Pluck : I Can't Deny I'm In Denial - Track 11

“I can’t deny I’m in denial, will not admit the end

I’m headed downward in a spiral, she bedded my oldest friend….”

This has a live sound quality to it that was wholly unintentional. Listening back many years after it was recorded, I suddenly enjoyed its slightly rough and ready feel. I’m glad I resisted the urge to re-do it.

It is one of the few items on “Pluck” where the vocals were not double-tracked, including those backing vocals in the choruses. Even the slight lead vocal fluffs are OK in my book. The original semi-improvised mouth noises and slide guitar, inserted before the last verse, were left in after several bouts of further experimentation couldn’t produce anything that was an upgrade on what was already there.

The only other song I can think of that makes even a subtle reference to erectile dysfunction is “Ruby Don’t Take Your Love To Town” by Kenny Rogers and The First Edition. “Yes it’s true that I’m not the man I used to be…”, sang Rogers portraying an injured war veteran, pleading with his partner not to go looking for love elsewhere, now that he’s unable to satisfy her the way he used to. With the Vietnam War still burned deep into the US consciousness when it was released, you can imagine the resonance this would have had, with a lot of soldiers – and their partners………

I SWEAR……..I had that song in mind when putting the lyric together for this. This is an occasion where I can categorically state I’m not writing from experience! Honest! [*coughs uncomfortably*] However, the night is young, you know……..I’ve been a lucky boy so far. Gulp.

Having dug that hole, this is without question a subject worth talking about, worth bringing out of any shadow and worthy of a songwriter’s treatment. The song’s male protagonist finds himself in a similar position to Kenny’s war veteran in that he’s lost his partner because the lift isn’t going up to the toy department anymore. Despite his best efforts to redeem the situation, his best friend wins out anyway in the end, leaving him no choice but to exit stage left with his tail (literally) between his legs. Perhaps the lack of elevation was a final straw in the relationship that had other issues going on, well before the lady strayed and stayed?? You decide.

Here’s a sample of text from the netdoctor site:

Some medical conditions contribute to erectile dysfunction. ‘To name just a couple - diabetes, heart disease, or conditions relating to the prostate, and also some medications can list erectile dysfunction as a side effect. But aside from where there is a medical explanation for the dysfunction, the roots tend to be in psychology.’

If you, or your friend (ahem) has experienced any difficulty in this arena, now’s the time to get on the phone to your GP – if they still offer appointments in under three months – and discuss the situation with them. You could be listening to this on shuffle while you do so. Or, you could suggest the surgery make this their new “waiting” music, while they put you on hold. That would be splendid.