Longing for the day ...

Missy Higgins ... musical chick lit

The other day my darling and I were driving along discussing why I don't get Missy Higgins. Don't get me wrong, I think she's a great peformer, always immaculately produced with obviously great material ... but her songs just don't grab me the way, say Paul Simon's or Bruce Sprinsteen's or Paul Kelly's, or Joni Mitchell's do. In an enduring, soul-satisfying way.

So we started pulling her lyrics apart, and it became clear that expressions like

"And doesn't that sound familiar? Doesn't that hit too close to home?
Doesn't that make you shiver; the way things could have gone?
And doesn't it feel peculiar when everyone wants a little more?
And so that I do remember to never go that far,
Could you leave me with a scar?"

were something that I could understand but just couldn't relate to ... outside my experience. Because that stuff doesn't sound familar to me ... but it was to my darling ... because that was her lived experience. I've never had those thoughts.

So then we got talking about the power of lyrics that people can relate to ... the value of reinforcing shared experience and letting the listen feel that they're not alone. My darling suggested that perhaps one of the reasons I couldn't relate to Missy was that her songs are "musical chick-lit" - music that appeals to females because it's essentially a reflection of their concerns and experience.

I thought that was a nifty expression, so I suggested I'd blog it.But it's not mine, it's Angie's ... and Missy Higgins should keep on being Missy Higgins and building the faith ... love her work.

(Also, as my darling Angie pointed out, I am more than just a little jealous :-)

Posted by Hughie at May 9, 2007 10:26 AM