Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

In after Baud. Damn.

I was promised a recession.

Chutkan laughs. Lauro sits back down.

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

Bad news for Ron DeSantis is great news for America.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

Republicans can’t even be trusted with their own money.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

The words do not have to be perfect.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires

I wonder if trump will be tried as an adult.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

… among the most cringeworthy communications in the history of the alphabet!

I didn’t have alien invasion on my 2023 BINGO card.

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

No Justins, No Peace

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

You are here: Home / Music / Song of the week

Song of the week

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I’ve been away from the computer for a few days, so I’m putting this up on Sunday rather than the usual Friday. As always, from JPK at Can’t Explain.

Brighter Side of Darkness, “Love Jones” (1973)
This is one case where the parody, “Basketball Jones” by Cheech & Chong, turned out to be more popular than the original though barely, with “Basketball Jones” peaking at #15 and “Love Jones” at #16, both in the early ’70s. The parody may also be better remembered because of its ingenious use in Hal Ashby’s weird dark political film, Being There, which was pretty much Peter Sellers’s final signoff and remains worth seeing for sure. As far as I’m concerned, though, “Love Jones” is way better than “Basketball Jones,” a terrific example of the black pop music all over the airwaves at the time. A commenter at the YouTube page about says it all better than I could, so I leave it to her (or him): “Red light house parties, dancing the slow grind with the boy you like. We didn’t need drugs. This kind of music was our drugs.”

Reader Interactions

81Comments

  1. 1.

    lamh35

    The movie of the same name is pretty fabulous too DougJ.

    If anyone is interested in AA cinema, “Love Jones” is a pretty good film, a classic in my community.

  2. 2.

    Raven

    I need, I need someone to set a pick for me at the free-throw line of life
    Someone I can pass to
    Someone to hit the open man on the give-and-go
    And not end up in the popcorn machine

  5. 5.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    @arguingwithsignposts:

    Thanks for that. I was serving in Scotland many moons ago and we had a singer on New Years Eve singing that. Shortly thereafter as we were all sipping on single malt scotch a lone piper walked in to the mess and began playing. I remember thinking “this is why I wanted to serve in Scotland” it was an iconic moment I will never forget.

  7. 7.

    gene108

    Anybody have a good solution to getting rid of a cough? I have one that’s not the result of a throat infection, so anti-biotics are out as a possible cure.

    It’s not too bad, but it’s a low to medium level irritation that’s not been going away for the last few days.

  8. 8.

    hildebrand

    I may be speaking heresy here – but I have always been left a little cold by Being There. Then again, I didn’t like Forrest Gump either. Could just be me. Guess I am not a fan of the ‘and the simple minded fool will show the way’ kind of film.

  12. 12.

    Jewish Steel

    I have a better version of this song on an Arhoolie reissue. This week, for the first time, I felt like I understood James’ churlishness towards other blues players and folkies. He considered himself an artist, maybe even an artiste, where they were merely entertainers.

    When he sings this song, which his father wrote, I can go along with him on that.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-dXsVUeLnY

  13. 13.

    Roger Moore

    @hildebrand:

    Guess I am not a fan of the ‘and the simple minded fool will show the way’ kind of film.

    That’s not what I got from “Being There”. If anything, they’re making fun of that idea. It’s only because people assume the fool is smart that they listen to him, and only by going through mental gymnastics that they convert his simpleminded comments into anything more. It’s really about how people respond to appearances, and how somebody who would have been treated like part of the furniture suddenly becomes worth listening to when he wears nice clothes and goes to the right parties.

  14. 14.

    Svensker

    @gene108:

    Anybody have a good solution to getting rid of a cough? I have one that’s not the result of a throat infection, so anti-biotics are out as a possible cure.

    Snopes says it doesn’t work but we tried it with my son when he had an endless cough that just wouldn’t go away. Put Vicks Vaporub on the soles of your feet, then soft socks on top, when you go to bed. Not supposed to work but it really worked for him.

    Of course, it depends on WHY you’re coughing. Is it lung coughing or throat coughing? Congestion or irritation? Sometimes a cough becomes a nervous habit.

  15. 15.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Roger Moore:

    how somebody who would have been treated like part of the furniture suddenly becomes worth listening to when he wears nice clothes and goes to the right parties.

    David Brooks? White courtesy phone!

  17. 17.

    sfinny

    @gene108: There are tabs that you throw in the shower, usually including some type of eucalyptus or menthol, that I’ve found helpful.

  20. 20.

    JGabriel

    I haz a sad and left out and unnoticed: no one bought me a Lifetime Subscription to GOS.

    Probably because I don’t have an account there, but still …

    .

  23. 23.

    JGabriel

    @Svensker:

    Snopes says it doesn’t work but we tried it with my son when he had an endless cough that just wouldn’t go away. Put Vicks Vaporub on the soles of your feet …

    Kids are a bit more susceptible to placebo effects. Plus, the soles of your feet are a lot closer to your lungs when you’re a kid.

    .

  25. 25.

    JGabriel

    @sfinny: Heh, I was joking, but that’s sweet.

    I can’t be the only one who felt left out looking at all the anonymous gift-giving, only to think upon further reflection, “Wait. Why? I never post there. No one I know posts there, it’s too crowded. I don’t even have an account there.”

    But there it was anyway; feeling left out of a club I never even bothered to join. What’s that about?

    .

  26. 26.

    dance around in your bones

    @JGabriel:

    But there it was anyway; feeling left out of a club I never even bothered to join. What’s that about?

    Uh, Groucho?

  27. 27.

    sfinny

    @dance around in your bones: Groucho had it right. But I get the feeling of ‘it is nice to be asked’ even if you don’t want to join. Personally I try to avoid any group that might want me, especially avoiding the end of year requests for contributions from DCCC who called me three or five times a day for the last month. Thank you caller ID.

  29. 29.

    sfinny

    Works for me. I am fine with people and even enjoy the occasional get together, but at home I expect a certain level of cover. Which may make me socio-phobic but I like it.

  30. 30.

    JGabriel

    sfinny:

    Groucho had it right.

    There’s a context there which people tend to miss nowadays, though. When Groucho made that joke, most clubs didn’t allow Jews. So it was kind of ironically mocking both anti-semitism and the whole concept of dinner/country clubs.

    [Awkward pause.]

    You guys probably knew that already and I was just needlessly pedantic. On the internet. Again.

    .

  31. 31.

    dance around in your bones

    @sfinny: I used to tell my partner that I was just AWFUL at small talk…he would tell me that I’m actually quite good at it.

    Turns out I AM; now I have to stifle myself from blurting out my life story to every random stranger.

    Gawd.

  33. 33.

    sfinny

    @JGabriel: Yes, did know the context. First heard the joke as commentary on that fact that the town I grew up in had separate country clubs. Mostly from the Irish who were happy that they were now allowed in the so-called right ones.

    ETA: My family is Irish.

  34. 34.

    Punchy

    Star Wars Trilogy x 2 (Hexaogy?) on Spike gunna force me to miss a bunch of sleep. I’ve seen it before, but you just never know when the Ewoks may not defeat the Empire. What if, this time, the missle to blow up the Death Star misses?

  36. 36.

    sfinny

    @dance around in your bones: That cracks me up because my Mom always embarrassed me by talking to everyone about everything, but now I find myself chatting with strangers all over the place. In line at the store, waiting for the oil change, etc.

  37. 37.

    sfinny

    @JGabriel: Oh don’t go away. BTW, did you go to visit your family for the holidays? You seemed missing for a few days. Hope it went well.

  39. 39.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Punchy:

    What if, this time, the missle to blow up the Death Star misses?

    The bankruptcy of the Coruscant Mutual Galactic Insurance company will be avoided.

  40. 40.

    JGabriel

    @sfinny:

    BTW, did you go to visit your family for the holidays? You seemed missing for a few days.

    I did. It went about as well as usual. A little nicer in some ways, a little less nice in others (a PC rebuilding project I’d been working on didn’t come together, leaving me without a present I’d planning to … well, present).

    And you? I thought you were planning on visiting family too?

    .

  41. 41.

    dance around in your bones

    @JGabriel: Pedant away. We lubs it.

    @sfinny: I poured out my sad story to the tree-trimmers the other day (cuz I could speak Spanish to dem) and got a BIG ol’ hug. G’dang.

    Ya takes it where ya gets it.

  42. 42.

    dance around in your bones

    @slag: Not familiar with Arrested Development or Franklin?

    BUT I call my grandkids Buster, Buster all de time. I don’t know why.

  43. 43.

    sfinny

    @JGabriel: The trip to visit family didn’t work out owing to work. Sad, but at least I was busy. I did go into see the tree at Rock Ctr which was beautiful and way too crowded.

  45. 45.

    peach flavored shampoo

    @Punchy: Give me Princess Leia in a metal bikini and a pause button on the DVD player and I’m straight.

  46. 46.

    dance around in your bones

    @slag: Alright, I will take yer advice. I’m sure it’s on de Intertubes somewhere.

    :::::smile:::::

  47. 47.

    Hill Dweller

    One of Rupert Murdoch’s accomplices…err…employees set him up a twitter account, and one of his first tweets is what seems to be an endorsement of Santorum.

  48. 48.

    JGabriel

    sfinny:

    The trip to visit family didn’t work out owing to work.

    Aww, sorry about that. Better luck next year, though, given the economy, it’s good to know that it was work that kept you busy.

    .

  50. 50.

    slag

    @dance around in your bones: I don’t know if it’s on the tubes. I haven’t seen it anywhere lately. You may have to work for it. But even so…it’s work worth doing.

    ETA Doh! JGabriel has it. But looks like you have to be a Hulu Plus member to get to it.

  52. 52.

    dance around in your bones

    Guys – got ’em all! Danke velle. Tashakor. Muchas Gracias. Thanks, like……a lot.

  53. 53.

    JGabriel

    @slag:

    … looks like you have to be a Hulu Plus member to get to it.

    Oops. My bad, sorry, dance around in your bones. I thought it was part of free Hulu (it used to be, I swear!). I wouldn’t have linked it if I’d known it was the pay version.

    Pirate Bay has it, but, you know … Pirate Bay. Probably not someplace you should go without anti-anti-piracy software (yes, there really is such a thing) on your PC to protect you from the anti-piracy scammers.

    .

  56. 56.

    dance around in your bones

    Ok, Whut dE Hell happened there.

    Anyway…I am VERY careful on the Intertubes…..NO Pirate Bay, NO Torrents, etc.

    It’s all like Avast and MBAM and SpywareBlaster and WinPatrol and NoScript on Firefox and now shut the fuck up. OK.

  62. 62.

    JGabriel

    @dance around in your bones:

    It’s all like Avast and MBAM and SpywareBlaster and WinPatrol and NoScript on Firefox and now shut the fuck up. OK.

    Okay.

    Anyway, I’m outta here. Unless I get insomnia, and then I’ll be back. But probably not.

    G’night, all.

    .

  63. 63.

    kdaug

    @JGabriel:

    Slinks away to a corner in embarrassment and stares at e-reader to avoid humiliating eye contact with anyone.

    Don’t sweat it. I’ve got a pair of sleepy Golden Retriever eyes burning a hole in my backside right now, so I think I’ve got the eye-contact thing covered for both of us.

  64. 64.

    dance around in your bones

    @piratedan:

    or get thee onto amazon and buy yourself an MST3K compilation, turn the lights off and revel in the riffitude

    Well. this sounds really cool (riffitude? Woo-hoo!) and I have a gift card for Zamazon (hahahaha) so…mebbe I’ll head over there and spend some dough.

    @JGabriel: I was telling MYSELF to shut the fuck up, not YOU.

    Gads, I iz crazy lately.

  65. 65.

    MikeJ

    @Yutsano: Remember just weeks ago when old man McCain said the only reason Obama pulled out of Iraq was because (sneeringly) it was a campaign promise. Now the Mittbot wants people to think Obama doesn’t keep promises. Sheesh.

    OT: Sherlock s02e01 did not disappoint. If you’ve paid your license fee they can hardly call it piracy, can they?

  67. 67.

    Yutsano

    @MikeJ: Willard is trying to attack Obama when he hasn’t won a nomination contest yet. An enterprising opo researcher could take that as arrogance and do a quick ad buy exploiting that fact. We already know Frothy Mixture needs some sort of spark here.

  69. 69.

    dance around in your bones

    @kdaug: I have a Goldie that sleeps on my bed every night.

    SO comforting. But…if he wakes up and starts “grooming” …uh….he’s out de door. Da noises…OMFG.

  71. 71.

    Hill Dweller

    @Yutsano: Let the smarmy robot keep attacking. He has never worn well with the public, and these type of attacks on Obama, who has always been liked personally, are far more likely to backfire.

  73. 73.

    kdaug

    Oh, no – Murphy (the Golden) sleeps in his bed at the foot of our bed.

    Athena, on the other hand, is our German Shepherd ninja… sneaks up between us in the middle of the night and you don’t know that she’s up there until you’ve got a tongue on your eyelid when it’s time to go outside.

    And yes. She does lick your eyelids. DADT, I reckon, but really damned effective at getting daddy out of bed.

  74. 74.

    dance around in your bones

    Dawgs.

    I have this Goldie who sleeps with me every night now, but a couple nights ago I had two Boston Terriers visiting, and for whatever reason they took to me like flies on shit.

    I passed out(on Balloon Juice, like usual and woke up later with Piglet One and Two popping their heads up from under de covers and Goldie barking at some frackin’ thing….the TV was on and they were watching Pawn Stars. I have no idea why.

  77. 77.

    freelancer

    @MikeJ:

    Agreed. The new Sherlock is awesome. Also, I had a friend turn me onto Graboid. This service has been awesome so far and beats the shit out of cable. $20 a month and I got a bunch of TV seasons as well as a ton of movies.

  79. 79.

    Amir Khalid

    @sfinny:
    Mine own kitteh seizes my head in both front paws to make me hold still while she gives my scalp a tongue bath. She’s done it since she was a kitten.

  81. 81.

    Cheryl from Maryland

    @arguingwithsignposts: Thanks.

    Despite having to recite Robbie Burns in elementary school, I still think his work is brilliant — direct, kind, truthful, enjoying life’s pleasures, understanding and forgiving frailties.

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