February 3, 2010--Gaga

As I grow older and my hearing deteriorates, I have more and more difficulty understanding the lyrics to most popular music. So when I tuned in on Sunday to watch the Grammy Awards, I was hoping CBS would supply subtitles.

Since they didn't, a day or two later on the Internet, I looked up the lyrics to three of the songs that seemed to bring the house down. The words to Beyoncé's "Single Ladies," Taylor Swift's "You Belong to Me," and Lady Gaga's "Speechless." (See linked New York Times report on the Grammy's.)

If perhaps you too had trouble following some of the lyrics, here is a sample from each of the three award-winning songs. I do this fully acknowledging that the lyrics to most of my youthful favorites, "You Ain't Nothing But A Hound Dog" as just one example, do not parse much better.

Single Ladies

All the single ladies, all the single ladies
Now put your hands up
Up in the club, we just broke up
I'm doing my own little thing
Decided to dip and now you wanna trip

'Cause another brother noticed me
I'm up on him, he's up on me
Don't pay him any attention . . .

You Belong to Me

You're on the phone with your girlfriend, she's upset
She's going off about something you said
'Cause she doesn't get your humor like I do

I'm in the room, it's a typical Tuesday night
I'm listening to the kinds of music she doesn't like
And she'll never know your story as I do . . .

Speechless

I can't believe what you said to me
Last night we were alone
You threw your hands up
Baby, you gave up, you gave up

I can't believe how you looked at me
With your James Dean glossy eyes
In your tight jeans with your long hair
And your cigarette stained lies . . .

I understand that Beyoncé earned $87 million last year. That's a lot of dip. She must be doing something right. And I must be doing something wrong.