The Vanilla Queen
| The Vanilla Queen | ||||||||||||
|
The exterior of Moontan fits the theme of Vanilla Queen and Candy's Going Bad. |
||||||||||||
|
The Vanilla Queen is a progressive rock song by Golden Earring first released as track B3 on the album Moontan in July of 1973. On albums released with the censored artwork, the title is labeled simply as Vanilla Queen. The song was composed by Barry Hay and George Kooymans. The name of the album Moontan is taken from a lyric in this song.
On the album recording, Barry Hay sings lead vocals and plays saxophone. George Kooymans sings backing vocals and plays electric guitar. Rinus Gerritsen plays bass and programmed the synthesizer. Cesar Zuiderwijk plays drums and percussion. I'm not sure who plays brass; the album doesn't say.
The song describes a beautiful pale pageant winner who went on to become a famous dancer so alluring that the singer, as well as rich and powerful men, fawn over her. Though she wears a mask of sterile dignity, she's actually quite scared. The song ends with the singer finally meeting her and being utterly mesmerized. Since the song contains two samples of Marilyn Monroe's character Victoria Parker from There's No Business Like Show Business, it's understandable that this song is about her, or at least women like her.
Contents
Personal
When I was around 16 years old, I was out on a drive with my dad and bother, and my dad played an album with the song Radar Love. I really liked the song and couldn't get the chorus out of my head for several days, though I misheard the lyrics, possibly to "red-eye love." I remember talking to a co-worker at Kroger about it and he told me the band name was "Golden Earring," which I thought was stupid, and corrected my understanding of the lyric to "radar love," which didn't make sense to me because I didn't yet know what the song was about. My cousin Brian bought The Continuing Story of Radar Love, and I listened to the song with him. Then, I asked my parents for the album as a gift, and they bought me the US version of Moontan, which I didn't like because of the lame censored cover and the lack of Twilight Song. However, the album did have Vanilla Queen on it, which I liked. I would later buy myself The Continuing Story of Radar Love. Several times since then, when I've been with my father, we've listened to this song with the bass blaring. It's since become my favorite song by the band.
As a hot-blooded young man who fawned over many untouchable women, the lyrics certainly spoke to me. Instrumentally, I love the throbbing synthesizer that opens the song and plays during the lyrics. The instrumental break that starts with a single guitar and builds to a powerful sound before the final chorus is great, and I especially love the otherworldly sound that is achieved as the distorted final chorus changes into strange sound effects during the Monroe lines. The ending instrumental, with its drums and brass, is also very interesting as it waxes and wanes.
Lyrics
Fascinating lady; Snowflake in the sun. You made me feel so bourgeois. Oh, you've captured everyone. I hear you've been a dancer, At some famous Paris show. And million dollar lovers, Neatly saw you to your door. Nineteen-fifty-seven, Sweetheart of the year. The secret of your beauty, Was your moon tan and your fear. And now you run this city. You're still honey to the flies. Attract the in-crowd dandies; Faraway look in their eyes. You're a bright nocturnal vanilla queen. Your mask is sterile dignity. Tell my why, nocturnal vanilla queen, You haunt me even in my dream. It couldn't be avoided; We were bound to meet. I knew you would drag me down, And toss me off my feet. Sweet moments of desire, Sweet moments of relief. You blow down my fences, O' you're natural make-believe. You're a bright nocturnal vanilla queen. Your mask is sterile dignity. Tell my why, nocturnal vanilla queen, You haunt me even in my dream. You're a bright nocturnal vanilla queen. Your mask is sterile dignity. Tell my why, nocturnal vanilla queen, You haunt me even in my dream (ah!). Well, in simple English I'm... What's your name, Honey?
Media
Videos
Links
