My Gen X Playlist: Little Miss S – Edie Brickell and New Bohemians

It takes strength to bounce back from something once. It takes courage to bounce back from something twice. It takes a heart of a lion to bounce back from it a third, fourth or fifth time.

I read this quote from A Grace Full Life. I’m always amazed at the power of words. They are able to provide needed strength and encouragement. The timing of this quote couldn’t have been more perfect. Thank you, Grace.

For some reason, bouncing back brought bungee jumping to mind. I’ve always been intrigued by it. Although I’ve braved sky diving, I’m not sure I’d give bungee jumping a go. When you are looking outside the plane door before you jump, you’re not able to make out any detail on the ground below. I remember only seeing shades of colors and indistinguishable shapes. It’s a bit of a surreal view from that high up. Bungee jumping, on the other hand, you can see enough detail below to cause you to pause. You even can see exactly where your head might crack wide open if there is a rubber band malfunction. Listen. I’m 6’2”, 210 pounds. I may stretch that sucker a little too much on the way down. I don’t know if I want to test the elasticity. Although it sounds exciting, I don’t think the juice is worth the squeeze.

Rubber bands remind me of Edie Brickell and New Bohemians’ album Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars. I’ve already included a few songs from the album on the playlist. Little Miss S is another I like from Brickell. Released in 1988, I doubt it got much airplay or if anyone really knows this song at all. I only know it because my brother introduced the band to me one college summer and I bought the CD soon after. The title implies a happy story, but unfortunately that couldn’t be much further from the truth.

Edie Brickell wrote the lyric for this song about another Edie: the actress Edie Sedgwick. Known for her associations with Andy Warhol and Bob Dylan in the ’60s, Sedgwick was an actress/model who died in 1971 at age 28 from a mixture of alcohol and barbiturates. Brickell didn’t know about her until one day when she was at a friend’s house and saw a book called “Edie” on her shelf. Curious about the name, she looked through it and got a glance at Sedgwick’s story, which she found depressing and tragic. As she was driving home, Brickell started forming the lyrics, which she left somewhat vague.

I do like the repetitive lyrics of the chorus. That’s what I think about most when I hear this song.

You got a lot of living to do

And I do. Bouncing back from my own personal spiral is no easy feat, but something necessary to get me over that crest and allow me to enjoy life. Whether it’s the first, second or fifth time, best to keep the heart of lion handy in my back pocket. You just never know when I’ll need it.

Unfortunately this may not apply to bungee jumping. One disastrous spill and there may not be a second chance. Twenty year old me may say yes, but fifty year old me says my time for this has passed. Changing seasons, ya know?

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For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

Shooting up junk in the bathroom
Makin' it with punks on the floor
Livin' the scene out of her limousine
Little Miss S. in a mini dress
Living it up to die
In a blink of the public eye

Day-glo point on an electric chair
Electric dye in her lovers hair
A pretty sight in the middle of the night
Made up for everyone to see
Swinging on the branch of a broken family tree

You got a lot of living to do without
You got a lot of living to do without
You got a lot of living to do without life

The village idiots in her bed
Never cared that her eyes were red
Never cared that her brain was dead
In the hours that her face was alive
It was the thing just to be by her side

You got a lot of living to do without
You got a lot of living to do without
You got a lot of living to do without life

Hey, alright

You got a lot of living to do without
You got a lot of living to do without
You got a lot of living to do without life

You got a lot of living to do without
You got a lot of living to do without
You got a lot of living to do without life