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Thursday, February 08, 2007

GILBERT O'SULLIVAN 

Clean out of ideas once more, which means that Tha Dive's meme thing is fairly timely. To wit:

"Here is the assignment, list five lyrics that stick out in your mind and their significance to you. It can be as zany, quirky or catchy to having had an influence or impact on some aspect of your life."

*zany*, *quirky*, *catchy* ... three of my least favourite words.

First up, I should say that I'm not someone who listens to song lyrics or finds significance in them as a rule. I love the physical sound of music. Sometimes voices even get in the way. Still, I'll try to make the best of a bad lot, mustn't grumble etc.


"Come with me to the dancefloor,
You and me,
Cos that's what it's for."

Take Me Away - True Faith

Blimey, that's the first sensible thing I've 'eard all night! When I used to go to clubs, hundreds of years ago, I just used to love to dance all night. Who wants to stand around chatting about your frock or some party you've been to, or, even worse, your job? Dancing is great, you get lost in the music and, er, get plenty of exercise at the same time. Why hang around the sidelines waiting to get chatted up by some awful man, eh?


The Eve Of Destruction - Barry McGuire, aka Barry McGuigan, full lyrics here.

A 1960's protest song performed by a fat man in white tights and riding boots. One of the best comedy lyrics of all time. For instance:

"Yeah, my blood’s so mad feels like coagulatin’
I’m sitting here just contemplatin’"

My blood's a bit mad as well mate. So, the impact it has had on me? It's made me laugh, and realise that I don't like protest songs.


Edelweiss off of The Sound Of Music, lyrics here.

Only in the context of The Sound Of Music, when the family are being watched by the German officers who are going to arrest them and the audience join in ... and ... I end up bawling my eyes out.

Definitely NOT the version by Vince Hill, although he has got nice hair.

It says something about the power of good over evil, probably.

I am a sentimental halfwit.


"I would grow roses round our door
sit in the garden
growing potatoes by the score"

If There Is Something - Roxy Music, full lyrics here.

The juxtaposition of the beautiful with the absurd, undermining romantic ballad cliches, etc. etc. I like the idea of Bryan Ferry in dungarees and wellies shovelling Maris Pipers into the muddy ground and saying "OWW, me back's gorn again, it really takes it out on yer".


"Without really knowing
I hid a part of me away"

The Day Before You Came - Abba, full lyrics here.

Another blubfest. We all just sleepwalk through life until we're in the throes of love, but perhaps it's better like that, eh? That bit of the song really *means* something to me, but it's none of your goddamn business what.

Alright, I know, none of you want to be tagged, so I won't.

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Comments:
Now that's what I call an … er … original selection, young Betty.
Excellent! Especially Eidelweiss, though I'll have the bastard on my mind for days now.
And "Zany", "Quirky" and "Catchy" weren't my words. This is Prudence's meme and I shan't criticise her choice of words as she's bigger than me though considerably cuter …
 
The Sound of Music?

Abba?

Is this the same Betty who posts about Tom Verlaine and other peerlessly cool stuff?
 
Ooh, remind me not read your blog while on conference calls with earnest software industry executives, Betty. I can't stop giggling at your description of Bryan Ferry at work in the vegetable patch.
 
Dive - you don't have to be polite, after all, I never am. I'm just not someone who bothers listening to lyrics. Well, I did during the adolescent years, when I was "alienated" (all adolescents are alienated, aren't they? If they realised they were all alienated, none of them would be alienated anymore). Erm, anyway ...

Spinsterella - yep. Can't be bothered to attempt to be peerlessly cool now that ninety five per cent of my body surface is covered in cellulite. Oh well.
 
Patroclus - I do hope that he's got an allotment now that he's got a bit older and has a bit of spare time on his hands. At least it would give him something to do other than chase around after women young enough to be his granddaughter.
 
Nice post Betty. I shall consider myself tagged and trawl up 5 lyrics that mean something to me.
 
I like that Roxy one, the bit when the backing voices go "Oooooooh when you were young" I like.

I agree with you about song lyrics, I like good singing but I don't really care what they actually say.
 
Oh that Abba one. There was that and 'So you win again' er no that was Hot Chocolate ... er.. 'Winner takes it all'.
And I wasn't supposed to like Abba so I had to do it in secret.
 
Llewtrah - go for it, I'm sure you won't sink to the level of Edelweiss.

Billy - good song innit? Starts out all country and western, then goes off somewhere weird with those backing vocals and Bryan Ferry yowling away like a mad man.

Kaz - I was, ahem, in the Abba fan club when I was fourteen, they I realised I wasn't supposed to like them and "came out" again when I was in my mid twenties. Say it loud, say it proud - I've got all the Abba studio albums!
 
Blimey, Betty, Barry McGuire???? You must have listened to that in your pram!

"You may leave here for 4 days in space
But when you return, it’s the same old place
The poundin’ of the drums, the pride and disgrace
You can bury your dead, but don’t leave a trace"

Written by P.F. Sloane who also wrote "The sins of the family fall on the daughter". And Barry used to be the voice of the New Christy (3 wheels on my wagon) Minstrels. I think he was suffering from post-minstrel tension.

Right, we'll take a break right here and we'll be back with the traffic round up after..this....
 
Murph, I have to say that I heard Barry McGuire courtesy of Jimmy Savile's Old Record Club, which is the basis for my entire knowledge of popular music since erm 1953.

I quite like Three Wheels On My Wagon.

From what I recall from a feature in Uncut, Barry McGuire had a bit of a funny turn and went into a trance for about a decade. Probably drugs related if you ask me.
 
"A seasoned witch could call you from the depths of your disgrace,
And rearrange your liver to the solid mental grace"
-- Yes "The Solid Time of Change"

Liver.

Why?
 
Oh no - I thought you were going to do a post on that fabulously deft lyricist Gilbert o Sullivan:

Clare
The moment I saw you I
Swear

Bet that was hard to come up with - poor Gilbert - never made a penny after being ripped off by his evil manager/record co. Mind you - he did write slightly dodgy songs didn't he?
 
MJ - hmmmm ... Geoff would really be the one to advise you, being a huge fan of Yes (ha ha, just thought I'd slip that in). I don't know anything about the black arts, but perhaps some witches specialise in liver rearranging. If any liver rearranging witches are reading, could they drop me an e-mail? They might be able to help me the next time I've had a heavy weekend on the red wine.

Rock Mo' - god, Clare wouldn't be played on the radio now ... "I'm going to marry you, will you marry me Uncle Ray?" Vigilante groups would be throwing bricks through his windows.
 
The Day Before You Came is my favourite Abba song EVER.

"There's not I think I single episode of Dallas, that I didn't see."

Loving that scansion. And so melodramatic and sad. Ace.
 
Boz - too true. Agnetha is one of the great pop singers when she's given the right material to sing, which doesn't seem to have happened for a long time.
 
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