Emmie (Laura Nyro song)

Emmie is a track on the 1968 album Eli and the Thirteenth Confession by Laura Nyro, released on March 3, 1968. Alanna Nash in her April 25, 1997 music comment "Passion Player" on EW.com touted “Emmie” as “pop’s first lesbian love song.”http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,287629,00.html

69.112.114.150 edited this article with a reply/argument (see below) disagreeing there is lesbian content in the song and claiming to speak for the family of Laura Nyro.

Pete Johnson in his June 1968 review of the song in Coast FM & Fine Arts (p.50) commented “There is a momentary shock at hearing a woman romancing another woman…”

Michele Kort in her biography of Laura Nyro, “Soul Picnic” reported on p.60, the Ellen Sander claim about her being the partial inspiration for “Emmie”. Laura’s reply was reputed to have been “…Well, it’s sort of a combination of you and someone else…”

Ari Fox Lauren, a recognized theorist on the music (sans lyrics) of Laura Nyro, concluded that “Emmie” and “Désiree” “are open expressions of same-sex attraction on Laura’s part.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Nyro

Kathy G. in her May 4, 2008, blog on The G Spot “The G Spot Weekend Diva Blogging: Laura Nyro” wrote, “Emmie” is “a groundbreaking song in that it’s a pop song in which a female sings openly about her love for a woman.” weblink defunct circa 8-14-11

For the origins of: ”Emmie” (as me); and the Back Cover of ELI., please review the Appendix of "An Open Letter to Dan Nigro Re: Laura Nyro, namely, “She can Pinch and Squeal A Falsetto With the Best of Them (A Rave Review)” by Brian Van der Horst. http://rabdrake.wordpress.com/category/dan-nigro/

Argument by 69.112.114.150
''[Note to author and readers from the family of Laura Nyro: The lyrics to this beautiful song have often been misconstrued, and we'd like to offer clarity. Laura's own explanation was that the lyrics are "about the eternal feminine;" the cycle of a girl becoming a woman, and here, Laura the young woman lyrically coddles and longs for, but ultimately bids goodbye to the fading innocence﻿ of her girlhood. This was also artfully illustrated on the back cover of the album that contained the original version of this song, Eli & The Thirteenth Confession. The back cover depicts, in silhouette, a mature Laura sweetly kissing the forehead of the representation of Laura the girl. The lyrics and the photo are extraordinary and unique expressions of coming-of-age self-realization. ''

''In this lyric, Laura refers to her younger self as Emmie, and her "mama" would have, indeed, been her mother, Gilda Nigro, a wonderful,﻿ protective lady who doted on and guarded Laura, and with whom Laura was extremely close. The artistry of this lyric is often overlooked in favor of what appears on the surface as the "obvious" meaning that is put forth in the below articles, written by those who didn't comprehend the depth of the lyric. Laura spent the final 17 years of her life with her partner, Maria Desiderio, but this song has no connection to her later-in-life preference.] ''

Counterargument by Ralph, Let's call her Ralph
''Dan Nigro, Laura expressed "her later-in-life preference," at least as early as 1971 in her personal attribution of Désiree. http://youtu.be/32WKVb-U_U4''

'Dan, If you want to know Laura Nyro go to the music, page 275. SOUL PICNIC, Michele Kort. Dan the “Mama’s couplet” scotches you. Even the music betrays the verboten nature of the crush. The jarring discordance of “Emmie, your mama’s been a calling you.” ( 2:52 - 3:02) The reverie/vanity of “oo, who stole Mama’s heart and cuddled in her garden? Darlin Emmie, la la la, oo la la la, oo la la la, oo la la la" (3:04 - 3:30) http://youtu.be/u3_mdy9VfCs (Ralph, Let&#39;s call her Ralph 09:20, August 24, 2011 (UTC)” )Ralph, Let&#39;s call her Ralph 08:00, September 2, 2011 (UTC)'