For more than twenty years he has been releasing, to only marginal commercial and critical success, playful and transgressive albums on labels in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan. In his lyrics and his other writing he makes seemingly random use of decontextualized pieces of continental (mostly French) philosophy, and has built up a personal world he says is "dominated by values like diversity, orientalism, and a respect for otherness." He is also known in certain circles outside the U.S. as a producer. He is fascinated by identity, Japan, the avant-garde, time travel and sex. Live Momus shows are rare but when he does perform he often sings the crowd favourite 'maf' from the Stars Forever LP.
He wears a patch over his right eye because he lost the use of it after contracting acanthamoeba keratitis from a contact lens case washed with Greek tap water.
Nick Currie currently resides in Osaka, Japan.
Bluestocking
Momus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Blue stockings well spread
Your carnal knowledge knocks me dead
I love you, you're so well read
Bluestocking give head
I love you, you've read:
The Song of Solomon
The Perfumed Garden and Georges Bataille's
The Story of the Eye
The Petronius Satyricon
The Arabian Nights, the Decameron
The Marquis de Sade's 120 Days
And Serge Gainsbourg singing songs to Sweet Jane B
I love you, you're so well read
Blue stockings well spread
Your carnal knowledge knocks me dead
I love you, you're so well read
Bluestocking give head
I love you, you've read:
Sacher Masoch and DHL
Portnoy's Complaint and mine as well
Frank Harris, The Life and Loves
Lusts of a Moron, Wings of a Dove
The Latins of the Silver Age
The triolets of Paul Verlaine
Lautreamont and G. Cabrera Infante
Mishima Yukio and Sweet Jane B
I love you, you're so well read
Bluestocking give head
Whisper what they said:
"Le silence de la chambre est profond
Aucun bruit n'arrive plus
Ni des routes, ni de la ville, ni de la mere
La nuit est a son terme, partout limpide et noir
La lune a disparu
Ils ont peur
Il ecoute, les yeux au sol
Son silence effrayante
Il parle de sa beaute
Les yeux fermees
Il peut revoir encore l'image dans sa perfection"
The song Bluestocking by Momus talks about his love for a woman who is intelligent and well-read, and also has a high sexual appetite. He admires her knowledge of literature and mentions various books, including those with erotic content like Anaïs Nin's work, The Perfumed Garden, The Story of the Eye, and Sacher Masoch's Venus in Furs. Momus praises her ability to give head and her carnal knowledge, which he finds attractive. The song describes the man's arousal because of the woman's intelligence, which ultimately leads to desire.
The lyrics also include a French excerpt, which translates to "The silence of the room is profound. No noise comes anymore, neither from the roads, nor the city or the sea. The night is at its end, everywhere peaceful and black. The moon has disappeared. They are afraid. He listens, eyes to the ground, her silence is frightening. He speaks of her beauty, eyes closed, he still can see the image of her perfect body." This poetic addition adds to the sensual, erotic tone of the song, which is reflective of the woman's sexual knowledge and intelligence that the singer finds irresistible.
Overall, the song has a strong emphasis on sexuality and intelligence, with the bluestocking, a term used historically to describe educated women, serving as the object of desire.
Line by Line Meaning
I love you, you're so well read
Momus is expressing his appreciation for the person's intelligence, particularly their extensive reading.
Blue stockings well spread
Momus is using the term 'blue stockings' to refer to the person's erudition or intellectual interests. The phrase 'well spread' could be interpreted as meaning that these interests are widespread or varied.
Your carnal knowledge knocks me dead
Momus is implying that the person's intelligence extends to sexual matters, as reflected in the phrase 'carnal knowledge'. This is particularly attractive to Momus.
Bluestocking give head
Momus is using wordplay to suggest that the person's intellectual interests are sexually appealing to him, expressed through the slang term 'give head'.
I love you, you've read:
Momus proceeds to list a number of books and authors that he finds particularly impressive or alluring.
Ovid, Anaïs Nin
Both Ovid and Anaïs Nin are known for their erotic literature, suggesting that the person's reading habits include erotica as well as more classical works.
The Song of Solomon
The Song of Solomon is a book of the Bible that features romantic poetry, again indicating that the person's reading habits include works that deal with love and sexuality.
The Perfumed Garden and Georges Bataille's
The Perfumed Garden is an Arabic sex manual, while Georges Bataille wrote explicit fiction and nonfiction works. Both of these authors are known for their frank treatment of sexuality.
The Story of the Eye
The Story of the Eye is a novella by Georges Bataille that features graphic sexual content, continuing the theme of erotic literature.
The Petronius Satyricon
The Satyricon is a Roman work that includes elements of satire and burlesque, as well as depictions of sex and other vices.
The Arabian Nights, the Decameron
Both The Arabian Nights and The Decameron are collections of stories that include many tales of love and sexuality.
The Marquis de Sade's 120 Days
The Marquis de Sade is known for his extreme, often violent depictions of sexuality, and 120 Days is one of his most infamous works.
And Serge Gainsbourg singing songs to Sweet Jane B
Serge Gainsbourg was a French musician known for his provocative songs and attitudes, and Sweet Jane B was a slinky, sexy song he recorded in English. This line reinforces the idea that the person Momus is addressing has a wide range of interests that appeal to him.
I love you, you're so well read
Repeating this line emphasizes once again how much Momus values the person's intelligence and reading habits.
Bluestocking give head
Repeating this line reinforces Momus's sexual attraction to the person and his belief that their intelligence makes them even more alluring.
Whisper what they said:
This line introduces a new element to the song, suggesting that the person Momus is addressing is not only well-read but capable of seducing him with their words and ideas.
"Le silence de la chambre est profond
This seems to be the beginning of a quote, spoken in French, that describes the silence of a room and the darkness of the night.
Aucun bruit n'arrive plus
Continuing the quote, this phrase means that no more noise is coming from outside the room.
Ni des routes, ni de la ville, ni de la mere
The quote lists various sources of sound that can no longer be heard: roads, the city, and the sea.
La nuit est a son terme, partout limpide et noir
This phrase means that the night is almost over, and everything is clear and black.
La lune a disparu
The moon is gone, suggesting that the scene takes place in the early morning hours.
Ils ont peur
The people in the scene are afraid or anxious, although it's not clear why.
Il ecoute, les yeux au sol
One person is listening, looking down.
Son silence effrayante
Their silence is frightening, perhaps communicating their apprehension or discomfort.
Il parle de sa beaute
Suddenly, this person speaks about someone's beauty, but again it's not clear who or why.
Les yeux fermees
They have their eyes closed as they recall this image, which suggests it is a memory or fantasy.
Il peut revoir encore l'image dans sa perfection"
The final line suggests that the image or memory of beauty is so powerful that it remains perfect even in the listener's mind. However, the context of the quote is open to interpretation, and it's unclear how it connects to the rest of the song.
Contributed by Adeline V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
alvarockdavii
Genius! love from Mexico
anagr0m
Sacher Masoch and DHL? Massì, continuiamo così...
marisolex119
blue stockings for the blue color. no longer the woman. tres belle chansong, merci beaucoup, osmoma.
Matthew Jenkins
Perhaps D.H. Lawrence.