Whenever any of us hears any piece of music for the very first time, it can be expected that there are gonna be some things we like about it and some things we dont like about it. Sometimes we'll even listen to it a few times just to make certain we are absorbing every beat of it, that our inner psyches are definitely connecting with and relating to what is being heard. But then once in awhile, a song comes along that just literally blows your senses off the map and for me personally, "H-I-Vogue" by Jade Elektra is such a song. I love it's beat, I love the lyrics and I love the fact that even though it does deliver the message for which it originally was intended to do, it also sends out additional messages that I feel reach out not just to the gay youth of today but to people of all ages, backgrounds and communities. I wont attempt to classify "H-I-Vogue" as strictly a "messsage song" because it's so much more than just that. Albeit, I dont write for Rolling Stone, nor am I an experienced music critic by any means, but I personally think it should be considered more of a "standard song" because quite frankly in its genre, it should be the classic example by which all other message songs should be measured. Yeah, it really is that good.
The particular version of "H-I-Vogue" that I listened to/viewed was the DJ Fierce Tease Freshly Served Radio Edit mix currently available on YouTube.com and I gotta tell you, mannnn, listening to the lyrics and watching the slideshow images made me literally flounce all over the place!! I kept saying to myself "Omg, I know who he is!" or "Oh I didnt know he(or she) was an Hiv'er too!" or "Hmmm, didnt Jack and I meet him at so-n-so's party back in....??" (and no, I'm not giving out any names just yet; besides, this piece isnt about me guys, it's about the song). And the lyrics, let me tell you, Jade Elektra brought it all home so damn much in this song that a coupla times I did catch myself yelling out "Get 'em Girl, get'em!!" If you havent listened to it yet, I highly recommend that you do because I feel its one of those songs that everyone can gleam something from and when I say gleam, I mean learn something valuable from it. Every lyrical section within "H-I-Vogue" perfectly compliments every image that accompanies it.
The slideshow blew my mind and not just because of all the famous, notable people that I recognized and remembered (as well as several whom I didnt even know were Hiv+ and have since died of AIDS) but because I loved the originality of it all, of how each individual was portrayed in an H-I-Vogue magazine-cover format (created by Jade's husband), featuring people such as Sylvester, Ryan White, Greg Louganis, Keith Haring, Larry Kramer, Rock Hudson, Dab Garner, Piero Versace, Jermaine Stewart, and the list goes on and on. Absolutely brilliant. Equally profound was the important message delivered via the images of all these people - it doesnt matter if you're rich-n-famous, a celebrity, a musician, an athlete, or a kid living down the street, Hiv does not discriminate on the basis of any such criteria, it can kill you no matter who or what you are and the most important thing you can do is learn the facts about it and prevent yourself from contracting it by being responsible for yourself and towards others around you.
I really do love the lyrics in this song and there were a few that literally impacted me so much when I heard them that I actually sang back to the song "Tell it like it is Jade, tell it!!" Yeah, when I get into a song, I really get into a song! The following lyric excerpts are the ones that resonated the most with me. When Jade said "You better wake up and smell the test results!" I really identified with it because I cannot tell you how many times over the years I've run into people who've tested Hiv+ and then immediately afterwards they've told both themselves and everyone around them "Oh, it's not true, I feel great, it's a mistake" which of course is no surprise to any of us who are Hiv+ because denial is one of the initial stages one experiences in the process of accepting one's status. Not just this lyric but the other lyrics that follow it, such as "...when the whispering turns into a shout" and "So you're negative this week??" are all part of the original message of this song - do not believe everything you read in those personal profiles that one comes across on Craigslist, A4A and other online sexsites for there are alotta pretenders out there who intentionally mislead people into believing they are not Hiv+ when they indeed actually are. Miss Elektra takes such deceivers to task in this song while at the same exact time points out that if people wanna kid themselves, let them, but dont let them fool you, as well as how important it is to protect the gay youth of today from such individuals. As I stated earlier in this piece, the fine-tuned synchronization between the lyrics and the images both undeniably and successfully delivers this message loud-n-clear.
But there are other lyrics connected to the song's main message which really struck a chord within me. The line "...you might end up with the gift that keeps on giving" is a phrase that many of us Hiv'ers have used over the years to describe how unpredictable having Hiv really is. And I think it's important for both the gay youths of today and everyone else out there to realize that once you become Hiv+, you dont get rid of it, you dont get over it, it's for life and whatever else happens within your body as a result of it is something that can never be undone. That's why it's beyond crucially important that everyone else on this planet does what they can to educate themselves to the point where they prevent themselves from exposing themselves to the probability of contracting it. What makes this lyric even more essential to the overall song is that Jade Elektra delivers the main message of the song not by fear tactics but in a "Look, this is how it really is and you really need to listen to me" sense. Delivering an important message in terms that are comprehendable to both pre-adults and adults is just as important as the message itself. Kudos to you Miss Elektra on this extremely vital element of "H-I-Vogue."
Yet another lyric message that really hit home for me is when Miss Elektra states "...my truth is out there for the whole world to see, can you say that?" because of the fact that my whole truth indeed is not out there for the world to see. Dont get me wrong, I do disclose my Hiv+ status prior to becoming intimate with anyone but being publicly open about my Hiv+ status like many of my contemporaries are is something that is still a work-in-progress when it comes to my life. Yet by the same token, I think what Miss Elektra is saying is that if you are indeed Hiv+ you need to be honest, not deceitful, with others about it so that you dont infect other people with the virus. I dont think it gets any more basic than that. And on those terms, when you think about it, "H-I-Vogue" can also be classified as a life-saving song. Literally.
What I loved most about "H-I-Vogue" is that its one of those songs that makes you think and I love songs that do that because 9 times outta 10, the person behind the song is sincerely trying to reach out to help others. In my opinion, Jade Elektra has achieved that with this song because it actually encourages people to remember how important each life is. It encourages them to be responsible when it comes to getting tested for Hiv, as well as how crucial it is to do what you can do to prevent yourself from getting the virus. In addition, I think that one of the bottomline messages of this song is to make sensible choices that prevent yourself from contracting this disease and dont allow yourself to be fooled by others, take every precaution possible so that you yourself do not become Hiv+. We need to do what we can to get every message within "H-I-Vogue" across to everyone out there not just because the music is good and the lyrics are true - but because combined together, they have the power to save lives. So next time you're surfing over at YouTube.com, check out "H-I-Vogue" by Jade Elektra and listen to a song that really can make a positive difference in the lives of so many others. Thank you for reading.
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