English 110
“Two
Lovers”
Mary Wells was considered the Queen of
Motown. Motown was important in popularizing soul music. Born in Michigan,
Wells skyrocketed to fame in the sixties. She had many signature hits, but “Two
Lovers” is her most relatable. It’s about a woman who loves a man, but he has
two different sides to him. On one side, he is kind and on the other side he’s
horrible to her. However, the woman still loves him regardless of how he treats
her. She loves both sides of her lover unapologetically. Smokey Robinson wrote
this song. He was inspired by an old movie, Mojo.
Smokey believes, “Love doesn’t have no boundaries, no formulas, and no rules.”
Those words come across as Mary sings her heart out on this song.
Mary
Wells was not only the voice of her generation, but also the many generations
to come. The song’s audience is every woman who has ever been in her situation.
Men do have two sides to them, not all but most. The same can be said for
women. What “Two Lovers” is saying is that it is okay to love somebody like
that. Love doesn’t have to be perfect. People don’t have to be perfect.
Relationships don’t have to be perfect.
Mary
Wells often sings about love, heartbreak, and relationships. She gets her
inspiration from events that happen to her in her personal life. Mary has had
multiple relationships with people from the music industry. She’s had divorces
and those moments resulted in hit songs. It shows that anybody can benefit from
hard times and turn them into success. Mary was a courageous and strong women
who will always be remembered for her talent.
Two Lovers, Mary Wells
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The Tortilla Curtain, T.C Boyle
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Well, you know he treats me bad, makes
me sad
Makes me cry but still I can’t deny
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She
threw it all at him, angry, hurt, terrified; and then he rose up of the
blanket and slapped her. Hard. (83)
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Darling’ well, don’t you know that I
can tell
Whenever I look at you that you think
that I’m untrue?
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If
she was lying to him it was to spare him, he knew that, and his heart turned
over for her in his drunkenness. (187)
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He’s sweet and kind and he’s mine all
mine
He treats me good like a lover should
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Nothing
bothered him now, not his lip or his cheekbone… thinking of the beer and the
turkey and America… And she smiled. She actually smiled. (264-265)
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Cause you’re a split personality
And in reality, both of them are you,
baby
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-He
clowned for her, danced round the sand spit with the bird atop his head,
doing a silly jog. (282)
-Angry,
frustrated, his face turned into an expression that would have terrified him
if he caught sight of himself. (207)
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