As I contemplate the idea of romance being dead in America society at large, I am reminded of the zenith of sweet and sentimental love; holding of hands. Hands have always been a bit of an obsession of mine. I am immediately drawn to a man's hands when I first meet him. Are they over-sized and calloused, from years of work, or are they soft and delicate; adroit and manipulative? What would they feel like running across my porcelain surface? Would they just barely graze over or would they grasp firmly, almost to the point of pain? I have always been fanatical about my own hands, as well. I need them to be perfectly clean and dry, lotioned up, with my nails painted. I get squeamish about touching door-handles and shaking people's hands. I do have a perfect handshake, so I've been told. There is much to be gleaned from a person's handshake. Those limp, dead fish ones are the worst; they show disinterest and inefficacy. While the crush-crush-your-fingers-into-a-fine-powder handshake immediately reveals insecurity; overcompensation for perceived inadequacies. I have this bad habit, of picking and biting the side of my thumb, though. It is an anxiotic barometer. The more nervous, worried or non-nihilistic I am, the worse my thumb will look. I am fooling with it right now.
I wrote a bit on the power of hands a few blogs ago; on their ability to caress just as easily as to strangle. The ultimate symbol and last line of defense of good versus evil. So, I wanted to create a playlist that interprets some of these esoteric concepts of the mightiest of extremities. As a young girl, to me the epitome of my fantasies on love were always walking hand in hand somewhere with my imagined lover. I don't know why that so often flashed in my mind, but that's what I would dream about. Not kissing or hugging or sex, but holding hands. I guess I've never really let go of that fantasy. It's only grown more revered and monolithic the further it seems to get from actualization. Is holding hands the last dying symbol of romance? A musical attempt at an answer.
I Want to Hold Your Hand- The Beatles
Clap Hands- Tom Waits
What a Little Bit of Love Can Do- Jeff Bridges "Put your little hand in mine..."
Cherry Bomb-John Cougar Mellancamp Just for the one line, "Holdin' hands meant something, baby."
Hold My Hand, Hold My Heart- That Thing You Do! Soundtrack Here's that wall of sound scmaltz you were waiting with bated breath for...
With These Hands- Clint Walker (Jesus, who wouldn't let that sexy hunk of man let them do whatever he wanted to them? Good gravy.)
Put Your Hand in the Hand- Loretta Lynn
Will Jesus Wash the Bloodstains From Your Hands-
Take My Hand, Precious Lord- Elvis Presley
I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water- Charlie Rich
Touch the Hand- Conway Twitty
Who's Gonna Hold Her Hand- Cumberland Trio
These Hands- Johnny Cash
Daddy's Hands- Holly Dunn and Dolly Parton
Grandma's Hands- Bill Withers
Mojo Hand- Lightnin' Hopkins
Hold Your Hand in Mine- Tom Lehrer
Raise Your Hand- Janis Joplin
Hand of Fate- The Rolling Stones
Devil's Right Hand- Steve Earle
Left Hand Black- Danzig
Hand That Feeds-Nine Inch Nails
Red Right Hand- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Hand of Kindness- Richard Thompson
Hand in Hand- Dire Straits
Never Let Go- Tom Waits
No comments:
Post a Comment