto sang the following lyric : ~










Zoo time is she and you time
The mammals are your favourite type, and you want her tonight
Heartbeat, increasing heartbeat
You hear the thunder of stampeding rhinos, elephants and tacky tigers
This town ain't big enough for both of us
And it ain't me who's gonna leave

Some might say that Russell Mael's semi operatic voice, has frequently hidden the lyrical inventiveness of his brother Ron under his high pitched, rapid fire delivery and often indistinct diction. You knew This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us contained a batty brilliance to it, unique at the time. But what on earth were they on about?

Over the years and twenty plus albums, Ron Mael has ploughed a distinct lyrical furrow with themes around the dynamics in sexual relationships reoccurring. These are presented from the masculine perspective, and focus on male insecurity in their relationships with women. These are perceptive, often challenging preconceived views about the dominance of male power in sexual relationships. In sexual relationships the use of power by either gender, quite often arises out of fear and insecurity rather than a primary desire for dominance. This woman/man has free will and could just up and leave you. Men over the centuries have exercised overt and covert uses of power, as a means of controlling by keeping women at home. Though never misogynistic, Mael doesn't particularly toe a PC line either, there is plenty of objectification and idealisation of the open playing fields of ones first youthful sexual explorations for instance. This he rarely does without his tongue being firmly in his cheek, or a healthy dose of irony being left hovering over it. As in Amateur Hour :~

The lawns grow plush in the hinterlands
The perfect little setting for the one night stands
The drapes are drawn and the lights are out
It's the time to put in practice what you've dreamed about

Well she can show you what you must do
To be more like people better than you

Chorus
Amateur hour goes on and on
When you turn pro you know she'll let you know
Amateur hour goes on and on
When you turn pro you know she tells you so

Girls grow tops to go topless in
While we sit and count the hairs that blossom from our chins
Our voices change at a rapid pace
I could start a song a tenor and then end as bass

Choose your partners everyone
If you hesitate the good ones are gone

Chorus

Dance laugh wine dine and talk and sing
But those cannot replace what is the real thing
It's a lot like playing the violin
You cannot start off and be Yehudi Menuhin

Chorus

Often the men in Ron Mael songs don't quite know what to do, nor what to make of how a woman is behaving. The uncertainty within this atmosphere feels threatening or intimidating. So on Don't Leave Me Alone With Her, its the woman whose seen as being predatory and putting the man on his guard against her unwanted advances.

The Exodus is on
The impetus is gone
Nobodys having fun
How about another drink
Or maybe just a snack
The rest will be here soon
Here, let me take you mac
I know its started slow
Theres still no need to go

Chorus
Dont leave me alone with her
Every home is Rome alone with her
And if you all go, who'll say no to her
Dont leave me alone with her
Dont my sweat and shaking register
Cause if you all go, who'll say no to her

You look at her and say, "She looks OK to me"
I look at her and say, "She looks OK to me"
The reasons very clear
You're watching her with me

Chorus

Unwitting chaperons, how come you cannot see
Unwitting chaperons, how come you cannot see
A Hitler wearing heels
A soft Simon Legree
A Hun with honey skin
De Sade who makes good tea
Dont leave me here to be

Chorus

On the track The Lady Is Lingering, Mael's lyrics capture the uncertainty surrounding attraction from the male point of view. You think someone might fancy you, but you're not quite sure. Should you make a move, or are you misreading the signals ?

Every word pronounced distinctly, slowly
There are no contractions, nothing slurred
Unprepared you watch in rank amazement
As she lights her cigarette and stirs
Every motion is complete, no editing of anything
Encouraging, encouraging, and not
the customary bill of fare

Chorus
Can't you see the lady is lingering
This lady's lingering, and you cannot believe
the reason why

Every sip is of the smallest quantity
That still denotes apparent thirst
Every question is a means to draw long answers
Play the fool, it doesn't hurt
Splitting, splitting headache coming
Get up early in the morning
Where are the funny phrases
That are always followed by goodbye

Chorus

Is it now all up to you, do you now
guide the evening, or do you await
a further signal, a look, a touch, a sigh

Chorus

Risky business, all this waiting, wondering
A risky business, all this waiting, wondering
A risky business, all this waiting, wondering
A risky business, all this waiting, wondering

Chorus 

Don't you know she's here?

The next lyric is from Indiscreet, one of the early Spark's most inventive and diverse albums. On a track called Tits, Ron Mael's perfectly evokes a realistic experience of a conversation, its character and tone, how the focus of the narrative can jump around from Harry, to his wife, to the barkeeper and back again in an instant. The scenario is of two men drinking in a bar, one believes he's got marital troubles, and is confiding in his best friend Harry. As the night goes on the pair get more and more drunk, and the conversation takes on an increasingly paranoid turn.  Though the chorus talks about the change in availability of his wife's tits since they've had a child, the use of the word Tits in the title has a double meaning.  Both these guys, the more drunk they become, are behaving like proper tits. This is fine lyric writing, and Ron Mael at his witty and ironic best.

Harry, it's good of you to stay
Hear every word I say
And not just duck away

God, these drinks are something warm and watered down
Barkeep, how 'bout some ice
Hey, Harry sit back down
Say, that little thing there's fine from behind

They all look good after three or four,
So drink Harry, drink Harry,
Drink 'til you can't see no more
of anything, no more of anything
Drink Harry, drink Harry, drink 'til you can't see no more

For months, for years,
Tits were once a source of fun and games at home
And now she says, tits are only there to feed our little Joe
So that he'll grow

Harry, it's really rough at home
I've caught her on the phone
Hey, who's that on the phone?
Oh, that's no one dear,
The standard sort of line
Harry, you know me well,
You know that I'm not blind
Hey, you ain't been drinking
Don't you know I'm buying?

They all taste good after three or four
So drink Harry, drink Harry, drink 'til you can't drink no more
of anything, no more of anything
Drink Harry, drink 'til you can't drink no more

How well I know
Tits were only there for fun and games at home
And now she says, tits are only there to feed our little Joe
So that he'll grow

God, the room is spinning round
Hey, drive me home old pal
God, you sure get around
Harry, I know it's you who's breaking up my home
Harry, don't say a word, just drop me off at home
Harry, forgive me Harry, let's have just one more

It's all so good after three or four
It's all so good after three or four
It's all so good after three or four

So let's drink Harry, drink 'til we can't drink no more
of anything, no more of anything
Drink Harry, drink Harry, drink 'til we can't drink no more

How well I know
Tits were once a source of fun and games at home
And now she says, tits are only there to feed our little Joe
So that he'll grow into a man

So let's drink Harry, drink 'til we can't see no more

Even on Exotic Creatures Of The Deep their most recent studio album, there;s a track She Got Me Pregnant, where he teasingly subverts traditional gender stereotypes. Wondering how men would cope if they were the ones who became pregnant, would they feel any different if they were left holding the baby?

Pregnant
She got me pregnant
Done using me
I'm just a memory

You know how these girls can be they treat you all so casually
They wine you and they dine you and expect a little la-dee-dee
And then you learn that though she's several thousand miles away
There is a part of her she's given you and now you have to deal with being
Pregnant

Chorus

You know how society is showing some sobriety
By letting individuals decide on how they get their thrills
And if there is a consequence then you are left to deal with it
Government will not be there to tell you what to do if you get
Pregnant

Chorus

I offer you I offer you a simple word of warning
Think it's never gonna happen to you, better, better, better think again

Chorus

A wham and bam and thank you sir is all that I would get from her
I never should have given in I never should have given her
The golden opportunity to love me and to leave me
Without giving me the time of day and she is half the world away

Chorus

There are other subjects in Ron Mael's lyrical lexicon, too many to incorporate into one article. Recently the Mael brothers have released a book of selected Spark's lyrics which if you are interested you might want to investigate. In The Words Of Sparks

* All Lyrics in this article are by Ron Mael.