Linger | City Reliquary Museum | Ancient Rome | YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
Today’s Sunday Stumblin’ Along tune is Linger by The Cranberries. This song was The Cranberries’ first major hit as it made it to #3 on the Irish charts, #8 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and #14 in the UK in 1993.
Linger was collaboratively written by their lead singer Dolores O’Riordan and guitarist Noel Hogan. Before O’Riordan had joined the band, some of the song was written by a bloke named Niall Quinn. When O’Riordan first auditioned for the band, she shared some thoughts on this song, and then once she joined the band would eventually perfect the lyrics giving them a woman’s touch. Let’s be honest, a guy can’t sing this the same way.
Dolores O’Riordan drew inspiration from the song when she was 17. She told the Irish Times, “Linger was the first song we wrote. Initially, it was just a chord shape, with no real melody or lyrics. I took a tape of it home and came up with a verse and chorus. I wrote about being rejected. I never imagined that it would become a big song. It was inspired by a night I had at a club called Madonna’s. This guy asked me to dance and I thought he was lovely. Until then, I’d always thought that putting tongues in mouths was disgusting, but when he gave me my first proper kiss, I did indeed ‘have to let it linger’. I couldn’t wait to see him again. But at the next disco, he walked straight past me and asked my friend to dance. I was devastated. Everyone saw me being dumped, publicly, at the disco. Everything’s so dramatic when you’re 17, so I poured it into the song.”
Just to add a bit more context, Cranberries drummer, Fergal Lawler, said of this song, As soon as people heard that they kind of said, ‘This is one of those classic songs’, it just has that sound, it could’ve been from any era, from the ’50s or ’60s, and even if you hear it now it still sounds good on the radio.” (Source: Cranberries World) He’s right, this is one of those rare timeless tunes.
In a 1995 concert, Dolores O’Riordan sang this song in a duet with Simon Le Bon. It was at Pavarotti & Friends, Together for the Children of Bosnia, concert. (Source: Cranberries World)
I’m wrong for sharing this but I got sorta a funny story you’re not allowed to repeat to anybody about my parents with Pavarotti. While the 3 of us were living in West New York in 1997, Princess Diana died. Those 2 hit the town (might’ve been Hoboken) and must’ve had more than just a few pints of Guinness. When they got home that night my aunties from Ireland gave them a ring about the tragic news about Princess D. In their drunken stupor, they misheard the news about the paparazzi causing the accident and heard Pavarotti had done it. In my parents' defense, it was the classic innocent 90s game of telephone and they couldn’t go to check Twitter. In my defense, I needed to get that Noted at some point and we don’t do a lot of opera on here.
In 1996, when this song was only 3 years old, O’Rioran said, “Our music has a global feel. Linger, for example, does not sound like it’s by an Irish or an English band, it just sounds like a song – it could be 30 years old, it doesn’t have a rock tempo.” Adam Sandler, who always would have the best music on in the background of his movies, used this song in Click, which gave it a bit of a revival over a decade later in ‘06.
The lyric here wrapped around your finger plays from the phrase "have someone wrapped around your little finger" which means to have control over somebody. The little part represents innocence, which plays into the theme that O’Riordan was going for with it being her first love.
Great tune, one of my many favorites. Week to Week Notes has now done 3 of The Cranberries’ best hits with Linger, Zombie, andDreams. Might have to recycle these from time to time.
On to the Stumblin’ Along…
Quite a few Sundays ago, somehow in my drunken stupor, I Stumbled Along to The City Reliquary in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The museum filled with cool New York City history is open on Saturdays and Sundays from Noon to 6 PM. For a $10 visit, you can see a ton of cool relics from The City. This week's Stumblin’ Along on Week to Week Notes features another piece on the history of Burlesques in New York.
Inside the museum was a locker full of NSFW burlesque content. The history of burlesque in New York City is centered around Little Egypt, a late 19th-century dancer. In 1893 at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the nation got hot and bothered by the display of Little Egypt. She would execute “wild gyrations and bold display of her naked limbs on a public stage” which was quite the scandal in its day. These performances shocked the likes of Anthony Comstock, the head of the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice, who tried to shut down the Expo’s midway dance hall down. It didn’t work, as it only grew it’s popularity. 27 million Americans would travel to Chicago to attend the performances.
I wonder what the NY Society for the Suppression of Vice would have to say about Week to Week Notes? Little Egypt trained these dances coming from the Middle East. They were called “Hootchy Kootchy” or “Hoochie Coochie”, which comes from the French term hochequeue meaning to shake one’s tail. One of the infamous scoundrels behind the Little Egypt productions was Sol Bloom, who coined the term “belly dance.”
After the fair in Chicago, it wouldn't take long before Little Egypt became front-page news as it made its way to New York. In fact, at a swank bachelor party for Herbert Seeley in 1896, Little Egypt dancers danced in The City on 5th Avenue which made the papers. Before you get the impression that one of Herbert Seeley’s friends broke bro code, it was actually a rival dancer of Little Egypt who falsely reported it was going to be nude. This led to a raid by the vice suppressor squad. During the raid, Little Egypt hid herself in another part of the fine drinking establishment and sipped champagne. The raid would only help further grow the fame of Little Egypt. Once Broadway found out about the scene, impresario Oscar Hammerstein hired Little Egypt to appear as herself in a comedy parody play about the Seeley bachelor party dinner. After her days on Broadway, Little Egypt formed a burlesque company.
Little Egypt inspired all the exotic dancers who followed. Even though she never removed her clothing, but rather teased her audience with veils, she is thought of as the “Spiritial Founder of the Strip Tease.” Little Egypt would also be credited as the first on-screen “Sex Goddess” because of several popular films where she shook one’s tail.
One of the women who got inspired by Little Egypt’s bit was Fanny Brice. Miss Brice was a singer-actress who would open up her own theater in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Brice would perform her own renditions that she called A Jolly Surprise. The theater was located at Broadway and South 6th Street known as Bedford Avenue Theatre. It would be renamed the Empire Theatre and Little Egypt’s Bulesque Company was prominently featured at the fine drinking establishment. Fanny Brice got a nice deal on the building because it was said to have been partly demolished during the making of the Williamsburg Bridge.
(Source for all the cool history on Burlesques in NYC: The City Reliquary)
This Week’s Bit on The Roman Empire
This week your quick bit on The Roman Empire brought to you by Week to Week Notes featuring Ancient Rome: The Exhibition in New York is more on Roman Gladiators.
Professional gladiators were free men who volunteered to participate in the games. They would be trained much like professional athletes today, would get paid each time they fought, and would receive medical attention if needed. Rather than being taught how to kill, professional gladiators were taught combat techniques that disabled or captured their opponents. They would wear different armor than that of the Roman Army.
While there were voluntary professionals, the majority of gladiators were slaves schooled under harsh conditions. Many were also criminals who had been found guilty of murder and condemned to death, they would be sent into combat without weapons. Other criminals who committed lesser crimes could fight with weapons of their choice. They could earn their freedom if they survived 3 to 5 years of combat, however, gladiators usually fought about 3 times so very few survived.
The Samnites may have been Rome’s original gladiators. The people of Samnium were defeated by Rome in a series of wars from 342 to 290 BC. Samnites would often carry a shield, a metal or leather guard for their left leg, a helmet, and a sword.
The Thracians were conquered by Rome around 46 AD. Spartacus was considered a part of the Thracians. They would wear leather guard on both legs, a small square shield, a wide-brim helmet openfaced, and their swords would be curved.
Secutors would be light on armor, naked except for a leather guard on their left leg, leather bands on their elbows & wrists, and a helmet. They would carry only a large oval or a rectangular shield and a sword or dagger.
Lastly, you had the retiarius who were essentially just equipped like a fisherman. They would wear only lion cloth and a metal shoulder piece on their left arm. Retiarius gladiators were known to carry a net, a dagger, and even a trident.
Guinness Six Nations ‘24
Pregame
- Italy vs Scotland was a nice Italian upset win. I already took Decker for a walk so he’s wiped out on the floor. Jessie, a German Shepherd-Spitz mix with OCD, is giving out to my mother because not all 7 of the dog bowls have the right amount of dog food in them. Mac is sprawled out taking up half the couch. Shane is asleep.
1st Half
- My dad would prefer to hear the English side commentators. He would like to know what the other side is thinking, makes sense.
- 2 minutes into the match, Ireland draws an off-side. Jack Crowley puts Ireland up 3 nil on a free kick.
- Seconds later, the Brits score a try as Calvin Nash gets trucked. 5-3 after George Ford misses the extra points.
- 10 minutes into this match, England has come to play. Commentators keep talking about how they are applying a ton of pressure, I concur.
- At the 17-minute mark, England scores 3 more on a free kick. Nash has failed his head examination so he’s out for the rest of the match. The Irish side answers with 3 points of their own on a Jack Crowley free kick. 8-6 ENG at the 20th minute.
- A half-hour into the match, the English had their 2nd try of the match taking off the board after it was reviewed and found a knock forward. England thus far has done a great job owning possession and making this game a standstill.
- George Ford misses his 2nd kick as Bundee Aki draws a not-releasing penalty against England. Jack Crowley sneaks 3 over da bar from just inside the English half territory.
- Right before the half, Ireland scores another 3 to make the score 12-8.
Halftime
- Head coaches having a bit of banter during halftime.
2nd Half
- James Lowe scores a try. Hugo Keenan was the man who won the ball in the air to get the try going. Ireland goes up 17-8.
- The English responds with a try. George Ford misses another kick as Ireland is up 17-13.
- Conor Murray gets subbed in as Ciaran Frawley has a knock to the head.
- Shane is now awake with his paddy hat on as Irish captain Peter O’Manhey enters the sin bin for 10 minutes with a yellow card.
- England scores another try to go up 20-17. Shane needs his bottle and I need a pint of Guinness.
- O’Manhey returns to play with 10 minutes left to play. Andrew Porter, playing with a bloody ear, is an absolute warrior.
- James Lowe scores his 2nd try of the half. Jack Crowley from another tough angle misses. 22-20 Ireland.
- With 5 minutes left to go, England draws a penalty and elects to kick a free kick. George Ford was subbed out after his misses and Elliot Daly is now kicking, he misses wide right.
- At the 78th-minute mark, Ireland has a lineout which results in a mini scrum that leads to Conor Murray booting the ball away.
- At the 79th-minute mark Britain has a lineout leading to 2 advantages as they drive down the field inside 10 meters. England scores a drop-kick goal as time expires to win 23-22.
Postgame Analysis
- “Murray shouldn’t have kicked that ball away after the lineout.”
- Tough loss, Ireland can clinch the Six Nations title with a win over Scotland on Saturday. Hopefully, they don’t have to let this loss Linger.