19. I ain't committed a crime

Do you remember the film the Fatal Attraction.  I do as I had a ‘stalking experience’ once  when I was much younger ( when I had hair !)

The man in this film has an affair ( Micheal Douglass)  to then realise his lover ( Glenn Close) is obsessively possessive  and begins to stalk him. This is where the saying ‘bunny boiler’ comes from, if you remember the ending ! Who can forget it !

Through unwanted attention, stalkers cause fear and anxiety. Usually the behaviour is fierce, delusional and fixated on a particulate target – its not random. The reason people do this is due to rejection, because they believe they have found true love, they want to commit a crime or they are resentful. This leads to a victim being followed, repeated phone calls, cyber attacks, threats, cancelling services, leaving unwanted items, gathering information etc

In the USA ( where this song is set) 1800 people a year are charged of the felony of stalking, with 75% convicted. 1 in 3 men and 1 in 6 women report they have been stalked at some point.

Women being stalked in South Korea for some reason, is the number one problem worldwide ( 24% of all women say they have been stalked !) and it’s a similar story in Japan, with 20,000 cases a year, fuelled by some high- profile murders. Australia also gets a mention.

I wonder why men stalk women more than women stalk men. I guess it’s because men are more aggressive, or won't take no for an answer – who knows.

The central theme of this song is a woman who feels she has been unjustly jilted or dumped as we now say . She begins to act a little strange

The message she sings in the song is , ‘It’s gonna be, a bad day. It's not the first time. I'm not running away. I ain ’t committed a crime'. Its almost as if she is singing ‘I ain ’t committed a crime yet’, but she might !. She fully admits that ‘it’s going to be a bad day’

The lover that jilted her ,is driving her mad i.e. ‘Are you ready to meet .Are you free, baby. Man, will you look at me. You’re, driving me crazy’

She sings loudly, ‘Guess you've changed lane. Gotta get you, back in my life. I ache for you, I’m in pain’ – oh dear its started I fear !

But our singer is determined , ‘But we’re going, to survive .Oh yea, survive’ and then alarmingly , ‘It’s not the first time. I’m not running away’ . Then it gets even more sinister, ‘I’m without love. I ain ‘t going backwards. The stakes could be high’ .Who knows what she means by the phrase ‘the stakes could be high’ .I for one would run a mile at this point, and I’m a part boxer – sort of. 

She claims , ‘I’ll get help, if I need it. Our picture is out there .How do we reconnect’ – which feels like more of the same pressure. Then she reveals , ‘I hope to sign a new deal

Something must be done. I'm stretched, to the brink ‘ – clearly, she has not accepted his decision to walk away and wants to start all over – oh no ! She then brings up past events to try a new angle ‘Boy, I’m losing my mind. I'm having a breakdown. I talk back, to the damn TV. Don't be like, everyone else. And ignore, the effect on me’ – I think it’s  time to call the cops ! She reminds him of  ‘how I get jealous’. Her final words are sinister ‘And the winner, is ‘ – beam me up Scotty !