Virginia Plain by Roxy Music Lyrics Meaning – A Surreal Journey Through Glam Rock Imagery
Lyrics
All signed and sealed, I’ll take it
To Robert E Lee I’ll show it
I hope and pray he don’t blow it ’cause
We’ve been around a long time just try try try tryin’ to
Make the big time
Take me on a roller coaster
Take me for an airplane ride
Take me for a six day wander but don’t you
Don’t you throw my pride aside besides
What’s real and make believe
Baby Jane’s in Acapulco we are flyin’ down to Rio
Throw me a line I’m sinking fast
Clutching at straws can’t make it
Havana sound we’re trying
Hard edge the hipster jiving
Last picture shows down the drive-in
You’re so sheer, you’re so chic
Teenage rebel of the week
Flavors of the mountain streamlines
Midnight blue casino floors
Dance the cha-cha through till sunrise
Opens up exclusive doors, oh wow
Just like flamingos look the same
So me and you, just we two, got to search for something new
Far beyond the pale horizon
Some place near the desert strand
Where my Studebaker takes me
That’s where I’ll make my stand but wait
Can’t you see that Holzer mane?
What’s her name, Virginia Plain?
In 1972, a bold, flamboyant troupe by the name of Roxy Music released ‘Virginia Plain,’ a track that would define an era of glam rock splendor. At the helm was Bryan Ferry, whose lyrical prowess boldly painted a world of opulent fantasies and vivid, provocative scenes. The song is a mélange of abstract images and cryptic lines, offering listeners’ imaginations a canvas on which to paint their interpretations.
Unlike the traditional verse-chorus song structure, ‘Virginia Plain’ maintains a stream-of-consciousness style that lends itself to various angles of interpretation. It begs the question, ‘What was Roxy Music’s intention with this enigmatic anthem?’ The allure of ‘Virginia Plain’ isn’t just in its catchy melody, but also in its ability to transcend straightforward analysis.
Signs, Seals, and Civil War Spirits: Unpacking the Opening Salvo
Ferry kicks off the journey with a nod to the transactional nature of success (‘Make me a deal and make it straight’) and an evocative reference to confederate general Robert E Lee. By invoking Lee’s name, Ferry conjures the symbolism of dreams and legacies, of the unpredictable nature of fame akin to the outcome of battles and wars. The promise and peril of ambition are lain before the listener, enveloped in the historical lore that clings to Lee’s persona.
The statement seems to be less about Lee himself and more about the singer’s own aspirations, highlighting the timeless struggle for recognition and the gamble involved (‘I hope and pray he don’t blow it’). Here lies the first thematic layer of ‘Virginia Plain’: the murky waters between ambition and the reality of the entertainment industry.
The Whirlwind World of Fame and Fantasy
‘Take me on a roller coaster, Take me for an airplane ride.’ These lines burst with the kinetic energy of celebrity life, a whirlwind tour of highs and lows, grand escapades, and the boundless adventures reserved for the rich and famous. It’s a glimpse into the more is more philosophy that came to define the glam rock lifestyle.
The reference to Baby Jane and the jet-setting journey to Rio encapsulates the band’s soaring aspirations, as well as the fine line between reality and the artifice often found in the glitzy mirage of stardom (‘What’s real and make believe’). The song becomes an allegory for the exquisite rush and the intoxicating, surreal world that is the celebrity enigma.
A Symphony of Style: ‘You’re so sheer, you’re so chic’
Roxy Music didn’t just deliver audial pleasure; they were architects of style. ‘You’re so sheer, you’re so chic,’ captures the essence of the band’s approach to music. With every note and verse, Virginia Plain weaves the audio-visual tapestry indicative of Roxy’s impact on fashion and culture. Ferry’s lyrics play like catwalk commentary, a celebration of the sophisticate, the avant-garde, the trendsetter.
This snippet of lyric positions the song as a modern love letter to the pulse of the present, to the ‘Teenage rebel of the week.’ Roxy Music’s embodiment of chic modernity is encapsulated within these lines – promoting the idea that music and fashion are capable of evolving, becoming an adaptive force that speaks to each new wave of youthful rebellion.
Seeking the New in a Sea of Sameness
In a brilliant burst of insight, ‘Just like flamingos look the same / So me and you, just we two, got to search for something new’ highlights the band’s pursuit of originality and escape from the mundane. Regardless of the glitz and glamour, there’s an underlying yearning for authenticity and novelty that isn’t satisfied by the cookie-cutter offerings of society.
This call to discover ‘something new’ doesn’t just reflect personal desire; it speaks to a generation disillusioned with the status quo. ‘Virginia Plain’ challenges the listener to break free from the flock, to redefine success, and to chart a course into uncharted waters of individuality and self-expression.
The Enigmatic Echo of ‘Virginia Plain’
So, what, or rather who, is ‘Virginia Plain’? The song’s concluding lines prompt a climactic flourish of speculation. Is it a muse? A metaphor? A memory? With a name evocative of American locales and yet so peculiarly specific, ‘Virginia Plain’ remains Roxy Music’s riddle wrapped in a melody.
Could Virginia be an echo of past loves or unrealized dreams, or perhaps a reference to one of Ferry’s earlier art projects? The ambiguity of this last question serves as the song’s final act, a reiteration of ‘Virginia Plain’ not as a straightforward narrative but a kaleidoscope of emblematic reverie, playing out in the theater of the listener’s mind.
