I originally read Simone de Beauvoir because of a lyric in a Tori Amos cover. Likewise, I listen to opera now largely because of the early influence that Rufus Wainwright had on my teenage soul. To a lot of people, that may seem like a really stupid reason to do something, but rarely do we stumble upon something completely devoid of any other influence. Look at it this way: if I hadn’t liked existentialism or opera, I wouldn’t have continued on my (rather slow-going) path in studying either of them.
Anyway, “Damned Ladies”–about Rufus Wainwright’s eternal frustration with the women of opera–is the operatic equivalent of yelling “Don’t open the door!” at the movie screen:
Why don’t you ladies
Believe me when I’m screaming
I always believe you
He refers to many of them by name, but since I’m only four operas into Opera 101
Join the fun: you can read the lyrics to “Damned Ladies” here or listen (for free!) by clicking here. For lyrics+spoilers on all the characters mentioned look here (I didn’t actually read it because like I said, I don’t want to be spoiled, so if that isn’t actually what that is, let me know).
, and after a year of hunting, I got a copy of my own.
