Lemonhead's "Being Around"

Once upon a time I was fifteen. It was January or something, because the Winter Formal for Savanna High School was coming up. A skater with intensely pretty green eyes and long dark hair - that was curly or wavy or something - so he wore it back in a ponytail constantly named Jon Piñeda (or was it Piñedo?) was my boyfriend, who was my friend Selena’s cousin or something like that. I think he made me a mix tape with “Being Around” on it. (Also known as the B-side song to Mrs. Robinson, a cover the Lemonheads did of a Simon & Garfunkel song.) It’s the type of cute boy-likes-girl dedication I could accept because of Evan Dando’s silly and tongue-in-cheek lyrics atop its country twang (the kind I also enjoyed within Ween’s “White Pepper”).

”If I was your body/Would you still wear clothes?
If I was a booger/Would you blow your nose?
Where would you keep it/Would you eat it?
I’m just tryin’ to give myself a reason/For bein’ around.”

Jon kinda did the same thing with The Beatles’ “I Will” but I’ve already loved that song for ages, so this is the one I associate with him. In any case, the Winter Formal rolled around. And I think it stemmed from some kind of conversation we had about his hair always tied back... But he cut it shortly before the dance. And then he had this short, like, total Newport Beach jock dude from a boy band like 98 degrees type hair that he gelled. Gone were his pretty locks, and I think it was at my suggestion. There I was at this gross Jaguar dealership (which is where the dance was held, don’t ask me why... I have no idea) in Newport Beach with this curly mop. It was so awkward and unlike Jon, aesthetically, it was like it was wearing him. I couldn’t forgive myself, so we split up. My brother has since told me that he sees and sometimes skates with Jon now... (which is completely weird because my brother and I are 6 years apart, him being younger). Anyway Jon, if you ever read this, I’m really sorry about your hair.

www.lemonheads.co.uk