Case Study No. 0787: Staff of Unnamed Library (The Pains of Being Pure at Heart)

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Young Adult Friction
2:15
Between the stacks in the library
Not like anyone stopped to see
We came they went our bodies spent
Among the dust and the microfiche
Dark winters wear you down
Up again to see the dawn
In your worn sweat shirt
And your mothers old skirt
It's enough to turn my studies down

Now that you feel
You say it's not real
(repeat)

I never thought I would come of age
Let alone on a moldy page
You put your back to the spines
And you said it was fine
If there's nothing really left to say
You're taking toffee with your vicodin
Something sweet to forget about him
If you go your own way
I will go my own way
And well never speak of it again

Now that you feel
You say it's not real
(repeat)

Don't check me out (repeat)
Tags: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart Young Adult Friction
Added: 3 years ago
From: moomooachoo
Views: 670

From thestranger.com:

Libraries and librarians have been part of the indie-pop mythos since the form began in 1978, when Brisbane, Australia's Go-Betweens released their first single, "Lee Remick." The 7-inch's B-side, "Karen," Robert Forster's ode to a comely help-desk assistant, marks the birth of the indie-pop librarian-and in some ways the birth of a coy, socially regressive indie-pop ethos generally.

It's not surprising that the genre is sometimes referred to as "librarian pop." A number of musicians in the field, as well as some notable fans, are or have been librarians. Scottish indie-pop icon Stephen Pastel, of the Pastels, has a library-science degree; the Folk Implosion's John Davis has worked in libraries. An early-'90s issue of the zine Incite! devoted itself entirely to indie-pop librarians, including an interview with Davis.

The other great indie-pop single of 2009 so far comes from New Yorkers the Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Their "Young Adult Friction" (Slumberland) takes place in a library-one the singer is having anonymous sex in. It begins, "Between the stacks in the library/Not like anyone stopped to see/We came they went, our bodies spent/Among the dust and the microfiche." Dirty, yes, but not unprecedented: What do you think Robert Forster was after "Karen" for those 31 years ago? Besides, of course, a good book to read and some quiet time to read it.