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Friday 23 May 2014

Songs I Love #73 U2 - With A Shout (Jerusalem)


I was going to say from a time when there was an element of danger to the music of U2 but who am I kidding, not sure if U2 were ever dangerous but at least they had a bit of edge (if you pardon the pun) about them.

In truth at the time of this track the band were pretty close to being a Christian Rock band and this making of the album from which this track is taken (October) nearly split the band up, as I think Adam didn't want to be a God Botherer! 

Anyway Christian Rock or not I still love this track.

Oh, and where do we go?
Where do we go from here?
Where to go
To the side of a hill
Blood was spilt
We were still looking at each other
Oh, we're goin' back there
Jerusalem
Jerusalem

Shout
Shout
With a shout, shout it out
Shout
Shout it out

I wanna go
To the foot of Mount Zion
To the foot of he who made me see
To the side of a hill
Where we were still
We were filled
With our love

We're gonna be there again
Jerusalem
Jerusalem
Jerusalem
Jerusalem
Jerusalem
Jerusalem

Woah...oh...
Shout
Shout
With a shout
Shout

Songs That I Love #72 Thomas Feiner & Anywhen - Yonderland



I know nothing about this artist, this track was played at a Fyfe Dangerfield gig, a friend tracked down the artist and I got the album. It is from start to finish memorising. 


My spine and leverage
Were not mine
Some items borrowed
And now gone

Pick me up, animate me, render me
Take me back, to the ghosts
Of the day

Lend me a life
Put me on a loop again
Define, define me 'yonderhead'

My plots and purposes
Were not mine
Just items borrowed
And now gone

Hook me up and ignite me, play the coarse
Bring me back, to the ghosts
Of the day

Lend me a life
Put me on a loop again
Define, define me 'yonderhead'

Lend me a life
Put me on a loop again
Just spine me up for liberty and hopes
Liberties and hopes, and liberties and hopes
Define me
And bind me
And I'll crawl the pretty path
I'll crawl the pretty path...

Thursday 22 May 2014

Songs That I Love #71 Elton John - Tiny Dancer


I have included the scene from the film Almost Famous (at the bottom of this blog) when this song is played as this is how I discovered the song. I am sure I will have heard this song before but the bus scene where everyone starts singing just brought the song to life.

The film is loosely based on the early career of Cameron Crowe (who directed the film) when he was a teenage journalist for Rolling stone Magazine. He is assigned to interview the fictional band Stillwater (rumoured to be based on a number of 70's rock bands) and ends up being part of their entourage. In the scene he manages persuade the drugged out singer of the band to leave a party and join the waiting tour bus and as the bus pulls away this song starts playing... 


Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band
Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man
Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand
And now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand

Jesus freaks out in the street
Handing tickets out for God
Turning back she just laughs
The boulevard is not that bad

Piano man he makes his stand
In the auditorium
Looking on she sings the songs
The words she knows the tune she hums

But oh how it feels so real
Lying here with no one near
Only you and you can hear me
When I say softly slowly

Hold me closer tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today

Hold me closer tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today

Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band
Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man
Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand
And now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand

But oh how it feels so real
Lying here with no one near
Only you and you can hear me
When I say softly slowly

Hold me closer tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today

Hold me closer tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today





Songs That I Love #70 Sufjan Stevens - Size Too Small


A very simple tune by a very complicated artist. 



I was the best man in a size too small
You were my best friend, going at it all
And what if I put off my inheritance?
Where is the best man? All arise us all in peace

I still know you
And I still like you, the best man
And I still owe you

Everything rises, going at it all
All the surprises in a size too small
And what if I told you I was still in love with this?
Would you surprise us in a size for all of me?

I still know you
And I still like you, the best man
I still know you, the best man
I still owe you






 

Wednesday 21 May 2014

Songs That I Love #69 Pearl Jam - Just Breathe


I have nothing to say about this that isn't said in the lyrics.




Yes, I understand that every life must end, uh-huh
As we sit alone, I know someday we must go, uh-huh
Oh I'm a lucky man, to count on both hands the ones I love
Some folks just have one, yeah, others, they've got none

Stay with me...
Let's just breathe...

Practiced all my sins, never gonna let me win, uh-huh
Under everything, just another human being, uh-huh
I don't wanna hurt, there's so much in this world to make me bleed

Stay with me
You're all I see...

Did I say that I need you?
Did I say that I want you?
Oh, if I didn't I'm a fool you see
No one knows this more than me

As I come clean...
I wonder everyday, as I look upon your face, uh-huh
Everything you gave
And nothing you would save, oh no

Nothing you would take
Everything you gave...

Did I say that I need you?
Oh, did I say that I want you?
Oh, if I didn't I'm a fool you see
No one knows this more than me
And I come clean, ah...

Nothing you would take
Everything you gave
Hold me til I die
Meet you on the other side...

Songs That I Love #68 Editors - Nothing


Without fail every Editors album has one track that can stop me in my tracks whatever I am doing. This is that track from their latest album. I think this song is just beautiful.


The sun said nothing
About my demise
My fall to the floor

Sparks from your stare
Cascade into mine
Started a war
Started a war

Monday morning
Hungover, red eyes
Hide it all the way

We walk through a crowd of strangers
Two minutes from your door
You lived there all your life

Every conversation within you
Starts a celebration in me
Till I got nothing left
I got nothing left
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsty.com/editors-nothing-lyrics.html ]
Out of it you handle it for everyone
Take a poison dart to my heart and then I'm gone

Every conversation within you
Starts a celebration in me
Till I got nothing left
I got nothing left

These floorboards creaking
My body's old
The sun casts a shadow
At dusk that cuts through your bones
Your body and soul

Every conversation within you
Starts a celebration in me
Till I got nothing left
I got nothing left
I got nothing left
I got nothing left 

Songs That I Love #67 James Vincent McMorrow - Cavalier



This song has managed to get me through some really dark moments of late. It's not the lyrics although I'm sure they are beautiful and meaningful it's just has a very comforting sound to me. 



Speak until the dust
settles in the same specific place
Light refused to go
Drink it from a cast and iron plate
instead of cold milk
was offered unripe
Instead of silence
considered craven

Nothing made it seem
hidden where the ageing soil was pure
Pressed against the crease
Mountains become fragrant at the source
how can you stand this
exotic angle
I read it somewhere 
that they would lie still

I remember how cloth hung
flexing with the forest clung
Half waist and high raised arms
kicking at the slightest form
I remember my first love
I remember my first love

Unrelied I was called
missing teeth out of favour
Nickel beach it was all
gathering by the sundial

I woke hard
I woke heavy 
for the half way stop
Five whole hours in
when I woke hard 
I woke heavy with the live or parts 

I remember how cloth hung
flexing with the forest clung
Half waist and high raised arms
kicking at the slightest form
I remember my first love
I remember my first love

I remember my first love