A project of Dr. Sarah Higinbotham's Oxford students
Literature Mixtapes
“Where is Prufrock?!?: The Perilous journey of a love-sick man” (Dyson Stallworth)

“Where is Prufrock?!?: The Perilous journey of a love-sick man” (Dyson Stallworth)

1. Time Moves Slow presents a very somber mood by the lead vocalist, Sam Herring, accompanied by the rhythmic strumming of the guitar. It creates an atmosphere of solitude and deep introspection of his current situation. The song presents themes of the lack of romantic affection and loneliness. With lyrics like “Whoa, so perfect, couldn’t talk to me/Time moves slow when you’re all alone,” you can understand Prufrock’s perspective as a lonely man who has no hope of experiencing love. 

2. In the popular song Beggin by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, there is an emphasis on the strive and desire for love. This strive is even musically stressed with the drive of the drums and sound of claps, as if there is a literal chase occurring. There is desperation in the lyrics. The chorus chants, “I’m beggin’ (Beggin’)/ beggin’ (You)/ Put your loving hand out, baby,” clearly stating the plea man. 

3. This song is all about the rejection of aging which seems to be inevitable. “When I’m lyin’ in my bed at night/I don’t want to grow up/Nothing ever seems to turn out right/I don’t want to grow up,” shouts the lead vocalist in a youthful, somewhat child-like manner. Prufrock is haunted by time and the physical aspects that come with growing old. In lines 40, Prufrock expresses his insecurity as he goes bald, symbolizing his old age. Furthermore, in lines 85-86 Prufock states, “And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker,/And in short, I was afraid.” In this quote he clearly displays his negative perspective on aging. Prufrock sees aging as a curse and a weakness that he fears.

4. Not only does the title of the song include the word “fog” which is featured in the poem, Fitzgerald hints at her lack of direction and loss of identity. The loss of identity is apparent in Prufrock’s great exclaim “I should have been a pair of ragged claws/Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.” Here, he loses himself and wishes to be reborn in another vessel. Fitzgerald simply puts it this way, “I’m goin’ crazy; what can I do?/Help me find my way/’Cause I’m lost in a fog.” She has no sense of direction and is lost in this “fog.” The fog makes its first appearance in line 15 as a being that roams the streets aimlessly.

5. This song points back to Prufrock’s longing for a woman. He has a strong passion and what I would call a lust for this romantic attention. In the song Stevie Wonder sings about how a woman became his sole focus. “You made my soul a burning fire/You’re getting to be my one desire/You’re getting to be all that matters to me,” sings Stevie as he declares his affection. Prufrock shares a similar experience in his eagerness to attain a sense of acceptance from a woman. “Is it perfume from a dress/That makes me so digress?” His passion is so strong that he often catches himself “digressing.”

6. Nina Simone sings about her ability to captivate a lover with her “spell.” Prufrock does not have this ability but I believe that he wishes he did (this song would be on repeat for him). To easily cast a spell and make someone fall in love with you would be his ideal superpower; it would take the strive for intimacy out of his life. “I put a spell on you/Because you’re mine,” sings Simone as she confidently flaunts her bewitching powers to her lover. She later repeats the phrase “I love you,” as a way to express why the spell was necessary. I think that Prufrock loves women or a woman just as much as Simone loves her man, creating a common ground between the two.

7. To me Dinah Washington’s song,This Bitter Earth, is a bit depressing. She sings in a chilling timbre partnered with soft strings about the lack of compassion, love, and time there is throughout the earth. As stated in the title, she sees the earth as “bitter,” and later calling it “cold.” Notably, she sings about love inhabiting the earth but it is essentially useless because it is not being experienced by others. “What good is love/Mm, mm, that no one shares?” This line would resonate with Prufrock as he journeys the “Bitter Earth.”

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