Wednesday, September 3, 2008

ADVENTURES IN DOUBLE NEGATIVES: I've been listening to a stripped down cover of Poison's "Nothin' But A Good Time" featured in the Rainn Wilson bomb (but actually decent flick) The Rocker, and now believe I've given entirely too much thought to the lyrics. At one point, the singer explains that he "don't need nothin' but a good time." Obviously, the lyric is commonly understood to mean that all the singer requires is "a good time," though Bret Michaels' definition of that may well differ from yours. But literally speaking, isn't it the opposite by virtue of the double negative? If the singer proclaimed "I need nothing but a good time," that's clear. But, the singer is explaining that he "don't need nothin' but a good time," so there's apparently something else he requires apart from "a good time." Perhaps a bath in rubbing alcohol to remove the stench of skank?

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