My Gen X Playlist: Tomorrow, Wendy – Concrete Blonde

I caught up with another good friend. We’ve known each other over 25 years. We’ve been colleagues at three different companies. The industry that I work in is not small, but exists in a small world. People rotate from company to company. Everybody knows everybody, or at least someone who is a few degrees of separation from you. Building relationships and maintaining reputations are extremely important.

She invited me to an industry event. I thought it would be fun seeing former colleagues and business partners. And it was. I caught up with a number of people. Many asked what firm I was with or the complete opposite spectrum, if I had retired. After a while, I became tired of this line of small talk and retreated to just hang out with a few friends.

On the hour long drive home, I asked myself if I was ready to return to this line of work. It was just a short blip of doubt. Yes, it’s what I know and what I’ve done for over 25 years. Plus, I’m relatively good at it. Even though it was just one event, it was good to dip my toe back in for a brief moment to ease myself back in. I have two conversations scheduled for this week. They are feeling me out and vice versa. Who knows where they will lead. The first one is tomorrow. Wish me luck.

When I wrote the word conversation, Concrete Blonde’s A Little Conversation came to mind. I was sure that was going to be today’s song. But when I listened to it this morning, it wasn’t as good of a song as I remembered it to be. Still I researched the backstory, but came up empty handed. In the process, I stumbled upon another Concrete Blonde song that I’d forgotten – Tomorrow, Wendy. As I reacquainted myself with this one, I said to myself, OK, that’s much better. I really liked the melody and powerful vocals back in the day. Once again, though, I didn’t understand specifically what it was about. I had a slight inkling, but whoa.

“Wendy was a real person. She was diagnosed with AIDS and rather than suffering the stigma, she decided to commit suicide. It’s an old song, so this is a long time ago, and not that anything’s changed much, by the way. But it’s basically her dialogue with herself as to the decision she’s going to make on her own. She’s making the decision on her own, it’s her one act of dignity in her life. And it’s heavy, to say the least.

Songfacts

My conversations with myself about rejoining my career are sometimes serious, but not this dire. Not to minimize my issues or concerns because they are real for me. I’m allowed to have them. But it’s also good to maintain perspective of what I have, what I don’t and the swatches of paint in the big picture of my life. My tomorrow is nowhere near the realm of Wendy’s. Sometimes it’s good to remember that and I should be counting my lucky stars instead.

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For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

It is complete now
Two ends of time are neatly tied
A one-way street
She's walking to the end of the line
And there she meets
The faces she keeps
In her heart and mind
They say
"Goodbye"
Tomorrow Wendy you're going to die
Underneath the chilly grey November sky
We can make believe that Kennedy is still alive
We're shooting for the moon
And smiling Jackie's driving by
They say
"Good try"
Tomorrow Wendy is going to die
I told the priest
Don't count on any second coming
God got his ass kicked
The first time he came down here slumming
He had the balls to come
The gall to die
And then forgive us
No I don't wonder why,
I wonder what he thought it would get us
Hey hey
Goodbye
Tomorrow Wendy is going to cry
Only God says "jump"
So I set the time
Cause if he ever saw it
It was through these eyes of mine
And if he ever suffered
It was me who did his crying
Hey hey
Goodbye
Tomorrow Wendy's going to die