Tuesday Tunes

“Would you still love me if …”. It seems to be a pretty common question in my relationships. I’m not one to worry about the future too much. I rely on the philosophy of Geoffrey Rush’s character in ‘Shakespeare in Love’: it all just kind of works out in the end. But for the significant others i have had, the future is a much more worrying prospect. They imagine a world where they take up some dangerous activity, and immediately suffer the most dire of consequences except death. “Would you still love me if I lost my arms in a motorcycle accident?” We didn’t own a motorcycle. But anyway, the point of sharing this song is that I used it to answer one of these questions …

The Song(s)
Song: D.I.N.K.
Artist: Tattletale Saints
Album: Single (From the forthcoming album ‘Dancing under the Dogwoods’) - 2019 - Groove Park Music / Tattletale Saints
Method of discovery: Spotify Release Radar

Theory: The verses alternate over I and V, lilting back and forward while the ‘happy couple with a cat’ drift over the top. The backing is simple, just some light Drums, Guitar, Double Bass, and some atmospheric Keys. It does sound like a vibraphone hitting those little dreamlike notes, but I can’t be sure. When The Chorus comes in it’s straight to the minor chords: vi-iii-ii-I-vi-iii-ii-(V). I’ve put the V in brackets because it’s only the Bass that hits the note, which gives a nice resolution into the verses and solo, while still keeping the light tone that carries the song.

Personal thoughts: It was one of those questions, the motorcycle type of question, that brought this song to the forefront of my mind the other day. We’ve talked about kids, how we would raise them, things we would do (vaccinate) and wouldn’t do (smack them) and would like to think we wouldn’t do, but who are we kidding we’re probably going to be so tired we’ll be doing that on the regular (fast food). It’s nice to think about this type of future. The question was this: “What if we can’t have kids?”. So I didn’t say a word, just played this song. I feel the song was intended as a gentle rebuttal to folks who think there is ‘one right way’, but I used the song to tell my partner that there will always be us, even if the future isn’t what we imagined.

Research: Tattletale Saints are locals that deserve to be known worldwide. I once managed a gig at a folk music venue, The Bunker, and they had their own concert on a different night. Back then Cy and Vanessa were part of ‘Her Make Believe Band’. That album spent many years in my car. Eventually they formed their own duo, Tattletale Saints, and began their domination of Nashville. The song’s chorus explains the title: “Double Income, No Kiddies”. But D.I.N.K. is only one of several terms used to describe living situations, the most well know being Y.U.P.-pie (Young Urban Professional), and my favourite being S.I.T.C.O.M. (Single Income, Two Kids, Oppressive Mortgage). There’s a list below where someone else has done the hard work if you are interested.

Give it a go: If you are fond of acronyms

Give it a miss: If you don’t like thinking of the future

[links]
Spotify: Tuesday Tunes, D.I.N.K. by Tattletale Saints
TattleTale Saints: Website, Facebook, Instagram
Other: 40 Financial Acronyms (Article)