The prompt was http://www.dictionaryofobscuresorrows.com/post/5202057244/aoyaoia.
I clicked on the link and it brought me to an entry in "The Dictionary or Obscure Sorrows." The word the prompt brought me to is aoyaoia, which is defined as the following:
n. a musical flavor found in electric guitar solos that compels you to snarl, squint and bend your spine like a longbow being drawn back to fire a warning shot to your distant ancestors, so they may know that your domestication will not go unavenged.
I felt a little stumped by this prompt, and as I sat down and began to write, I consulted my itunes library for some inspiration. Inspiration smacked me in the face, and I felt like I had to look no further. I also felt that as much as I initially felt stumped by this prompt, I now felt symbiotically connected to it.
As I browsed alphabetically through my library which is obsessive compulsively organized by artist and track, as well as album, a song reached out and grabbed me. I listened to it, although my memory knows the lyrics word for word. I needed to double check the accuracy of my memory, and make sure that this song defined aoyaoia as well as the definition did. As I listened to the intro, and before the lyrics kicked in, I was sold!
This song was released in 1987. I was ten years old. At the time, this was a song that invoked controversy and disapproving looks from my parents. It was hard, heavy, and on the borderline vulgar. The band's appearance was unkempt. They were uncouth. They were probably on drugs. Their music was quite different, and this was their second release off of their debut album. It reached number seven on the "Billboard top 100 chart." Still today when it comes on the radio, I turn it up. At the age of 33 it still amps me up as much as it did when I was 10.
For the first 15 seconds of the song an electric guitar solo grabs you and rings out an anthem as it pulls you in. The electric guitar is then accessorized with percussion and the sounds of sirens. Still, the electric guitar rides on top driving the song. There are no vocals for the first 45 seconds of the song, and when they start, you're ready to go. When the lyrics of the song kick in, they are the icing on the cake - a freight train that is running full throttle.
Without further ado here is the song, complete with the video, that defined aoyaoia for me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have for the past 23 years.
