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Page 8 Love Songs Spelman Spotlight February 1982 Top Ten Records By Nancy Travis Contributing Writer Music and romance go together naturally; one com pliments the other. Artists like Johnny Mathis and Barry White are famous for providing the musical background for evenings of love. The dominant theme in soul music, country, rock, pop, blues, standard ballads, and disco is love. Singers happily proclaim new love when it is found, lament in anguish when it is lost, or express an urgency when love is longed for. Song has long been a means by which one person expresses the affection he or she feels toward another. Today, however, songmakers of every category are not only less coy in descring the pains and pleasures of romantic en counters, but often they get quite explicit. Sex (or making love) is no longer taboo on television or radio. Candlelight and moonglow are by-passed because somebody wants some “funky stuff.” Some of the steamier lyrics we have heard are: “Push, push, push, push it in the groove. Push, push, push, make my body move...Thighs high to the sky (I wanna grip your hips and move)... Pull up to my bumper baby, drive it in between... Give it to me. I’ll make you holler like you had enough.” These songs reflect a new casual attitude in our society toward sex (and even love for that matter). We can see how this attitude has a dehumanizing effect on male/female relationships by the fact that singers don’t talk about loving “him” or “her,” but instead they sing about loving “it.” One’s potential to arouse is of the utmost importance, while one’s personality, values, and in telligence are seldom men tioned. This concept of relationships is made acceptable and taken for granted when heard on the air. The songs say, "I might not love you, like you, or even know what you are about, but since you look good, let’s go to bed.” Who was the first artist to bring unreserved erotica to the mass audience? A few years ago Major Harrison's “Love Won't Let Me Wait” was enough to capture everybody’s attention. A year later, Donna Summer became a star with “Love to Love You, Baby.” Hearing this musical outpour of breathy spasms and recording studio orgasms can make one feel pretty uncomfor table. Who wants to listen to some other couple’s heavy breathing? Songs that tell a little more of the singer’s story than just his or her burning yearning to get sex have long stood the test of time. Take for instance songs like “My Girl” and "R-E-S-P-E-C-T” or “I see her face everywhere I go, on the street and even at the picture Male /Female Relationships: Friendship By Lisha B. Brown Who ever said your closest friend had to be a member of your own sex? As males and females interrelate more in business and social settings, many find friendships in someone of the opposite sex. So begins the platonic relationship. The word “platonic” derives from the Greek philosopher, Plato. He believed in the idea of non- sexual love; sexual love was only an individual release of tension that brought no spiritual sensitivity. The French call these loving relationships "aimte en rose.” While they describe them as more than friendship and less than love, platonic relationships are the most special because they require so much more from each person. Stated Barbara Mathias, a free lance writer who is presently compiling a book on the subject, “Platonic friendships among heterosexual men and women appear to be growing. We have no societal norms for platonic friends so people tend to feel awkward and view the relationship with suspicion.” Many platonic relationships within the A.U. Center face this suspicion described by Ms. Mathias. If a male friend calls or visits regularly, other people see the relationship as a romantic or sexual one. However, this is not always the case. Platonic friendships are growing among young people. Through these friendships each person learns more about the opposite sex. They can understand their life experiences, their behaviors, etc. Their platonic friendships can even enhance their separate romantic relationships. There is the question of sexual attraction in platonic relationships. Will sex destroy the uniqueness of the friendship, or will the trust and confidence gained in one another secure a lasting romantic relationship? The answer varies from friendship to friendship. But whether your platonic friend becomes your groom or your "maid of honor", it is safe to say he will always be your best friend. show. Have you seen her? Tell me have you seen her?” or “I’ve just got to be with him, on the midnight train to Georgia.” or “Every drop of rain is glad; I found her, heaven must have made her just for me. Ain't no woman like the one I got...” There just seems to be more tenderness in these songs; they reflect the desire to maintain a love relationship. Some songs, however, are not written to put forth a particular story or message; they were created solely to entertain. Their lyrics are not deep, profound, or detailed, but they get the point across, rhyme, and go with the music. The same rhymes are sung year after year: arms, charms; chance romance; time, make you mine; lover, want no other; boy, my joy; girl, my world; and so on. Some lyricists will go to extremes to make sure that the song rhymes: "Upside dowm you’re turning me, I say to thee, respectfully.” Although the future for thoughtful songs about love and dedication mey seem bleak, we should not despair; hits like "Endless Love” and artists like Al Jareau keep radio romance alive. Hopefully, the love songs of the future will concentrate less on "looking for that good stuff” or being "caught up in a one night love affair” and emphasize more the relationship that is honest and caring. family Planning Clinic Physician is proud to announce the Grand Opening of his new office on Febuary \J, 1982. 5. Dekalb Office Park Suite A 3011 Rainbow Drive Decatur, Ga. 30034 243-3131 or Zbl-0390 Evening } Weekend appt. available AUC Students w/Valid 1.0. Special Discount The following listing of the ten most popular 45’s was provided by The Music Scene in The West End Mall. The new listings of 1. If You Think You're Lonely 2. That Girl 3. I Want To Hold Your Hand 4. Call Me 5. Genius of Love 6. I Can’t Go For That 7. Cool 8. I Will Fight 9. Make Up Your Mind 10. Jam the Box records will be revised February 17,1982. Perhaps your favorite is on this list, and if not, then it might appear on the next one. The list is as follows: Now Bobby Womack Stevie Wonder Lakeside Sky The Tom-Tom Club Hall & Oates The Time Gladys Knight Aurra Bill Summers