Once upon a time, when the Dog was online, seeking a female counterpart (you know the word), he came across a personal profile that piqued his interest. The woman who wrote it and the Dog shared some common ground. But there was also something about it that gave the Dog paws. I mean pause.
Months went by. On a few occasions, the Dog checked to see if the profile was still there. One day, he noticed a significant addition. Under the statement: “the most private thing I’m willing to admit,” the mystery woman had posted the word “this.” The word was a link. With a click, it led to this video:
After that, the Dog decided against initiating contact once and for all. But what is one to make of such a song?
“Love Interruption,” was written by Jack White and performed by him with the assistance of back-up vocals from, Ruby Amanfu. It was released in 2012 on Blunderbuss, his first solo album. From a musical standpoint, I find it hypnotically compelling. But the lyrics are disturbing. The speaker announces that he wants Love to, inter alia, “stick a knife inside me,” “split my mouth wide open,” and — perhaps most terrifyingly — “cover up my ears and let me never hear a sound.” Then, puzzlingly, the chorus states: “I won’t let love disrupt, corrupt, or interrupt me anymore.”
One intriguing interpretation was suggested by a contributor on the site songmeanings. Contrary to first impressions, the song could be a repudiation of domestic abuse. In this view, the singer first describes the mindset of a person trapped in an abusive relationship — then transcends and rejects it in the chorus. Thus, the chorus might provide the song’s overriding message.
Is that what the driven, unconventional, multi-talented Jack White intended? I do not know. In any event, it’s worth asking not only what the song meant to its creator but what it means to its fans — particularly a fan who would go so far as to feature it in a personal ad. To do so would appear to be a solicitation of abuse. Or at least a willingness to be misunderstood as soliciting abuse before an audience of strangers.
This leads to a broader question. What is the function of masochism? I pose the inquiry without pejorative intent. The same could be asked with respect to any number of things, whether normal, abnormal, good, bad or indifferent. Without taking time to review the relevant literature, I will offer what is no doubt an unoriginal hypothesis. At least part of the function of masochism is to deal with the past experience of pain (whether physical or psychological) by converting it into a personal fantasy and thereby, in some sense, gaining mastery over it.
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