Belinda Carlisle Freda Payne

the following tale could itself be a country song. black woman sings a song about a bad marriage where the narrator has doubts after the union ends. song becomes a smash hit. disco fades and punk emerges. then new wave then dance pop etc. black woman sings the song again on solid gold as a duet with a white former punk rock turned pop singer (belinda carlise was once -while brief- a member of the germs) who has taken the song back up the charts. unbeknownst to all in this very performance (at the very end, improvising) they inspire the svengali swedish pop masters who call themselves 'The Matrix' to pen the penultimate girlfriend scorned rallying cry: "Since You've Been Gone", as performed by Kelly Clarkson.