Pretty Girls, or, It Kind Of Sounds Like This Song Is About Herpes?

I really like the song "Pretty Girls", but the references to "mistakes that cannot be undone" are remarkably vague. I used to think that this was a reference to an STD, or maybe even AIDS (in fact, the final track on the album made me think the whole album was a concept album based around a rock star dying as a metaphor for something or other....).

But then I thought that perhaps the song was talking about the life of a musician, always travelling, which I imagine makes it hard to form relationships.

Then I read that Tom Gabel had been going through a divorce (this was mentioned in Magnet, I think, I do not know if it's true or no), and I thought that perhaps it's talking about getting married. I have actually found that, since I got married, people react to you in a strange way. I cannot actually talk to any woman because they automatically presume I am trying to cheat on my wife, and men treat me like I've got some kind of horrible disease or something. Maybe this is the "mistake", referring to a failed marriage as a sort of scarlet letter that makes forming any new relationships well nigh impossible.

Discuss.

I always thought it was an STD too, haha. Tom was married ..I think when he was 19 or 20, but that didn't work out. But yea, that's interesting ..I could see it as marriage too.

i never thought about it that way just huge mistakes in a relationship
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i apologize in advance for my spelling and grammar mistakes

But the line 'I want to be healthy' kinda gives it the idea of being a disease and not about being in a successful band.

'or you wouldn't think
something like irresponsibility
would complicate something like
asking for some company'

I wouldn't consider your band getting big an irresponsibility..

Yea, that's kind of the meaning that I applied to the song 'Unprotected Sex With Multiple Partners.'

"I want to be healthy" can mean anything. "Health" has many connotative meanings beyond the literal, all of them basically meaning a base state, or an ideal state.

i thought the whole cd was kinda based around the same concept...Miami sets the tone of the culture, with the whole voting scandel in flordia in 2000, then from her lips sets the tone of 05...how low, unprotected sex, pretty girls all kinda the events to lead up to the last song searching for a former clarity, with aids and stuff..also sutff like don't lose touch right before the last song is like if someone has aids there losing touch and know it but can't stop it it's obvious. then joy, everything seems right but unfolds...

idk the exact order or w/e..but it defintly is a compelling story ending with death, via aids.. great album to bad the concept never got mainstream :\

also the album realy has so many interpitations..if you listen to the songs seperatly like Unprotected sex..then you get toms feelings towards the record company same with the roller...but even the titles of the songs tell the story, so it makes scences if you think about it all

It's just too bad the band didn't seem to be into it, I think Tom referred to it as "a bummer" when talking about "New Wave" going in a more up-beat, two and a half minute rock song direction.

Although I loved "The Ocean". I hope Tom does more of whatever drug he was on when he wrote that one.

I hope not Sad

Drugs are bad. Sure, they may influence good song writing but the long term effects aren't worth it.

And how come people always refer to is as 'The Ocean', I always thought it was just Ocean.

i dont think it's about drugs at all.
its definatly just Ocean kids.
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me "hey, you're my favorite."
warren "well thanks! i'm warren."
me "i know you're my favorite"
warren "OH! well then lets hug it out!"

Alright, cool. I thought I was going crazy and it had been declared THE Ocean somewhere.

Yeah, I think that song is so beautiful and the thought of Tom on some acid trip totally ruins it for me, haha.

yea its The Ocean but on the New Wave cd it just says ocean...just how it says Borne On The FM Waves, but its Borne On the FM Waves of the Heart.

but i prefer new wave and its bsides much more then searching for..