Submitted by helen on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - 18:06

playlist

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Okay, well, earlier I was just conjecturing when I mentioned on someone's blog about doing a playlist based on a historical event. The Clinton scandal was an example. Well, since then that's all I've been able to think about...

So here it is, the story of Bill and Monica, in song.

1. Devo - Girl You Want



Bill first lays eyes on the new intern. As Devo suggests, his mouth waters.

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2. Marlene Dietrich - Give me the man who does things
(link not available)
Monica is looking for a man. A man who does things. Marlene Dietrich describes a man who will "take me into his hands and gets what he demands." Monica wanted a man in control, and she aimed high.
The next song...

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3. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong - Baby it's cold outside
(link not available)
...is the seduction. Bill is suave. Monica is coy. Will she stay just a little longer? Maybe make some copies? Baby, it's cold outside...

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4. Syd Barrett - Wined and Dined



Monica is caught up in the dream-turned-reality of being wined and dined by the President Himself.
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5. Sufjan Stevens - The Dress Looks Nice on You
(link unavailable)
Bill, too, is a bit caught up in the affair. Sufjan Steven's "The Dress Looks Nice on You" highlights Bill's yearnings for Monica - both physical and emotional, and foreshadows his downfall.
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6. Talking Heads - Warning Sign



At the height of their affair, Monica is transferred from her position at the White House to the Pentagon. A strain develops in their relationship. "Warning sign of things to come, love was here but I guess it's gone." Linda Trip begins recording her telephone conversations with Monica.

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7. Destroyer - Students Carve Hearts Out of Coal

Michael Isikoff exposes the affair in the Washington Post. Will Monica deny it? "In this town we go down for the sake of going under...In this town, what comes around is gonna go 'round." Monica is no "vessel of purity," Bill. She's an intern, and students carve hearts out of coal. Just thought I'd let you know.

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8. Ten in the Swear Jar - Sad Girl


(links to remixed song by Xiu Xiu - original is unavailable)
The song is about a girl who struggles with the secret of her affair with an older man. "I am your girl and I will protect you." Monica protects Bill at first, denying the charges. In the song, the girl triumphs, telling the whole neighborhood.

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9. Shaggy - It Wasn't Me



Bill vehemently denies the allegations.

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10. DJ Danger Mouse - 99 Problems
(link unavailable)
Hilary is furious. She stands up for her husband. This is a conspiracy, she says, by the right-winged conservatives. "Ninety-nine problems but a bitch ain't one," Monica.

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9. Brian Eno - Dead Finks Don't Talk

Bill thinks about Linda Tripp. Who is this woman? Monica thinks about Linda Tripp. WHO IS this woman?! A fink, that's who.

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10. Johnny Cash - Ring of Fire



Well, it's all out. Monica, having received immunity, testifies against Bill. Bill: down down down. It burns.

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11. Bobby Vinton - Blue Velvet



As if the tapes and testimony aren't enough, Monica produces the dress like a shining beacon of infedelity. Bill of course recognizes that blue dress. Little did he know that the garment of such sweat dreams, like the one Sufjan sings of, would hurt him so badly. Warning signs.

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12. Leonard Cohen - Death of a Ladies Man



Outside the people of the media are jumping on trampolines. Inside it is dark. Hillary and Chelsea are staying at Hilary's mother's until all this clears up. He will testify tomorrow. He pours a Scotch.

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13. Brenda Lee - I'm Sorry (So Sorry)



Bill appears before a grand jury and finally tells the truth. He later appears on television to apologize. Barely unable to look the world in the eyes for his shame, he gives his I'm Sorry.

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14. Foster Sylvers - Misdemeanor
(link unavailable)
Facing allegations of perjury, Bill is impeached. BUT, he is not convicted of any of his crimes, and remains president. "It's just a misdemeanor, you got to get over it...It's no big deal" after all.

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15. T. Rex - Rip-Off



Kenneth Starr is the loser in the end. Well, except for maybe Hilary and Chelsea. And maybe Monica lost something too, although when you've got Oprah apprearances, who needs dignity? It's all a rip-off anyway. And as for Bill...

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16. Lee Hazelwood and Nancy Sinatra - You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin'

Well, Bill and Hilary are still together, technically. It may have all worked out in the end, but did it really?

PS - for those links that are unavailable, I have the songs posted in a special folder just for you.

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