something new
by molly M. pearson
Suggestion: Listen to Donna Summer’s Spring Affair once before reading, and again immediately after.
Image description: Donna Summer outside on a sunny day, wearing a pale blue, gauzy shirt and pants. She is smiling, and her right leg is lifted up onto a fence, behind which are rose bushes in full bloom. Click here for source.
Donna Summer’s “Spring Affair” is, at face value, a song about a love affair with a man that occurs during springtime. The narrator is intoxicated by this new relationship, with the breathy opening lines:
Ooh, something's coming over me
Ooh, I think it's got a hold on me
it's got me, it's got me
In the era of COVID-19, “Spring Affair” becomes an ode to spring itself. The moment of the vernal equinox and the days that follow become the backdrop to our everlasting present.
Right now, there are no destinations. Yes, there are essential errands-- the grocery store, the pharmacy, emergency trips to the hardware store to deal with the faucet that started leaking. And, for many of us, there is work. Essential employees report to their workplaces to shepherd us through the liminal space between our old and new “normal.”
When we take out the “essentials”—meaning the places and institutions that allow us to continue to survive under capitalism—going outside is in and of itself the destination. It is the only place we can physically go when we need to feel a part of something larger than ourselves and our home lives. Maybe we should pay attention.
What if we listen to “Spring Affair” as a collective imagining of what we deserve? How do we suffuse the beauty of springtime renewal into our visions for the future?
The song opens with gossamer synthesizers that sweep the listener to a place of splendor. In a moment of synesthesia, you can close your eyes and see glittering pinks, greens, and golds dance before you. At seven seconds in, the bassline kicks in and propels forward, punctuated by strings and horns. And then, reprieve—the shimmering pink-green-gold synths return at regular intervals throughout the song, a welcome breath between bouts of beat-heavy intensity. The contrast between the synths and the bass evokes what it’s like to be alive today: As we tumble headfirst into a global point of no return, our shoulders drop and our jaws relax when we offer ourselves visions of the future. Visions of what we all deserve. Visions of utopia.
Image description: In the foreground, a spray of branches covered in magenta pink blossoms reach upward. A bush covered in golden yellow blossoms peeks through in between the magenta. In the background, green leaves and tree trunks are as far as the eye can see. There is a flash of blue sky in the upper left corner.
Image is author’s own.
I’m hungry for connection as I go on my neighborhood pandemic walks. I’m searching. My eyes, ears, and nose are on high alert, all open for what feels like the first time. The houses lining the streets fall into the background. Other people’s homes are off limits now, and it’s futile to focus on them. Instead, the flowers and the trees and the grass and the perfume in the air pulse with energy. They envelop me. I can’t not feel them. They are the journey and the destination. They are the purpose. They take me to an in between space where I am at once a part of something, the earth, and at once an outsider looking in; nothing is as perfect as a fucking flower. Utopia is surely full of them.
Over and over, I stop suddenly, and lean down closer to every blossom that catches my eye. I know I’m not supposed to fidget with my mask once it’s on, but I’m compelled. I remove the loop from my right ear, lean down, close my eyes, and inhale deeply, taking in as much as I can. My nose grazes dozens of velvety petals in the span of one walk. I wonder how many other noses, or even lips, have grazed these same petals. I wonder how many others cannot resist. I wonder if I’m being reckless. I wonder if I’m overanalyzing. I wonder what “risk” even means anymore, because everyone and no one is suddenly an expert.
Ooh, something's coming over me
Ooh, I think it's got a hold on me
it's got me, it's got me.
As I write this, the peonies have opened. There are many types, but the double-form variety are the treasure I seek on my pandemic walks. They are abundant and easily found, yet still manage to be precious. Double-form peonies have multiple rows of wide, dense, fully developed petals that span from the center of the bloom and burst outward. They have a fullness that cannot compare with any other flower. Have you ever gently squeezed a peony bloom with both hands as you hold it to your face?
Image description: An extreme closeup of a double-form peony blossom. At the top, illumination makes the outer layer of petals appear electric lavender. The inner layers of petals are deep magenta pink, with shadowy folds and crevices between each layer.
Image is author’s own.
I can smell them from down the block. They beckon, draw me closer. Pink, white, fuchsia. As they grow, their enormous blossoms reach higher and higher toward the sun. They bask in their lushness, open and on display. Passersby exclaim with delight “Oh look - the peonies have arrived!”
As they bathe in sunlight, their blooms open wider each day. As they expand, water begins to pool between their thick rows of petals. Growing heavy, their stems bend toward the earth. Eventually, those that were first to bloom are also the first to relax onto the ground, spilling onto pathways, taking up space. They have everything they need, and no longer need to reach higher and higher to survive. They lay themselves to rest, supported by the earth beneath them, because they have thrived.
Ooh, the feeling’s getting really strong
Ooh, gives me strength to carry on I’ve fallen, I’ve fallen
Image description: Several magenta pink peonies bend toward the ground away from the plant they emerged from. The peony in the foreground is resting on the ground, it’s petals disheveled and lying on the grass. In the background, there are dark green trees. A flash of pale pinky dusky sky appears in the upper right corner.
Image is author’s own.
Halfway through the song, at the 4:06 mark, Summer sing-speaks through an interlude so faintly that the words aren’t even included in the official lyrics. If the listener turns up the volume and pays attention, the following lines are heard:
Disco’s gotta have ya, all of ya
Disco really needs ya
Disco’s gotta have ya
When the song was released in 1976, disco was still young. Summer was right then, and she’s right now. Disco, utopia, or at the very least, the future, has gotta have you. Thriving in splendor, and rest, awaits.
spring affair,
And we've got something new.
Image description: A black and white photo of Donna Summer, outside during the day. She is wearing a fur coat. She has a heart shaped necklace on. She looks directly at the camera, with a slight smile. She has a small bouquet of flowers held up to her right cheek.
Click here for source.
