Jaime's Crying (936 hits)
Category: NoneLabels: songposts
Rating: 1.66 on 24 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Bigmike (View user info) at 2004-08-06 11:35:38 EDT
I was in the car yesterday driving my kids to the park to play a little ball. My car was in the shop for an inspection so I was driving a PT Cruiser that belongs to my sister in law (long story, don't ask).
I pack all of the kids into the car, get the basketballs and baseball stuff in the back and I plop down into the drivers seat. I start the car and put it into reverse and pull out of the driveway. Once I am out on the road, as I always do, I turn on the radio. All of a sudden I am listening to this:
"Yeah, Yeah!
Ah, yeah!
I live my life like there's no tomorrow
and all I've got, I had to steal
Least I don't need to beg or borrow
Yes I'm livin' at a pace that kills"
I turn it up because I have always been a fan of this particular Van Halen album. I remember when I first got it in 1978 and I listened to it until it was a scratched mangled memory of a piece of vinyl. I was daydreaming at this point while I was driving, thinking about girls I knew and pot I smoked and dances that I went to. It's funny how many memories a single song can bring back.
"Oooh, yeah
(Ahh!) Runnin' with the devil (Ahh-hah! Yeah!)
(Woo-hoo-oo!) Runnin' with the devil
I'm gonna tell ya all about it
I found the simple life ain't so simple
When I jumped out, on that road
I got no love, no love you'd call real
Ain't got nobo..........."
"Daddy, go to track 6!!"
I was awoken from my pleasant daydream by my daughter Kate.
"Please, please go to track 6!!"
I look down at the car stereo, figure out how to change tracks on this somewhat unfamiliar cd player, and start to hit the advance button.
2.....3....4....5.........6.
I knew the song the minute it started, I was singing along as the lyrics kicked in.
"She saw the look in his eyes
N' she knew better
He wanted her tonight
And it was now or never
He made her feel so sad"
I was daydreaming again. This was my favorite song on this album (except for the possibility of " Feel your love tonight") and I have lots of memories attached to this as well.
Sitting around partying with all of my friends while wondering how a group of musicians could possibly put out an album of such quality.
"Oh, whoa, whoa, Jamie's cryin'
Oh, whoa, whoa, Jamie's cryin' Now Jamie wouldn't say all right
She knew he'd forget her
N' so they said ah-good night
Oh, and now he's gone forever"
Making out with a girl in the backseat of my dads 1976 Chevy Caprice Estate station wagon over by the lake. The year was 1978 and I was rounding second base and heading for third.
"She wants to send him a letter, uh yeah yeah
Uh, just to try to make herself feel better
It said "Gimme (Gimme a call sometime)"
But she knows what that'll get her"
Going to Fillmore Glen in the summer of 1979 with my friends to hang out and party, Frisbee's flying and VH pumping out of somebody's car stereo. Arguing about whether or not David Lee Roth was gay or if Eddie Van Halen actually was one of the best guitarists ever.
"Oh, whoa, whoa, Jamie's cryin'
Oh, whoa, whoa, Jamie's cryin'
Now Jamie's been in love before (Ahh-ahh)
And she knows what love is for (Ahh-ahh)
It should mean a little, a little more (Ahh-ahh)
Than one night stands. Woo!"
I was awoken again from my daydream by my daughter and niece in the backseat giggling.
"What are you guys giggling about", I said with a smile on my face.
They both were kind of quiet for a minute and had a little bit of a guilty look on their face. I knew what was coming next because it was unavoidable.
"Nothing", they replied in unison. My wonderful son Chris looked up and interjected this:
"Daddy, what's a one night stand?"
"Uh, Chris, why do you ask?"
"Because that's why Katie and Kimmy were laughing. They were laughing because of one night stands".
Just what I needed. An impromptu conversation about sex with my kids in the car, in the middle of a VH tune.
Great.
I had to smile though. Here are two girls ages 9 and 10 giggling about the phrase "One night stand". I remember back to when I was a kid and I heard phrases that I didn't really know what they meant, but I surmised they were about some kind of sexual activity.I ponder this during the guitar solo.
"We're not going to talk about that right now, ok Chris?"
"Ok, daddy".
I just dropped the subject to the obvious relief of the two girls. I was smiling, but they had kind of stopped to see what my reaction was going to be. I just turned the music up and continued on my way to the park. We all sang along.
"She wants to send him a letter, uh yeah yeah
Just to try to make herself feel better
It said "Gimme (Gimme a call sometime)"
But she knows what that'll get her Oh, whoa, whoa, Jamie's cryin'
Oh, whoa, whoa, Jamie's cryin'
Oh, whoa, whoa, Jamie's cryin'
Oh, whoa, whoa, Jamie's cryin'
Oh, whoa, whoa, Jamie's cryin'"
After all, why waste a perfectly beautiful day worrying about how my daughter is going to grow up, meet boys, have relationships, ultimately have sex, break ups, blah, blah, blah. She was with me today, that's what was important.
On to the next song please.
"I am a victim of the science age
A child of the storm. Whoa, yes
I can't remember when I was your age
For me! It says no more, no more
Nobody rules these streets at night but me
The Atomic Punk
Oh, yeah. Ah-ah!"
User Reviews
Submitted by Wiggles (user info) at 2004-11-02 00:25:08 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Good writing, but I can't stand Van Halen. I hate David Lee Roth, Eddie, and the rest of the current and past members equally.
Submitted by Dead_0hi0_Sky (user info) at 2004-11-02 00:22:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by DanielH (user info) at 2004-11-02 00:16:30 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Big Mike rules. Always my last click before bed. I've never been disappointed: in a Pat Conroy way, which is miles from the rest.
Submitted by Kracka (user info) at 2004-08-07 14:39:34 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by loki (user info) at 2004-08-06 16:04:11 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by sg11588 (user info) at 2004-08-06 15:52:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Damn you. I can't get that song out of my head now.
Submitted by sg11588 (user info) at 2004-08-06 15:28:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
No Comment
Submitted by Gnome (user info) at 2004-08-06 15:17:42 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
started with nothing. didn't really go anywhere. end ended with a ponder. i liked it though.
Submitted by yidele (user info) at 2004-08-06 14:49:28 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I never did like Van Halen though I do remember how nuts some of my friends were about it. As to David Lee Roth, he is as queer as 2 dolar bill.
Submitted by 1Point21Gigawatts (user info) at 2004-08-06 14:46:01 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
+2 for VH
Submitted by OneCheapGeek (user info) at 2004-08-06 14:45:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Very nice.
And just to mess with your kids....next time one asks what a one night stand is, smile and say, "Where I found you."
Heh.
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2004-08-06 14:40:00 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
You have good taste in music.
Submitted by MickGinny (user info) at 2004-08-06 13:53:30 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
david lee roth may not be gay, but he is queerer than a football bat.
argument resolved.
they were the 70's pearl jam. they put out a kick ass album then kept trying to recapture the genius of that album with mediocre attempts.
i am staying clear of the daughter issue because i have an 11 year old and an 18 year old daughter and i dont like to think about it.
i usually skip the posts where you include lyrics. i dunno why, but maybe i should go back and check them out.
Submitted by acrog (user info) at 2004-08-06 13:52:13 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
awesome
a must-have albumn
Submitted by runninginplace (user info) at 2004-08-06 12:51:02 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
great post
Submitted by the_lone_stranger (user info) at 2004-08-06 12:33:59 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Atomic Punk.
Submitted by WallFlower (user info) at 2004-08-06 12:19:11 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
No Comment
Submitted by William_Q_Percy (user info) at 2004-08-06 12:18:15 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Music is the great equalizer, the only language that anyone, anywhere, any age will be able to understand.
BigMike, you write nostalga pieces, reflection pieces, wisdom pieces all very well. However, when you throw in the lyrics of a tune that means something to you.... BAM! Instant connection with 95% of the population that reads it. Quite an effective style.
What do you feel when you listen to music that was never important to you? Sometimes, I can just tell when a song meant something to an entire generation of people, and I can feel that same kind of electricity. The possibilities are endless in my mind, trying to connect with the hearts of these people long past.
It reminds me of when I see a library in a movie, or have one described to me in a bok, and begin to wonder what stories, facts and history its tomes contain.
Another awesome post. Thanks man.
Submitted by triple_optics (user info) at 2004-08-06 12:13:54 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Teephphah (user info) at 2004-08-06 12:08:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Lock her in your basement, now! She can come out (and learn about boys and sex) when she's 35. At least, that's how I'll raise my daughter (if I ever have one). I know how boys are. Maybe I'll get lucky and she'll be gay.
Submitted by fhreak (user info) at 2004-08-06 12:05:18 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Excelent...
Submitted by comicbookguy (user info) at 2004-08-06 12:01:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
just excellent
Submitted by Circe (user info) at 2004-08-06 11:59:21 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
You're a spectacular human being, and an incredibly gifted writer.
Submitted by spedmonkey (user info) at 2004-08-06 11:50:14 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Plus fucking two.