Translation Please
This phrase or description has cropped up a few times just lately, as recently as last night's Olympic Figure Skating when it was used to describe an entrant from the US.
'Homecoming Queen' has us baffled. It would appear to have something to do with adolescent girls but other than that... :confused:
I'd really appreciate an explanation.
Wikipedia has a better explanation than I can come up with.
Homecoming is an annual tradition observed by many American towns, high schools and colleges, usually in late September or October. Its purpose is to welcome back former residents and alumni, and is built around a central event, such as a banquet or football game.
When celebrated by schools, the activities vary widely. However, they usually consist of a football game played on the school's home football field, activities for students and alumni, a parade featuring the school's marching band, and the coronation of a Homecoming Queen (and at many schools, a Homecoming King).
The homecoming queen is sometimes chosen by other students in an election, sometimes the queen is selected by some sort of student counsel. It's usually a popular and pretty girl.
Daydream Believer
By John Stewart
Oh, I could hide 'neath the wings
Of the bluebird as she sings.
The six o'clock alarm would never ring.
But it rings and I rise,
Wipe the sleep out of my eyes.
My shavin' razor's cold and it stings.
Cheer up, Sleepy Jean.
Oh, what can it mean.
To a daydream believer
And a homecoming queen.
You once thought of me
As a white knight on a steed.
Now you know how happy I can be.
Oh, and our good times start and end
Without dollar one to spend.
But how much, baby, do we really need.
Cheer up, Sleepy Jean.
Oh, what can it mean.
To a daydream believer
And a homecoming queen.
Cheer up, Sleepy Jean.
Oh, what can it mean.
To a daydream believer
And a homecoming queen.
[Instrumental interlude]
Cheer up, Sleepy Jean.
Oh, what can it mean.
To a daydream believer
And a homecoming queen.
[Repeat and fade]
BTW: Hey, Hey... some of them are your guys!
Let me have a shot at it
Traditionally, in the US, one would take a certain amount of pride in the school one went to. And then there became a tradition of caring about the football games that one's school would play against other schools.
This then developed a tradition of "homecoming" where former graduates would return to the school for a day, and there would be a big game and a dance/party/event, typically in the school's basketball court/gymnasium/PE area. And in the interest of raw pageantry, the schools would elect a homecoming King and Queen, by which they would be acknowledged as the very most popular throughout the school.
The Queen, in such a case, is generally a certain "type" of personality and looks: the perfect primpy blue-eyed blonde with a winning smile, current fashions, social graces and the air of "daddy's little girl" faux importance/nobility that usually lasts into her mid-30s.
Today, several aspects of the whole cultural phenomenon have turned ironic, as is the case with many outdated social conventions. The term "homecoming queen" is thus used to describe a young woman who seeks that level of popularity, fashion, and good looks. Depending on who is saying it and why, it may be a compliment but sometimes it is seen as derogatory.
Daydream Believer
By John Stewart
Wow, and I thought he was merely a comic/actor/anchorman on the daily show! ;)
PS - A homecoming queen should exhibit school spirit - something that always makes me gag (rah-rah). :eek:
John Stewart is a singer/songwriter who deserves more recognition. I heard him live once at a little club in Mancos, Colorado, of all places, and he was great!
BTW, at my high school, the homecoming queen had to be one of the 5 head cheerleaders. The homecoming king had to be a member of the football team. There would be a big pageant in the school auditorium with the finale being the crowning of the homecoming queen. All 5 cheerleaders would be sitting anxiously up on the stage awaiting the outcome of the vote. Whoever got the crown was supposed to break into tears of joy and the other 4 were supposed to rush up and give her insincere hugs of congratulation. We always played our arch cross town rival for the event and had a parade, complete with marching band and floats. There was a bonfire ceremony, too, with kids dressed up as Indians running around it making war whoops. And, of course, the homecoming prom. One year my date to the prom just so happened to be black. I will never forget the look of outrage on one of the elderly chaperone's face when we were dancing together. Prejudice dies a long, slow death, if it dies at all.
I like the version in "Carrie" :D
CZ, didn't you see the movie "To Wong Foo - Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar"? You know the part where Patrick Swayze trieds to stop and see his parents?
That would be a homecoming Queen.
"It was Homecoming Night at my high school
Everyone was there, it was totally cool
I was real excited, I almost wet my jeans
'Cause my best friend Debbie was Homecoming Queen
She looked so pretty in pink chiffon. (Chiffon)
Riding the float with her tiara on. (Tiara on)
Holding this humongous bouquet in her hand. (Bouquet)
She looked straight out of Disneyland!
You know that Cinderella ride
I mean definitely an E-ticket. (E-ticket)
The crowd was cheering, everyone was stoked
I mean it was like the whole school was totally coked or something.
The band was playing 'Evergreen'
Then all of a sudden, somebody screamed:
Look out! The Homecoming Queen's got a GUN!!!
Everybody run, the Homecoming Queen's got a gun!
Everybody run, the Homecoming Queen has got a gun!
Debbie's smiling, and waving her gun
Picking off cheerleaders one by one
Oh! Buffy's pom poms just blew to bits
Oh no, Misty’s head just did the splits!
My best friend is on a shooting spree
Stop it, Debbie, you're embarrassing me!
How could you do what you just did
Are you having a really bad period?
Everybody run, the Homecoming Queen's got a gun!
Everybody run, the Homecoming Queen has got a gun!
Stop it, Debbie, you're making a mess
Powder burns all over your dress
An hour later, ,the cops had arrived
By then the entire glee club had died - no big loss
You wouldn't believe what they brought to stop her
Tear gas, machine guns... even a chopper!
Throw down your gun and tiara and come out of that float!
Debbie didn't listen to what the cop said,
She aimed and fired, and now the math teacher's dead!
Oh, it's really sad, but kinda of a relief,
I mean we had this big test coming up next week...
Everybody run, the Homecoming Queen's got a gun!
Everybody run, the Homecoming Queen has got a gun!
Debbie's really having a blast!
She's wasting half of the class!
The cops fired a warning shot that blew her off that float.
I tried to scream Duck! but it stuck in my throat.
She hit the ground and did a flip; it was real acrobatic.
But I was crying so hard, I couldn't work my Instamatic.
I ran down to Debbie, I had to find out.
What made her do it, why'd she freak out?
I saw the bullet had got her right in the ear.
I knew then... the end was near.
So I ran down and said in her good ear.
Debbie, why’d you do it?
She raised her head and smiled and said.
I did it for Johnny.
Johnny, well like who's Johnny? Answer me Debbie who's Johnny.
Does anybody here know a Johnny?
Are you Johnny? There was one guy named Johnny.
But he was a total geek. He always had food in his braces.
Answer me Debbie who's Johnny.
Oh God this is like that movie Citizen Kane
You know where you later find out Rosebud was a sled
But we’ll never know who Johnny is because like she’s dead
Everybody run, the Homecoming Queen’s got a gun!
Everybody run, the Homecoming Queen has got a
Everybody run
Everybody run the Homecoming Queen’s got a"
And I always thought that was a redneck's wife.
PS - A homecoming queen should exhibit school spirit - something that always makes me gag (rah-rah). :eek:
But in American English you could substitute "spunk" for "spirit", then translate back to British English and you've pretty much got it spot on, so to speak. :cool: Pearl necklaces and all that.
/I went too far, didn't I?
I really love 'em and all of your interpretations seem to have hit someone's spot. I do remember Carrie but she was more like queen of the ball, for a night as I recall, not quite the same as your explanations about the homecoming side of it.
We (family etc) didnt get it right, and this side of your school/ college/ town life is not a part of our English culture. We guessed wrongly that 'homecoming' had something to do with returning veterans or servicepeople. I have never heard of this before so thanks for the elightenment. We have had great debate about it and thoroughly like the idea of celebrating reunions.
We do still have a Queen of the May, to celebrate May Day, but she is ususally the prettiest little girl at school, under tens that is. (More likely the one who's mum makes the best costume) We don't go in for beauty pageants at all, in relation to schools and communities.
The reference to homecoming queen was a couple of days ago in relation to the woman in the US Olympic ice skating pair and I am sorry I don't now recall her name, but she was apparantly an HQ. She is incredibly beautiful! The other most recent was in an episode of Malcolm in the Middle, much loved by me at least when Malcolm managed to capture one such for a date. It didnt last...shame.
Thank you for taking the time to elucidate.
I really love 'em and all of your interpretations seem to have hit someone's spot. I do remember Carrie but she was more like queen of the ball, for a night as I recall, not quite the same as your explanations about the homecoming side of it
The dance (ball) would be the highlight of the homecoming queen's reign and probably where she would be crowned, I think. The football game is almost an aside.
The whole homecoming thing is a popularity contest/ritual for jocks and cheerleaders.
Nor much of anyone else. To make the head cheerleader's squad, you had to be blond, blue eyed, and bubbly. At least back in the day you did. We had one token black girl on our head cheerleaing team, but she never was voted prom queen. The vote at our school took place before the dance because the queen had to be the one riding in her very own float just like in the song above except that our homecoming queens were not issued guns back then.
To make the head cheerleader's squad, you had to be blond, blue eyed, and bubbly.
The ability to goosestep was a plus.
169 votes cast with a studend population of 2100. Kind of reflects the country, doesn't it. An active minority running the whole show because of the apathy of the majority. Remember this next fall when the elections come around. ;)
Not your typical Homecoming King
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/07/lesbian.homecoming.ap/index.html
My friend went to an art school (20+ years ago) who opened up the homecoming queen nominations to anyone. The fat black gay guy won. They cancelled all the homecoming queen appearances that year and changed the rules back.
So, they had a real homecumming queen and it pissed people off?
Today, the Lesbian homecoming king story rates a "so what?"
I kind of recall a story from about 10 or 15 years ago or more where the first really big stir occurred over a lesbian being voted prom queen, wearing a tux, and taking another girl to the prom.
No one's mentioned the
Monkees - Day Dream Believer was one of their hits - sung by David Jones, I think.
That's what I meant - the lyrics are there but not the performers - just being the regular nit-picking Brit - can't step out of accepted character, sorry... plus BS postscript was a bit too obscure for me - guess he was referring to monkeys at the end...