Frankie's Greatest Hits #9

Hello,
It's been a while, so here goes another blast from the past. (I believe this guy posts around here, but I could be wrong.)

I wanna learn a love song...
Posted by SOFA on 8/8/2000.
Dear Frankie,
I have often sought your wisdom via song lyrics. Recently I met a girl and I instantly fell in love with her. The sensation was confusing - I'd never felt that way ever before and I'm 30 years old! Of course, I turned to the music for some insights/enlightenment. Yet, all I found was syrupy crap or negative commentary on the subject of love...
What gives? You were in love with Gail, right? Your lyrics tend to convey (to these ears, anyway) "there is no such thing as love". I really am confused!

Posted by Frankie on 8/8/2000, in reply.
Dear SOFA,
(rather comfy name, I must say) The road to enlightenment is long and filled with pratfalls, so I hope you've brought a sack lunch and a change of underwear...
Most of my songs concerning "love" are actually referential lambastes of the "love song" genre; i.e. the bullshit you hear on top 40 radio that tries to tell you what "love" is supposed to be like. I don't buy into that, and neither should you. I personally believe that "top-40 love lyrics" are one of the prime causes of bad mental health in the US. Those songs create an imaginary situation that simply doesn't exist.
Where you need enlightenment is in whether or not you are in "love", or in "lust". I got married on December 28, 1960 to Kathryn (Kay) Sherman, a very nice girl that I met at Chaffey Junior College in Alta Loma, CA. With due respect to her, I have to admit that I got married because she "put out" (I wasn’t seeing a lot of that kind of action back then). It took almost 3 years, but we came to our senses.
By the time I met Gail (in July of '66), the MOI had gained enough notoriety that "action" was no longer a concern; it's amazing how clearly you can think when you're getting your sack emptied proper and regular. Yes, I fell in love with Gail. I fell in love with her person (her mind, her wit, her common sense), tho' her eyes played no small role, and not with her "love canal". I could look at her, see her as an old woman, and STILL want to be with her.
I guess what I'm trying to say, SOFA, is that I LIKED Gail. There wasn't any of the "earth-moving, bells & whistles, rockets bursting in air" shit that popular music equates with "love". There was just a wonderful person that I liked and respected, and wanted to be with.
My last work session with Jimmy Carl involved a song called "Falling in Love is a Stupid Habit". I meant that. Falling in LIKE, however, is the greatest feeling in the world. So follow your mind, SOFA, not your "heart" - and certainly not your 'nads!
Good luck...
And thanks for writing,
Frankie