Of course, if you’re a female in your 30’s or you watch the X Factor you almost certainly know that already. And I’m guessing you’re either delighted and have your pre-order in with iTunes for the album’s release next Monday, and you’ve been sneaky peeking the previews or you’re trying to drown out the every mention of his name (in which case you’re probably not reading this).
Love him or hate him, Robbie likes to court a little controversy. It’s good for sales figures, after all.
I’ve been pondering what his latest single, Bodies, is getting at. Here’s an excerpt…
God gave me the sunshine
Then showed me my lifeline
I was told it was all mine
Then I got laid on a leyline
What a day, What a day…
And your Jesus really died for me
Then Jesus really tried for meU.K. in entropy
I feel like it’s fucking me
Wanna feed off the energy
Love livin’ like a deity
One a day, One day
And your Jesus really died for me
I guess Jesus really tried for meBodies in the bodhi tree
Bodies making chemistry
Bodies are my family
Bodies in the way of me
Bodies in the cemetery
And that’s the way it’s gonna beAll we’ve ever wanted
Is to look good naked
Hope that someone can take it
God save me rejection
From my reflection
I want perfectionPraying for the rapture
Cause it’s strange and gettin stranger
And everything’s contagious
It’s a modern middle ages
All day, every day
And if Jesus really died for me
Then Jesus really tried for me
Profound? meaningless? I’m not sure. According to comments, the song’s a criticism of George W Bush and the Iraq war. If so, did Jesus really need to come into it?
Someone said to me once that they thought the reason people who claim they couldn’t care less or don’t believe in God take his name in vain is that they realise on a deep subconscious level, that there’s huge power in God’s name, and that “For J…. sake” implies “for the sake of the highest thing I can think of”, even if that’s not what you think you really believe. I’m not sure it’s right, but it’s an interesting thought. And although I’m not sure I agree with it, I’m not sure I can come up with a better answer as to why an atheist, who might be expected to have no reason to make reference to God in any context, would blaspheme…
So what’s Robbie about here? He probably says it’s got nothing to do with God. And yet he can’t quite stay clear of the topic somehow, can he? No big deal. Except that if God’s so irrelevant, why does our talk so often keep coming back round to him?
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