What's that essay about hearing "finger fucking" in Blondie's "Rapture?"
November 17, 2013 5:37 PM Subscribe
Back in the 1980s, when I was an impressionable lad, I read an essay in which the author remembered a friend of his insisting that Debbie Harry sang a lyric that included "finger-fucking" in the hit song "Rapture." I remembered this as appearing in Stephen King's book Danse Macabre, but I just checked the e-book edition and it's not there — and it doesn't really fit with the mission of Danse Macabre, anyway. Do you know where this essay appeared?
As I remember it, the essay included a narrative where the author's friend insisted that the line was "finger-fucking" but the author refused to believe it, since the song was a huge radio hit and all. There was a bit of intrigue as efforts were made to secure a copy of the record to check; I think they might have ended up requesting the record and hearing it played over the radio. There was jubilation and rejoicing and maybe high-fives as the lyric played, quite clearly, "finger-fucking." Debbie Harry, sticking it to The Man since at least 1981.
The lyric is actually "finger-popping," of course, but the essay reads as if Blondie really had slipped a flat-out obscenity under the nose of radio programmers everywhere, not to mention the FCC. I can't remember the exact point of the story, unless it simply has to do with how much fun it is to slip one past a bunch of censorious big-media gate-keepers. And I wouldn't swear it was Stephen King, though that's definitely how I've remembered it for all these years. I would have read it in high school or earlier, meaning it was written sometime between 1981 (after the song was released) and 1987 (when I graduated). In addition to Stephen King, I was reading a lot of Harlan Ellison at the time, but this doesn't seem like Harlan's style. Does anyone remember what this essay was and where it appeared?
As I remember it, the essay included a narrative where the author's friend insisted that the line was "finger-fucking" but the author refused to believe it, since the song was a huge radio hit and all. There was a bit of intrigue as efforts were made to secure a copy of the record to check; I think they might have ended up requesting the record and hearing it played over the radio. There was jubilation and rejoicing and maybe high-fives as the lyric played, quite clearly, "finger-fucking." Debbie Harry, sticking it to The Man since at least 1981.
The lyric is actually "finger-popping," of course, but the essay reads as if Blondie really had slipped a flat-out obscenity under the nose of radio programmers everywhere, not to mention the FCC. I can't remember the exact point of the story, unless it simply has to do with how much fun it is to slip one past a bunch of censorious big-media gate-keepers. And I wouldn't swear it was Stephen King, though that's definitely how I've remembered it for all these years. I would have read it in high school or earlier, meaning it was written sometime between 1981 (after the song was released) and 1987 (when I graduated). In addition to Stephen King, I was reading a lot of Harlan Ellison at the time, but this doesn't seem like Harlan's style. Does anyone remember what this essay was and where it appeared?
Well, it doesn't seem to appear on Google B/N and Amazon isn't any more helpful -- it isn't even in any of the several books covering misheard lyrics.
I'm guessing one mechanical aspect to consider is whether you've grafted together a bet on a misheard lyric with "Rapture", rather than the actual song the story was about?
posted by dhartung at 1:02 AM on November 18, 2013
I'm guessing one mechanical aspect to consider is whether you've grafted together a bet on a misheard lyric with "Rapture", rather than the actual song the story was about?
posted by dhartung at 1:02 AM on November 18, 2013
Response by poster: Yeah, I've lived through enough embarrassing brain malfunctions to allow for the possibility that I am misremembering something key. But I would say I am at least 90 percent certain that this was an essay -- maybe with a theme of anti-conformism or free speech or just rock and roll rebellion -- specifically about that line in that song. And I remember having to get a copy to listen to in order to check it out. I think I was pretty well convinced at the time, at least until I got online (years later) to double-check the actual lyrics.
And I have Googled the heck out of it with no luck. Part of the problem is that it's such a commonly misheard lyric that there is a ton of Internet discussion, none of it readily pointing back to the essay I had in mind. Adding "Stephen King" and/or "Harlan Ellison" to the search queries has been unhelpful. I figure my only hope is that someone else who has read and remembers the essay will see this thread.
It could potentially have been a standalone essay as an intro to a book of some kind, I guess. Maybe by someone like George Romero or John Carpenter, either of whom I might conflate with Stephen King in my head. I considered Dave Barry, but I'm certain the language was unexpurgated in the essay and the majority of his stuff was written for newspapers.
posted by Mothlight at 5:40 AM on November 18, 2013
And I have Googled the heck out of it with no luck. Part of the problem is that it's such a commonly misheard lyric that there is a ton of Internet discussion, none of it readily pointing back to the essay I had in mind. Adding "Stephen King" and/or "Harlan Ellison" to the search queries has been unhelpful. I figure my only hope is that someone else who has read and remembers the essay will see this thread.
It could potentially have been a standalone essay as an intro to a book of some kind, I guess. Maybe by someone like George Romero or John Carpenter, either of whom I might conflate with Stephen King in my head. I considered Dave Barry, but I'm certain the language was unexpurgated in the essay and the majority of his stuff was written for newspapers.
posted by Mothlight at 5:40 AM on November 18, 2013
In that case, all I cn suggest is asking the experts.
posted by dhartung at 12:34 AM on November 19, 2013
posted by dhartung at 12:34 AM on November 19, 2013
Response by poster: I was thinking of taking it to a Stephen King board or something — but the lack of response here makes me think it couldn't have been him. Someone would have read it and would remember.
posted by Mothlight at 6:29 AM on November 19, 2013
posted by Mothlight at 6:29 AM on November 19, 2013
Response by poster: So I did actually take it to the (official, I think) Stephen King Message Board and nobody there recalls the essay in question. I think someone there would remember it if it was actually King who wrote it—they seem fairly hardcore. Guess I'll just have to hope that whoever wrote it and wherever it appeared (and I'm pretty sure it was collected in a book), Google gets around to scanning it sometime and I can pick it up via Google Book Search at some point in the indeterminate future. Until then it will drive me batty, I'm sure.
posted by Mothlight at 8:44 AM on November 21, 2013
posted by Mothlight at 8:44 AM on November 21, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by IAmBroom at 8:26 PM on November 17, 2013