#Ingénue

[vintage-archive]

k.d. lang

[denastudio]

Jane B. par Agnès V. (1988) dir. Agnès Varda

[eternal--returned]

Paul Cupido ֍ Ingénue (2022)

[freshlyblaked]

european single art for reissue of constant craving by k.d. lang, february 1993

[panda-music-1982]

k.d. lang, "Constant Craving"

Ingénue (1992)

[sweet-lambs]

[weaversweek]

2 "Constant craving" - k d lang

writers k d lang, Ben Mink

"Here's a medley of my hit."

"A versatile weapon of mass seduction." - The Times

Part of the UncoolTwo50 project, marking the best singles from 1977-99.

ELF POINTS (11 points)

Every queer of a certain age has a copy of Ingénue on their shelf. Combining queer lyrics with a middle-of-the-road sound, lang fills an album with heartbreak and yearning, the love that dare not be spoken. "Constant craving" ends the album, drawing together the threads, melding the internal and external conflict into something she can live with.

k d lang released her first country album in 1987, with The Reclines. It boggled the minds of country music fans in Alberta and Saskatchewan. "This lass looks like a lad, makes music with bits of rock and roll (hawk,spit), and generally doesn't look like us rednecks would you pass another beer." Nobody could fault lang's voice, clear and packed with emotion, with a great vocal range.

Nashville wasn't sure about her, but the voice and work with Roy Orbison on "Crying" (qv) ensured she'd get an audience. The albums Shadowland and Absolute Torch and Twang earned a NARAS award, and enough minor celebrity that "k d lang comes out against eating meat" caused a stir. This side of the pond, we ignored it all - something about John Drittsek Gummer, a burger, and a crying child.

We'd also ignored lang, until 1992's Ingénue album. Johnnie Walker was a big fan, played "Constant craving" and "Miss Chatelaine" on his Radio 1 and Radio 5 shows. Released in late spring 1992, the single stalled just short of the top 40, and made the top 20 when re-promoted early in 1993.

Young k d lang had come out as a lesbian during the promo cycle for Ingénue, and was adopted as the poster child by every young dyke around. With a short, brown coif highlighting her cut jawline, and a penchant for blazers and men’s button-downs, k d's unapologetic masculine demeanor was something new to many homes. She palled around with Madonna, who said Elvis is alive - and she is beautiful! lang made it possible to be an out lesbian, and a handsome woman. Others will assess how much of an influence lang has had on queer culture; for me, she's still a style icon.

Later, lang would reflect on how recording Ingénue was "a very important time for me because I was changing my musical vernacular from the very strong influences to a more personal one and creating a language that resonated with me on a deeply personal level rather than using outer imagery. It was a very introverted time. It was meditative”.

There were also external influences: “AIDS was full-blown in a social context, there was a lot of pressure on me to come out. So I think the record maintains a kind of relativity because the record’s vulnerability and honesty resonated with the gay community at the time. I think it resembles a type of watermark for the LGBTQ community.”

Contemporary reviews were positive. Betty Page in the New Musical Express (Incorporating Accordian Times) said,

The secret diary of k.d. lang shows she's not lost sight of those precious torch values; her voice is honed to perfection, full of the subtle tones of expression and phrasing so beloved of her heroines, Peggy Lee, Patsy Cline and Julie London. These are open, vulnerable songs – honest, naked, and dripping with achingly lovely melodies that send you softly sliding down the wall into a contented, foetal heap – and not a 'New Country' tag in sight.

Max Bell in Vox added,

Lang (sic) manages to sound like Peggy Lee's heiress and is on the verge of becoming the first lady of Country jazz. Compared to many rock LPs, Ingénue's still-life sophistication might seem almost relentless, but there is no premium on good taste, nor on the quality of writing at hand here. The fact that Ingénue is an album for masochists only adds to its appeal. It will become a constant craving, and those who love it are doomed to return, like the vampire after dark, for one last fix. (10/10)

This song got me a summer job at a record shop. During the interview, the manager asked me to sell him a recent song I was passionate about.

It’s a song about the universal human experience – we have dark days, we’re nervous, feel a bit rubbish. We hope for something better, constantly crave for a connection, some relief, someone to understand us.

Or, if you prefer, it’s a very physical love song.

Or, if you prefer, it’s a clever musical composition, subverts the usual major-key DESH descending scale (which we’d later hear on Oasis’s "Whatever") with a minor-key DEES. Builds up a whole lot of tension, then resolves it with a DEESEED reversal on “A-ha! Constant craving!”.

That, and an attention to detail, and not objecting to doing difficult and boring tasks. Kept me going three summers, two Christmases, and my student loan manageable. It's one I remember with great affection, and events in the past couple of years make it more important.

Also… "Constant craving" was subsequently ripped off by The Rolling Stones for "Anybody seen my baby". No song by Mick Jagger's group entered the longlist; maybe they'll have better luck in #Uncool25 for songs released before 1954.

[duranduratulsa]

k.d. lang - Constant Craving (Official Music Video) | Warner Vault

90's Fest Song 🎵 of the day 2: Constant Craving by k.d. lang (1992) from Ingénue #kdlang #constantcraving #ingenuity #90s #90sfest #durandurantulsas4thannual90sfest

[jesncin]

I think I said this before, but your mgann is so cute! I was only familiar with Young Justice miss martian which I wasn't a fan of. But your miss martian actually makes me want to look in more into the character

Thank you so much! I was only familiar with M'gann from the Young Justice animated series for a time too and I also wasn't a fan of that version of her, haha.

While my version of M'gann does pull from some of her themes in the comics, mine is really different over all. I like zero-ing in on her being a young girl going through social and body problems in a way I feel all versions of M'gann don't really dig enough into.

[taylorswiftsongs4mypookies]

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 JASON TODD AS NOTHING NEW BY TAYLOR SWIFT SHUT UP AND LISTEN 🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🚨🚨🚨

I cant even put specific quotes bc they’re all SOOOO RELEVANT WTFFFFF

The replacement vibes of it all the angst I’m sick I’m ill I’ll never recover

[scintillulae]

[vamprisms]

solicitors in a gothic setting should get hazard pay

[sysig]

Horse girl arc (Patreon)

[sciralta]

Do you think the steamy Choices books would be a bit better (like, at least in a "so bad it's good"/trashy but enjoyable way) if the MCs weren't always written as super inexperienced and naïve?

Yes. Absolutely, this isn’t even a question. These naïve ingénue MCs are so tired and overused. It’s stale. I’m not saying this archetype can’t ever be used effectively, but PB hasn’t, doesn’t, and probably won’t — so that with the fact that this is the only archetype and personality they give these MCs… stale.

[avant-gaarde]

if we were villains by m.l. rio | a playlist |

for oliver, james, filippa, meredith, alexander, wren, and richard.

“But that is how a tragedy like ours or King Lear breaks your heart—by making you believe that the ending might still be happy, until the very last minute.”

the playlist you've been waiting for...

[boyfear]

i feel like i've been keeping it very vulgar & crass on here lately. not to sound like a social conservative but i'm not sure i like that. i'm losing my "silly little guy" edge a bit maybe