Is 'Man Needs a Maid' ridiculous?

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I listened to this today on a cassette on a bus and wondered what the fuck most of you were going on about.

RJG (RJG), Saturday, 18 October 2003 00:00 (twenty years ago) link

1) Extreme, dogmatic, more-feminist-than-thou kind of stalinistic 1970ies politically correct hags gone sour & stale.

This is exactly the kind of 'look' I'm going for ... I think it sounds kind of deadpan, flat, sorrowful and beautiful. Maybe I could be the feminazi you need.

""A Man Needs A Maid," on the other hand, is a sad little song, so the epic strings seem out of place."

I think this is true - the strings on this song are funny. It's partly because the strings are so rich and his voice is so thin and cracking too.


m.s (m .s), Saturday, 18 October 2003 06:34 (twenty years ago) link

my (feminist) reading of this song always read it as much more of an indictment of man rather than woman. Neil has failed as a man in an epic way because he has failed to make the most basic connection a human can make. He can't stop trying, though, but he knows that these conclusions about women devalue his humanity.

teeny (teeny), Sunday, 19 October 2003 19:20 (twenty years ago) link

great f'n song; JBR and teeny otm.

'Welfare Mothers', on 'Rust Never Sleeps', is a much more offensive NY track.

??!!!

gabbneb (gabbneb), Sunday, 19 October 2003 20:17 (twenty years ago) link

I can remember a time when I was too bummed out to pick up my dirty clothes, and it really did seem like I was living in an epic tragedy.

At least, it seemed that way to me. To my friends, it just seemed like I was living in a disgusting apartment.

They were nice enough to keep coming over, though, and some nights, after having a few drinks, I'd start to describe my dark emotional vistas. My friends never shared my fascination with this topic, however. "Quit bitching and start cleaning," was their advice.

In retrospect, they were 100% correct, and I'm damn glad that I never used a bombastic string section to try to convince them otherwise.

Buffalo Mozzarella, Monday, 20 October 2003 19:49 (twenty years ago) link

eleven months pass...
this song is neil's way of saying, "bitch, wash my clothes!"

it deserves an r&b cover -- by r kelly?

Eisbär (llamasfur), Sunday, 3 October 2004 18:37 (nineteen years ago) link

eight months pass...
A friend of mine made me watch a Neil Young special on a 1972 Old Grey Whistle Test last week. NY was like a cute version of Robbie Williams, with his non-smug smirking. He had some nice banter about stereophonic BBC paper cups. Then he hammered out 'A Man Needs A Maid'. It was great.

When will I see you again?

Alba (Alba), Friday, 10 June 2005 09:03 (eighteen years ago) link

two years pass...

is speculation as to whether the dude should get a maid really worth the corny, overdone instrumentation

Charlie Howard, Friday, 30 November 2007 02:29 (sixteen years ago) link

one year passes...

"listening to neil young sing about women is like watching a cop eating donuts."

haha! Yes, exactly.

adamrl needs a maid

admrl, Wednesday, 31 December 2008 19:59 (fifteen years ago) link

but it does sound like he just wants some chick who'll clean up his shit. it's kinda amazing that he thought he could get away with that in 1972 (the height of bra-burning feminism, ya know).

There is such a thing as singing as a character, ya know.

ichard Thompson (Hurting 2), Wednesday, 31 December 2008 23:29 (fifteen years ago) link

the most basic connection a human can make

More basic: I just shook hands with a homeless-/street-paper vendor.

If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Wednesday, 31 December 2008 23:48 (fifteen years ago) link

Doped-up makes it hard to get things done around the house.

Eazy, Thursday, 1 January 2009 00:21 (fifteen years ago) link

I thought that maybe I would get a made = I'll stop where I can, get some fried eggs and country ham

Eazy, Thursday, 1 January 2009 00:22 (fifteen years ago) link


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