Echo & the Bunnymen – "Rescue" (1980)

Things are wrong

Things are going wrong

The retirement community where my 95-year-old mother-in-law lives recently published this book of poems written by its residents:

I was flipping through a copy of that book while visiting earlier this week, and came across a poem titled “At 91” by Mona Berman:

It’s hard to believe

I’ve reached 91

And thought of reversing

The numbers for fun.

But 19 I suddenly realized

Wouldn’t be much fun at all.

What on earth

Was I ever thinking?

19 in the U.S. is

Underage drinking

So I guess I’ll stick

With 91.

I assume the poet wrote those lines with her tongue planted firmly in her cheek – because she would have had to have been an idiot to turn down the opportunity to be 19 instead of 91 if all it was going to cost her was the ability to drink legally for a couple of years.

I’m 72, and I would give up a whole lot more than alcohol if by doing so I could be 27.

If I could retain the knowledge I’ve acquired between the ages of 27 and 72, turning the clock back 45 years would be a no-brainer.  I suppose I would still choose 27 over 72 even if I had to surrender everything I’ve learned since 1979 – but it would be a much closer call.

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“Rescue” was released by Echo & the Bunnymen as a single in 1980.  It was subsequently included on their debut album, Crocodiles:

“Rescue” was produced by Ian Brodie, but the rest of the Crocodiles album was produced by our old friends Bill Drummond and David Balfe, who were the brains behind “The Lonely Spy” by Lori and the Chameleons.

Click here to listen to “Rescue.”

Click here to buy that recording from Amazon.