Saturday, August 20, 2005

5ongs

A break from Wedding News to pass on this musical baton from Timmargh. Five songs that I am really into at the moment:

Paint it black – The Rolling Stones
I look inside myself and see my heart is black
I see my red door and it has been painted black
Maybe then I’ll fade away and not have to face the facts
It’s not easy facin’ up when your whole world is black


I get this in my head for about six weeks following each viewing of Full Metal Jacket. So that’s about six weeks on, six weeks off, I guess. It is a very exciting song. The lyric is pretty silly but you can’t have everything.

Fire and Rain – James Taylor
Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone
Susanne the plans they made put an end to you
I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song
I just can't remember who to send it to


I had forgotten how fantastic this song was until I downloaded it recently and was promptly moved to tears. Beautiful, beautiful song. The guy has a lovely voice as well. Boo hoo. Sob sob.

Through the Barricades – Spandau Ballet
And now I know what they´re are saying
It´s a terrible beauty we´ve made
So we make our love on wasteland
And through the barricades


God, I’m listing Spandau Ballet. Oh come on guys – this was their very best song. Really. It’s not as if I like any of there other songs… much.

Saturday Night – Kaiser Chiefs
P-p-p-pneumothorax is a word that is long
They’re just tryin’ to put the punk back into punctured lung
Pe pe pe panic over party off party on
We are birds of a feather and you can be the fat one


I ought to hate the Kaiser Chiefs and indeed some of the songs on their debut album Employment are truly snore-worthy. But Saturday Night is one of the half dozen of really great ones. I love it. The pneumothorax lyric has to be in competition with the Pistols “Her name was Pauline, she lived in a tree.” (Bodies I think)

Brown-eyed Girl – Van Morrison
Cast my memory back there, Lord
Sometimes I’m overcome thinking about
Making love in the green grass
Behind the stadium with you.


I recently dug this one up for a project for a friend (loading 9 year old daughter’s iPod – my iTunes is now full of McFly and Busted) and remembered how much I loved it. When I was a kid I used to go for long walks on the nearby heath, my route taking me past Foxhall Stadium, home of the Ipswich Witches (speedway). The grass there was very green and at aged thirteen the above was the most erotically charged line in the English language. Do you remember when we used to sing?

Sha la la la la la la la la la la te da
Sha la la la la la la la la la la te da
Sha la la la la la la la la la la te da
Sha la la la la la la la la la la te da and so on and so forth.

The idea is that should you wish to take up the baton, please do so and leave a comment, complete with a link to your blog.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The only songs I know in that list are numbers 1 and 5. The missus plays Paint It Black occasionally but I don't know anyone who plays number 5.

The Goldfish said...

So many bands were at their best when they only knew two settings on their synthesizers...

Timmargh, you must listen to Fire and Rain as it is a very special song. The others that you hadn't heard of are subject to taste, but Fire and Rain is a classic, without which your life remains incomplete... Well, perhaps that's going too far, but you must listen to it when you get a chance.