You Can't Hug a Child with Nuclear Arms, But . . .

671. 10,000 MANIACS, "What's the Matter Here?"
Produced by Peter Asher; written by Robert Buck and Natalie Merchant
Elektra 69388 1988 Billboard # 80

672. SUZANNE VEGA, "Luka"
Produced by Ronald K. Fierstein; written by Suzanne Vega
A & M 2937 1987 Billboard # 3

Codes vs. referents leading to a confused listening experience. Blame it on postmodernism, pop production, or (everybody's favorite target for projection) Ronald Reagan, as you wish.

If you pay any attention to lyrics, it's obvious what these two songs are about: child abuse.
So how did they get so high on the pop charts? Well, they're hummable, and even danceable, which are not necessarily qualities I look for in songs designed to raise awareness of previously ignored social problems. In both cases, I can remember djs doing these flip leadins and tags for these songs when playing them on the radio. One announcer I had formerly liked ever referred to the 10,000 Maniacs track as "Whatsamattayou?" in a jokey Italian dialect that I had thought had gone out with Pat Cooper records.

Some of the fault lies with the performers too, particularly the Maniacs. Natalie Merchant sounds as if she's having too much fun on this track. Maybe she is, maybe she enjoys telling off her stuckup albeit abusive neighbor, but that's not really the point now, is it? Then there's that jokey postmodern sleeve for the 45, which just signals ironic distance.

Don't get me wrong: I love not taking serious things too seriously. I'm part of the generation that took the overly precious hippie slogan "You Can't Hug a Child with Nuclear Arms" and added the words "But You Can Sure as Hell Teach It a Lesson" for our very own heartwarming bumper sticker. So no, I don't think you always have to be glum when singing about serious things. However, I do think that, no matter what kind of attitude s/he cops, a serious artist should never let her/his work help people forget things to which they should be paying attention. Falldown funny or painfully morose, art is always about getting you to see something you never saw before. It should never give you an easy out to avoid pain and discomfort.

That's ultimately why Vega's song is the more artistically successful of the two, although I don't think I'll ever understand why it charted this high. The Maniacs' track is about their rage and their superior insight, and I feel as if the kid gets forgotten in the mix. Vega's song, however, attempts to reproduce the kid's voice, and the avoidance here is true to the situation. Both the song and Vega's performance ask you to go beyond the surface and figure out the things that aren't explicitly said. I still think this is a tragic case of a folk singer adding too many instruments in the studio to what should always have been a bare acoustic song, but still it's a noble attempt. It gets you to ask questions, which is one of the many reasons we have art.