Archive for November 2011
Bored
T’es là?
Je suis lasse…
Lasse des rêves.
Rêve qui brille dans le noir
Brillera bien, tu peux le croire.
Toujours dire la vérité
Quand je suis lasse des rêves.
I’m already a has-been
my future ain’t what it was
well I think I know the words that I mean
You know me – I’m acting dumb
you know the scene – very humdrum
boredom – boredom
http://youtu.be/xXpL8XICJrc
I’m bored
I’m the chairman of the bored,
I’m a lengthy monologue
I’m livin’ like a dog
I’m bored
I bore myself to sleep at night
I bore myself in broad daylight coz
I’m bored
Just another slimy bore
Henry and June used to be one of my favorite movies as a teenager. Watched it recently. It’s lost a lot of its initial allure. It’s not as good as I remembered it to be. However, the soundtrack is amazing. It was my introduction to a lot of music from the 20s and the 30s including classical music, jazz, French and American songs. One of my favorite tracks on the CD was Je m’ennuie. Another was Je te veux, but that might be another post in the making with Satie as our MC.
I discovered (today) that it was an instrumental cover of a Marlene Dietrich song!
De ce que fut mon enfance, je n’ai plus de souvenirs
C’est peut-être que la chance ne m’offrit pas de plaisirs
Et chaque jour qui se lève ne m’apporte aucun espoir
Je n’ai même pas de rêves, quand luit l’étoile du soir
Refrain
Moi je m’ennuie
C’est dans ma vie une manie
Je n’y peux rien,
Le plaisir passe, il me dépasse.
En moi sa trace ne laisse rien
Partout je traîne, comme une chaîne,
Ma lourde peine, sans autre bien
C’est dans ma vie une manie
Moi, je m’ennuie.
Par de longs vagabondages j’ai voulu griser mon coeur
Et souvent sur mon passage j’ai vu naître des malheurs
Sur chaque nouvelle route, à l’amour j’ai dû mentir
Et le soir lorsque j’écoute la plainte du vin mourir
Et on change de registre et même de sens pour terminer avec le Beau Serge
Ce mortel ennui
Qui me vient
Quand je suis avec toi
Ce mortel ennui
Qui me tient
Et me suit pas à pas
Le jour où j’aurai assez d’estomac
Et de toi
Pour te laisser choir
Ce jour-là, oh oui ce jour-là, je crois
Oui je crois
Que
Je
Pourrai voir
Ce mortel ennui
Se tailler
À l’anglaise loin de moi
Bien sûr il n’est rien besoin de dire
À l’horizontale
Mais on ne trouve plus rien à se dire
À la verticale
Alors pour tuer le temps
Entre l’amour et l’amour
J’ prends l’ journal et mon stylo
Et je remplis
Et les a et les o
Il faudra bien que j’ me décide un jour
Mon amour
À me faire la malle
Mais j’ai peur qu’ tu n’ailles dans la salle de bain
Tendre la main
Vers
Le
Gardénal
Comme je n’ veux pas d’ennui
Avec ma
Conscience et ton père
Je m’ laisse faire !
“I’m bored. I want to be entertained.” Do you remember the video?
Tendre
Et la tendresse ? Bordel !
Un peu de tendresse bordel de merde!?
Aujourd’hui je me cache derrière la vie les mots des autres.
I am the son
And the heir
Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar
I am the son and heir
Of nothing in particular
You shut your mouth
How can you say
I go about things the wrong way
I am Human and I need to be loved
Just like everybody else does
There’s a club, if you’d like to go
You could meet someone who really loves you
So you go, and you stand on your own
And you leave on your own
And you go home
And you cry
And you want to die
When you say it’s gonna happen now,
When exactly do you mean?
See I’ve already waited too long
And all my hope is gone
Tender is the night
Lying by your side
Tender is the touch
Of someone that you love too much
Tender is the day
The demons go away
Lord I need to find
Someone who can heal my mind
Come on, Come on, Come on
Get through it
Come on, Come on, Come on
Love’s the greatest thing
Come on, Come on, Come on
Get through it
Come on, Come on, Come on
Love’s the greatest thing
That we have
I’m waiting for that feeling
I’m Waiting for that feeling
Waiting for that feeling to come
Oh, she may be weary
Young girls they do get weary
Wearing that same old shaggy dress, yeah yeah
But when she gets weary
Try a little tenderness, yeah yeah
You know she’s waiting
Just anticipating
For things that she’ll never, never, never, never possess, yeah yeah
But while she’s there waiting, without them
Try a little tenderness (that’s all you gotta do)
It’s not just sentimental, no, no, no
She has her grief and care, yeah yeah yeah
But the soft words, they are spoke so gentle, yeah
It makes it easier, easier to bear, yeah
You won’t regret it, no, no
Some girls they don’t forget it
Love is their only happiness, yeah
But it’s all so easy
All you gotta do is try, try a little tenderness
And then there’s this track called Otis which is a total rip off. Probably why they transformed it into a tribute…
Tendre la main, tendre le cou, tant de reproches… on se quitte avec des mots legerement trop sucrés. Mais sortis de leurs contextes ils degagent d’autres arômes.
Quelle douce faiblesse
Quel joli sentiment
Ce besoin de tendresse
Qui nous vient en naissant
Vraiment, vraiment, vraiment
Y en a qui ont le cœur dehors
Et ne peuvent que l’offrir
Le cœur tellement dehors
Qu’ils sont tous à s’en servir
Celui-là a le cœur dehors
Et si frêle et si tendre
Que maudits soient les arbres morts
Qui ne pourraient point l’entendre
On part avec le coeur qui tremble
Du bonheur de partir ensemble
Sans savoir ce qui nous attend
Ainsi commence le voyage
Semé d’écueils et de mirages
De l’amour et de ses tourments
Blue
Just one of those days.
Woke up with Mood Indigo in my head. Ella’s version. Couldn’t get up. Couldn’t move… Well maybe it was the 2h basketball session I had last night. Put me to sleep and destroyed me more than anything else I’ve had in the last few weeks.
If you want to hear another version of this Duke Ellington song you can always check out the Boswell sisters‘ (Blues all around my head…)
You ain’t been blue; no, no, no.
You ain’t been blue,
Till you’ve had that mood indigo.
That feelin’ goes stealin’ down to my shoes
While I sit and sigh, “Go ‘long blues”.
Always get that mood indigo,
Since my baby said goodbye.
In the evenin’ when lights are low,
I’m so lonesome I could cry.
‘Cause there’s nobody who cares about me,
I’m just a soul who’s
bluer than blue can be.
When I get that mood indigo,
I could lay me down and die.
Gitanes Jazz is a series of compilation from the early nineties. Thematically organized, they introduced me to all sorts of tracks including Ella’s Mood indigo and Chet Baker’s Born To Be Blue. His voice just killed me. And then the looks… It was before I realized he played the trumpet and I saw him sitting behind the piano. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
I guess I’m luckier than some folks
I’ve known the thrill of loving you
but that alone is more
than i was created for
’cause i was born to be blue
If you want a woman’s take on the same song, there’s always this Helen Merrill cover. But I’m slightly biased towards the first one.
Chet Baker had the kind of life you’d expect of him and wound up a total wreck of a junkie at the end of the eighties. If you have the time and the inclination, watch Let’s Get Lost on Youtube. If not, let’s continue with the blue theme. Chet also covered Elvis Costello’s Almost blue around that time of his life. I discovered this track very recently. His take is so much smoother than Costello’s. The original can’t help being spiteful. Sorry Elvis, that angry young man reputation isn’t wearing off and you’re 57!
http://youtu.be/alUSx_X_za8
http://youtu.be/Zju3lT02PiE
Almost blue
Almost doing things we used to do
There’s a girl here and she’s almost you
Almost all the things that your eyes once promised
I see in hers too
Now your eyes are red from crying
Almost blue
Flirting with this disaster became me
It named me as the fool who only aimed to be
Almost blue
It’s almost touching it will almost do
There’s a part of me that’s always true…always
Not all good things come to an end now it is only a chosen few
I’ve seen such an unhappy couple
Almost me
Almost you
Almost blue
Had enough of all this blue?
Sorry, there’s one last one for the road. We’re revealing the immaterial… Not….
Seriously now, we’ll go out with a bang: Tangled Up In Blue from one of the ultimate break-up albums, Blood On The Tracks.
We always did feel the same
We just saw it from a different point of view
Tangled up in blue
Here’s the original New York Sessions version. Note the different lyrics. I feel he initially couldn’t sing it from his own point of view.
Last night, I was listening to Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright in a bar and told the person with me that listening to Bob made me cry. But I didn’t expect to have such an emotional morning…
http://youtu.be/wTaIXNlN4Vw
People tell me it’s a sin
To know and feel too much within
I still believe she was my twin, but I lost the ring
She was born in spring, but I was born too late
Blame it on a simple twist of fate
Radio
Raid The Radio
Cuz we’re tired of hearing the same old song
We’re gonna change the dial to something new
Bring some truth to this town
Call your station, tell them we’re coming
Imagination is what we’re demanding
We won’t stray, you’ll hear us scream and shout
Till they play songs we can dream about
Across the nation, dance to a different drum
Raid The Radio
Cuz we’re tired of hearing the same old song
We’re gonna change the dial to something new
Bring some truth to this town
Free the DJs, burn the ties
Let the music they play electrify
Bring out the poets, bring out the punks
Watch them give rise to a brand new funk
Across the nation, dance to a different drum
Raid The Radio
Cuz we’re tired of hearing the same old song
We’re gonna change the dial to something new
Bring some truth to this town
General Elektriks – Raid The Radio
So, after 2 months away from the radio, I will be raiding it tomorrow at 6pm with my ex (and from now on current) colleague Môh!
We will be crashing Ziyad Makhoul’s slot and taking both his and Loulou’s place!
Love,
The Vultures
Morning
As the dawn began to break – I had to surrender
The universe will have its way – too powerful to master
This used to be the view from my balcony at the wee hours of the morning.
The convent has just been torn down and the building I live in is surrounded on all sides by construction sites!
I used to love hearing the birds waking up and chirping away. Even though I couldn’t help but hear This town is coming like a ghost town in my head every time I was lucky enough to be there at this time of day.
Anyway, today I’m feeling kinda “Specials”
Two o’clock has come again
It’s time to leave this paradise
Hope the chip shop isn’t closed
Cos’ their pies are really nice
I’ll eat in the taxi queue
Standing in someone else’s spew
Wish I had lipstick on my shirt
Instead of piss stains on my shoes
I go out on Friday night and I come home on Saturday morning
Here’s the original and the Nouvelle Vague cover, if you’re into that kind of thing.
I remember waking up on sunday mornings when I was around 10 years old. My mother used to blast us with either Mozart’s requiem or Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here album. The volume was so overwhelming I actually thought the music came from outside! I’d open the window and it would roll into my room. This morning I did the same with this track, on repeat for the last few hours.
Sunlight on your eyelids
You were sleeping
Sunlight on your back
You were dreaming
You probably know Rostam Batmanglij from Vampire Weekend or from Discovery his side project with Wes Miles of Ra Ra Riot. You can download this track on soundcloud. And if you like it, why don’t you check out his latest release.
This eastern-sounding promise reminded me instantly of Jeff Buckley’s Morning Theft. Just sticking to the theme and triggering an unstoppable stream of tears “consciousness(?)”
http://youtu.be/Zl-VisJBMas
Time takes care of the wound, so I can believe.
You had so much to give, you thought I couldn’t see.
Gifts for boot heels to crush, promises deceived
I had to send it away to bring us back again.
Your eyes and body brighten silent waters, deep.
Your precious daughter in the other room, asleep.
A kiss “Goodnight” from every stranger that I meet.
I had to send it away to bring us back again.
Morning theft, and pretender left, ungrateful.
True Self is what brought you here, to me.
A place where we can accept this love.
Friendship battered down by useless history,
Unexamined failure.
What am I still to you?
Some thief who stole from you?
Or some fool drama queen whose chances were few?
Love brings us to who we need,
a place where we can save
A heart that beats as both siphon and reservoir.
You’re a woman, I’m a calf.
You’re a window, I’m a knife.
We come together making chance into starlight.
Meet me tomorrow night, or any day you want.
I have no right to wonder just how, or when.
And though the meaning fits, there’s no relief in this.
I miss my beautiful friend.
I had to send it away to bring her back again.
If you feel like pulling your heart out and crying all day download it here or check out this live version.
According to wikibible The Morning of the Magicians has been credited with playing a significant role in bringing mysticism and conspiracy theories (such as secret societies and ancient prophesies) into popular culture. It spurred a revival of interest in the occult during the 1960s and 70s, and was a forerunner to the popularization of New Age ideas. A kind of proto-Zeitgeist.
I’m not sure it inspired this track but I love it. Same morning-themed heartbreak.
In the morning I’d awake and I couldn’t remember
What is love and what is hate? – the calculations error
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-what is love and what is hate?
And why does it matter? – Is to love just a waste?
How can it matter?
However, I’m sure this book was behind the name of a classical music radioshow in the nineties: “Le matin des musiciens”. Merci monsieur Musique.
Eco-Beirut was the first radio station I worked at. Every day started with Lully’s Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs. A track you probably know from Tous Les Matins du Monde
It was so reassuring to hear it every morning.
It reminds me of that Robert Frost quote: “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life — It goes on”.
Wicked
Something wicked this way comes.
It’s the Weeknd!
And no this isn’t a typo
Chillhop, whatever you want to call it… This guy makes some really sexy music.
In a nasty jealous angsty heartbreaking teenagey way.
And he posts his mixtapes on his site. Go back a few lines, click on that hyperlink. You won’t regret it. Actually you might… But I didn’t.
I discovered him with House Of Balloons – Glass Table Girls which samples Ginger Ale’s Happy House. I still don’t know which one I prefer…
I learned to accept the cheesy effects. It’s part of the sleaze.
The one that used to hit the spot for me was What You Need
http://youtu.be/XGfb9TkLnWE
I’ve got everything you want with me
I’ll do everything he does times three
He’s what you want
I’m what you need
But the song that triggered this post is Coeur de Pirate‘s cover of his Wicked Games. Nothing to do with Mr Isaak. Bear with us please. He’ll be landing shortly.
…Bring your love baby I can bring my shame
Bring the drugs baby I can bring my pain
I got my heart right here, I got my scars right here
Bring the cups baby I can bring the drink
Bring your body baby I can bring you fame
[…]
So tell me you love me
Only for tonight
Only for tonight
Even though you don’t love me
Oh, oh
Just tell me you love me
I’ll give you all of me, I’ll give you all of me
Even though you don’t love me
Let me see you dance
I love to watch you dance
Take you down another level
Get you dancing with the devil
Take a shot of this
But I’m warning you
I’m on that shit that you can’t smell baby
So, put down your perfume…
Of course, the title threw me into Helena Christensen nostalgia. This video was probably the hottest thing on MTV in the early nineties. It’s also a song a lot of people my age associate to first crushes etc… I obviously do!
http://youtu.be/UAOxCqSxRD0
The world was on fire
No one could save me but you.
Strange what desire will make foolish people do
I never dreamed that I’d meet somebody like you
And I never dreamed that I’d lose somebody like you
No, I don’t want to fall in love
[This love is only gonna break your heart]
No, I don’t want to fall in love
[This love is only gonna break your heart]
With you
With you
What a wicked game you play
To make me feel this way
What a wicked thing to do
To let me dream of you…
If you want to hear a recent cover go to Stereogum and check out the Washed Out version
If you want the ultimate weird cover, check out Les Reines Prochaines‘ version on WFMU
And if you want to dance to it, check out the Soul Clap Edit I discovered thanks to the BCE
Audiogrammes 
