The annals of rock n’ roll are full of incredible songwriters who produced lyrical works of poetry set to beautiful music.  Songs with deep meanings, sometimes hidden behind wonderfully symbolic imagery.  Some inspired greatness, others helped great causes and yet others brought enlightenment to entire generations.  Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, Pete Townshend, Neil Young, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Roger Waters…. so many great writers who wrote meaningful songs that have touched our souls.

Then there are the songs are still enjoyable for us to listen to, but are just shallow tid-bits of pure musical pleasure.  The marshmallow Peeps of the musical world: sweet, delicious and fleeting, but oh-so-good while they last.  Sometimes, though, songs can go one steep beyond to be more like a deep fried Twinkie: absolutely no redeeming value, but you can’t resist.  You know you shouldn’t be participating in it at all, but you can’t help it, since its just so bad its good.  I’ll admit that I’m a sucker for this stuff – songs with big fat juicy music hooks and catchy choruses.  Most people would say that I’m a musical snob, but I’m not above admitting that the Pussycat Doll’s "Don’t Cha" was one of my favorite songs of last year, though usually it is a basic guitar-driven rocker that gets my attention.

My newest piece of rock n’ roll decadence?  "Crazy Bitch" by Buckcherry.  Pure, unbridled sexual honesty from a bunch of old-fashioned tattooed and pierced rockers.  This is a song that would have had Tipper Gore asking for beheadings back in the 80’s.  Forget symbolic lyrics rife with analogies and similes – these guys get right to the wonderfully un-politically correct point: 

Hey
You’re a crazy bitch
But you fuck so good, I’m on top of it
When I dream, I’m doing you all night
Scratches all down my back to keep me right on

Please note: this is NOT a song about world peace or the struggles of third world nations to repay their debts!  However, just in case you missed the point, they end out the song with this oh-so-subtle play on words: "You’re crazy; But I like the way you fuck me."

I have to admire such straightforward prurience.  Now I’m sure that someone reading this will be all sorts of offended, saying that this is misogynistic and I shouldn’t be encouraging such behavior.  Well let me say three things: 1) These guys are living in the different world than most of us.  Check out the lyrics and you’ll see that they are referring to the wacky groupies that they hang out with.  Not that I feel bad for them or anything, I’m just pointing it out.  2) This is just a reflection of a larger trend out there – we’ve all seen the girls walking around with "bitch" or "slut" imprinted with sequins or rhinestones on their baby-doll t’s or camisoles.  Given the right airplay, this song could become the girl-power anthem of 2006! 3) Its a song.  Lighten up.

And its the music that makes this such a great song – if it was a crappy song I wouldn’t be writing about it.  But it is legitimately a good song with a catchy riff, a great guitar hook and a chorus which, while it may disturb some, finds a way to lodge itself in your head.  Which means I was wandering around CVS today quietly humming "you’re a crazy bitch… mmmm-mmm-mmm… but you fuck so good… mmm-mmm-mmm…" to myself.