At a social function the other day, a workmate commented that "at the age of 47" he had his first child. "Isn't that a song?" someone asked, half in jest. She was out by ten years but, in amongst all the blank stares, we shared a sly smile; I knew exactly what she meant.
Written by Shel Silverstein and originally recorded by Dr Hook, I love Marianne Faithfull's 1979 take on The Ballad of Lucy Jordan. This haunting song is so very different to almost any other that I like and I was hooked (pardon the pun) the very first time I heard it; it was appealing and grotesque all at the same time. Faithfull's voice broke at the most crucial parts and the unusual instrumentation leave an air of mystery about this song. I wonder how many housewives can relate to the lyrics and have dreamed similar dreams of escape for themselves?
At the age of 37, she realised she'd never rideWhat happened to Lucy Jordan? The unfinished cadence leaves open endless possibilities. Did she actually jump from that rooftop? Was her eventual ride through Paris in a sports car actually a hearse? (I know it wasn't, but the question remains). Did the stranger that helped her down and release her back to the very life she'd been trying to escape, or was she about to start another life sentence altogether?
Through Paris in a sports car with the warm wind in her hair
Lucy eventually got her ride through Paris in a sports car with the warm wind in her hair, but it remained in her imagination. Tragic, haunting and ever so poignant.
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