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immolate_the_silenceCollection: Trope Bingo
Prompt: Handcuffed/Bound Together
Notes: I went for more of a 'Chains' theme for this one, sometimes physical though mostly mental. We have themes of physical chains for convicts and as (metaphorical) jewelry, and we also have chains as a symbol of love or life, mainly the former. This is mainly oldies but goodies (folk, new wave, soul), but there's some recent stuff in here too.
You can listen to the playlist HERE.
1. Chains by The Cookies
~Now believe me when I tell you I think you're fine
I'd like to love you but, darling, I'm imprisoned by these chains
My baby's got me locked up in chains
And they ain't the kind that you can see~
In this song, the singer is telling someone that she's already in love with someone else and that she is unavailable to this person; hence, "my baby's got me locked up in chains." It could be that the singer isn't happy about these chains and about being tied down to someone, since they repeatedly keep on about wanting to kiss this person, "your lips look sweet / I'd like to kiss them"; that this person is "fine" and that "I'd like to hold you"; and that her "chains of love won't let me be." Either way, the singer is tied down and there's nothing they can do about it.
2. Rare and Precious Chain by Jethro Tull
~Rare and precious chain
Binds me to your soul round gently pulsing veins
Shackled tight
Feel love's bite coming back to you~
This is a fantastic, enigmatic and strangely exotic song. The rare and precious chain could be a symbolism of love, as the chain "binds me to your soul round gently pulsing veins," where the chain is shackled tight and bears the sting of love. As the song progresses, the rare and precious chain seems to be described as a diamond necklace "glistening glistening around your neck," which the singer places there again and again. In this case, the chain not only binds the singer to this person, but also serves as a constant and intoxicating reminder that the singer will always be a part of this person, the former saying he makes "no excuses for who I am."
3. Chains of Love by Erasure
~Come to me, cover me, hold me
Together we'll break these chains of love
...
Do you remember once upon a time
When there were open doors, an invitation to the world~
In this song, the singer is bidding someone to come with him so that they can break the chains of love. The chains of love are probably representative of the people that the couple have become glued to, or even the lifestyle and bad habits the couple have fallen into. Their love has become predictable and stagnant to them, which means that together they must break the chains of their love in order to revitalize and reform them. The singer is reminiscent of a time "when there were open doors / an invitation to the world," and when they would make plans together and their "days would last forever," and he desperately wants these days with his lover back.
4. Chain of Fools by Aretha Franklin
~For five long years, I thought you were my man
But I found out, I'm just a link in your chain
...
You got me where you want me, I ain't nothing but your fool
You treated me mean, oh oh, you treated me cruel~
What better than Aretha Franklin's spellbinding 'Chain of Fools' to round out this playlist? In this song, Aretha powerfully exudes betrayal and infatuation yet also strength. She comes to the conclusion that her lover, whom she previously believed she alone belonged to, has been playing her and most likely is seeing other women, hence being "just a link in your chain," his chain of fools. Unfortunately, despite knowing that she is a fool for loving him, she can't help it as his "lovin' is a much too strong" and as she is wedded to him. That chain, however, she promises will break in time and until then, she will just remain one link in it.
Plus, if you love Michael as much as I do, you'll go check out the video I used for the playlist :D
5. Long Chain On by Peter, Paul and Mary
~I saw a man come a walking
He had a long chain on
I heard his chains a clankin'
They made a mournful sound~
A convict is the theme of this song, with the singer relating how the convict came across him and asked for food. Noticing how sorrowful the convict appears, the singer acquiesces and even offers to break the convict's chains, although the latter refuses. Just like the convict is carrying chains around, he also seems to be carrying around sadness; the chains could serve as a symbol of his grief and could even be the only thing keeping him completely together and alive. Even after the convict is long gone, the singer can still hear his chains being dragged around, a sad sound in and of itself.
Other than being a perfect fit for the prompt, I also really love this song because it reminds me of of Pip and Magwitch's meeting in Great Expectations, especially the parallels between the convict in this song and Magwitch, as both men are grateful for the food they receive and (possibly) both have led sorrowful lives. Also, both the singer and Pip take pity on their convicts.
6. Egypt (The Chains Are On) by Doro (Dio Cover)
~Come and sail on my golden sea
Maybe one day you'll be just like me
And that's free
But still your chains are on~
In this song, the chains represent a kingdom of enslaved peoples who have been enslaved by invaders, referred to as strange ones. Life becomes so terrible that it's described as "the land of no tomorrow / where you pray just to end each day / and your life just slowly melts away." Maybe one day these people will be freed but until then, their chains will remain. Before this time, the land was a world of milk and honey that was all theirs, where the stars shone bright and "the magic was strong and true," but now the queen lies dark and cold and lonely and they are in a version of hell, making this song even more devastating.
7. Man in Chains by Spandau Ballet
~I've only myself to blame
Now that I'm tangled up in chains
So you say, so you say
Caught in this human cage~
Not deluding himself, the singer begins by lamenting that he has "only myself to blame / now that I'm tangled up in chains." He likens his chains to being trapped in a human cage and he is "fired up with rage," insisting that "somebody's got to pay." Despite his anger and desire to place the blame on someone else, he still bottles it all up and hopes that someday his rage will fade. He could be angry because he's in love with someone who keeps antagonizing him and betraying him: "there must be a reason why / you're pulling the wool down on my eyes." His anger has become like a ball and chain and he dreams that someday he will leave it behind and fly.
8. Chain Gang by Otis Redding (Sam Cooke Cover)
~That's the sound of the men
They're working on the chain gang
...
That's the sound of the men
Working on the highways and byways, all day long~
Who doesn't love Otis Redding? This piece is pretty self-explanatory as Otis sings about coming across a chain gang, hearing them first as they moan and complain about the hard work. Being on a chain gang, these men are physically chained together as they work "on the highways and byways and wearin', wearin' a frown." You can practically feel the sorrow of these men as they pray that they will go "home one of these days / I'm going home to see my woman / whom I love so dear / but meanwhile I, I've got to work right here."
9. The Chain by Fleetwood Mac
~And if you don't love me now
You will never love me again
I can still hear you saying...
You would never break the chain~
This song is sooo unbelievably underrated. It's a sad song as the singer is realizing that his relationship is at a end, even though he can still remember his lover saying that "you would never break the chain" of their love. The singer is damning his lover's love and damning their lies, saying that "if you don't love me now / you will never love me again." It seems that to the singer, his lover doesn't care about preserving their love anymore, despite claiming they want to and that they would never willingly break them apart. The singer, however, claims that if their lover doesn't love them in the present moment like they did in the past, then they have no future together. The chain; however, remains unbroken, being the only thing keeping them together.
10. In Chains by Depeche Mode
~I know I crumble when you are around
Start to mumble a bit of false sound
Stagger, stumble, shackled and bound
In chains~
'In Chains' is definitely a song of desperation and intoxication, as the singer is completely hypnotized by someone to the point where they can do and think of nothing else but this person. He admits that she no doubt knows what she's doing to him, purposely keeping him in chains at her feet, spellbound by her. He is willing to do anything and everything for her, worshiping her so much so that his soul clings to her. It even goes so far as to become unbridled, life-altering obsession: "You've got me dying for you / It's you that I'm living through." The singer is, quite obviously, too far gone with his lust to break out of his chains.
11. I Love You Like a Ball and Chain by Eurythmics
~I love you like a ball and chain, make it alright now
Love you like a ball and chain, feels too good
I'm a fool, I know but I'm stuck on you
I'm a fool, I know and it's making me blue~
Well, a ball and chain is a common expression meaning something that restricts one's freedom and causes one to feel like they are caged or chained. Annie Lennox reflects in this song how her love is like a ball and chain, that she knows it suppresses her and clips her wings and chains her, but she can't help but love anyway. Without this person she feels incomplete, alone and obsolete, driven by lust as her "bed is burning all through the night / you're the only one that can make me feel right." This love is obviously destructive to her, as she concludes that "there's a river of blood / there's a river of tears" all stemming from her love.
12. (Don't Break These) Chains of Love by The Supremes
~So tighter, pull 'em tighter
'Till I feel love's sweet pain
'Cause these chains of love
Keep me from going insane~
In this song, the singer is begging her lover not to end their relationship, or rather, to "please don't ever break these chains of love." She says how happy she's been since the day her lover has bound her in chains, or bound her to him, and that she only wants them pulled tighter because they keep her sane rather than suffocate her. She also recognizes that a person only has one soulmate and that she has found hers in him, even though she was initially caught in his web and she allowed him to steal her heart away "just like a thief in the night." She ends the song by saying that she wants him to lock the chains around her, so that she can never remove them.
13. Ball and Chain by Social Distortion
~You can run all your life
But not go anywhere
Take away, take away
Take away this ball and chain~
Another song with the ball and chain theme, similar to Duran Duran's 'Chains' in that the singer feels chained to his life and wants out. He sings that "it's been ten years / and a thousand tears," and that he is lonely and tired and "can't take anymore pain." He's worked hard to have a perfect life, to have possessions and a wife, but he laments that misery and disappointment, essentially his chains, follow him wherever he goes and refuse to free him; he remarks that "you can run all your life / but not go anywhere." Clearly, he seems unable to ever rid himself of his ball and chain as he is "born to lose and destined to fail."
14. Chains by Duran Duran
~I put my hand into the flame
Burning but I feel no pain
Don't speak, don't speak my name
Hold on to this life of chains~
What a beautiful song this is and another perfect fit for the trope, with the singer describing his life as a "life of chains." He's become numb to his life as he puts his hand into a flame and it burns; however, he feels no pain. He does recognize that there are those "who want to set me free," essentially encouraging him to end his life so that he can be free of the chains, but he also realizes that it is these chains that are anchoring him to the world and to his life and forbidding him to escape. He begs for more time, saying that he's fought for so long, that he's no longer afraid and that he's close to breaking free; however, ultimately, by the end of the song he's still holding on to his life of chains.
15. Shackled by Vertical Horizon
~For so long of my life's been sewn up tight inside your hold
And it leaves me there without a place to call my own
...
It's half the distance through the open door
Before you cut me down... again
So let me introduce you to the end~
Definitely my favorite song on this playlist and one of my favorite songs ever, Vertical Horizon's beautiful and poignant 'Shackled' tackles a controlling and suffocating relationship where the singer remarks how "for so long my life's been sewn up tight inside your hold / and it leaves me there without a place to call my own." He realizes early on, however, how there's no point to his life unless he is with her: "there's no point in running 'less you run with me." Nonetheless, he knows she will either tear him down or leave him behind when they're halfway there. With his wings he tries to fly, to escape her, even though he is constantly being torn down and left "beaten on unholy ground again," perhaps meaning that he has no support system to turn to and no hope left.
Constantly, through the chorus, the singer is stating that his lover will not be his shackles and that she won't believe his happiness when he finally leaves her, even though he knows how she will bleed and how much she will give up so that he doesn't leave, further tightening her chains on him. Biding his time, he slaves "inside of a broken dream / forever holding onto splitting seams," the splitting seams probably a symbol for his dwindling hope and increasing loss of control over his life. As the song concludes, it seems like he has almost broken away from her with his: "let me introduce you to the end" and "my laughter / you won't hear / the faster I disappear / and time will burn your eyes to tears." It's a pretty powerful song on the control someone has over the singer and on how desperate he struggles to break the chains she's forced on him.
Prompt: Handcuffed/Bound Together
Notes: I went for more of a 'Chains' theme for this one, sometimes physical though mostly mental. We have themes of physical chains for convicts and as (metaphorical) jewelry, and we also have chains as a symbol of love or life, mainly the former. This is mainly oldies but goodies (folk, new wave, soul), but there's some recent stuff in here too.
You can listen to the playlist HERE.
1. Chains by The Cookies
~Now believe me when I tell you I think you're fine
I'd like to love you but, darling, I'm imprisoned by these chains
My baby's got me locked up in chains
And they ain't the kind that you can see~
In this song, the singer is telling someone that she's already in love with someone else and that she is unavailable to this person; hence, "my baby's got me locked up in chains." It could be that the singer isn't happy about these chains and about being tied down to someone, since they repeatedly keep on about wanting to kiss this person, "your lips look sweet / I'd like to kiss them"; that this person is "fine" and that "I'd like to hold you"; and that her "chains of love won't let me be." Either way, the singer is tied down and there's nothing they can do about it.
2. Rare and Precious Chain by Jethro Tull
~Rare and precious chain
Binds me to your soul round gently pulsing veins
Shackled tight
Feel love's bite coming back to you~
This is a fantastic, enigmatic and strangely exotic song. The rare and precious chain could be a symbolism of love, as the chain "binds me to your soul round gently pulsing veins," where the chain is shackled tight and bears the sting of love. As the song progresses, the rare and precious chain seems to be described as a diamond necklace "glistening glistening around your neck," which the singer places there again and again. In this case, the chain not only binds the singer to this person, but also serves as a constant and intoxicating reminder that the singer will always be a part of this person, the former saying he makes "no excuses for who I am."
3. Chains of Love by Erasure
~Come to me, cover me, hold me
Together we'll break these chains of love
...
Do you remember once upon a time
When there were open doors, an invitation to the world~
In this song, the singer is bidding someone to come with him so that they can break the chains of love. The chains of love are probably representative of the people that the couple have become glued to, or even the lifestyle and bad habits the couple have fallen into. Their love has become predictable and stagnant to them, which means that together they must break the chains of their love in order to revitalize and reform them. The singer is reminiscent of a time "when there were open doors / an invitation to the world," and when they would make plans together and their "days would last forever," and he desperately wants these days with his lover back.
4. Chain of Fools by Aretha Franklin
~For five long years, I thought you were my man
But I found out, I'm just a link in your chain
...
You got me where you want me, I ain't nothing but your fool
You treated me mean, oh oh, you treated me cruel~
What better than Aretha Franklin's spellbinding 'Chain of Fools' to round out this playlist? In this song, Aretha powerfully exudes betrayal and infatuation yet also strength. She comes to the conclusion that her lover, whom she previously believed she alone belonged to, has been playing her and most likely is seeing other women, hence being "just a link in your chain," his chain of fools. Unfortunately, despite knowing that she is a fool for loving him, she can't help it as his "lovin' is a much too strong" and as she is wedded to him. That chain, however, she promises will break in time and until then, she will just remain one link in it.
Plus, if you love Michael as much as I do, you'll go check out the video I used for the playlist :D
5. Long Chain On by Peter, Paul and Mary
~I saw a man come a walking
He had a long chain on
I heard his chains a clankin'
They made a mournful sound~
A convict is the theme of this song, with the singer relating how the convict came across him and asked for food. Noticing how sorrowful the convict appears, the singer acquiesces and even offers to break the convict's chains, although the latter refuses. Just like the convict is carrying chains around, he also seems to be carrying around sadness; the chains could serve as a symbol of his grief and could even be the only thing keeping him completely together and alive. Even after the convict is long gone, the singer can still hear his chains being dragged around, a sad sound in and of itself.
Other than being a perfect fit for the prompt, I also really love this song because it reminds me of of Pip and Magwitch's meeting in Great Expectations, especially the parallels between the convict in this song and Magwitch, as both men are grateful for the food they receive and (possibly) both have led sorrowful lives. Also, both the singer and Pip take pity on their convicts.
6. Egypt (The Chains Are On) by Doro (Dio Cover)
~Come and sail on my golden sea
Maybe one day you'll be just like me
And that's free
But still your chains are on~
In this song, the chains represent a kingdom of enslaved peoples who have been enslaved by invaders, referred to as strange ones. Life becomes so terrible that it's described as "the land of no tomorrow / where you pray just to end each day / and your life just slowly melts away." Maybe one day these people will be freed but until then, their chains will remain. Before this time, the land was a world of milk and honey that was all theirs, where the stars shone bright and "the magic was strong and true," but now the queen lies dark and cold and lonely and they are in a version of hell, making this song even more devastating.
7. Man in Chains by Spandau Ballet
~I've only myself to blame
Now that I'm tangled up in chains
So you say, so you say
Caught in this human cage~
Not deluding himself, the singer begins by lamenting that he has "only myself to blame / now that I'm tangled up in chains." He likens his chains to being trapped in a human cage and he is "fired up with rage," insisting that "somebody's got to pay." Despite his anger and desire to place the blame on someone else, he still bottles it all up and hopes that someday his rage will fade. He could be angry because he's in love with someone who keeps antagonizing him and betraying him: "there must be a reason why / you're pulling the wool down on my eyes." His anger has become like a ball and chain and he dreams that someday he will leave it behind and fly.
8. Chain Gang by Otis Redding (Sam Cooke Cover)
~That's the sound of the men
They're working on the chain gang
...
That's the sound of the men
Working on the highways and byways, all day long~
Who doesn't love Otis Redding? This piece is pretty self-explanatory as Otis sings about coming across a chain gang, hearing them first as they moan and complain about the hard work. Being on a chain gang, these men are physically chained together as they work "on the highways and byways and wearin', wearin' a frown." You can practically feel the sorrow of these men as they pray that they will go "home one of these days / I'm going home to see my woman / whom I love so dear / but meanwhile I, I've got to work right here."
9. The Chain by Fleetwood Mac
~And if you don't love me now
You will never love me again
I can still hear you saying...
You would never break the chain~
This song is sooo unbelievably underrated. It's a sad song as the singer is realizing that his relationship is at a end, even though he can still remember his lover saying that "you would never break the chain" of their love. The singer is damning his lover's love and damning their lies, saying that "if you don't love me now / you will never love me again." It seems that to the singer, his lover doesn't care about preserving their love anymore, despite claiming they want to and that they would never willingly break them apart. The singer, however, claims that if their lover doesn't love them in the present moment like they did in the past, then they have no future together. The chain; however, remains unbroken, being the only thing keeping them together.
10. In Chains by Depeche Mode
~I know I crumble when you are around
Start to mumble a bit of false sound
Stagger, stumble, shackled and bound
In chains~
'In Chains' is definitely a song of desperation and intoxication, as the singer is completely hypnotized by someone to the point where they can do and think of nothing else but this person. He admits that she no doubt knows what she's doing to him, purposely keeping him in chains at her feet, spellbound by her. He is willing to do anything and everything for her, worshiping her so much so that his soul clings to her. It even goes so far as to become unbridled, life-altering obsession: "You've got me dying for you / It's you that I'm living through." The singer is, quite obviously, too far gone with his lust to break out of his chains.
11. I Love You Like a Ball and Chain by Eurythmics
~I love you like a ball and chain, make it alright now
Love you like a ball and chain, feels too good
I'm a fool, I know but I'm stuck on you
I'm a fool, I know and it's making me blue~
Well, a ball and chain is a common expression meaning something that restricts one's freedom and causes one to feel like they are caged or chained. Annie Lennox reflects in this song how her love is like a ball and chain, that she knows it suppresses her and clips her wings and chains her, but she can't help but love anyway. Without this person she feels incomplete, alone and obsolete, driven by lust as her "bed is burning all through the night / you're the only one that can make me feel right." This love is obviously destructive to her, as she concludes that "there's a river of blood / there's a river of tears" all stemming from her love.
12. (Don't Break These) Chains of Love by The Supremes
~So tighter, pull 'em tighter
'Till I feel love's sweet pain
'Cause these chains of love
Keep me from going insane~
In this song, the singer is begging her lover not to end their relationship, or rather, to "please don't ever break these chains of love." She says how happy she's been since the day her lover has bound her in chains, or bound her to him, and that she only wants them pulled tighter because they keep her sane rather than suffocate her. She also recognizes that a person only has one soulmate and that she has found hers in him, even though she was initially caught in his web and she allowed him to steal her heart away "just like a thief in the night." She ends the song by saying that she wants him to lock the chains around her, so that she can never remove them.
13. Ball and Chain by Social Distortion
~You can run all your life
But not go anywhere
Take away, take away
Take away this ball and chain~
Another song with the ball and chain theme, similar to Duran Duran's 'Chains' in that the singer feels chained to his life and wants out. He sings that "it's been ten years / and a thousand tears," and that he is lonely and tired and "can't take anymore pain." He's worked hard to have a perfect life, to have possessions and a wife, but he laments that misery and disappointment, essentially his chains, follow him wherever he goes and refuse to free him; he remarks that "you can run all your life / but not go anywhere." Clearly, he seems unable to ever rid himself of his ball and chain as he is "born to lose and destined to fail."
14. Chains by Duran Duran
~I put my hand into the flame
Burning but I feel no pain
Don't speak, don't speak my name
Hold on to this life of chains~
What a beautiful song this is and another perfect fit for the trope, with the singer describing his life as a "life of chains." He's become numb to his life as he puts his hand into a flame and it burns; however, he feels no pain. He does recognize that there are those "who want to set me free," essentially encouraging him to end his life so that he can be free of the chains, but he also realizes that it is these chains that are anchoring him to the world and to his life and forbidding him to escape. He begs for more time, saying that he's fought for so long, that he's no longer afraid and that he's close to breaking free; however, ultimately, by the end of the song he's still holding on to his life of chains.
15. Shackled by Vertical Horizon
~For so long of my life's been sewn up tight inside your hold
And it leaves me there without a place to call my own
...
It's half the distance through the open door
Before you cut me down... again
So let me introduce you to the end~
Definitely my favorite song on this playlist and one of my favorite songs ever, Vertical Horizon's beautiful and poignant 'Shackled' tackles a controlling and suffocating relationship where the singer remarks how "for so long my life's been sewn up tight inside your hold / and it leaves me there without a place to call my own." He realizes early on, however, how there's no point to his life unless he is with her: "there's no point in running 'less you run with me." Nonetheless, he knows she will either tear him down or leave him behind when they're halfway there. With his wings he tries to fly, to escape her, even though he is constantly being torn down and left "beaten on unholy ground again," perhaps meaning that he has no support system to turn to and no hope left.
Constantly, through the chorus, the singer is stating that his lover will not be his shackles and that she won't believe his happiness when he finally leaves her, even though he knows how she will bleed and how much she will give up so that he doesn't leave, further tightening her chains on him. Biding his time, he slaves "inside of a broken dream / forever holding onto splitting seams," the splitting seams probably a symbol for his dwindling hope and increasing loss of control over his life. As the song concludes, it seems like he has almost broken away from her with his: "let me introduce you to the end" and "my laughter / you won't hear / the faster I disappear / and time will burn your eyes to tears." It's a pretty powerful song on the control someone has over the singer and on how desperate he struggles to break the chains she's forced on him.
