This is NOT an analysis of a song, merely personal observations about a song that I love. Enjoy. Ian "The Scientist" by Coldplay From 2002's "A Rush Of Blood To The Head" album, "The Scientist" rang a chord with me only last year. I have a very special friend who has never given up on me, even after my being an idiot and I thought we might end up going our different ways as a consequence. She is always patient, and tolerant and is very genuine in her interest and generous with their time. We are very different people, with different interests and outlooks - but we get along so well, and laugh a lot. The Scientist was playing in the car and I heard the words. And I cried. "Nobody said it was easy Oh it's such a shame for us to part Nobody said it was easy No one ever said it would be so hard I'm going back to the start" We have always gone back to what first attracted us to each other, built on that and I think that our friendship has come out stronger as a result. "The Scientist"
as written by Guy Rupert Berryman, Jonathan Mark Buckland, William Champion and Christopher Anthony John Martin Tell me your secrets And ask me your questions Oh, let's go back to the start Running in circles Coming up tails Heads on a science apart Nobody said it was easy It's such a shame for us to part Nobody said it was easy No one ever said it would be this hard Oh, take me back to the start I was just guessing At numbers and figures Pulling the puzzles apart Questions of science Science and progress Do not speak as loud as my heart Tell me you love me Come back and haunt me Oh, and I rush to the start Running in circles Chasing our tails Coming back as we are Nobody said it was easy Oh, it's such a shame for us to part Nobody said it was easy No one ever said it would be so hard I'm going back to the start
0 Comments
"Days" by The Kinks This is NOT an analysis of a song, merely personal observations about a song that I love. Enjoy. Just a plain lovely song by the genius that is Ray Davies from 1968. Gentle rhythm, understated vocal a real thing of beauty. It's message is poignant. Thank you for the time we have and spend together. It is limited and finite but thank you. Treasure it. Wonderfully, I don't think that it drops into melancholy. Let's celebrate and remember the love we have made when we were together. Even when you are gone. I think the uber-wise John Lennon once said that you never die while people still talk and remember you. "And though you're gone, You're with me every single day, believe me." Fast forward to 1989 and the beautiful version by Kirsty MacColl. Ray Davies was told at one of his own gigs that it was good that and "old time" artist was happy to play a new song like Kirsty MacColl's "Days". "Yes", he said, "it is a pretty cool song." I saw Ray Davies at the Hop farm Festival in 2014. Sadly, he lost his sister only a couple of days before.He played two songs and dedicated them to her - "Come Dancing" which is about her trips to the local palais to dances, and "Days". I cried. "Thank you for the days, Those endless days, those sacred days you gave me. I'm thinking of the days, I won't forget a single day, believe me" "Days I'll remember all my life, Days when you can't see wrong from right. You took my life, But then I knew that very soon you'd leave me, But it's all right, Now I'm not frightened of this world, believe me." "And though you're gone, You're with me every single day, believe me." "Days"
Songwriter: RAYMOND DOUGLAS DAVIES © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc Thank you for the days, Those endless days, those sacred days you gave me. I'm thinking of the days, I won't forget a single day, believe me. I bless the light, I bless the light that lights on you believe me. And though you're gone, You're with me every single day, believe me. Days I'll remember all my life, Days when you can't see wrong from right. You took my life, But then I knew that very soon you'd leave me, But it's all right, Now I'm not frightened of this world, believe me. I wish today could be tomorrow, The night is dark, It just brings sorrow anyway. Thank you for the days, Those endless days, those sacred days you gave me. I'm thinking of the days, I won't forget a single day, believe me. Days I'll remember all my life, Days when you can't see wrong from right. You took my life, But then I knew that very soon you'd leave me, But it's all right, Now I'm not frightened of this world, believe me. Days. Thank you for the days, Those endless days, those sacred days you gave me. I'm thinking of the days, I won't forget a single day, believe me. I bless the light, I bless the light that shines on you believe me. And though you're gone, You're with me every single day, believe me. Days. This is NOT an analysis of a song, merely personal observations about a song that I love. Enjoy. "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd From Pink Floyd's 1975 classic album of the same name. This song is simple and achingly expresses feelings of loss, regret and frustration. It's main themes refer to former Pink Floyd member Syd Barrett and his breakdown. In July 2005, Roger Waters rejoined his old band mates for a reunion performance at London’s Live 8 event. Halfway through the four-song set, before performing "Wish You Were Here", he declared: "It’s actually highly emotional, standing up here with these guys after all these years. We’re doing this for everyone who’s not here … and particularly, of course, for Syd." "So, so you think you can tell Heaven from hell Blue skies from pain Can you tell a green field From a cold steel rail? A smile from a veil?" "And did you exchange A walk on part in the war For a lead role in a cage?" "We're just two lost souls Swimming in a fish bowl Year after year" "Running over the same old ground And how we found The same old fears Wish you were here" "Wish You Were Here"
Songwriters DAVID GILMOUR, ROGER WATERS Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. So, so you think you can tell Heaven from hell Blue skies from pain Can you tell a green field From a cold steel rail? A smile from a veil? Do you think you can tell? Did they get you to trade Your heroes for ghosts? Hot ashes for trees? Hot air for a cool breeze? Cold comfort for change? And did you exchange A walk on part in the war For a lead role in a cage? How I wish, how I wish you were here We're just two lost souls Swimming in a fish bowl Year after year Running over the same old ground And how we found The same old fears Wish you were here This is NOT an analysis of a song, merely personal observations about a song that I love. Enjoy. Ian "Between The Wars" By Billy Bragg I came to this song late, on his compilation "Must I Paint You a Picture ?", but this appears on Billy Bragg's 1984 album, Brewing Up with Billy Bragg. An anthem to hopeful socialism written at a the height of the Conservative Parties iron grip on Britain in the 1980s. Still as relevant today as then. Sentimental and old-school, but I think brilliant and still pertinent to now. Once described (but not by me), as the best song ever to appear on "Top Of The Pops". "I paid the union and as times got harder I looked to the government to help the working man And they brought prosperity down at the armory We're arming for peace, me boys Between the wars" "I kept the faith and I kept voting Not for the iron fist but for the helping hand For theirs is a land with a wall around it And mine is a faith in my fellow man" "Call up the craftsmen Bring me the draftsmen Build me a path from cradle to grave" "And I'll give my consent To any government That does not deny a man a living wage" "Go find the young men never to fight again Bring up the banners from the days gone by Sweet moderation Heart of this nation Desert us not, we are Between the wars" "Between The Wars" by Billy Bragg
I was a miner I was a docker I was a railway man Between the wars I raised a family In times of austerity With sweat at the foundry Between the wars I paid the union and as times got harder I looked to the government to help the working man And they brought prosperity down at the armory We're arming for peace, me boys Between the wars I kept the faith and I kept voting Not for the iron fist but for the helping hand For theirs is a land with a wall around it And mine is a faith in my fellow man Theirs is a land of hope and glory Mine is the green field and the factory floor Theirs are the skies all dark with bombers And mine is the peace we know Between the wars Call up the craftsmen Bring me the draftsmen Build me a path from cradle to grave And I'll give my consent To any government That does not deny a man a living wage Go find the young men never to fight again Bring up the banners from the days gone by Sweet moderation Heart of this nation Desert us not, we are Between the wars Dear Reader, I like songs but this is not intended as an analysis or interpretation of a song's meaning. I will let you search for better places on the interweb to lead you to conclusions on that. Enjoy. Ian "Born To Run" by Bruce Springsteen From the iconic 1975 album of the same name. Simply one of the best rock anthems ever by the Boss. Full of imagery. Just magnificent. "Beyond the Palace hemi-powered drones scream down the boulevard Girls comb their hair in rearview mirrors And the boys try to look so hard The amusement park rises bold and stark Kids are huddled on the beach in a mist I wanna die with you Wendy on the street tonight In an everlasting kiss" "Will you walk with me out on the wire `Cause baby I'm just a scared and lonely rider But I gotta know how it feels I want to know if love is wild Babe I want to know if love is real" "Baby this town rips the bones from your back It's a death trap, it's a suicide rap We gotta get out while we're young `Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run" "Born To Run"
Bruce Springsteen Born To Run lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC In the day we sweat it out on the streets of a runaway American dream At night we ride through the mansions of glory in suicide machines Sprung from cages out on highway nine, Chrome wheeled, fuel injected, and steppin' out over the line H-Oh, Baby this town rips the bones from your back It's a death trap, it's a suicide rap We gotta get out while we're young `Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run Yes, girl we were Wendy let me in I wanna be your friend I want to guard your dreams and visions Just wrap your legs 'round these velvet rims And strap your hands 'cross my engines Together we could break this trap We'll run till we drop, baby we'll never go back H-Oh, Will you walk with me out on the wire `Cause baby I'm just a scared and lonely rider But I gotta know how it feels I want to know if love is wild Babe I want to know if love is real Oh, can you show me Beyond the Palace hemi-powered drones scream down the boulevard Girls comb their hair in rearview mirrors And the boys try to look so hard The amusement park rises bold and stark Kids are huddled on the beach in a mist I wanna die with you Wendy on the street tonight In an everlasting kiss One, two, three, four The highway's jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive Everybody's out on the run tonight But there's no place left to hide Together Wendy we can live with the sadness I'll love you with all the madness in my soul H-Oh, Someday girl I don't know when We're gonna get to that place Where we really wanna go And we'll walk in the sun But till then tramps like us Baby we were born to run Oh honey, tramps like us Baby we were born to run Come on with me, tramps like us Baby we were born to run Dear Reader, Some songs I love. I am actually a useless interpreter of lyrics, and very often am unable to guess just what a song is really about. Elsewhere on this site, [ Interests > Music > To start with ], I confess to knowing a lot of songs, but not understanding many. So this blog is not intended as an analysis or interpretation of a song's meaning. I will let you search for better places on the interweb to lead you to conclusions on that score. As I say, some songs I love, and some lyrics I love too. This will be an occasional blog, published as and when I get there. I hope you enjoy the ramblings. Ian "Yellow" by Coldplay From their first album "Parachutes", released in 2000. The repetitive slow structure of this song appeal to me, as do the very simple words in each verse. Here is the video: <"Yellow" by Coldplay> At the Viva La Vida concert at Wembley Stadium in London, I happily sang along to "Yellow", but the lines which grab me every time are : "Your skin Oh yeah, your skin and bones Turn into something beautiful You know, you know I love you so You know I love you so" "Yellow"
as written by Guy Rupert Berryman, Jonathan Mark Buckland, William Champion and Christopher Anthony John Martin Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group Look at the stars Look how they shine for you And everything you do Yeah, they were all yellow I came along I wrote a song for you And all the things you do And it was called yellow So then I took my turn Oh what a thing to have done And it was all yellow Your skin Oh yeah, your skin and bones Turn into something beautiful You know, you know I love you so You know I love you so I swam across I jumped across for you Oh what a thing to do 'Cause you were all yellow I drew a line I drew a line for you Oh what a thing to do And it was all yellow Your skin Oh yeah, your skin and bones Turn into something beautiful You know, for you I'd bleed myself dry For you I'd bleed myself dry It's true Look how they shine for you Look how they shine for you Look how they shine for Look how they shine for you Look how they shine for you Look how they shine Look at the stars Look how they shine for you And all the things that you do 16/12/2015 0 Comments 2015 - The Year in MusicThis is my 2015 in terms of full gigs and festival shows I have been lucky enough to get to. It has been a good year again and I have seen some exciting new acts as well as old friends. 28/1 Emmy The Great 11/2 Colour Me Wednesday, The Tuts, Spoonboy, 12/2 Rae Morris (1) 7/3 The Young'uns, The Unthanks, 27/3 Fraser A. Gorman, Courtney Barnett (1) 14/4 My Babies, Seasick Steve, 24/4 Reginald D. Hunter, Sara Pascoe & others 27/5 The Dunwells, NEEDTOBREATHE 26/6 Glastonbury: The Weaves, Hinds, Catfish & The Bottlemen, Wolf Alice, Wilko Johnson, Thea Gilmore, Billy Bragg (1) 27/6 Glastonbury: The Unthanks (2), Courtney Barnett (2), Burt Bacharach, La Femme, Courtney Barnett (3), Nick Lowe, Paul Carrack and Andy Fairweather Low, The Moody Blues 27/6 Glastonbury: Denai Moore, Jack Garratt, Rae Morris (2), The Staves, Future Islands, Paul Weller, The Who 29/8 Against Me!, The Gaslight Anthem 10/9 Ian Anderson, 29/9 Perluche, Willie J. Healey, Summer Camp 24/11 Duke Special, Billy Bragg (2), 25/11 Big Scary, Courtney Barnett (4), 28/11 Adam Double, Jools Holland & His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra 14/12 Stevie Parker, Meadowlark I always enjoy live gigs, but big highlights included Burt Bacharach, Courtney Barnett, Hinds, La Femme, The Moody Blues and my finally seeing The Who at Glastonbury. Rae Morris at The Electric Brixton, Courtney Barnett at The Forum and Jools & His Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall were also very special times. There are already bookings in place for five gigs between next February and November. Bring on 2016! Today has been a little strange. I am still suffering from a bit of a cough (3 weeks and counting), so took the opportunity for a sneaky lay-in. I was 'excused' a trip up to Covent Garden to visit my Mum as I was booked up to escort a team of Cubs to the Surrey County Cub Scout Cooking Competition. The 5th Reigate Gibson Cub Pack had won the Reigate District Competition earlier in the year, so was representing Reigate at the County gig. We arrived at the venue and my colleague Baloo realised that he had left the recipe sheet, together with other required paperwork at the Scout Hut. After recovering from that, the competition started and our Cubs managed a very good 2nd place, being 3.5 points (of 50) behind the winners. Anyhoo I digress, and once we got into the hall, I was greeted by some old friends who I have cooked with and known since I started my Scouting. Once pleasantries had been exchanged, they asked if I was busy the first weekend in December. As it happens, there is a Cub Sleepover at the Scout HQ on Saturday 4 December and a Cub Scout Carol Service on Sunday 5 December. A discussion ensued and it seems that there is a small (8-10 attendees, 3-4 tutors) at the County Training Centre and little help to do the catering (in fact Jan and Kevin who I was talking to were both tutoring and also in the frame for the catering). Perceiving their need for some assistance in the kitchen, I thought about what my timetable would be for that weekend and decided that the logistics could be possible to help at both the training and the sleepover. Admittedly, I will have to miss the Carol Service on the Sunday, and I will have to leave after doing the lunch time washing up at the training course on the Saturday to get to the Party / Sleepover, and leave the Sleepover after breakfast on the Sunday morning to get to spud bashing at the training course, but this is a done deal. If you can lend a hand, do so - that is what I try to do. Apart from ignominy (is that the word?) in the UEFA Champions League, my beloved Gunners are in fairly good shape so far this season. Luckily Alexis Sanchez seems to want to play and play and will show a fine work ethic to his team mates. In today's game at Watford, he showed up and put in a shift even after arriving back on Friday from International Duty and scoring two goals in South America. He is a class act I was booked for a small gig on 6 October (Meadowlark, at the Lexington) but realised on the preceding Thursday that I had not received my e-ticket. I emailed the customer service and heard nothing until Monday 5th. Their advice was that I should not worry as the concert was not for several weeks and the e-ticket would be sent about 3 weeks before the gig. If this is not received 7 days beforehand I should call them on their (premium rate) number. So Dear Reader, I called them and explained that as I had said in my email the gig was NOT in several weeks, rather the following evening. The operator kindly told me that she would resend the e-ticket email in the next two hours as they would have been sent out in August. No email came my way, so I decided to write the date off as the ticket value was low (£8) and I was feeling sick in any case. Weirdly a couple of days later, I received an email asking how the service had been and I replied laying into the agency somewhat and declaring that I probably would never use their services again. Even more weirdly, last Sunday I received an email containing an e-ticket for the gig. The gig date was the 14th of December. It seems that the date had been re-arranged and no-one had actually told me. For the want of a single email, all of this unpleasantness would have been avoided. On the up-side, I will get to the concert after all and it will be my last of this year. Finally, a little about my visit to the Victoria and Albert museum.
I was not really looking forward to this, as the V&A was the least favourite Kensington museum when I was a kid (too many dresses and fabrics). In the event it was a great day out - the Photography Fascists were noticeably absent as evidenced here. That's enough for now, so I make it pretty plain on other pages of this site that although I know the words to many, many songs, my interpretation of them and their meaning is to say the least suspect. In eager anticipation and over excitement about the upcoming entertainment at the Shepherd's Bush Empire - Ian Anderson : Jethro Tull-The Rock Opera, I have been playing some of the band's old tunes. This has led to many smiles and much enjoyment. Here are a few selected favourite lyrics from the one legged flautist who has given me so much pleasure over the years. Wonderful. "Meanwhile back in the year One -- when you belonged to no-one --you didn't stand a chance son, if your pants were undone."
- Skating Away (On The Thin Ice Of A New Day). "Happy and I'm smiling, walk a mile to drink your water. You know I'd love to love you, and above you there's no other." - Living In The Past "I am the wind to fill your sail. I am the cross to take your nail: A singer of these ageless times. With kitchen prose and gutter rhymes." -Songs From The Wood "There was a rush along the Fulham Road into the Ever-Passion Play." - A Passion Play "This is the story of the hare who lost his spectacles." - The Story Of The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles - Words by Jeffrey Hammond - from A Passion Play "Sitting on the park bench -- eyeing little girls with bad intent. Snot is running down his nose -- greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes. Aqualung" - Aqualung (written, I believe by Mrs Anderson) "The old Rocker wore his hair too long, wore his trouser cuffs too tight. Unfashionable to the end, drank his ale too light. Death's head belt buckle, yesterday's dreams the transport caf' prophet of doom. Ringing no change in his double-sewn seams in his post-war-babe gloom. -- Now he's too old to Rock'n'Roll but he's too young to die." - Too Old To Rock 'n' Roll:Too Young To Die "War Child dance the days, and dance the nights away." - War Child "Let's bungle in the jungle --- well, that's all right by me. I'm a tiger when I want love, but I'm a snake if we disagree." - Bungle In The Jungle "Really don't mind if you sit this one out. My words but a whisper your deafness a SHOUT." "Do you believe in the day? Do you? Believe in the day!" So! Where the hell was Biggles when you needed him last Saturday? And where were all the sportsmen who always pulled you through? They're all resting down in Cornwall writing up their memoirs for a paper-back edition of the Boy Scout Manual." "So you ride yourselves over the fields and you make all your animal deals and your wise men don't know how it feels to be THICK AS A BRICK." -Thick As A Brick "So you ride yourselves over the fields and you make all your animal deals and your wise men don't know how it feels to be THICK AS A BRICK, Two" Ian Anderson -TAAB 2 Writer(s): Ian Scott Anderson Copyright: The Ian Anderson Group Of Companies Ltd. I have spent most of this week, resting up and doing some site updates to include my really brilliant weekend at this year's Glastonbury Festival.
There are links to my diary, and daily photo galleries. Follow the Glastonbury 2015 link under Interests > Music in the main navigation menu or follow this shortcut: <Glastonbury 2015 Pages> I will add some thoughts in the aftermath shortly, when life gets back to normal a little. Enjoy. |
Archives...
February 2024
CategoriesAll Christmas COVID 19 COVID-19 Diary Football Gigs I Love That Song Music Scouting Site Updates |