L.J. Writes

I've mentioned my love of Steven Universe briefly before. I'll be here forever if I start talking about everything I love about it, and others have written excellent reviews that you can check out if you're curious.

One of the things I love about the show is the music, and there are a lot of great ones. Lately I find myself bursting into song with the number from the episode "Sadie's Song." It's short, as Steven Universe songs tend to be, but it's current and catchy; it wouldn't feel out of place spilling out of a storefront. The above is the original version, and you can see variations from the show here (spoilers for the episode "Sadie's Song").

Along with the bouncy tune, I love the lyrics' unabashed revelling in fame and fortune, the validation and vindication of success. It reminds me of the What Do I Want? soliloquy from the graphic novel Artesia in its celebration of a woman's worldly ambitions. It's such a comfort at a time when I'm going through the grind myself in hopes of uncertain rewards.

A couple of weeks ago I had "La Marseillaise" stuck in my ear big-time. I don't even know why--maybe the famous scene from Casablanca flashed through my mind, maybe I was just in the mood for something catchy and upbeat, or maybe the Charlie Hebdo attack was on the back of my mind.



It's always irritating when I'm afflicted with an earworm and can't sing it out, so I learned the words to the song. And I'm like, good Lord this is violent! I had known about the parts in the refrain singing of the blood of enemies watering the fields and so on, but I hadn't known the words to the verses and was all o_O over how belligerent the lyrics were. This is fitting, given that it's a war song at heart, composed and sung against the background of France's war with Austria. Its original title, after all, was Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin (War Song for the Army of the Rhine, best as I can tell).

( I like it, problems and all )