Why does my mother phone meThis is one of those where-has-it-been-all-my-life? songs; NYMary actually burned me a CD of the Funland album three years ago, and I know I listened to it, but somehow it just never registered at the time. And then a couple of weeks ago another friend played it for me and I felt like I'd been smacked upside the head with a 2X4.
Just to tell me that she doesn't like me?
Why does my mother phone me --
Why doesn't she just disown me?
Why when I run away
Do they send the police to get me?
Why when I run away
Do they pretend that they just can't catch me?
If life is just a game
Why isn't anyone smiling?
And if life is just a game
There shouldn't be rules and there shouldn't be blame
Ooh la la la la la la la la
Ooh la la la la la la la la
Why am I always happy
When everybody else is scowling?
Why am I always pleased
When everybody else is down on their knees?
Ooh la la la la la la la la
Ooh la la la la la
When I sound like some kind of fool
Do I sound like I'm the only one sane?
Do I sound like I'm a fool
Because I've nothing to lose and nothing to gain?
Ooh la la la la la la la la
Ooh la la la la la
Why does my mother phone me
Just to tell me that she doesn't like me?
Why does my mother phone me --
Why doesn't she just disown me?
Ooh la la la la la la la la
Ooh la la la la la....
It's about madness, rather obviously, but from a very writerly perspective; you don't get the feeling, as you do with, say, certain Syd Barrett songs, that you're hearing a cry from a genuinely troubled psyche, although it's still completely believable. In any case, the way the lyrics proceed from basically mundane, albeit funny, observational head-scratchers to existentially scary and rather profound non sequiturs is quite brilliantly managed, I think, and the production and arrangement, as the vocal layering piles up while the track moves along, reinforces the general feeling of dislocated wigginess as well, up to and including the almost surreal Spanish bullfight music finale (those castanets and trumpet just fricking slay me -- you can practically see the guys in mariachi outfits materializing out of nowhere.)
In sum, a fabulous and inexplicably moving record, IMHO. And I can't believe I'm saying this, but the whole thing -- and particularly that ending -- makes me sorry, for a change, that this is one 80s song that never occasioned a music video, although I can't for the life of me think of a director back then who could have done the record justice.
[h/t to Greg and Glen "Bob" Allen]
