Hold on to My Heart

There's a flame, flame in my heart
And there's no rain, can put it out
And there's a flame, it's burning in my heart
And there's no rain, can put it out
So just hold me, hold me, hold me

Take away the pain, inside my soul
And I'm afraid, so all alone
Take away the pain, that's burning in my soul
Cause I'm afraid that I'll be all alone
So just hold me, hold me, hold me

Hold on to my heart, to my heart, to me
Hold on to my heart, to my heart, to me
And oh no, don't let me go cause all I am
You hold in your hands, and hold me
And I'll make it through the night
And I'll be alright, hold on, hold on to my heart

- W.A.S.P. (1992)

As part of the Los Angeles hair-metal scene of the 1980's W.A.S.P. made a name for themselves with their wild stage theatrics. Notable among this was their gimmick of throwing raw meat into the crowd during their set. While they never enjoyed the success of other LA acts such as Motley Crue and Ratt, they did develop a nice cult following.

"Hold on to My Heart" is part of the concept album The Crimson Idol. The story basically goes like this - There are 2 brothers and one is favored over the other by the parents. When the favorite son is killed in an accident, the remaining son is basically asked why the wrong son had to die. Our tragic hero then sets off on a path to stardom but engages in self-destruction along the way because all he wanted, the love of his parents, would never come. The story ends with the hero committing suicide in front of a crowd at his final performance. This song, the next to last of the album, finds our hero realizing what he needs to do to finally gain his parents' approval.

What's to say about the song? Anyone who has ever been in love knows the feeling of complete surrender and vulnerability that this song conveys. Or that moment when someone takes a chance on something and lays everything on the line for what he or she wants. Or even the emotional honesty that's felt when something really good or really horrible happens. We all have that moment where our defenses are completely down.

When I first heard this song back in 1992 I didn't think much about it other than it was part of the story. After certain events in the past that left me reeling, this song has become more important to me. I'll admit that I've felt that vulnerability and defenselessness. It can be a beautiful yet frightening experience. The lyrics are a simple statement of how defenseless we can really be after something happens.

I leave this to my better half here to listen and give her input. I'm curious to see what she thinks.

I need to get a bigger iPod.