I don't get the opportunity to talk about lyrics as much as I would like to. Part of that is simply due to how much music we have to listen to, and how it isn't possible to give a thorough examination to all the words contained therein (especially when I don't have access to written lyrics when reviewing something). That's not the whole of it, however. There is also the sad fact that much of the music that fits in the genres I write most about contain few, if any, memorable lyrics.
Often, I have heard both fans and artists alike talk about lyrics as if they don't matter. When Jim Steinman passed away recently, part of going back to his music was, for me, also revisiting all the lines in his songs that influenced the way I myself write. His songs were sarcastic and filled with interesting twists on conventional language, which absolutely helped push me into who I am.
In that spirit, here are some of my favorite lines from his songs, many of which I wish I had written myself:
"There are no lies on your body, so take off your dress/I just want to get at the truth"
From "Left In The Dark", this is my favorite Steinman lyric, and a quintessential illustration of his work. Both poetic and horny, the lines are able to sound touching and innocent while at the same time embodying animalistic lust. Being desperate never sounded so suave.
"Bless all the homecoming queens of the night/They're looking for magic in gymnasium lights"
I love the imagery of the homecoming queens lying on the floor in what is supposed to be a special moment, only to find an emptiness less magical than an incandescent light bulb. Sometimes what you want isn't what you thought it was going to be, and youth is wasted on the young.
"It's all or nothing, and nothing's all I ever get/Every time I turn it on, I burn it up and burn it out"
This is such a perfect summation of pessimism. It acknowledges there is something out there, something great, and some of us sabotage and destroy it before we ever get our chance. It isn't about bad luck, but instead a description of how we often hold ourselves back.
"Surf's up, and so am I"
Steinman wrote many 'boner lines'. The most famous is "can't you see my faded Levis bursting apart", while the worst is "you got the spark - I got the wood". My favorite is this one, which is just subtle enough you might not catch it at first, but undeniably a boner line when you do.
"I don't know anything about you baby, but you're everything I'm dreaming of/I don't know who you are but you're a real dead ringer for love"
A line that plays into the ways we can't always see the difference between love and lust. She is the spitting image of his fantasy, so he is willing to take the risk with her, not knowing if they can get along at all. Ultimately, it's another incredibly desperate line, which is a theme of Steinman's work.
"I'm praying for the end of time, so I can end my time with you"
The best part of "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" is the ending, because of this section. Meat is a man of his word, and he isn't willing to throw away his conscience even when he is deeply unhappy. So what does he do? It wouldn't be his fault if time itself ended. He can't be blamed for not loving her anymore if they don't exist at all. It's a tasteful way of saying he would rather be dead than be with her. I'm not sure why, but I find that hilarious.
"Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time"
What I like about this line is how darkness creeps in, and we realize love is not always the wonderful thing we imagine it to be. Sometimes, love can be a total eclipse, and it can swallow us whole. We can lose ourselves in those feelings, and become someone other than who we are, as if our shadow has changed our features by obscuring us from reality. I know I'm thinking too much about this.
"I can still see a vision of you, but it's out of my sight"
This is a line I actually wrote my own variation of (and though it may be heresy, I think mine is better), and it works on the same desperate level as so many other Steinman classics. Even if their time together is over, or never happened in the first place, her image is painted on the inside of his eyelids, where it will never fade. There's real dedication to having someone entwined that deeply in your memory.
"Don't worry about the future, sooner or later it'll be the past"
Finally, let's end with this line, which reminds us of an important thought; no matter how good or bad a moment in time is, that's all it is. Whether flush with anticipation or drowning in anxiety, the moment will pass by like every other, and become another memory sinking into the sands of our minds. I love how it tells us worrying is useless, even if inevitable, because that moment is no more important than any other, ultimately. It's an oddly optimistic thought from Steinman, and perhaps the best way to remember him.
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