"Desperate Act" is about ideals and compulsion. Because there is love there is compulsion (3). Take the young woman in the Karen Suite (4, 5, 6, 7), a subset of the album. Compelled, she risks herself and finds she is being overwhelmed by the indifference of everything that is external. Karen is a free spirit and means to be dedicated (1), but it's a tricky thing in this world (2), especially when you're compelled and unable to compel (8). You may get swept up by forces you cannot control no matter what you do (14), and no matter who you are (10). Some might "turn on, tune in, drop out" (11) and others might rise in anger (13), but it's part of history (9), and therefore it's also part of the present (12), with the same predictable results (16). Yes, it's tricky to be dedicated and free, but "tricky" is not the same as "impossible" though it's close, and that's why it's desperate. Maybe it just takes that much more love? |