Friday, February 1, 2019

And Then He Assaulted Me


In July of 1963, the #MeToo movement wasn't even a shadow of a consideration of a possibility of a thought.

Not that sexual harassment and assault wasn't happening in 1963. It was happening, but according to the 493rd greatest song of all time, "Then He Kissed Me," it was "a consummation devoutly to be wished."

I know, I know...that Shakespearean quote is 1) out of context, and 2) too literal to be used in this age of political correctness and sensitivity.

But check it out. This whole song is the story of a girl being absolutely giddy about being approached by a good-looking stranger and then overcome by the romance of the dancing and the stars.



Observe verse one:


Well, he walked up to me and he asked me if I wanted to dance
He looked kinda nice and so I said I might take a chance
When we danced he held me tight
And when he walked me home that night
All the stars were shining bright
And then he kissed me

Verse two is an example of the dangers of combining Stockholm Syndrome, a lack of creativity ("didn't know just what to do"), and verbal catchphrases:


Each time I saw him I couldn't wait to see him again.
I wanted to let him know that he was more than a friend.
I didn't know just what to do
So I whispered I love you
And he said that he loved me too
And then he kissed me

According to the song's bridge, this fella had skills, though:


He kissed me in a way
that I've never been kissed before
He kissed me in a way
that I wanna be kissed forevermore

Then the third verse ends the tale with an example of the sad, sad truth that men will pretend love in order to get sex, and women will give sex in order to get love:


I knew that he was mine so I gave him all the love that I had
And one day he took me home to meet his mom and his dad
Then he asked me to be his bride
And always be right by his side
I felt so happy I almost cried
And then he kissed me

But hey, it's got a good beat and it's easy to dance to. [Holds fingers in ears and chants "La la la! I can't hear you!"]


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