By: The Clovers
I took my troubles down to Madame Rue
You know that gypsy with the gold-capped tooth
She's got a pad down on Thirty-Fourth and Vine
Sellin' little bottles of Love Potion Number Nine
I told her that I was a flop with chics
I've been this way since 1956
She looked at my palm and she made a magic sign
She said "What you need is Love Potion Number Nine"
She bent down and turned around and gave me a wink
She said "I'm gonna make it up right here in the sink"
It smelled like turpentine, it looked like Indian ink
I held my nose, I closed my eyes, I took a drink
I didn't know if it was day or night
I started kissin' everything in sight
But when I kissed a cop down on Thirty-Fourth and Vine
He broke my little bottle of Love Potion Number Nine
I held my nose, I closed my eyes, I took a drink
I didn't know if it was day or night
I started kissin' everything in sight
But when I kissed a cop down on Thirty-Fourth and Vine
He broke my little bottle of Love Potion Number Nine
Love Potion Number Nine
Love Potion Number Nine
Love Potion Number Nine
Found Lyrics at:
http://www.bluesforpeace.com/lyrics/love-potion.htm
VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyVPVFUZiz0
The song 'Love Potion No. 9' consists of five stanzas, with a rhyme scheme of AABB CCBB DDDD EEBB D EEBB. I feel that the the refrain of the song is 'I held my nose, I closed my eyes, I took a drink' because at the first of the song it talks about how the man 'was a flop with chics' but after he drinks the 'love potion' the mood of the song changes to the point where the man starts 'kissin' everything in sight'.
The tone of the song I believe has not just one but two tones, disparaging and boastful. Disparaging is the tone at the beginning when he talks about how the man is not lucky with the women by which he is belittling himself. The song becomes boastful after the line 'I held my nose, I closed my eyes, I took a drink' because after that point the man starts 'kissin' everything in sight' which shows how much self worth he has gained from talking the potion.
The speaker of the song is a man. In the song it proves it is a man telling his story at the line 'I told her that I was a flop with chics'.
Some examples of poetic language in the song are imagery at the line 'She looked at my palm and she made a magic sign', and at the line 'You know that gypsy with the gold-capped tooth', simile at the line 'It smelled like turpentine', and personification at the line 'I took my troubles down to Madame Rue'.
The subject matter can be considered to have cultural, social, or political implications in the way that most everyone looks for love at one point in their lives, and when they have problems, they look for solutions in the craziest of spots, wither it be online dating sites to fortune tellers.
The song has a significant meaning to me because it is the opening credits song for the movie Love Potion #9. That make it significant to me because it's a movie my mom and I used to watch it together and we are really close.
Here is the trailer for the movie Love Potion #9. Enjoy :)
Now there's a song I haven't heard in years! Great choice!
ReplyDeleteI like how you've done the analysis here. Your discussion of tone is especially insightful. I hadn't thought it was boastful at first, but the more I think of it, the more I agree with you. He is kind of full of himself, isn't he? I wonder, too, then if there's a bit of hyperbole at work here. Like when he says "kissing everything in sight". I'd bet there's lots of stuff in sight you'd NEVER want to kiss!
Again, well done with this post. See you next week...
I enjoyed reading this! It made me smile :)
ReplyDeleteNice work!