Duane Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 First of all, let me say that I LOVE "She Remembered" and "Runaway". They are two of my favorite Eric Carmen songs. But...they both have one lyric that has driven me crazy for years. I never had the nerve to write this before, especially when EC was active here. It always felt sacrilegious to question the song writing of Eric Carmen. Who am I to do that? The man is a genius. Things are different now (although he's still a genius). While the message boards were shut down, I regretted never getting it off my chest. I thought that I had lost my chance forever. Now that I've been given another chance, I'm not going to pass it up. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject, just go easy on me. I'll post the lyrics below, but here is the gist of "She Remembered". A guy is going to his high school reunion. He's anxious to see a girl that he had feelings for back then...and apparently still does. He wonders if she will even remember him...that maybe what they had didn't mean the same to her. Was it love or just another high school fling? It turns out that she was worried about the same thing...that he wouldn't remember her. It's a sweet, beautiful song with a story of young love that we can all relate to. We either lived it or wished that we had lived it. There is such an innocence to this high school love affair. Therein lies the rub...to me, anyway. The line "makin love 'neath the stars" bothers me for so many reasons. By making the relationship sexual, the song loses its innocence. I'm not a prude, but it just doesn't feel right. I would hate to think that anybody...male or female...would not remember somebody that they made love with in high school. Both people in this song wonder if the other one will remember them. How much sex did those two people have in high school??!! It would feel different if this was about a relationship in their 20's or 30's, but it's high school. I also know that, with Eric being a musician, his high school experience was different from mine. But this is not a song about a relationship with a band groupie or a one night stand. If I recall correctly, it wasn't even about a real relationship. The girl that inspired this song was a girl that EC once had a crush on, but never dated. He was just anxious to see her at a reunion. Therefore, the line in the song is just words and maybe I shouldn't take it so literal. Then again, that's why most of us are here. We pay too much attention to lyrics and that's why we appreciate Eric's songwriting talents. In "Nowhere to Hide" he wrote about a "high school dance"..."when a kiss was something special". That's how I always wanted this song to go. In my mind, I think the line should be something like "holding hands 'neath the stars". That would lead perfectly into..."oh, the world was so much younger then...when we kissed and my heart stood still...I said, I loved her and I always will". The song would retain it's innocence and it would be perfectly understandable for both of them to wonder if it meant as much to the other one as it did to them. Would he/she remember me? Every time I listen to this song, I plug in "holding hands" in my mind. Maybe I'm being silly, but I remember when holding hands "was something special". It changes the whole song for me. When Andy used to post his great covers of EC songs, I wanted to ask him for a private cover of "She Remembered" for me...with the edited line. Not to be posted on here or youtube. I just wanted to hear it sung that way one time (well, probably hundreds of times!). I could never bring myself to write this back then, so I never asked him. BTW...I miss Andy! Feels good to finally get it off my chest. Even if you don't agree with me, I hope I haven't offended anyone. I know this song is pretty special to a lot of people, including myself. Darlene's favorite song lyric ever was "dreams are forever and some things you never forget". BTW...I miss Darlene!...and etc., etc., etc. SHE REMEMBERED I went back to my class reunionI was wondering how my friends have changedI was thinking bout a certain girlI was hoping to find thereI walked in and she caught my eyeThough she was standing with another guyAll the years seemed to fade awayCould it be she still rememberedShe remembered, it was so long agoCould we ever feel that way againShe remembered, making love 'neath the starsOh, the world was so much younger thenWhen we kissed and my heart stood stillI said, I loved her and I always will'Cause dreams are foreverAnd some things you never forget"She introduced me to the guy she was withThen I asked her if she'd like to danceWe hit the floor as the band beganOur favorite old slow songI pulled her close and to my surpriseI heard her whisper as she closed her eyes"God it's just like it used to beI wasn't sure if you'd remember" I remember, it was so long agoCould we ever feel that way againI remember, making love 'neath the starsOh, the world was so much younger thenWhen we kissed and my heart stood stillI said, I loved her and I always will'Cause dreams are foreverAnd some things you never forgetOh darlin', please don't try and understand itLet's be fools for one moment in timeAfter all, this is not as if we planned itJust hold me close and remember when you used to be mineI remember when she remembered, it was so long agoCould we ever feel that way againShe remembered making love 'neath the starsOh, the world was so much younger thenWhen we kissed and my heart stood stillI said, I loved her and I always will'Cause dreams are foreverAnd some things you never forgetWell, dreams are foreverAnd some things you never forget 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lew Bundles Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 You make a great point, Duane...Equating “a kiss” with the “world was so much younger then” seems like a perfect compliment to each other...Not being a lyric person, I usually don’t delve that much into them... I really never think that lyrics really make that much of a difference... 1.) There are thousands of people who go and enjoy opera every year without ever understanding a word that the singers are saying... 2.) Bands like The Beatles, Cheap Trick and even Eric are big in foreign countries, especially Japan, and none of the fans there understand a word of the lyric... 3.) People like Beethoven and Mozart are considered the greatest composers of all time without a single word being committed to a page... 4.) Instrumentals frequently become hits while spoken word songs NEVER do... 5.) Non Christians sing Christmas Carols with no one getting upset, while Ringo’s has been singing BOYS for years without anybody ever suggesting he was a homosexual... 6.) Paul Mccartney closed the Live Aid show in the 80’s with Let It Be and no one criticized him or tried to stop him from performing the song whose lyrics are in direct opposite of the theme of the show’s concept, “Let It Be” vs getting involved... 7.) Orchestras and symphonies constantly perform popular songs without any vocalist to add to the mix... Words are, generally,inconsequential to a song, imho... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 Duane, I found the thread where you almost got the courage to ask Eric directly about the lyric change. I was so bold as to suggest a lyric change But Eric never commented on it. Here's a link to that conversation: Eric: Have You Ever Wanted To Change A Lyric? - That's Rock 'N' Roll - EricCarmen.com Community 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LC Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 Duane, really great post. I love your deep thinking and I agree. I. Ever really thought about that line—I guess it worked for me. But I think your slight edit really does add an innocence. Where IS Andy? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Posted April 12, 2021 Author Share Posted April 12, 2021 Lew...I see your point(s) and somewhat agree with your examples. I know we're all different, but...lyrics mean so much to me. My buddy David has told me many times that he doesn't care if a song has lyrics or not. It's always been hard for me to understand that mindset. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Posted April 12, 2021 Author Share Posted April 12, 2021 Kirk...thanks for digging up that thread. I had forgotten about that. I enjoyed reading it again. Funny that I started that one almost 8 years ago exactly. Must be something about April! That was definitely what I was fishing for when I wrote it. I was hoping it would start a conversation that would allow me to bring up She Remembered and Runaway. I agree with you on Tonight You're Mine, also. I still think that "put my hand in her pants" line was intentionally crude...just don't know why. I wished EC would have jumped deep into that thread. There were several great questions and comments that I would have loved to heard his opinions on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Posted April 12, 2021 Author Share Posted April 12, 2021 LC...thanks! I guess Andy is still in Canada. I hope he finds his way back here! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Benfer Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 There are many songs that I love that have average lyrics. As long as the lyrics don't detract from the rest of the song, I'm usually ok with it. But when you take a strong melody, great arrangement or production, and couple them with terrific lyrics, you create something very very special. I totally understand in this case because the lyrics in She Remembered aren't meant to take a backseat to the music. They are meant to get equal billing. So when that's the case, every word can matter. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Benfer Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 I can't really offer a good explanation why, but the lyrics to the opening verse of Sleep With Me never quite worked for me. Last night when I took you home I felt like dyin' 'Cause it's been so long since a woman made me feel like tryin' Maybe the best way I can explain it is that sometimes the rhyming words feel too forced, and these kinda come off that way to me. I'm not sure why though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LC Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 Excellent point, Craig. Remember I had that song at the bottom of the Tonight You're Mine barrel. You nailed one of the reasons here—that line needed a good edit. "Felt like dying"? Well, I suppose it could be a sort of sequel to All By Myself...? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Posted April 13, 2021 Author Share Posted April 13, 2021 23 hours ago, Craig Benfer said: I can't really offer a good explanation why, but the lyrics to the opening verse of Sleep With Me never quite worked for me. Last night when I took you home I felt like dyin' 'Cause it's been so long since a woman made me feel like tryin' Maybe the best way I can explain it is that sometimes the rhyming words feel too forced, and these kinda come off that way to me. I'm not sure why though. I guess in 1980, a manly man couldn't say, "I felt like cryin'" I agree with you 100% that "sometimes the rhyming words feel too forced". I just don't feel it very often with EC's songs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Posted April 13, 2021 Author Share Posted April 13, 2021 On 4/8/2021 at 10:43 PM, Lew Bundles said: You make a great point, Duane...Equating “a kiss” with the “world was so much younger then” seems like a perfect compliment to each other...Not being a lyric person, I usually don’t delve that much into them... I really never think that lyrics really make that much of a difference... 1.) There are thousands of people who go and enjoy opera every year without ever understanding a word that the singers are saying... 2.) Bands like The Beatles, Cheap Trick and even Eric are big in foreign countries, especially Japan, and none of the fans there understand a word of the lyric... 3.) People like Beethoven and Mozart are considered the greatest composers of all time without a single word being committed to a page... 4.) Instrumentals frequently become hits while spoken word songs NEVER do... 5.) Non Christians sing Christmas Carols with no one getting upset, while Ringo’s has been singing BOYS for years without anybody ever suggesting he was a homosexual... 6.) Paul Mccartney closed the Live Aid show in the 80’s with Let It Be and no one criticized him or tried to stop him from performing the song whose lyrics are in direct opposite of the theme of the show’s concept, “Let It Be” vs getting involved... 7.) Orchestras and symphonies constantly perform popular songs without any vocalist to add to the mix... Words are, generally, inconsequential to a song, imho... Lew...while I can agree with your examples, I can't get those two lines out of my head! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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