Children Songs Gone Wrong 01: Hellfire

Growing up in the 90's, my childhood consisted of the animated Disney movies that we can't help but love and adore. However, rewatching movies that I was obsessed with in my childhood has been a bit of an eye-opener to all the serious themes that were actually staring me in the face for 10+ years. So why were we allowed to watch them if they had such adult-oriented issues? These issues were covered up by talking inanimate objects and catchy songs of course! But even some of the catchy songs had . . . some rather inappropriate messages. So the first one I'm going to cover is Hellfire.

The song, Hellfire, was featured in the movie, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and was performed by Judge Claude Frollo, who was voiced by Tony Jay. Judge Claude Frollo is the Minister of Justice, which I guess is just a religious authority figure. He is quite hypocritical and judgemental, but that must be OK because he is a believer and a follower in God. He also has a strong hatred for gypsies, but makes a sexual exception for Esmeralda, even though she defies his authority and publicly insults him. After Esmeralda claims sanctuary in Notre Dame, Frollo is determined to either kill her or have her as his own personal sex slave. To accomplish this, he sets guards at every entrance to Notre Dame and awaits her departure. He then starts the song, Hellfire, and sings about his own uncontrollable lust for Esmeralda and if he can't have her, then no one can. He also concludes that his desires cannot be the natural urges every man feels now and again. They obviously must be witchcraft, simply because he's a man of God and she's a gypsy. During the song, one of his guards alerts him that Esmeralda has escaped from Notre Dame, which starts an overdramatic manhunt, which consists of arresting everyone and burning down every single house they find. Let's get a closer look at the lyrics, just to delve deeper into Frollo's mind and get a better look at his personality.

Beata Maria
You know I am a righteous man
Of my virtue I am justly proud

(Even at 18, I had to look up 'Beata Maria', which supposedly means 'Blessed Maria/Mary'. I guess Maria is the closest thing he has to a wife. And what better way to break the news of a desired love affair between him and the type of people he hates most than to call your "wife" blessed? And it seems like he believes that anything is OK as long as it is in the name of God, including murder, lust, etc. Hypocrisy at its best.)

Beata Maria
You know I'm so much purer than
The common, vulgar, weak, licentious crowd

(A crowd that he basically rules over. Sounds like he doesn't have that much faith in his people if he's labeling them all as vulgar, weak, and licentious. His image of himself is overly pristine, regardless of what he does.)

Then tell me, Maria
Why I see her dancing there
Why her smold'ring eyes still scorch my soul
I feel her
I see her
The sun caught in her raven hair
Is blazing in me out of all control

(As a man of God, I guess this is the closest thing to porn he's going to get.)

Like fire
Hellfire
This fire in my skin
This burning desire
Is turning me to sin

(You'd think that he would actually admit that his impure thoughts were of his own doing. Guess again.)

It's not my fault
I'm not to blame
It is the gypsy girl
The witch who sent this flame

(I would expect him to act this way based on everything that happened in the movie before this song. He wants to maintain his place in power, but cannot rid of the faults that make him human. So what does he do? He blames the source or anything else he can find an excuse for. And of course he can't actually have a weakness! That would taint his credibility as a leader, of course.)

It's not my fault
If in God's plan
He made the devil so much stronger
Than a man

(I'm somewhat glad he knows/doesn't think that he is the ultimate, all-powerful being. It sticks to his Catholic persona and makes him seem more human, which I feel is needed due to the themes in this movie. If Quasimodo and Esmeralda were just searching for the Court of Miracles, then I can understand Frollo taking place as a monster and not having as much as a humanized personality. However, since we're dealing with lust, religion, etc., it is better for Frollo to show his weaknesses through this song, than with a strong exterior.)

Protect me, Maria
Don't let this siren cast her spell
Don't let her fire sear my flesh and bone
Destroy Esmeralda
And let her taste the fires of hell
Or else let her be mine and mine alone

(This is where we enter the disturbing children's version of the last Eminem's Love The Way You Lie. Frollo has this scary mentality which is similar to that of your generic abusive boyfriend/spouse. If he can't have her, then no one can. In this case, his motive for killing her would also be to erase his lust for her, until he finds some other hot gypsy who can also dance.)

Hellfire
Dark fire
Now gypsy, it's your turn
Choose me or your pyre
Be mine or you will burn

(Some more scary mentality. I'm a little surprised that Frollo actually gives Esmeralda a choice rather than just taking her somewhere and "having her for himself". As a villain, that's what I would expect him to do. Then again, this is a Disney movie; that's not allowed.)

God have mercy on her
God have mercy on me
But she will be mine
Or she will burn

(The first two lines really confused me. I kept thinking, that as a villain and just based on how he is, you'd think that he wouldn't care whether or not Esmeralda received severe judgement, especially since he believes she is the one solely responsible for causing him to stray from purity and head right towards sin. Maybe he does actually care for her somewhat, just not enough to change for the better good.)

And that's Hellfire. For younger audiences, I wouldn't deem this song as memorable. Years down the road however, I love this song. It is currently my favorite song in this movie. However, this movie was directed towards a younger age group than mine. Even though it's great, that doesn't overrule the inappropriate topics and the repetitive mentioning of hell. And even though Frollo is an awful human-being in this movie, he's still human and still carried out the emotions of a human, especially in this song. As a kid, he wasn't all that threatening or menacing to me. Back then, it was villains like Scar and Ursula who gave me the creeps, but I didn't understand what was fully going on in the movie to even give Frollo a proper chance to deem himself as a respectable villain, solely due to the mature themes in this movie.

That's Hellfire and Frollo for you in . . . many nutshells. And to give him a second chance at being the villain he has the potential to be, here's his face towards one of the ending scenes:

"I can save you from the flames of this world and the next.

Choose me or the fire."

I don't know about you, but that face is 100% creepy. It is scenes like these that give him his power as a villain, otherwise he's a bit of a whiny brat. Anyway, feel free to express your opinion on Hellfire or Frollo or if you have another children's song that you think is inappropriate, leave a comment down below.



~ Gaia<3

The Ten Commandments Used To Please A Woman

So Steve Harvey appeared on the Dr. Phil show this past Tuesday and talked about how men think, gave advice, and talked a little about his new book. He also mentioned ten "commandments" that if used correctly and consistently, you will satisfy your woman. How do they look from a girl's perspective? I'll go over these myself and talk a little about each one, just to give you an idea.

01). Thou Shalt Give Her Free Time.

This really shouldn't be mentioned. It seems like it should be common sense that no one wants to spend 24/7 with someone else. Both sides just continue to get aggravated. I definitely do need my free time just because I am more introverted and I can't think/do the things I want to do when I'm with other people. Eventually, I would get sick of having them around all the time. And I really wouldn't want to take them away from the things they want to do. Long story short: Everyone needs time apart, even from their significant other!

02). Thou Shalt Remember The Small Things.

This actually does get you brownie points, believe it or not. It lets me know that the time we spent hanging out or the things I talk about with you are important enough that they stick in your head and you actually remember them. For example, I was hanging out during lunch with a few of my friends in the band room. My friend and I were having a fight that included throwing walnuts and other small foods. Since they were his walnuts, he wasn't giving me much of a chance to fight back. I had said that maybe I just want to eat the walnuts and he had said, "No, I remember you saying that you don't like walnuts". That kinda stuck out to me since we had had that conversation weeks before that moment. If you remember details about us, we remember you.

03). Thou Shalt Consistently Think Of New Ways To Say I Love You.

I definitely agree with this. It also ties in with #02 about being remembered and letting me know that I do in fact stick in your head. If you continue to do the same thing over and over, it becomes very routine and I expect it more, whereas if it was something different, it's more spontaneous and I just don't expect it. A lot of girls would react a lot more pleasantly to something different and to something that they wasn't expecting (given that it's something good of course, but even if it's a bad idea, it's still the thought that counts).

04). Thou Shalt Chip In.

This isn't the 1950's. I am no one's maid, mother, or slave. If I'm living with you, I do indeed expect you to chip in. Trust me, it's not a good situation to get into if you aren't helping out. You will lose, badly. Just don't go there.

05). Thou Shalt Help With The Kids.

Just like #04, I do expect you to help with the kids. You contributed to making them, they are partly your responsibility. I will certainly not watch my significant other not spend time/not help out with their own children. Again, it's just not a good situation; you will lose; don't go there.

06). Thou Shalt Embrace The Art Of Foreplay.

Indeed, you must! I am not a sex robot; wind me up and watch me go. If you do favors for me, I'm definitely going to do favors for you. I know it'll require some work, but it's a road worth traveling. In addition, it will save you some mornings with an irritable wife. Trust me.

07). Thou Shalt Respect Her Schedule.

Again, definitely agree. I am not about to drop something that I love or something that I'm dedicated to for someone else and I wouldn't ask that upon my significant other. It also ties in with #01 and spending time apart so one doesn't suffocate the other. My schedule is my schedule and if someone likes/loves me enough then they will let me do the things that I also love to do. It will increase my happiness, lower my bitchiness (unless something happens while I'm there, but at least it's not about you), and it also gives me something to talk about with you. Win, win, win.

08). Thou Shalt Send Her Roses, Just Because.

I think this is the only one I will slightly disagree with. It doesn't have to be roses. It can be any sort of flower that you think she'll like. Maybe I don't even like flowers at all. Something special and tangible, but also in your price range so it can happen more than just an annual rate. It lets me know that I'm being thought of and it will stick in my head. It doesn't even have to cost money! A poem, a song, whatever your talents are, use them!

09). Thou Shalt Remember The Golden Rule.

You can be happy or you can be right. This is in fact the Golden Rule. I don't know why; it just is.

10). Thou Shalt Always Take Her Side.

I don't know why, but when a lot of women, including myself, don't feel like their significant other is standing up for them, no matter what we said, it's equivalent to an act of ultimate betrayal. If anyone can give me a scientific/biological reason as to why, I would love to know! I just can't help feeling like it's something personal when it could in fact just be my significant other expressing their opinion. Even though I attempt to not do this, a lot of women will be very snide and sarcastic when talking to you until you talk about with her or they give up and talk about it with you. Unless you take her side, it's a battle lost.

Those are the 10 Commandments to pleasing your woman as listed by Steve Harvey! Please note that the opinions expressed in this blog entry do not reflect the opinion of the entire female gender. In fact, this is solely my opinion. Any stories, opinions, or biological findings should go in the comment box! Please your woman!

~ Gaia<3

These Kinds Of Things Just Can't Be Coincidences

Did you ever hate the phrase, "It's a small world after all."? Just the idea of living on a giant, rotating orb that carried over 6 billion other people; doesn't seem so small when you think about it that way. But then you forget that all of those other 6 billion people can't possibly live in the same state/province, let alone the same town and you remember that your world has the potential to be microscopic. And trust me, coming from a shy girl next door who has never had a toe out of New England, microscopic doesn't even begin to describe it.

I was at the movies with my best friend, Victor. We were eagerly awaiting the beginning of The Help, starring Emma Stone. Victor had made a comment saying that the last time he was at a movie theater was when he had his date with Peter. This brought up a whole conversation about Victor and Peter and my ex, Renae and me. For our first date, Renae and I had went to go see Pirates Of The Carribbean: On Stranger Tides (which I thought was really good, but has nothing to do with this entry :) ). After two weeks of dating, she dumped me for my one of my really good friends, Peter. Peter and Renae were now all of a sudden all over each other in front of me. I'm sure you can imagine, it was a lovely sight for Victor and me. It didn't take us long to realize that the last time we were both at the movies was when we had a great first date that started a horrible relationship for both of us. Peter and Renae are still together, but I'm still waiting for karma to work its' magic on this couple, for both Victor and me. In case any of you are wondering, The Help was amazing! It was hilarious, but still made me cry 3 times. A movie definitely worth checking out if you like drama.

So, has anyone else ever had a "small world" moment? Comments/stories are greatly appreciated!

NOTE: All names in this entry has been changed to protect the rights of privacy to those who have been mentioned. Any similar situations with the same names is purely coincidence.

~ Gaia<3