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Champion My Cause

by The Pleasures Pale

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J.D. Fuerholzer
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Jerry Lewis
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1.
Champion My Cause 04:17
lyrics
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As I sauntered down the lane Of the dignity that I'd arranged It began to rain Remembering what you said As the tender drops draped my neck I took it to heart and then I took it to bed Champion my cause Because, because, because Champion my cause Just because Hey oh hey! For all of life's serendipity And apparitions I failed to see I snapped my jacket up tight, began to drive I nearly froze inside For all my mixed-up-ivity This notion appeared so dear to me: Robert Mitchum in a bikini Champion my cause Because, because, because Champion my cause Just because Hey oh hey! If I were a snaggletooth man With a farmer's tan I'd run for the presidency But this position appeared so queer to me Champion my cause Because, because, because Champion my cause Just because Champion my cause Oh because, because, because Champion my cause Just because Hey oh hey! Hey oh hey / Make a misfit an idol today! Hey oh hey / Make a misfit an idol today! Hey oh hey / Make a misfit an idol today... Hey oh hey / Make a misfit an idol today! Hey oh hey / Make a misfit an idol today! Hey oh hey / Make a misfit an idol today!
2.
With a Hornet in His Mouth 03:11
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Some of these and some of those But not enough, I suppose The flowers died at dawn And it was I who cried On days like this When the center won't be found Remember ugliness is beauty turned inside out Remember, remember, oh remember me For I am the one with a hornet in his mouth Well, this time, you change My door will not remain ajar And when the ice forms on the floor It will be you who cries On and on And on and on and on Remember ugliness is beauty turned inside out Remember, remember, oh remember me For I am the one with a hornet in his mouth A wasted basket of temporary fruit You've willed yourself to it Seven prayers, a week melts away Too little time, I admit Hate is a marvel And I love this little town Remember ugliness is beauty turned inside out Remember, remember, oh remember me For I am the one with a hornet in his mouth Well, this time, you change My world will remain So na na na, la de da de da da da My world will remain Hate is a marvel And I love your wedding gown Remember beauty is ugliness turned inside out Remember, remember, oh remember me For I am the one with a hornet in his mouth

about

The spirited performances captured in the Third Street Sessions, though far from sonically pristine (originally recorded on 4-track cassette in an Eastside Dayton warehouse in the summer of 1987), offer an expansive view of The Pleasures Pale in peak form, confident and striding toward an exciting, more diverse sound with evermore complex and challenging lyrical themes.

Following “Half Bad” / “What Will Never Be Sung” (December 2018) and “Not Fey” / “I Became a Teenage Hot Rod” (June 2019), the next pair of songs to be culled from these sessions and fancied up for Bandcamp release is “Champion My Cause” / “With a Hornet in His Mouth.” Both tracks present the Pale at their eclectic and eccentric best — musically venturing into new territories of style, and singer Jeffrey Bright pushing his already-tilted mannerisms and wordplay even further.

If Bright’s stock and trade with TPP was weaponizing the personal politic for a revolt on the era’s conservative conformity, it’s even more in evidence and effect here with the humorously provocative title cut and its comrade in mischief. Both are fight songs erected to rail against forces of suppression, real or imagined: the former staged as a public campaign, the latter an internal/personal feud with a not clearly identified demon — though a case cold be made that the point of the spear is aimed more directly self-ward than at any external target.

Perhaps, as much as anything, “Champion My Cause” illustrates the comfort level guitarist Mitchell Swann, bassist Luis Lerma and drummer Tim Payton Earick had in exploring compositional avenues not common among the band’s local or even national contemporaries. In CMC the trio locks into a jaunty reggae/glam mash up while Bright croons through the verses, establishing character, then implores us in the choruses and vamp to jump on the bandwagon — “make a misfit an idol today” “because, because, because … just because.” Saturated with sarcastic pathos, the song could be read alternately as a rallying cry or a twee twist on populism and the quirky nature of fame — how easily a cult of personality can sucker a public eager to be lead, or “had,” as the case may be. Or, maybe, it’s simply a call to fandom. Whatever the decision, as trumpets blare and drums rumble — as Lerma’s exquisite bass figure and Swann’s churning guitar, uniquely and together, chart a course through strange terrain — the entire enterprise hurtles with raw bravado toward an uncertain resolve, courting chaos and cacophony in increasing degrees with each passing measure, a wild ride and a wild season eventually fading into the twilight of a now-distant summer.

If we can imagine “Champion” as an over-wound provocateur trading on stylish swagger, “With a Hornet in His Mouth” is that vision’s clumsy cousin arriving at the dance with impish persistence as its primary come-on. Lerma, Swann and Earick engage in a frenetic but sticky-tight groove, and the addition of dueling organ tracks hints at the 60s pop vibe all but obscured in the swarming guitars and burbling vocal tracks.

It’s too tempting not to parallel and contrast “Hornet” with a similarly titled and themed song from a particular UK act rising at the time — saying this was inspired by that is likely not far fetched, given that “Hornet” appeared in TPP’s live sets in late 1985 or early 1986 and “The Boy with a Thorn in His Side” was released in 1985. However, any similarities to the Morrissey/Marr number would be in subject and title only, both encouraging us to not just see and acknowledge but to understand and appreciate the beauty inside the (wounded) beast. Clearly, Swann and Lerma’s composition is wholly its own free-ranging creature, possessing a degree of manic grace difficult to describe or even envision. Whether imitating, deriving from or directly addressing “Boy with a Thorn,” Bright’s poetry and delivery here are an apt musical fit regardless — the title, the words and the sounds of the performances in “Hornet in His Mouth” merge in a frenetic kind of co-relational, reciprocal onomatopoeia — and the result is another curious exhibit in the Pale’s catalog of misfit anthems.

Whether you’re a snaggletooth man with a farmer’s tan, or putting your chips on Robert Mitchum in a bikini, remember, remember beauty is ugliness turned inside out. And please know that more sweetly pointed, not half bad songs from The Pleasures Pale’s Third Street Sessions are surely on the way, as inevitable as a new election cycle. You can take it to heart and you can take it to bed. Hey oh hey!

credits

released December 20, 2019

voice – jeffrey bright
guitar – mitchell swann
bass guitar – luis lerma
drums – tim payton earick
additional sounds – jeffrey bright

initial recording:
third street rehearsal studios
and riverview apartments
dayton, ohio
1987

additional recording:
san francisco, california
2019

cover photo – unknown
cover design - jeffrey bright

c) 1987 The Pleasures Pale
p) 2019 JABMA
Fugitive Music Publishing / BMI

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The Pleasures Pale Dayton, Ohio

The Pleasures Pale was an influential indie quartet based in Dayton Ohio active from 1985 to 1987. Oft-compared to anglo groups such as The Smiths, TPP's influences can now be read as more diverse — taking cues from postpunk, rockabilly, swing, Motown and Dayton funk. A band for misfits, their extensive, lyric-driven output sought to light a way through the rust belt's post-industrial bleakness. ... more

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