Archive for January 2012
Everyday is like Sunday
© Rima Abdel-Baki
Trudging slowly over wet sand
Back to the bench where your clothes were stolen
This is the coastal town
That they forgot to close down
Armageddon – come Armageddon!
Come, Armageddon! Come!
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
Everyday is silent and grey
Trudging back over pebbles and sand
And a strange dust lands on your hands
(And on your face…)
(On your face …)
(On your face …)
(On your face …)
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
I like rain
It’s cold outside the knife-edge (the knife-edge)
The paper in the stream looks brittle (brittle)
Shiny white and grey are the colours (colours)
It’s good to be inside and comfy
I like rain
Falling on my window (I like rain)
I like rain
Splashing on the roof (I like rain)
I like rain
Dancing on the pavement (I like rain)
I like rain
When I’m inside
Falling down
Falling down
I like rain
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
Hail, Hail
“If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry’.” — John Lennon
This post is a weird double whammy. Actually, read on… It might even be a quadruple-whammy.
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
Hail hail rock ‘n’ roll, comes from r ‘n’ b and soul
Don’t leave me standing in the cold
I used to fake ‘I never grow old’
Hail hail rock ‘n’ roll, don’t leave me standing on the bleak
Don’t leave me stranded on the street
I see the light, I feel the heat
Blame it on you, blame it on me
Now let’s the race that won’t let’s get on history
Pain in my heart won’t let me be
Take it from me but don’t you take away my liberty
Father of coal, mother of pearl
Never too black to blush to pick up a white girl
The color of you, the color of me
You can’t judge a man by looking at the marque
Hail hail rock ‘n’ roll, comes from r ‘n’ b and soul
Don’t leave me standing in the cold
I used to fake ‘I never grow old’
Hail hail rock ‘n’ roll, don’t leave me standing on the bleak
Don’t leave me stranded on the street
I see the light, I feel the heat
Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Fats Domino
Here come Elvis, Gene Vincent, Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee
Hail hail rock ‘n’ roll, comes from r ‘n’ b and soul ….
Hail hail rock ‘n’ roll, comes from r ‘n’ b and soul ….
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 a great version of the track that started this whole post!!!
Bound
Je suis allé au marché aux oiseaux
Et j’ai acheté des oiseaux
Pour toi
Mon amour
Je suis allé au marché aux fleurs
Et j’ai acheté des fleurs
Pour toi
Mon amour
Je suis allé au marché à la ferraille
Et j’ai acheté des chaînes
De lourdes chaînes
Pour toi
Mon amour
Et je suis allé au marché aux esclaves
Et je t’ai cherchée
Mais je ne t’ai pas trouvée
Mon amour
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
You’re running with me
Don’t touch the ground
We’re the restless hearted
Not the chained and bound
The sky is burning
A sea of flame
Though your world is changing
I will be the same
Slave to love
And I can’t escape
I’m a slave to love
Can you help me?
The storm is breaking
Or so it seems
We’re too young to reason
Too grown up to dream
And the spring is turning
Your face to mine
I can hear your laughter
I can see your smile
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, well I can’t break away from these chains.
Can’t run around, ’cause I’m not free.
Whoa, oh, these chains of love won’t let me be, yeah.
I wanna tell you, pretty baby,
I think you’re fine.
I’d like to love you,
But, darlin’, I’m imprisoned by these
Chains, my baby’s got me locked up in chains,
And they ain’t the kind that you can see,
Oh, oh, these chains of love got a hold on me.
Please believe me when I tell you,
Your lips are sweet.
I’d like to kiss them,
But I can’t break away from all of these
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
I’m standing on the stage
Of fear and self-doubt
It’s a hollow play
But they’ll clap anyway
I’m living in an age
That calls darkness light
Though my language is dead
Still the shapes fill my head
I’m living in an age
Whose name I don’t know
Though the fear keeps me moving
Still my heart beats so slow
My body is a cage
We take what we’re given
Just because you’ve forgotten
Doesn’t mean you’re forgiven
I’m living in an age
Still turning in the night
But when I get to the doorway
There’s no one in sight
I’m living in an age
They’re laughing, I’m 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
Love ->
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.
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.
I’ve got two loves
I’ve got two loves
And they go tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet, like little birds
They’re my two loves…
Count them one, two loves…
Count them one, two loves.
Which is my face
Which is a building
Which is on fire
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
Time
Time takes a cigarette, puts it in your mouth
You pull on your finger, then another finger, then your cigarette
The wall-to-wall is calling, it lingers, then you forget
Ohhh how how how, you’re a rock ‘n’ roll suicide
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
Chev brakes are snarling as you stumble across the road
But the day breaks instead so you hurry home
Don’t let the sun blast your shadow
Don’t let the milk float ride your mind
They’re so natural – religiously unkind
Oh no love! you’re not alone
You’re watching yourself but you’re too unfair
You got your head all tangled up but if I could only
make you care
Oh no love! you’re not alone
No matter what or who you’ve been
No matter when or where you’ve seen
All the knives seem to lacerate your brain
I’ve had my share, I’ll help you with the pain
You’re not alone
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 it’s well understood
Most of the time I wouldn’t change it if I could
I can make it all match up
I can hold my own
I can deal with the situation right down to the bone
I can survive and I can endure
And I don’t even think about her
Most of the time.
Most of the time my head is on straight
Most of the time I’m strong enough not to hate
I don’t build up illusion ’til it makes me sick
I ain’t afraid of confusion no matter how thick
I can smile in the face of mankind
Don’t even remember what her lips felt like on mine
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
Where?
Well we know where we’re goin’
But we don’t know where we’ve been
And we know what we’re knowin’
But we can’t say what we’ve seen
And we’re not little children
And we know what we want
And the future is certain
Give us time to work it out
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
Maybe you wonder where you are
I don’t care
Here is where time is on our side
Take you there…take you there
We’re on a road to nowhere
We’re on a road to nowhere
We’re on a road to nowhere
There’s a city in my mind
Come along and take that ride
and it’s all right, baby, it’s all right
And it’s very far away
But it’s growing day by day
And it’s all right, baby, it’s all right
Would you like to come along
And to help me sing this song
And it’s all right, baby, it’s all right
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
Come along baby
We better make a start
You better make it soon
Before you break my heart
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…
Here, making each day of the year
Changing my life with a wave of her hand
Nobody can deny that there’s something there
There, running my hands through her hair
Both of us thinking how good it can be
Someone is speaking but she doesn’t know he’s there
I want her everywhere and if she’s beside me
I know I need never care
But to love her is to need her everywhere
Knowing that love is to share
Each one believing that love never dies
Watching her eyes and hoping I’m always there
I want her everywhere and if she’s beside me
I know I need never care
But to love her is to need her everywhere
Knowing that love is to share
Each one believing that love never dies
Watching her eyes and hoping I’m always there
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
Audiogrammes 