Don't dream it's over
December 24, 2024
Monsters is filled with music references. The title of episode one is "," 's hit, which is the year they were exposed for lip-syncing. Episode three is ", when the brothers land in jail and can't use the payphone because they don't have coins. Though this Great Depression classic is never played, its lyrics resonate with the show's central themes: They used to tell me I was , And so I followed the mob, When there was earth to plow, Or guns to bear, I was always there, Right on the job. "" (episode 6) begins with a flashback to , tracing the star-crossed origins of José and Kitty Menendez. We see them run away together, build the American dream together, and eventually, come to hate their kids together. In a pivotal and equally unproductive therapy session, just before the iconic family photo at Sears, Kitty says: "Your father crossed an ocean, and I left behind the life of a beauty queen or I could have been a movie star like . And you're what I got?" This is not the life that mommy and daddy dreamed of. How will the entrepreneurial couple fix this? Ryan Murphy, the creator of this serious, was also behind . A reference to Kim Novak is a Hollywood in-joke: she was a cautionary tale after that appearance, which had everyone wondering where cosmetic surgery ends and taxonomy begins. In L.A., self-determination comes at a price, and it seems Kitty's fate had always been sealed. If her children didn't kill her, the drugs, alcohol, or depression would; in the meantime, she subsisted on facelifts, house renovations, Christmas trees. José asks her to lose nine pounds. Later, José later gifts her a . This is the only time we see her happy in entire series. A violent man wearing a yellow sweater The demo for 's massive hit was recorded on a humble . The snare drum was . If it sounds complex, that's the . The final version came with a solo and a much more refined sound, but it's not a major departure from the original, with its signature falsetto. The nostalgic register and boyishly exuberant lyrics ( / There is freedom without / Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup) make this both a car ride tear-jerker and a karaoke classic. sang it wearing animal packs, then performed the same one in the same style for the . That was a benefit concert in response to a terrorist bombing, so not the most obvious choice, but this track seems to work in all kinds of kumbaya settings. For those who remember living through the --- before Miley's time, that is --- Crowded House will likely recall another memory. And if you're American, there's a good chance that memory took place in a car. It's hard for people outside of America to grasp just how much time Americans spend in cars, and how crucial it is for the listening experience. As the creator of says, . So I found it particularly brilliant to make the hereditary violence link in such a nonchalant way, by showing men leaving their vehicles to the tune of "Don't Dream It's Over". The first car exit is José Menendez, who cannot contain his disappointment after they're arrested for robbery. The typical fatherly response in such a situation would to direct his disappointment at himself. But there are hints through the series that this sado-masochist blames himself. Recall the passage he had just recited to the boys from his (redacted for bullshit) bible from : ". From this moment, I'm prepared to control whatever personality awakes in me. I will control my moods through positive action. And when I control my moods, I control my destiny." José failed to be the master of his emotions, and so he was a failure to his sons. But the sons, exiting the car to as the is closed, shows Lyle and Erik in total (sociopathic) control of their emotions, , about to kill their parents. ", right? And they would be proud of us."