Yes ... I always thought that the Christmas season was a catalyst that
fueled Joni's melancholia in "Chinese Cafe". I find myself at this point
now in life ("we look like our mother's did now when we were those kids
age"). I don't think Joni meant this literally but as a reference in time
as in "nothing lasts for long".
Heather
At 04:15 PM 12/31/01 -0500, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>LOL, Catherine...
>
>That one actually flew off before I could write it. But I think her
>writing reflects that Christmas is just one more thing that doesn't live
>up to the hype.
>
>Why else would she throw the Christmas reference into "Chinese Cafe",
>except to set up the contrast of the supposed joy of the season against
>her own melancholia?
>
>I think if you were to distill her body of work into a single theme, it's
>that nothing (love, political power, fame) is what it's cracked up to be.
>Maybe that's why her signature song is Both Sides Now, because it's a
>microcosm of that bittersweet theme; of moving from naivete to knowledge.
>
>Bob
>
>NP: Elvis Costello, "The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes" 5/15/96
