Play All Night Long

-- I really wasn't planning on doing another one of these 'Play' pieces, but then I heard 'All Night Long' on the radio, and I remembered going on a date with a guy who told me that the happiest moment of his life was at a party in Miami where at 2am they played 'All Night Long.' Now, that statement can be considered a lot of things, but it perfectly summed up this guy. Incidentally, I never went on another date with him, but apparently I got some writing out of it. --

"Play All Night Long."

Dance with me, Miami
I'm gonna call you Miami
You're gonna be my Miami boy
And when the morning arrives
We'll get omelets
We'll go to my place
And hop in the pool
With all our clothes on

Don't you wanna dance with me, Miami?
Is that your boy over there?
Is that why he's shooting me looks?
Oh, he's your ex-boy, huh?
How long has he been your ex-boy?
Does he know he's your ex-boy?
Does he know I'm about to be your new boy?

Ohhhh here it comes
Here comes 'All Night Long'

There are so many people
There are so many people here
I can't move
I can't move at all
Who knew it could feel so good
Not being able to move?

I feel like the party has a heart
And I'm at the heart of the party
The beating is in rhythm with Mr. Ritchie
There's a steady build
To you and me winding up
In a cool pool
Somewhere west of here

If you wanna
If you wanna dance with me, Miami
C'mon Miami
How can you not wanna dance
When they play 'All Night Long?'

Look at you with the little white t-shirt
And the jeans you got on sale
I know sale jeans when I see 'em
I'm not ragging on you
I'm just bragging about my ability
To see a good deal
I can always tell a good deal

That's how I know
You should dance with me
I know you're a good deal
Aren't you, Miami?

Just dance with me for this one song
Just dance for this
Just dance for 'All Night Long'

God, I love it
When they play 'All Night Long'

. . . . .

Are you going to kiss me?
It's almost midnight, you know
It's bad luck
You know about that, right?
The bad luck
Don't you think
We both have enough
Bad luck over our heads
Without adding more to it
Right before the new year?

Jerry?

I left him back in Miami
Left him dancing with some clubrat
At Poleno's in July
Right after we broke up

Thought maybe we were gonna...
Thought a lot of things
Didn't think I'd wind up in New York
And they'd be playing this song

Seems like wherever I go
They're playing this song
Making me miss Jerry
Making me miss warm weather
Making me want to run all over again

It's nice to be high above the crowd
In Miami you're always in the crowd
When you're surrounded by people like that
You don't know who's touching you
You don't know which body parts are yours
You don't stop yourself
From kissing strangers

It's hard to see anything
It's hard to see anybody
Even the person
Standing next to you

Even if you've known them forever
Suddenly they're pushed up against you
And you can see their face
Right up close

And for the first time
You notice
They're not looking at you
They don't look at you
At all

So I prefer this
A nice little hotel room
High above Times Square
Where you can still hear the music
But you don't have to be in it
You don't have to be in the music

You don't have to worry
That you'll close your eyes
And get lost in the rhythm
In the beat of the song
In the middle of strangers

Funny how a happy song sounds
When you're heartbroken
It sounds like you're being teased
It sounds like the world
Is laughing at you

You're at the party
And you feel like
You weren't invited
And that you're not really there

Then they play 'All Night Long'
And for a second
You let yourself believe
That everything can be okay again
That at least as long as the song is playing

You're fine

So you want to kiss me?
Better do it soon
Before the song's over
By then it may be the new year

By then it may be
Too late

. . . . .

That is so cruel
I'm just trying to walk home
Really, I'm just trying
I swear I want to go home
And I walk by Lucinda's
And they're playing 'All Night Long'

Now how am I not going to go in
When they play 'All Night Long?'
You know I have to
You know I have to go in
Don't you?

Look, if you're going to be my friend
What's your name anyway?
Look, Nikos, if you're going to be my friend
Then you can't have a day job
Day jobs, like other adult trappings
Prevents you from doing certain things
That I live my life around

Spontaneity
Frivolity
And the ability
To walk into a club
At three o'clock in the morning
In the worst neighborhood in LA
And dance to 'All Night Long'

I met my last boyfriend to this song
Met him at a party in Miami
That's what he called me
He called me Miami
That was the last night I saw Chris
He took off that night
Left the key to the apartment
On the table in the hall

Chris was who I was--
You know what, never mind
It's not really important
Chris is ancient history
I think he's living in New York now
Who the hell isn't living in New York, right?

Chris wasn't anything
Compared to Carlos
I can tell you that much
Carlos was--Fuck, you know?

I was a kid when I met him
A twenty-seven year old kid
And then he grew me up
He grew me up to a man
Into a man who fucks life
Then leaves before life wakes up

Ha! You know?
You know what I mean?
Hey, keep up, okay?
I may be drunk
But I'm fast
I'm fast when I'm drunk

Carlos taught me that
Taught to be on shit
And still be on my game
Taught me to be alert

Had to be alert with Carlos
Cause he was a magician
He knew all the tricks
Taught me the tricks too
But I wasn't as good at them

That's why he left

He thought that I was...
He said 'liability'
That's what he said
So you know...

Hey whatever
Let's go dance, Nikos
Let's go inside
And close the place

Then we can go home
You can always go home, you know
Home's not going anywhere
But the party

The party only lasts for so long
And by the time they play 'All Night Long'
It's like you can almost hear it
It's like the ticking
Like you can hear ticking

It's like you can almost hear
The party ending