"You Can Leave Your Hat On

Over the weekend I watched “The Full Monty” for the first time.  I am glad I did as it is quite a fun movie.  My favorite part is when Dave tells his wife that he is not going to strip.  He is overweight and doesn’t think that anyone would want to see him nude.  He says “Who would want to see this?” and she says “I do!”  Love it! 

And I have to admit that I love the last line “You can leave your hat on.”

I had never heard the song before, but fell in love with it immediately.  What a fun tune.  And yes, it was great for the scene… the scene in which the men perform their strip tease.

Dancing, strip tease… there are songs that lend themselves to such creative expressions.  “You can leave your hat on” is one such song… others… well, you know them when you hear them.  I am not sure just any song could apply?

As often happens, I find myself curious.  Having never been to a strip club (I know, I know…), having not seen 91/2 Weeks or Strip Tease (Shocking, isn’t it), I found myself wondering what music is most often used?

In the books I have read, the music seems to be loud and the setting obnoxious.  It is dark with tired looking, very enhanced women performing for few men hidden behind walls of cigarette smoke.  There is nothing fun or sensual about the descriptions or the words chosen to illustrate the setting.  I am sure that there are clubs and settings like this, but when I picture a true strip tease or any sort of sensual dancing, well, it just isn’t like that.  It is often more private than public and more for fun and spicing things up over anything else.  Money doesn’t change hands and is not part of the equation.

It is the music that intrigues me though.  I mean, strip tease are fun and such… and I am sure that each of us considers them from time to time whether we actually end up trying it or not. 

I wonder, what music is most suitable?

I could definitely see the draw of “You can leave your hat on.”  It had the right feel to it, for lack of a better term.  From my days playing with choreography, the music has to have a feel to it or it just doesn’t work – you know it when you hear it because it triggers a creative impulse.  You just need to and want to dance.

It is probably subjective and mood dependent.  I might find this or that song stimulating and inspiring where another might pick something else entirely. 

And men… I know you guys think about stripping for us too… might choose something else entirely!

Is their a music type that men pick where women pick something very different?  Is there a music that turns men on?  Women on?

Or does it really matter in any case… men just want to see what is under our clothes and then under our lace… and women just want to get to the good part!