This is one of these circumstances where I don't dig deep enough into something that I absolutely love -- partly because I like the idea in my head. For the longest time, since university days, I've loved the Billy Bragg song "Cindy of a Thousand Lives" from his album Don't Try This at Home but never really wanted to know what it was about. In my head I just imagined a former relationship about a mysterious woman from America. That was it really.

Sarah and I were playing Billy Bragg songs and I wanted to play "Cindy..." for her and this YouTube version was the only one I could find. And here is where I find out that Bragg is singing about Cindy Sherman, probably the most famous art photographer still working today.

Ah, THAT Cindy

Cindy Sherman is famous because she has photographed herself mostly - thousands of times in thousands of ways, starting first in black and white and then working now in colour. And now of course "the Thousand Lives" of the Bragg song become *slaps head* pretty obvious.

The YouTube video is a pretty fucking excellent composition, showing some her better known portraits including the more hilarious getups.

The song, what can I say about it? You either love it or you don't. It's haunting, beautiful, was produced by legendary Johnny Marr (ex-Smith's player) and has backing by Kirsty MacColl -- yes, my second MacColl shout out in succeeding posts. You can follow along with the lyrics on Billy Bragg's site.

Cindy of a thousand lives
Cindy of the Stepford Wives
I've looked at all the photographs
But Cindy, which one of them is you ?

Props to the editor - you solved a mystery for me.