Duffy --- A Blonde with Morals.

The title of this short review betrays some of the predjudices that I , as many males of our society, am plagued by. There is something about Blondes embedded (oops, sorry Freud ) in our conciousness : They are both desired and feared , they are a source of envy , considered dangerous and, as most fearsome beings, they are put down--who hasn't laughed at a Dumb Blonde joke ? So to title a review "A Blonde with Morals " betrays a holier than thou superciliousness that only a chauvinist can be guilty of. I hope the reader can forgive this fallibility.

Our culture is permeated with music about Love-- or at least romantic love , which is the most accessible form of this mystery-emotion. My access to popular music is limited to what I hear in public forums , namely my work place or shopping spaces...This because I have a tendency to shut the world out -- Musical choices are extremely personal and usually the forgettable songs that make the airwaves are chosen for mass -listening through some unknown alchemy of the music business . Pop is just that: Popular. What determines Pop-ularity is of course an extremely complex ' averaging process ' for lack of a better term.

Much of the music that gets insidiously thrown at us , chosen for us by the alchemists who choose play lists goes in one ear and out the other of this particular Fool... Occasionally however, something sticks.

I have not listened to any other songs by Duffy ( yet) . I first heard " Mercy" when I went to the cinema and the music-video played at the beginning, before the film started--I forgot the film, but not the video. Then I started noticing the song played often during the night hours during which I work-- ( the Radio stations my co-workers allow vary a bit, but I could not help but notice that Duffy's song pop-ped up almost everywhere on the dial.

It's a catchy tune. No doubt about it. Subtly explicit about the painful issues of seduction and sexual dominance, captivity and release , without being crass, it is a simple yet strangely beautiful song . There is a refreshing frankness to its style.

Perhaps I am not the best judge , as I do not know the music scene well : but an erotic song that has reached popularity in the charts AND has the word 'Morals' at it's core seems to me to be a unique happening.
( Of course if one could discern the subtext of words that stream in the background through parts of the recording, the meaning of the song might be altered-- that would be too easy , perhaps ? )


Hats off Duffy. I don't think it's my morals that have ME on my knees.

I'll try not to dream of you too much. I may even purchase your C.D.

The Book Fool.
( The lyrics and soundtrack are accessible , to the right of this page , thanks to the miracles of modern technology and countless geeks ).