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My Gen X Playlist: Forever in Blue Jeans – Neil Diamond

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Daily writing prompt
If you were forced to wear one outfit over and over again, what would it be?
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Easy. T-shirt, jeans and sneakers. Throw on a pullover light weight sweatshirt just in case it gets a little cold. I like to be casual and comfortable.

I initially thought shorts, but jeans are a better bet for various occasions. I might be in trouble if I need to be a bit dressier and I’m without a collared shirt. Oh well. And I never call my shoes sneakers. It just seemed apropos describing the outfit. This is a very odd prompt. I’ve given this way too much thought. What the hell.

I went to public school as a kid. We didn’t have a mandatory dress code nor did we have to wear school uniforms, either. We could wear whatever we wanted to, within reason. As an adult, I now see some of the arguments in favor of school uniforms. Removing fashion from the equation probably removes some social pressures and shields against anxiety. But that’s from my simple mind. I’m curious what others think, especially those who had to wear uniforms to school. I may be way off base.

Neil Diamond released Forever in Blue Jeans in 1978. Turns out it was not really about wearing blue jeans at all.

Diamond said that the message of this song is that “the simple things are really the important things.” The song is certainly not literal, as Diamond is rarely seen wearing blue jeans.

This later featured in a Gap TV ad with the comedian Will Ferrell impersonating Diamond.

– Songfacts

I’d never seen the commercial before and had to look it up. Not bad, Mr. Ferrell.

–

For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

Money talks
But it don't sing and dance and it don't walk
And long as I can have you here with me
I'd much rather be forever in blue jeans

Honey's sweet
But it ain't nothin' next to baby's treat
And if you'd pardon me, I'd like to say
We'd do okay forever in blue jeans

Maybe tonight
Maybe tonight, by the fire
All alone, you and I
Nothing around but the sound
Of my heart and your sighs

Money talks
But it can't sing and dance and it can't walk
And long as I can have you here with me
I'd much rather be forever in blue jeans, babe

And honey's sweet
But it ain't nothin' next to baby's treat
And if you'll pardon me, I'd like to say
We'd do okay, forever in blue jeans

Maybe tonight
Maybe tonight, by the fire
All alone, you and I
Nothing around but the sound
Of my heart and your sighs

Money talks
But it don't sing and dance and it don't walk
And long as I can have you here with me
I'd much rather be forever in blue jeans

And if you'd pardon me, I'd like to say
We'd do okay forever in blue jeans, babe

And long as I can have you here with me
I'd much rather be forever in blue jeans, babe

26 thoughts on “My Gen X Playlist: Forever in Blue Jeans – Neil Diamond”

  3. I was a no-uniform public school kid too. We spent an awful lot of time and money on our clothes, so I can see that uniforms could have been an equalizer and money-saver.

    So what do you call your shoes?

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    1. That’s a good question. I just call them my shoes. I used to call them tennis shoes when I was a kid, but I don’t play tennis so that went out the window. I call my converse by name. Oddly, I don’t with my adidas. I tend to wear my trail running shoes a lot because they don’t have laces and I’m getting lazy tying them. Sneakers popped into my head when I was writing and it felt just right – like a worn comfortable shoe… sorry, I couldn’t resist.

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  4. I’m a blue jeans lover too! Pretty much my uniform most of the year but now that it’s hot, I prefer shorts/skorts, and sleeveless shirts.

    Love Neil! Love Will.

    i guess uniforms can be a positive things, but Kepler loves his sense of style and I’m glad he gets to choose his outfit every night. He often sends a picture of it to me even though i’m just downstairs. 🥳

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  5. I love my blue jeans too, and I never wear cut-offs. With the summer heat, I need shorts with more air flow. Tenna shoes is what I called the shoes I wore to school. Still to this day, I carry my gym shoes in my gym bag and never where them anywhere else.

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  6. Never heard that Neil Diamond song before – I’m a fan but I’m always running into songs that are new to me – man had a prodigious output. As for jeans/denim – hate them, hate that fabric. I did, of course, own the requisite denim jacket back in the ’60’s – you know the kind with the butterfly appliques on the back – ah, the hippy-dippy flower child days of my youth. Not going to go into forbidden fashions from back in “the old days” (like women wearing pants!)

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      1. When you’re just living your life you don’t think it’s anything special…history and perspective give it meaning in the now that it didn’t have then…

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  8. Such a great song! I can remember dancing to this with my teenage boyfriend in the living room of his grandparents’ house while they were away. 🙂 There’s another song I always think of when I hear it, Danny’s Song. Same sort of vibe, maybe.

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  9. Oh, and I’ve seen both sides of the uniforms or not equation. I didn’t wear uniforms while attending private and then public school, but my kids did and it saved a lot of money and stress, not trying to stay in season, etc. The expression was there in shoes or backpacks. They were fine, but all hate Polo type shirts. 🙂

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  10. Simple things really are the most important!

    I agree with you, weird prompt. Oh well, I guess the prompt department deserves to phone it in once in a while.

    I think there’s a case for school uniforms; the equalizing is one aspect though I suppose the corollary of that is a notion of robbing students of their individuality. Our grandkids and my cousins’ kids all wore uniforms to school and I never heard anything negative about the requirement; if anything it made mornings easier as there was one less decision to fuss over.

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    1. Thanks for your comments, Steve. Hopefully individuality can shine in other ways. Although I think I may initially balk if I had to wear it as a kid, I’d probably just get used to it. Not having to think to get dressed in the mornings is a great thing!

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