it was recently (about half an hour ago) brought to mine and amie’s attention that while we consider the moniker of ThE BaLLAD of JaYNE cuff deeply symbolic and of epic importance; this profoundly well-thought-out name (by amie and yours truly) was meaningless to the 20-somethings that work here at junk gypsy. and because this seems so completely tragic to amie and me, it only seemed appropriate that we should explain The BaLLaD of JaYNE to all the deprived souls out there…
this is ThE BaLLAD of JaYNE cuff…
when amie and i looked at this image, the song ‘The BaLLAD of JaYNE’ was all we could think of. it’s all we could hear in our heads. the lyrics, the guitars. the cuff is rock n’ roll, it’s beautiful, and it’s the perfect contradiction of bad and good…the skull and the rose…similar to the hard-core, metal band LA GuNS belting out a beautiful heartbreaking song, a ballad…about JaYNE.
and for those that are soooo tragically unaware of a band called LA GuNS and a single titled The BaLLAD of JAyNE…read on…
this is LA GuNS:
{yep, back in the day of big-hair bands and hard-core rock...ahhhh, the good ole days}
and here’s the lead singer, PhiL LewIS…
{we're totally diggin on his rock 'n roll style with vintage boots}
we know, we know…GeoRGE STraiT they ain’t…but a southern girl’s gotta rock! and this song’s got SouL…
here’s the ToP-HAT wearin, orchestra-playin, ballad-singin’ video…CLiCK HERE!
you ABSoLUTELY MUST watch it!!!…and then come back here for the rest of the story….
************
The BaLLAd of JAYNE…a tragically beautiful ode to the iconic JaYNE MAnSFIELD…one of the leading sex symbols of the 1950’s…
JaYNE attended the UniVERSITY of TEXAS… (she was extremely intelligent with a very high IQ, spoke 5 languages, and was an accomplished pianist and violinist) and then moved on to LA to pursue a career in acting. She was a HoLLYWOOD icon…appearing in movies, on BroADWAY, and in PLayBOY.
she built a HuGE palace & painted it PinK…hence, the name the PinK PaLACE
{from a heart-shaped pool to a heart-shaped fireplace...it was over-the-top PiNK glamour!}
there were pink furs in the bathrooms along with PinK shag carpet…
and did i mention the fountain that spurted PinK champagne??
and then…tragedy struck on the side of the road near SLidELL, LouiSIANA…
JaYNE lost her life late that night in a car accident at the age of 34. Her kids (one of them mariska hargitay) remained safe in the back seat.
{mariska hargitay of LaW & ORdER SVU...actress supreme and hardworking humanitarian}
we both loved this song back in high school…i remember buying the cassette single.
{the original cover for the cassette single}
amie was inspired by these graphics loooong ago. she grabbed her map pencils and drawing paper and recreated her own version of this cover…that we later framed and had hanging in our trailer all through college…(we’ve searched the warehouse high and low for her drawing but alas, the creation eludes us.)
while taking this little walk down music memory lane, we found our old tape case…
{our old tape case, circa 1980-somethin...milli vanilli, dwight, bon jovi, poison, the eagles, personalized mix tapes & more...yeah, baby!}
{love this pic...rockstar fashion never goes outta style}
get their RoCKSTAR look on our site…
{add yer own ripped-up jeans and you're rock 'n rollin', baby!}
{add yer own ripped-up jeans and you're rock 'n rollin', baby!}
and another little note regarding LA GunS…2 of the original founders, Tracii GuNS & Axl RoSE went on to later form the band…yep, you got it…GuNS N’ RoSeS.
14 Comments
I LOVE THIS BLOGGGGGG!!!!! This is AWESOME!!! SO interesting and FUN! WOOOO HOO!!!
Great post! I LOVE the cassette tapes. Wishing I hadn’t tossed mine now. The cw mccall is priceless!
This was one of my favorite songs in the day. Thanks for sharing the history of it. I think I have my L.A. Guns cassette SOMEWHERE!!!
I LOVE THIS SONG MYSELF TO HELP ME REMEMBER MY WIFE WHEN SHE PASSED WHILE I WAS ON TOUR DUTY IN IRAQ. I DID NOT KNOW THAT SHE WAS PREGNANT AT THE TIME UNTIL AFTER THE MEDICAL EXAMINER CONCLUDED THAT THERE TWINS AND THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN MY FIRST CHILDREN. BUT I ALSO DO REMEMBER THAT I KNEW THAT I WOULD HAVE BEEN A GREAT FATHER AND THAT MAKES ME FEEL BETTER. THAT WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF MY 5 TOURS IN IRAQ. NEVER BEEN IN A RELATIONSHIP SINCE. BUT I DID GO OUT FOR THE PAST 2 OR 3 WEEKS STRAIGHT AND I HAVE BEEN FEELING SOMEWHAT BETTER WHEN I GET BACK HOME. I SERVED 10 YEARS IN MILITARY SCHOOL AND 15 YEARS IN THE U.S. NAVY SEALS TEAMS. ALL 5 TOURS WAS 18 MONTHS LONG AND I AM STILL REALLY BITTER TOWARDS THE MILITARY SINCE THEY ARE STILL TELLING ME TO APPLY FOR SSI BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO TYPE OF SERVICES FOR ME AND IT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR 19 MONTHS.
I am so sorry for what life has thrown at you, your wife and babies are like the song waiting for you in heaven, thank u for ur service, sir, jesus bless, steve p.
I had no idea… My Monster Ballads collection never mentioned anything this enlightening!
THANK you for bringing this little known bit of history to the masses! love this! love the MILLI VANILLI tape!
Loved Jayne Mansfield and loved that song. Did NOT know that mariska hargitay was her daughter.
Oh my goodness! I *LOVED* that song! And I swear, I had most of those same cassettes!!! Thanks for the blast from the past! The 80’s rocked!!!
L.A. Guns were my FAVES back in the day. I still dream about Phil Lewis (yeah…he had that great vintage Keith Richards style going on). Ditto to Andrea: Have the same albums on tape AND vinyl. My 10 year old used to call my records “big CDs” when he was a baby. The tapes are in a sealed box in the closet. I miss the 80s….miss, miss, miss!
Just tried to shop Gypsiville and the site is down…thought you would want to know! 🙁
THIS SONG REMINDS ME OF MY WIFE WHEN SHE PASSED AWAY WHEN I WAS INVOLVED IN MY THIRD OF MY FIVE TOURS IN IRAQ. EVER SINCE THEN, I HAVE NOT BEEN WITH ANY OTHER RELATIONSHIP WITH A LADY DUE TO THAT REASON. SHE WAS ABOUT 3 MONTHS PREGNANT.
I always wondered what the backstory to this song was, it’s haunting quality captured my heart a long time ago, but I was listening to it today and thought “I have to know!” Thanks for the intel!
I always loved this song! So tragic! Love the jewelry!