random thoughts – Day 1,774 – (Friday) – heart issues

While driving to work this cold Friday morning with the Emerson College radio station (WERS 88.9 FM) providing a musical soundtrack for the journey, a lyric caught my ear as I crossed the Bridge Street bridge. This happens a fair amount and most of the time I forget by the time I arrive at my destination.

My Anti-Valentine card, ca. 1990.

The song was “I’m with the Band,” (2024) by The Black Keys featuring Beck. I wasn't paying much attention to the song, and suddenly, a line reached out and grabbed me. It was “I got a heart full of napalm - and a black bouquet.” Yes indeed. Napalm is scary and I do have a bouquet of black fabric roses. 

After work, a Google search on the napalm heart line led me to “Search and Destroy” (1973) written by Iggy Pop and sung by The Stooges. That song opens with the line “I'm a street-walking cheetah - With a heart full of napalm.” Oh, I like it. 

Over the years, my lyrical heart journey has had me singing along with Chris Isaak “I don't wanna fall in love (this world is only gonna break your heart)” (1989). 

Then there was “Dyslexic Heart,” (1992) with Paul Westerberg and “I try and comprehend you but I got a dyslexic heart - I ain't dying to offend you, I got a dyslexic heart.” 

Years later, the Canadian band Sloan had me singing “I've got a barbed wire heart - And you can't handle it” in the song “Burn For It” (2008).

Clearly, lyrics about hearts seem to get my attention and resonate with me. Or maybe it’s just a musical diagnosis and my problem going back several decades is that I’ve got a broken, dyslexic, barbed wire heart full of napalm. That explains a lot.