Everyday is like Sunday
Everyday is silent and grey

Hide on the promenade
Etch a postcard :
“How I Dearly Wish I Was Not Here”
In the seaside town
…that they forgot to bomb
Come, Come, Come – nuclear bomb

Everyday is like Sunday
“Win Yourself A Cheap Tray”
Share some greased tea with me
Everyday is silent and grey

It was also covered by Natalie Merchant and the 10.000 Maniacs

And by the Pretenders

The Jean-Paul Sartre Experience was an indie band from New Zealand. This song is 25yrs old. I discovered it when Lali Puna covered it. Go to this blog to download their gorgeous version or watch it below. Or you can go here and download the JPS’ album Love Songs.

Let’s stay positive about the rain despite our wet socks. We’re not equipped to face this weather in Beirut / so what!? Here’s a song from the nineties.

Come and wash away the pain, step into the blessed rain
Cool the fire in your soul, the rain will make you whole

Take me dancing naked in the rain
Feel it washing over me, oh oh
Join me dancing naked in the rain
Cover me in ecstasy


And of course there’s the classic Gene Kelly song from the movie Singin’ in the Rain.

I’m singing in the rain
Just singing in the rain
What a glorious feeling
I’m happy again
I’m laughing at clouds
So dark up above
The sun’s in my heart
And I’m ready for love
For love
Let the stormy clouds chase
Everyone from the place
Come on with the rain
I’ve a smile on my face
I’ll walk down the lane
With a happy refrain
Singing, singing in the rain
In the rain.


I thought I was ending this post on a happy note. But actually, this song will always remind me of Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange. As Alex, the leader of the droogs he indulges in a bit of the “old ultra-violence” while he whistles and sings this tune.

It always triggers a very primitive feeling of let’s just break everything. A bit like this Mano Negra song

J’ai comme envie de tourner le gaz
Comme envie de m’faire sauter les plombs
Comme envie de t’expliquer comme ça
Que ton indifférence, elle ne me touche pas
Je peux très bien me passer de toi
Comme envie de sang sur les murs
Comme envie d’accident d’voiture
Comme envie d’expliquer comme ça
Que ton indifférence elle ne me touche pas
Je peux très bien me passer de toi
J’ai comme envie d’n'importe quoi
Comme envie de crever ton chat
Comme envie d’tout casser chez toi
Comme envie d’expliquer comme ça
Je peux très bien me passer de toi
J’ai comme envie d’une fin torride
Comme on en voit qu’au cinéma
J’ai comme envie qu’ce soit terrible
Et qu’ça se passe juste en bas de chez toi
Je peux très bien me passer de toi

I was going through my digital music library and decided I’d clean it up a bit and make some space. I don’t know how I got to a really lo-res (56kbps!!!) version of Chuck Berry’s Memphis Tennessee.
And I remembered that John Lennon had nicked Come Together‘s opening line (Here come ol’ flat-top, he was movin’ up with me) from a Chuck Berry lyric. A few google search attempts later and I had discovered it was You Can’t Catch Me. I’d always thought it was Come on…

He’d later record a whole album of Rock’n'Roll standards in order to settle this royalties issue.

It’s funny, I usually post so many lyrics, and this is a lyric-initiated blogpost but it’s actually leading to a mostly instrumental theme. Bear with me…

I then realized John Lennon was also “inspired” for Sun King, another track on Abbey Road.

Forget about the lyrics: they’re mostly gibberish and Google translate didn’t recognize the Span-talian at the end.
Focus on the progression: it sounds a lot like a Fleetwood Mac instrumental called Albatross

And the worst part is Peter Green got his inspiration from Chuck Berry‘s Deep Feeling

Once again, we have the Chuck Berry connection…
But wait, there’s more!
It seems a lot of lesser-known musicians are still not credited by the big boys. Click here to read some more about about Jake Holmes and Led Zeppelin’s Dazed and Confused.

And all this “inspiration” took me straight back to that lyric from 1992: “Hail hail rock ‘n’ roll, comes from r ‘n’ b and soul…”

Ahaha ahaha ….
Pockets of hate, rockets of love
It’s never too late, the change in the color of
The color of her, the color of him
It really doesn’t matter what skin you’re in
Big yellow taxi cab passed me by
Stopped on the next corner to pick up a white guy
The color of you, the color of me
You can’t judge a man by looking at the marque

Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Fats Domino
Here come Elvis, Gene Vincent, Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee
Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Fats Domino
Here come Elvis, Gene Vincent, Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee


I love everything about this song: the video, the lyrics, the story behind the album “Don’t Call Me Buckwheat” as well as Garland Jeffreys‘ crazy career.

But wait! there’s more… we go full circle once again: Hail hail rock ‘n’ roll is a documentary film that chronicles two concerts celebrating Chuck Berry‘s 60th birthday!!!


Post-Scriptum: As I was finishing this post I did a small research and realized John Lennon and Chuck Berry had actually played together on the Mike Douglas show in 1972!!! Thank you WFMU. I’ll leave you with some a great version of the track that started this whole post!!!

Tell her I’ll be waiting
In the usual place
With the tired and weary
There’s no escape
To need a woman
You’ve got to know
How the strong get weak
And the rich get poor

Slave to love
And I can’t escape
I’m a slave to love

Chains, my baby’s got me locked up in chains.
And they ain’t the kind that you can see.
Whoa, oh, these chains of love got a hold on me, yeah.

Chains, chains of love

Cette chanson a également été reprise par les Beatles.

Je ne sais pas pourquoi, mais tout ça me fait penser à la légende de Merlin l’enchanteur et de Viviane (La Dame du Lac). Commes toutes les légendes, il y a plusieurs déclinaisons mais en gros il l’aimait tellement qu’il lui a appris le sort qu’il savait qu’elle allait jeter sur lui pour qu’il devienne son “éternel amant”…

My body is a cage
That keeps me from dancing with the one I love
But my mind holds the key
My body is a cage
That keeps me from dancing with the one I love
But my mind holds the key

Still next to me
My mind holds the key
Set my spirit free

It’s not love.
It’s not love.
Which is my face,
Which is a building,
Which is on fire.

When my love
Stands next to your love,
I can’t define love
When it’s not love.

It’s not love.
It’s not love.
Which is my face,
Which is a building,
Which is on fire.


Love → Building on Fire was the Talking Heads‘ first single. For more info on this song, click here.
To download it, click here.
For the book that I’m dying to read click here.
For the podcast that initiated this post, click <a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/11/22/142550159/when-new-york

You’re too old to lose it, too young to choose it
And the clocks waits so patiently on your song
You walk past a cafe but you don’t eat when you’ve lived too long
Oh, no, no, no, you’re a rock ‘n’ roll suicide

Just turn on with me and you’re not alone
Let’s turn on with me and you’re not alone (wonderful)
Gimme your hands cause you’re wonderful (wonderful)
Gimme your hands cause you’re wonderful (wonderful)
Oh gimme your hands.

And I really recommend you watch this live version.
That’s the last song of the final Ziggy Stardust concert at the Hammersmith Odeon, London, on July 3, 1973. Before beginning the song, Bowie announced: “Everybody… this has been one of the greatest tours of our lives. I would like to thank the band. I would like to thank our road crew. I would like to thank our lighting people. Of all of the shows on this tour, this particular show will remain with us the longest because not only is it–not only is it the last show of the tour, but it’s the last show that we’ll ever do. Thank you.”

Of course he only meant he was killing off Ziggy. Thankfully he continued touring for another 30 years before disappearing a few years ago. I got to see him in the early noughties around the same time I saw Bob Dylan! Now that was a good year for concerts…

Most of the time
I’m clear focused all around
Most of the time
I can keep both feet on the ground
I can follow the path
I can read the sign
Stay right with it when the road unwinds
I can handle whatever
I stumble upon
I don’t even notice she’s gone
Most of the time.

Most of the time she ain’t even in my mind
I wouldn’t know her if I saw her
She’s that far behind
Most of the time I can even be sure
If she was ever with me
Or if I was ever with her
Most of the time I’m halfway content
Most of the time I know exactly where it went
I don’t cheat on myself I don’t run and hide
Hide from the feelings that are buried inside
I don’t compromise and I don’t pretend
I don’t even care if I ever see her again
Most of the time.

Avec le temps…
Avec le temps, va, tout s’en va
On oublie le visage et l’on oublie la voix
Le coeur, quand ça bat plus, c’est pas la peine d’aller
Chercher plus loin, faut laisser faire et c’est très bien
Avec le temps…
Avec le temps, va, tout s’en va
L’autre qu’on adorait, qu’on cherchait sous la pluie
L’autre qu’on devinait au détour d’un regard
Entre les mots, entre les lignes et sous le fard
D’un serment maquillé qui s’en va faire sa nuit
Avec le temps tout s’évanouit
Avec le temps…
Avec le temps, va, tout s’en va
Même les plus chouettes souvenirs ça t’as une de ces gueules
A la Galerie je farfouille dans les rayons de la mort
Le samedi soir quand la tendresse s’en va tout seule
Avec le temps…
Avec le temps, va, tout s’en va
L’autre à qui l’on croyait pour un rhume, pour un rien
L’autre à qui l’on donnait du vent et des bijoux
Pour qui l’on eût vendu son âme pour quelques sous
Devant quoi l’on se traînait comme traînent les chiens
Avec le temps, va, tout va bien
Avec le temps…
Avec le temps, va, tout s’en va
On oublie les passions et l’on oublie les voix
Qui vous disaient tout bas les mots des pauvres gens
Ne rentre pas trop tard, surtout ne prends pas froid
Avec le temps…
Avec le temps, va, tout s’en va
Et l’on se sent blanchi comme un cheval fourbu
Et l’on se sent glacé dans un lit de hasard
Et l’on se sent tout seul peut-être mais peinard
Et l’on se sent floué par les années perdues
Alors vraiment
Avec le temps on n’aime plus.

Evidemment c’est une reprise de Léo Ferré… Mais j’adore cette version. Elle arrive à transmettre tellement en évitant les excès dramatiques de l’originale

If you’re lost you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you I’ll be waiting
Time after time

And we end with a small jazzy bonus. Good night!

PS: For more info on the artwork illustrating this post, please click here

We’re on a ride to nowhere
Come on inside
Takin’ that ride to nowhere
We’ll take that ride

I’m feelin’ okay this mornin’
And you know,
We’re on the road to paradise
Here we go, here we go

They can tell you what to do
But they’ll make a fool of you
And it’s all right, baby, it’s all right
We’re on a road to nowhere

Said to the man at the railroad station
“I want a ticket, just for one”
He said, “well, if you insist
Where you wanna go, a miss? Oh”

Destination anywhere
East or west, I don’t care
You see my baby don’t want me no more
This old world, ain’t got no back door

Mixing it up slightly here. Have you seen The Commitments? Haven’t seen it in ages. I’m scared it might’ve not aged too well. So the Youtube link is the film version, but the download link above is the Marvelettes’.

So we’ve been from nowhere to anywhere…

Sultry in the summer heat.
I know with you we can’t be beat.
Take me somewhere.
Take me somewhere.
Take me somewhere.
Why don’t you take me somewhere?

Can you hear me calling
Out your name
You know that I’m falling
And I don’t know what to say

Oh I…
I want to be with you everywhere

Do you have the impression you’ve heard a recent cover of this song?
Or maybe it was just Cut Copy’s Take Me Over?

To lead a better life I need my love to be here…

I will be there and everywhere
Here, there and everywhere

And Bob will sign us off…

I don’t care
How many letters they sent
Morning came and morning went
Pick up your money
And pack up your tent
You ain’t goin’ nowhere

How sexist can you go?
I’ve heard that Lebanon is the only place in the World with McDonald’s Valet and Delivery.
People buy their license / They don’t need to learn how to park / there’s always Valet… Totally Clueless (1995)
Josh: You want to practice parking?
Cher: What’s the point? Everywhere you go has valet.

You keep saying you got something for me
Something you call love but confess
You’ve been a’messin’ where you shouldn’t ‘ve been a’messin’
And now someone else is getting all your best
Well, these boots are made for walking, and that’s just what they’ll do
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you

Are you ready, boots?
Start walkin’


If you like this track, you can also download the French version here.


So I was discussing this post with someone last night and we were trying to find uplifting walking song: Walk This Way, I Walk The Line, Walk On The Wild Side… But the only ones that stuck were the sad ones

Each step is moving, it’s moving me up
moving, it’s moving me up
Every step is moving me up
moving me up, moving, moving me up
Every step is
moving me up
One tiny, tiny,
tiny move
It’s all I need
And I jump over
Every step is moving me up

This is how we walk on the moon
This is how we walk on the moon


Let’s stay in this mood and continue some more.

Sad as a painted clown, a beautiful boy in an ugly town
but when your circus closes down don’t walk away from me
you’ve been asleep too long, the birds are bruises in the dawn
the pounds of flesh between us stretch as far as you can see

But all you ever do is walk away

See the idiot walk
See the idiot talk
See the idiot chalk up his name on the blackboard
See the robot walk
See the robot talk
See the robot write up his name on the ballot
They say, this is all I need to get by
The truth is, baby, it’s a lie


And here’s a bonus to see you off: The disclaimer you can find at the door of a number of place around town. Makes you wonder if they actually thought it through:
“Please keep the motor running, I’m gonna pick something up from the register. And please don’t mind the AK47 on the passenger seat…”

So many tears I’ve cried
So much pain inside
But baby it ain’t over ’til it’s over
So many years we’ve tried
To keep our love alive
But baby it ain’t over ’til it’s over

How many times
Did we give up
But we always worked things out
And all my doubts and fears
Kept me wondering, yeahhh
If I’d always, always be in love…

I drink a coffee every morning
It comes from a place that’s far away
And when I’m done I feel like talking
Without you here there is less to say

I don’t want you thinking I’m unhappy
What is closer to the truth
Is if I lived ’til I was one-hundred and two
I just don’t think I’ll ever get over you

I don’t want to get over you
I guess I could take a sleeping pill and sleep at will
And not have to go through what I go through

I could listen to all my friends and go out again
And pretend it’s enough or I could make a career of being blue
I could dress in black and read Camus
Smoke clove, cigarettes and drink Vermouth
Like I was 17, that would be a scream but I don’t want to get over you

I don’t wanna be a tiger
Cause tigers play too rough
I don’t wanna be a lion
Cause lions aint the kind
You love enough.
Just wanna be, your teddy bear
Put a chain around my neck
And lead me anywhere
Oh let me be
Your teddy bear.

Baby let me be, around you every night
Run your fingers through my hair,
And cuddle me real tight


I enjoy both cuddles and nakedness, but the image illustrating this post sums it up for me. I’ve got a newsclipping of it ever since I went to a Takashi Murakami exhibition a few years ago.
Look at all the details. You can also imagine the friction burns on her knees if you want.
Ah, nostalgia: it takes me back to my teens watching lotsa Hentai and preferring the purple-haired dolls to the girls around me. Hmmm…

Anyway, for more info on the artist and the Superflat movement click here.

Now let’s stick with cuddly and run with it some more.

You’re not the only cuddly toy
that was ever enjoyed
by any boy

You’re not the kind of girl to tell your mother
the kind of company you keep
I never told you that I’d love no other
you must have dreamed it in your sleep…


Cuddly Toy was a hit for the Monkees in the sixties but Nilsson’s acoustic demo is so much better.

OK, “bare with me” we still have one last track. Not a real surprise but it allows me to move back from my teens to my childhood.

Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
Old Mother Nature’s recipes
That brings the bare necessities of life
[...]
And don’t spend your time lookin’ around
For something you want that can’t be found
When you find out you can live without it
And go along not thinkin’ about it…


Those were my words of wisdom for the day. And here’s Louis Armstrong’s version as a parting gift.