Let's Make Love (And Listen to Death From Above)

LET'S MAKE LOVE (AND LISTEN TO DEATH FROM ABOVE), CSS

(December 2009)

Pre-Christmas in San Francisco: It was snowing, I was sick, and it was miserable. I was going back to San Francisco for Christmas the following day, but on this day, I had tons of shit to do. I had to do last-minute Christmas shopping (Selfridges on Oxford Street to buy some candy for my parents, Camden to buy a pashmina for my grandmother, etc.), I had to print my flight itinerary, and pick up a package for Nick from the post office. All while it was snowing. Heavily. Did I mention that living in London totally took away any sort of theoretical magical qualities that snow had for me?

I returned to Old Street at a fairly late hour (well, probably about ten o'clock), after having fallen on my ass around several places in London several times, and placed my snow-covered bag on my bed, took off my boots, and turned on the TV, hoping to catch an episode of "Come Dine With Me" on Channel 4. I had been unexpectedly surprised that morning when "The Ten Commandments" popped up on screen. So, I had high hopes that another one of the things that made my life the bright and sparkly thing it is would show up on my airwaves.

And what do I see? This perfume commercial, or at least it looks like a perfume commercial. You know, black-and-white, glossy, full of models erotically fondling a perfume bottle? I mean, usually the perfume bottle is the giveaway, but sometimes you're not sure. Anyway, in this commercial, the models were Chloe Sevigny, Clemence Poesy, and some other blonde chick, and the ad was literally close-ups of their faces and bare shoulders, holding the perfume bottle and, like, making out with it, all while this really cool electroclash instrumental is playing. When the 20-second ad was over, I was like, "Okay. I need to find out what song that is! (And so glad to see Chloe Sevigny not all Big Love-d out.)"

The interwebs informed me that this song was called "Let's Make Love (And Listen to Death From Above)" by Brazilian band CSS, or Cansei de Ser Sexy, which, like, really, what an obnoxious thing to call your band, even if the urban legend of them taking it from a Beyonce speech or whatever. They actually aren't sexy at all, unless you're into self-consciously indie goodness. In which case, pop in their video, unzip, and go to town.

I become obsessed with the song pretty much overnight, while I'm packing up to go back to San Francisco. I have to get to Heathrow really early in the morning, so I figure "Why sleep?" Especially since I have an insane twelve-hour flight. So, I play this song, like, five times in a row, then listen to an episode of "This American Life," then listen to the song another five times, trying to imagine what this lead singer looks like. I find out, later, that "Lovefoxx," as she calls herself, doesn't look like the dusty lean and thin model-type that I had in my head, but like an impish cross between my friend Liza and a Cabbage Patch doll.

I play the song when I'm back in London one day, and Nick is like "Oh GOD! I hate 'Let's Make Love'! It was played all the time, like, three years ago." I then started thinking about what music makes it big in the States versus the rest of the world, and this was just another example of a song being a big hit one place and being virtually nonexistent elsewhere.

And, despite the fact that I do find the band really up their own ass in terms of how too cool for school they are, the video makes me smile. It's so joyous. Weird.