C & C Music Factory’s song Gonna Make You Sweat has found a lot of great uses in a lot of great shows, but on the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air it’s definitely used in a way that makes a valid point and a very strong statement. Aunt Vivian is in a dance class that uses the song as a training tool it would seem and the obvious looks she’s getting from a couple of younger women make it known that they don’t think she’s worth being taught since it could be that she’s just too old and can’t keep up. That’s kind of funny really since once Vivian gets on the dance floor she shows the younger girls that she might have had three kids but she’s still in awesome shape and can get down with the best of them.
The finger snap she gives to both women on the way is even better since it says a lot without having to say anything. But then of course when she gets outside the door she collapses, no doubt tired and well over her adrenaline rush at being able to keep up. It’s a hard thing to admit when you get older that you’re not always able to keep up with the younger crowd all the time and still be able to walk right the next day. Our bodies get older, they don’t snap back as well, and the muscles that used to be strong and supple might still be strong, but the toll that age takes on them makes it less likely that you’ll be able to bounce back from this kind of exertion, or hold your poise for that long if you’re not on a big adrenaline high.
That’s a hard thing to admit really, for anyone. But the pride of being able to step onto the floor and prove that she’s got what it takes to keep up if only for a single number is what a lot of us feel when we’re able to show the younger crowd that we might be older, but it doesn’t mean we can’t hang. It just means we can’t hang all the time. Remember those days when you could work out all day, drink all night, and then wake up the next morning to do it all over again without so much as a headache? Those were days right? Nowadays a lot of us can’t help but want to pass out he moment we get to the car or when we get home. Even with an abnormally high energy level in your 30’s or 40’s it’s almost assured that your body is going to let you know just what it thinks of all that increased activity.
Aunt Vivian is in great shape obviously but as it’s been mentioned already the body will let you know just what’s going on when it comes time to rest. What you thought was an adrenaline high that would get you by for a while was just a spike meant to last as long as you needed. After that it’s night-night time.
