Does a piece of music 'belong' to a favourite skater?

[TontoK]

You young whippersnappers can't recall the REAL cultural significance of Bolero.

In the huge mega-hit 1979 movie "10" Bo Derek described the sensual nature of Bolero to Dudley Moore, and in graphic terms while very scantily clad. For the fresh-in-college set like me, the moment was iconic. With her never-before-seen "cornrows on a white girl," she was the new Farrah, adorning the walls of young men across the country. The NSFW clip can be found on YouTube, searching under "10 Bolero."

This is why so many of us found T&D's selection of the music for the Olympic season to be eye-popping. Babble on about the orchestral brilliance and psychological significance of the piece all you want... but those of us who are of that age... it will always be sex music. Bo Derek cemented the image.

When Dick Button was commenting the program live, and talked about the "the program building slowly and steadily towards its climax"... those of us on the frat-house sofa nodded knowingly.

It's also why I cannot stand when children skate to it. The "ick" factor is simply too much.

 

[Mathman]

^ And here's Farrah Fawcett skating (sort of).

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4OVnq9WEAAvv8R.jpg

 

[el henry]

You young whippersnappers can't recall the REAL cultural significance of Bolero.

In the huge mega-hit 1979 movie "10" Bo Derek described the sensual nature of Bolero to Dudley Moore, and in graphic terms while very scantily clad. For the fresh-in-college set like me, the moment was iconic. With her never-before-seen "cornrows on a white girl," she was the new Farrah, adorning the walls of young men across the country. The NSFW clip can be found on YouTube, searching under "10 Bolero."

This is why so many of us found T&D's selection of the music for the Olympic season to be eye-popping. Babble on about the orchestral brilliance and psychological significance of the piece all you want... but those of us who are of that age... it will always be sex music. Bo Derek cemented the image.

When Dick Button was commenting the program live, and talked about the "the program building slowly and steadily towards its climax"... those of us on the frat-house sofa nodded knowingly.

It's also why I cannot stand when children skate to it. The "ick" factor is simply too much.

Well, perhaps you speak for those elders with the Y chromosome, mon ami. I never understood the appeal of Bo Derek, of Ten, or even of Dudley Moore. And if a young man had tried to play that music with romance on his mind, the wooing would have been unsuccessful.

And this is the first time ever that I have thought of that movie in connection with Torvill and Dean. Learn something new every day.

 

[Alex Fedorov]

You young whippersnappers can't recall the REAL cultural significance of Bolero.

 

[TontoK]

Well, perhaps you speak for those elders with the Y chromosome, mon ami. I never understood the appeal of Bo Derek, of Ten, or even of Dudley Moore. And if a young man had tried to play that music with romance on his mind, the wooing would have been unsuccessful.

And this is the first time ever that I have thought of that movie in connection with Torvill and Dean. Learn something new every day.

Oh, the male hormones were raging when the movie was released, believe me. When Bo described the significance of the music and then turned it on and toplessly invited him to the boudoir... oh my.

Of course, the larger message of the movie - that the fantasy is generally much better than the reality - was learned later in life.

Edit: From the Wikipedia page on the cultural impact of the movie 10:

Bo Derek's role shot her to instant stardom and status as a sex symbol. Her beaded and plaited cornrow hairstyle in the film was widely copied.[12][13]

The film also brought renewed fame to the one-movement orchestral piece Boléro by Maurice Ravel, whose music was still under copyright at the time. As a result of the film, sales of Boléro generated an estimated $1 million in royalties and briefly made Ravel the best-selling classical composer 40 years after his death.[14] Derek appeared in a 1984 film named Bolero, titled to capitalize upon the piece's renewed popularity.

 

[Mathematician]

You young whippersnappers can't recall the REAL cultural significance of Bolero.

In the huge mega-hit 1979 movie "10" Bo Derek described the sensual nature of Bolero to Dudley Moore, and in graphic terms while very scantily clad. For the fresh-in-college set like me, the moment was iconic. With her never-before-seen "cornrows on a white girl," she was the new Farrah, adorning the walls of young men across the country. The NSFW clip can be found on YouTube, searching under "10 Bolero."

This is why so many of us found T&D's selection of the music for the Olympic season to be eye-popping. Babble on about the orchestral brilliance and psychological significance of the piece all you want... but those of us who are of that age... it will always be sex music. Bo Derek cemented the image.

When Dick Button was commenting the program live, and talked about the "the program building slowly and steadily towards its climax"... those of us on the frat-house sofa nodded knowingly.

It's also why I cannot stand when children skate to it. The "ick" factor is simply too much.

When you consider that the people who built our current world grew up understanding Bolero as sex music, the current state of things makes a lot of sense - no offense

 

[Flying Feijoa]

Well, perhaps you speak for those elders with the Y chromosome, mon ami. I never understood the appeal of Bo Derek, of Ten, or even of Dudley Moore. And if a young man had tried to play that music with romance on his mind, the wooing would have been unsuccessful.

And this is the first time ever that I have thought of that movie in connection with Torvill and Dean. Learn something new every day.

Indeed It bears pointing out that to many people, Bolero sounds boring and mechanical... not exactly an appealing connotation in the bedroom context.

 

[TallyT]

Indeed It bears pointing out that to many people, Bolero sounds boring and mechanical...

ABC Classic (radio station) here run a yearly Classic 100 Countdown (mostly classical, but soundtrack and other genres have their place ) and yes, every time Bolero is eligible it does well (maybe not top 5, but well!) and every every time there is a chorus of complaints from music enthusiasts who think just that. It's almost a tradition of the countdown by now, they really really don't like it when the listening public vote for it in droves. And the listening public do.

 

[el henry]

Indeed It bears pointing out that to many people, Bolero sounds boring and mechanical... not exactly an appealing connotation in the bedroom context.

Yet, as Torvill and Dean showed, it can indeed be sensual, and riveting, or at least parts of it and on the ice. .

I know, I'm contradicting myself

 

[Mathman]

Yet, as Torvill and Dean showed, it can indeed be sensual, and riveting, or at least parts of it and on the ice. .

Strangely, I didn't find Torvill and Dean's dance particularly sensual or sexy. Riveting yes, but to me it was more in the spirit of appreciation of dance.

 

[Flying Feijoa]

ABC Classic (radio station) here run a yearly Classic 100 Countdown (mostly classical, but soundtrack and other genres have their place ) and yes, every time Bolero is eligible it does well (maybe not top 5, but well!) and every every time there is a chorus of complaints from music enthusiasts who think just that. It's almost a tradition of the countdown by now, they really really don't like it when the listening public vote for it in droves. And the listening public do.

That actually seems like a pretty fun annual ritual Kind of like the bird of the year contest we have across the ditch.

I'm still guessing (hoping?) that most of the voting public wouldn't try to employ Bolero as a seduction tool...

 

[TallyT]

That actually seems like a pretty fun annual ritual Kind of like the bird of the year contest we have across the ditch.

You can see all the countdown themes and the top fives on wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_100_Countdowns The whole one for 2023 (favourite instrument) is at https://www.abc.net.au/classic/countdown-1/102467092

It's held on the radio on the long weekend, and people tweet and send in text comments all the way through. Good fun.

 

[GoneWithTheWind]

ABC Classic (radio station) here run a yearly Classic 100 Countdown (mostly classical, but soundtrack and other genres have their place ) and yes, every time Bolero is eligible it does well (maybe not top 5, but well!) and every every time there is a chorus of complaints from music enthusiasts who think just that. It's almost a tradition of the countdown by now, they really really don't like it when the listening public vote for it in droves. And the listening public do.

Classic FM in the UK (although it may also broadcast internationally?) does a similar 'Hall of Fame' countdown of 300 classical pieces every year which are chosen by public vote. Only 3 pieces have won multiple times: Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No.2, Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending and Bruch - Violin Concerto. There's lots of moaning online every year, but especially when The Lark wins!

Bolero placed 144 in 2023, 167 in 2022 and 137 in 2021, so it's getting quite a lot of votes each year. It also featured in Classic FM's '50 Shades of Classical Music - the sexiest pieces of all time' Link here, in case anyone is interested in what else made the list!

 

[gkelly]

Bolero placed 144 in 2023, 167 in 2022 and 137 in 2021, so it's getting quite a lot of votes each year. It also featured in Classic FM's '50 Shades of Classical Music - the sexiest pieces of all time' Link here, in case anyone is interested in what else made the list!

And which pieces on this list are or are not appropriate for teenagers to skate to? Or listen to?

To refer to the topic of another thread, without knowing, or at least not attempting to be faithful to, the original storyline behind the music or the meaning of the lyrics if applicable, is the music itself too sexy?

 

[4everchan]

That list is hilarious though Rossini's cat duet???? Sexy ?


Or this? Sexy? I guess if one is into angels ?



In paradisum
Deducant te Angeli:
In tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres,
Et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Jerusalem.
Angelorum te suscipiat,
Et cum Lazaro quondam paupere,
Et cum Lazaro quondam paupere
æternam habeas requiem,
æternam habeas requiem.

In Paradise
May the angels guide you:
May the Martyrs receive you at your coming,
And let them bring you to the holy city of Jerusalem
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Jerusalem.
May the angels welcome you
And with Lazarus once poor
And with Lazarus once poor
may you have eternal rest
may you have eternal rest.


HA ! they included the Rodrigo piece (Fantasia para un gentilhombre I was mentioning in another thread.. . HA!

There are a couple sensual pieces in there like the Pearl Fishers duet... (which is between two men... so I guess that would cause a stir considering some of the conservative people who watch skating) or Salomé (Dance of the seven veils)... But no.. .Big Spender, Méditation de Thaïs and Shéhérazade are not in there...

 

[4everchan]

Oh.. and in 3rd place. the Widor piano quartet... I would recommend it to anyone who wishes to skate to this beautiful piece...

Here is the second movement who is supposed to be erotic...



Gosh this list is giving me so much fun Thanks for sharing it !

 

[TontoK]

Here is the second movement who is supposed to be erotic...

Scandalous!

 

[4everchan]

Scandalous!

I bet you saw young Bo Derek when this music came out of your computer.

 

[yesterday]

Indeed It bears pointing out that to many people, Bolero sounds boring and mechanical... not exactly an appealing connotation in the bedroom context.

Could help to keep the rhythm though

 

[moonvine]

I've been thinking about this and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" belongs to Nathan to the extent that when I hear it I go "this is Nathan Chen's LP music" and pull out my phone and show people.
Same with Keegan and "Perfect"