Because I feel that my last “Songs & Such” series on the songs of Reese Roper and Five Iron Frenzy was really good (at least from my perspective) I figured that I would do another series, this time focusing on the songs of Bill Mallonee and Vigilantes of Love. The band, Vigilantes of Love was really nothing more than a band for the songs of Bill Mallonee, and while the band did in fact house many popular musicians (including John Mayer’s bassist David LaBruyere) over the years, the songs penned by Mr. Mallonee were the roots that kept it all going. Over the next few weeks we will be looking at a lot of songs from both Vigilantes of Love and the Bill Mallonee solo collections.

Before we begin though I would like to mention that all of the Vigilantes of Love & Bill Mallonee albums are available via the Bill Mallonee Mp3 Store. All songs sold in the Mp3 store are DRM free Mp3 files so you can play them on any computer or player that supports the Mp3 format. So be sure to support the artists and purchase the music directly from his website. With DRM-free tracks, you can not go wrong.
For the first song, we will look at the song “Love Cocoon.” This song is of particular interest because it single handily got the album it was on (Slow Dark Train) banned from Christian bookstores for being “overly sexual.” The funny thing is, it was a love song to his wife. But the Christian sub-culture views sex as something evil rather than something beautiful that happens between a husband and wife. Bill Mallonee himself described the song as a “…a biblical Song of Solomon set to a Rolling Stones sort of groove” and it accomplishes that well. The two lyrics of note that really made me fall for the song were, “well the world keeps on banging and they come and go/it’s just a part of their scenery a part of their show/but i’ve got this wedding band wrapped around my finger/honey I’ll be your poet, your gunslinger” and “Some call it freedom/some call it shackles/honey lets get together and build a tabernacle.”

Bill went through great lengths to stress the importance of the marriage side of things in what I consider the third verse of the song by point that others have sex as just something to do, but instead he has a wedding ring and it therefore actually means something. It is important to look at that because while the Christian bookstores were crying “foul” the songwriter was working to talk about the sanctity of marriage when it comes to sex.

Lyrics after the jump.

“Love Cocoon”
by Vigilantes of Love
From the Album: Slow Dark Train

Honey i wanna attack your flesh with glad abandon
I wanna look for your fruits i wanna put my hands on
I wanna pump up your thermostat beneath your skin
I wanna uncover your swimming hole and dive right in

I’m a moth when i fly when i fly
to the light of my doom
You wrap me up in your love love cocoon

There’s an explosion of grace dripping in my bed
Is it somewhere else is it in my head
Is it weak and tender is it rough and ready
Is it fragile and delicate is it rock hard steady

Well the world keeps on banging and they come and go
It’s just a part of their scenery a part of their show
But i’ve got this wedding band wrapped around my finger
Honey i’ll be your poet your gunslinger

Some call it freedom some call it shackle
Honey let’s get together and build a tabernacle
Yes holy flesh holy mirth
Take what’s come and enjoy every inch worth