Keep it light

I was talking to my mate Davor today. Nothing heavy, in fact, quite the opposite. We're meeting in the city tomorrow and we were discussing where and when to meet. Quite out of the blue, the words "keep it light" were uttered during the course of our conversation. And when I later stopped and thought about those three little words, it struck me that that's exactly what I have to do - keep it light, that is, my life. I've been in what some might call a broody existential mood lately, questioning the universe, life, love, death, self vs I and whatnot. So I thought I might make today's post, and my life, a bit "lighter" if you will. Here's a song my mate Ross and I have discussed in a couple of posts, a song I've been meaning to post in a while but other more urgent issues had precedence - Caramel by Suzanne Vega.

There are so many reasons that I just adore this song. First and foremost is the tres francais ambiance it exhudes. You can picture the dimly lit cafe somewhere on Paris'Left Bank, filled with the scent of cigarettes, red wine and perhaps creme brulee, French being talked in the background, Suzanne in a LBD in the foreground on a miniscule stage with nothing for company but a piano and her voice.

Which brings me to reason number two why I love this song so much - is there anything more French than comparing one's love of food with one's love for a lover? Nope. And that's sometimes how I feel about love - just like I feel about food. Should I give in or should I hold back? Should I take that one forbidden bite that is a moment of bliss on the lips but an eternity of pain on the heart? I have to say that, despite the drawbacks, I more often than not give in to temptation, unlike Ms. Vega. I mean, hey, life's too short, ain't it? Enjoy it (and the caramel!) while it lasts.

It won't do
to dream of caramel,
to think of cinnamon
and long for you.

It won't do
to stir a deep desire,
to fan a hidden fire
that can never burn true.

I know your name,
I know your skin,
I know the way
these things begin;

But I don't know
how I would live with myself,
what I'd forgive of myself
if you don't go.

So goodbye,
sweet appetite,
no single bite
could satisfy...

I know your name,
I know your skin,
I know the way
these things begin;

But I don't know
what I would give of myself,
how I would live with myself
if you don't go.

It won't do
to dream of caramel,
to think of cinnamon
and long
for you.

And here's the video clip, another reason why I love the song so much. It's precisely the kind of video clip that soppy romantic me would like to make - with "An Affair to Remember", "From Here to Eternity", "To Have and to Have Not" and all the rest of those timeless Hollywood films in the background. Just divine...

This is for that certain someone for whom it won't do to stir a deep desire, to fan a hidden fire that can never burn true...