November 16th, 2006
I had my iTunes on random shuffle today, and a song by none-other than The Who came on called ‘Pictures of Lily.’
The lyrics:
I used to wake up in the morning
I used to feel so bad
I got so sick of having sleepless nights
I went and told my dad
He said, ‘Son now here’s some little something’
And stuck them on my wall
And now my nights ain’t quite so lonely
In fact I, I don’t feel bad at all
Pictures of Lily made my life so wonderful
Pictures of Lily helped me sleep at night
Pitcures of Lily solved my childhood problems
Pictures of Lily helped me feel alright
Pictures of Lily
Lily, oh Lily
Lily, oh Lily
Pictures of Lily
And then one day things weren’t quite so fine
I fell in love with Lily
I asked my dad where Lily I could find
He said, ‘Son, now don’t be silly’
‘She’s been dead since 1929′
Oh, how I cried that night
If only I’d been born in Lily’s time
It would have been alright
Pictures of Lily made my life so wonderful
Pictures of Lily helped me sleep at night
For me and Lily are together in my dreams
And I ask you, ‘Hey mister, have you ever seen’
‘Pictures of Lily?’
This song was written by Pete Townshend, who has stated that it is primarily about masturbation, though this theme is expressed through double entendres rather than explicit lyrics. In the beginning of the song, the singer laments his insomnia. When his father gives him the pictures of the song’s title, his problems are solved. Soon, he becomes obsessed with “Lily”, seeking to meet her in real life. His father informs him however that “Lily” has, in fact, been dead since 1929. Initially, the singer laments, but before long turns back to his fantasy.
It is noted this song is about Lille Langtry, a little bit about her below:
Lille Langtry was, throughout her marriage, unfaithful, and throughout her lifetime promiscuous. She had many notable lovers, most of them prominent and well-connected men of the time. Langtry’s heyday as a society beauty and courtesan culminated in her becoming a semi-official mistress to the Prince of Wales, Queen Victoria’s son Albert Edward (”Bertie”), the future king Edward VII. Edward VII’s relationship with Lillie cooled down when at a party she consumed so much alcohol she became intoxicated, and slipped and fell after stepping on a piece of ice, which infuriated him. For some time he didn’t even see her. Nevertheless he continued being fond of her, and he spoke fondly of her as a theatre actress. He later (possibly to rid himself of the affair) encouraged Prince Louis of Battenberg to replace him as Lillie’s lover.
This part is hilarious :-D:
Prince Louis, the First Sea Lord, once complained to Lillie, “I’ve spent enough on you to build a battleship,” whereupon she tartly replied, “And you’ve spent enough in me to float one.” That quote is actually most commonly attributed to the Prince of Wales, and not Louis of Battenberg.
I know this is a bit devious, just thought it was quite funny, odd, and interesting. Rock on! The Who still rule, even CSI seem to think so!
3 Comments Add your own
1. Mikey | November 27th, 2006 at 4:03 am
Great Review. How about doing one on “Picture Book” by the Kinks to keep the theme going.
2. David Balogh | November 27th, 2006 at 4:37 pm
Good idea, probably pick songs randomly that I listen to though. You do that song, we’ll have a group of reviews of random songs back & forth
3. Mikey | December 10th, 2006 at 10:51 pm
Picture yourself when you’re getting old.
You sat by the fireside, pondering all.
Picture book, pictures of your Mama, taken by your Papa,
A long time ago.
Picture book, of people with each other, to prove they loved each other,
A long time ago.
La la la la la la, La la la la la la,
Picture book, picture book.
A picture of you in your birthday suit.
You sat in the sun on a hot afternoon.
Picture book, your Mama and your Papa,
And fat old Uncle Charlie,
Out boozing with their friends.
Picture book, a holiday in August, outside a bed & breakfast.
In sunny Southend.
Picture book, when you were just a baby,
Those days when you were happy,
A long time ago.
La la la la la la, La la la la la la.
Picture book, Picture book.
This pretty self-explanatory little doozy by Ray Davies and the kinks…an interesting take on songwriting with a cool rock and roll shuffle riff and some crunchy chords to match add a little La la la la la la, La la la la la la and you got a relevatory number that’s hard to get out of your head once it gets in. For some reason, the excellent Pictures of Lilly, Who review by my cousin made me recall this quick story about flipping through a photo album, thumbing through shots of family, while possibly the allusion to coming on some “dirty” pics. It’s a cool catchy song, the kink’s specialty. Straight up and simple, Rock and Roll!
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