#8 Ugly – Violent Femmes

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From their self-titled, debut album, Ugly isn’t a Violent Femmes song I specifically remember. In fact, it wasn’t on the album’s original release in 1982. It was one of four bonus tracks that came with the album’s re-release in 1983. 

It’s classic Femmes. Familiar phrasing. Familiar length (short). Familiar chords. And straight to the point…

when you smile or a frown
I'm so tired of you be'in around

The lyrics are reminiscent of something my Great Grandmother Julie use to say. Instead of reminding someone to be polite, she’d say, “don’t be ugly.” Julie lived to a ripe old age so I think it’s safe to say she had something figured out about life.

The album is a classic and should be part of every serious music aficionado’s collection. I have my sister to thank for bringing it into my life, and she has me to thank for temporarily removing it from hers. I’m not sure if the Violent Femmes were part of her 1988 musical awakening or not. My sister spent the summer after her junior year in high school participating in a French immersion program at the University of Virginia. Charlottesville is where my sister and I were born, and, in my opinion, that summer was a rebirth of her music collection. I don’t know if she looks at that summer the same way. All I know is she came home with U2, Talking Heads, The Smithereens and other material that she didn’t have when she left. There's obviously no direct correlation, but the album cover does feel as if it could have been from an earlier time in the old country. France perhaps?

Whether this album was part of her summer at TJ’s university or not, it was her Violent Femmes album I borrowed. And it was her Violent Femmes album I subsequently lent to my friend David...for what ended up being the next several years. I finally got it back to her but not without a lot of much deserved harassment. It was the Violent Femmes after all.

Ps. Speaking of the word ugly, has anyone seen the movie Wildcats? It’s a movie from 1986 where Goldie Hawn’s character inherits the head-coaching job for an inner city high school football team. It’s easily Goldie’s best. Just for clarification, I’m not commenting on Goldie’s looks. “Ugly” reminds me of Wildcats because of a cheer performed in the movie… 

U-G-L-Y
You ain’t got no alibi
You ugly
You ugly…your momma said so

It may be the only Goldie Hawn movie I’ve ever liked. Overboard? Protocol? How did she make so many feature films?

PPs. I did a deeper dive on Goldie, and I suppose I owe her an apology. Maybe I accessed her career too late in the game. I think I came of age just as Goldie was cashing in on her fame. According to Rotten Tomatoes, ten of Goldie’s thirty-three movies are rated above their “Certified Fresh” threshold. Three of them came in with better than 90% critical approval. Wait...what!?! She won an Oscar? Well, in my defense, nine of the ten “Fresh” movies were released prior to Wildcats. On the other hand, Wildcats received merely 13% approval by the professionals. Maybe I should stick to music. 

PPPs. I am a notoriously bad speller. Ever since Dan Quayle's "potatoe" gaff, I have lived in fear of words like "tomatoes."