Isley Brothers – "I Turned You On" (1969)

 

I turned you on

Now I can't turn you off

In a recent 2 or 3 lines, I talked about my trivia team beating an opponent “like a rented mule.”

I picked up that phrase when I was a child – it was probably something my late grandmother used to say.  (She grew up on a farm in Arkansas in the early 1900s, and her parents very well might have rented a mule to help with plowing or clearing land or other such tasks.) 

My use of that old expression touched off howls of protest from the animal lovers who read 2 or 3 lines.

I acknowledge that one should never beat a mule that refuses to do your bidding– regardless of whether it is owned or merely rented.

*     *     *     *     *

I said we beat our opponent “like a rented mule” because I thought that was somewhat less offensive than saying we beat them “like a red-headed stepchild” – another good ol’ country expression that I picked up from my grandmother.

I suppose it’s not surprising – although it’s certainly regrettable – that one’s stepchild is more likely to become the object of mistreatment than one’s natural child.

Why would a red-headed stepchild be even more likely to become a victim of abuse than a dark-haired stepchild?  

Since most men don’t have red hair, perhaps they would resent a red-headed stepchild more than other stepchildren because the red-headed child is obviously not their biological child.  

Little Orphan Annie gave hope to
redheaded stepchildren everywhere

Some suspect that this expression is an indication of a particular animus against the Irish, who are often red-headed – in other words, “red-headed stepchild” may be the equivalent of “Irish stepchild.”

Others note that Judas Iscariot supposedly had red hair, which may be responsible for the longstanding prejudice against red-headed people.  (One author notes that as a result of the Judas legend, redheads were once thought to be deceitful, and “that the fat of dead red-haired men was used as an ingredient in poisons and fish baits.”)

*     *     *     *     *

The lines quoted  at the beginning of this post are from “I Turned You On,” which was a top-ten hit for the Isley Brothers in 1969.

If the song’s lyrics are accurate, the ability to turn someone on was not a problem for the Isley Brothers.  

The inability to turn someone off once you’ve got them turned on is a problem for fewer people, of course – the Isleys among them, it would seem.

“The Brothers: Isley” album cover

If you ever need help turning someone off after turning them on, feel free to e-mail or text me – I’ve got a few foolproof techniques that I’ll be happy to share with you.

*     *     *     *     *

Click here to listen to “I Turned You On.”

Click on the link below to buy the record from Amazon: