A few weeks ago, my wife and I were listening to an 80's station, when they played an awful song from the 80's that I had never heard before. Except, it was not "turn-the-station" awful, but rather "a-trainwreck-you-can't-not-look-at" awful. That song is the immortal "I've never been to me" by the singer Charlene.
In 1977, and then again in 1982, America saw the most “pro-family-values” song that has ever hit the top 40 pop songs (peaking at #3 in 1982). This delightful trainwreck of a song was a drastic reaction to “disco culture”. It embodies everything wrong with early 80’s pop music, and features the glorious phrase “subtle whoring”.
This week, I am teaching the angsty Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard in my philosophy class. I realized that this song epitomizes Kierkegaard's struggle between the "aesthetic life" and the "ethical life", and the need to transcend them both into the "religious life". So, I am using it as a teaching prop to spur discussion.
If you just want to listen to a song that is so serious it is hilarious, click the link. And if you know Kierkegaard's philosophy, its even funnier. Enjoy.
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