Missing the point

So, this leaped out at me, from a discussion on Slate's all-female group blog, The XX Factor:

My grandmother used to sing my siblings and I [sic] a song, "Que Sera Sera" (it's the song sung by Doris Day to her son at the creepy climax of The Man Who Knew Too Much.) The lyrics of the first verse go like this: "When I was just a little girl/ I asked my mother, what will I be?/ Will I be pretty, will I be rich?/ Here's what she said to me ..." Now, since I'm put off by the the values espoused in those lines, I sing it to my daughter like this: "Will I be happy/Will I be strong?" I know my doctored version won't keep the princess fantasies at bay forever, but whatever will be will be.

It's part of a larger discussion about the fantasy of having a rich husband, sparked by this book (bottom line according to XX Factor: apparently, this is quite common; it's unfair to judge fantasies as being regressive, because that's the nature of fantasies; and probably all struggling freelancers dream of having a rich spouse, not just female ones).

But it's the editing of "Que Sera Sera" that gets me. I have no problem with changing the lyrics of songs to reflect one's own beliefs, in whatever way: feminists can gender-neutralize, evangelicals bowdlerize, grammarians standardize lyrics to their heart's content while singing in the shower, or to their child or pet, as far as I'm concerned. Song lyrics are meant to be played with, and at times improved. (I find I often have to correct improper use of the subjunctive.)

But if you want "Que Sera, Sera" to send a more empowering message, leave it the way it is. Because as it stands, the lyrics plainly say that whether or not you will be rich or pretty is largely out of your control, with the clear implication that you should therefore not excessively worry about becoming pretty or rich. That's why the chorus is "Que sera, sera," and not "If you try, you will." Do you want to tell your daughter, by contrast, that whether or not she will be happy and strong is up to the randomness of fate? I mean, if you're going to change the lyrics to "Will I be happy, will I be strong," go ahead and change the chorus to "She said that set point theory/Implies a pre-determined range/For happiness and muscle mass/But I can better my odds for achieving my potential in both through frequent aerobic and weight-bearing exercise."

It's called context, people, and it helps you understand things.

Then again, how many people think "Born in the U.S.A." is a song about patriotism? In other news, 79% of Americans missing the point entirely.