The Elusive Song Lyrics

If you have never eaten at Jason’s Deli you are missing out. While I can devour a Spinach Veggie Wrap with ease, DH is partial to the California Club. But the food is only part of the reason we frequent Jason’s Deli. Mostly, we go for the music. They play the very best songs from the 80’s: the songs you love, but forgot existed.

One not easily forgotten number is Prince’s "Little Red Corvette". My friends and I could not get enough of this song in 1983. I’ll never forget a summer night when Julie and I were out on her trampoline in the backyard singing the lyrics acapella. Come on you remember them, so sing with me, I guess I shoulda known, by the way U parked your car sideways, that it wouldn’t last. See U’re the kinda person that believes in makin’ out once. Love 'em and leave 'em fast…But it was Saturday night, I guess that makes it all right... If I may interject and point out to my children, parents and Sunday School class: Saturday night never makes it all right, and I did not believe that then, or now, or at anytime in between.

Anyway, all was just fine until we got to the chorus. Julie started at the top of her lungs, Pay the rent collect, Baby you’re much 2 fast. And as I softened my voice, not certain I heard her correctly, she continued, Pay the rent collect, U need a love that’s gonna last. How she ever confused little red corvette with pay the rent collect, well who knows. But man was it funny!

Perhaps it was almost as entertaining as the Kenny Chesney song I botched on our Saturday night date with friends. DH, in addition to jazz, enjoys Kenny Chesney. He was introduced to the country artist on a midwinter play-some-golf-where-it-is-warm road trip. Upon DH’s return he downloaded several of Kenny Chesney’s songs from iTunes

On Saturdays while doing his Honey Do List, he plays them and sings along. Sometimes, he even sings real loud and we dance. He does this so often that I thought I knew every word to “When the Sun Goes Down”. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that when the sun goes down, we’ll actually be “groovin.”

Groovin' sounds fun and all, but I thought it was something else. I thought this because when DH sings the song, he always sings something else. I know now that it is not because he doesn’t know the words, but because he thinks he’s funny, or cute, or sexy, or something. When DH sings the song to me, he always replaces “groovin’” with another verb. One commonly used by building contractors as they described the process with which they adhere dry wall screws. And that is how I thought the song went. So that is how I sang it. On Saturday night. At the top of my lungs. In front of all our friends.