| Men Without Hats – The Great Ones Remember Lyrics | 7 months ago |
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In 1983, I was all of 17 years old and music was EVERYTHING that year. I must have listened to this album hundreds of times over the next several years. This song gave me a bit of pause, as I always tried to understand the lyrics behind every song I heard. Now, in 2023, (40 years!), my interpretation is more complete. "Can you imagine what we've put up with now?" Yeah, yeah I can. Back in '83, I didn't understand what older people went through in their lives and how modern times clash with their values and even their understanding of the world around them. I'm certainly no 'great one', but people from that generation were more respected at the time - usually due to their service during WWII or Korea. Today, I look at my wife's aging parents and have only recently realized that I may soon be as disconnected from 'real life' as they are. They don't have the Internet, they watch little TV, and live a simple rural life by themselves. Recently, her mom had a terrible fall and ended up in the hospital for a few days. During that time she watched the TV with a mixture of horror and non-comprehension. "Can you believe they let that on TV? Shameful!", she said. Most of us have seen or heard worse on the Internet, and so don't think about it. But in spite of my 'connectedness', there are glimpses of the future that I will not understand - no matter how I try. With AI's coming, I suspect fewer and fewer will at younger and younger ages. And in spite of the younger generations being exposed to more information than ever before, my interpretation of 'the horse with the blinder eating the hay', is as apt as it ever was. The repetition of history and the shortness of memory leads to the same circular patterns again and again. I realize youth rarely understand that while circumstances and technology might change, human beings and their motivations DO NOT. The people in Biblical times are no different than people today. Character does not come without work and discipline - and that's something my own father tried to tell me - something I didn't get for a long, long time. Have I, as a consequence become more wise? Perhaps, but I'd never admit it. Hubris is to be avoided at all costs. As I near to my own 'December' I have started to question some of the most basic things I thought I knew. My brain is finding patterns in things I'd never noticed before, and I think that line about 'committing an act that you've always found silly or strange' or '...the way it's connected, the print on your shirt and the one on the wall'. It's not yet 'all too confusing for me' yet, but I can imagine a time where it will be. I'm thinking Ivan Doroschuk knew old people. Maybe his grandparents. In today's fast-paced world, how many of the youth today truly know any? |
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| Thomas Dolby – Screen Kiss Lyrics | 9 months ago |
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@[Michendo:47778] I'm sorry I'm only seeing this now. Thank you for your comments. I am also moved by this song. The Flat Earth just captured me back when it came out, but this song in particular also showed that Dolby was far more than just a guy that made a funny one hit wonder. To hear him do it LIVE, was even MORE amazing! Funny you mention karaoke, I just used AI tonight to strip the vocals from this so *I* can sing it! ☺ By 'Life On Mars', I suppose you mean the Bowie song - which I agree with. But you could also mean the BBC series which I would HIGHLY recommend. Especially if you are into English culture, say, 50 years ago or so. Wonderful stuff! |
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| ABC – Brighter Than the Sun Lyrics | 1 year ago |
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OK, I'll be honest - I wanted to have a look here and see what others thought about the meaning of this particular ABC song. This is part of a sequel album, Lexicon of Love II, released in 2016, 34 years after the original. The original album was followed up with 'Beauty Stab', which featured a very different sound. Although it's considered to be a 'brave' artistic endeavor, it was not very commercially or critically acclaimed. What probably should've happened back then, is that ABC followed up with another album like Lexicon Of Love (which was a #1 album in the UK!), but that's all water under the bridge now. Martin Fry, the songwriter, and arguably the main creative force in the band, decided to have a proper go of Lexicon I's follow up album. But, in the 34 years since, Mr. Fry has not gone unchanged. His bout with cancer, career ups and downs, and split up with his band partner, have clearly affected him - as it would anyone. This song in particular is my favorite on the whole album, although I'm not entirely sure what he's trying to say - and I'd love to hear if anyone thinks otherwise. Like Martin, in my middle age, I have also struggled to understand the world I'm living in 'these days'. I also often feel as though I'm 'trapped in rewind', preferring the old and comfortable to the new and untried. The question I have, and I've not found an explanation for this online: Is Martin being sarcastic about the future being brighter than the sun? Because it doesn't sound like he's very hopeful. He says that he's "...a man out of time, till the stars realign..." Does this mean he expects things to eventually return to his 'normal'? Alternately, this is what I think is going on here: In rhetorical fashion, he asks the boy he once was about who he's become. Perhaps the boy's reply is simply a reflection of the fact that he is trapped in his own time as well. To him, the *boy* - not the man - is saying, 'when all's said and done, the future's looking brighter than the sun...' When we are in our youth, we generally tend to be more hopeful about the future, but Martin, as a grown man, does not appear to be so anymore. He speaks of the 'days and days' gone by and 'nights still yet to come', and he punctuates all this in a minor key, particularly the way this song ends. This sure isn't 'Poison Arrow' - it's not even 'When Smokey Sings'. It's a sad lament that he's lost the youthful energy he once had. The stars will re-align, perhaps, but will he be around to see it? |
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| Carly Simon – Boys In The Trees Lyrics | 3 years ago |
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I think this is a recognition of a girl/woman's own sexual power and a realization of its diminishing worth. Young women have the control and power of selection, 'passing down from daughter to daughter...' Their vast choice of men are literally like leaves on a tree, as females of all species tend to be the natural arbiters of sex and desire. 'Let them there', mothers suggest to their daughters. But as a woman ages, that power struggle between men and women reverses and it is often the boys who have become men that have a variety of choices. The first and last lyrics refer to present tense: 'where the boys grew in the trees'. In other words, they are no longer there. Did she miss her chance to be with one out of caution or did she simply hold out too long? |
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| Beck – Already Dead Lyrics | 3 years ago |
| @[ndo:35353] I feel you on that, man. Just pulled down our FB page this morning. My band of almost 10 years broke up - but not for the usual reasons. The Covid thing has just KILLED live performances and we haven't played out in almost 9 months now. It could be said we've been dead for almost a year... | |
| The Moody Blues – Dawn Is A Feeling Lyrics | 4 years ago |
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@[ground_control:33411] Just because it's from the 60's, doesn't have to mean every reference has to do with drugs. I've actually thought this before, but it seems to me that it wouldn't jibe with the rest of the album. The theme here is: A life, birth until death. Along the way, there's nature, childhood, play, love, maturity, and old age. In my opinion, drugs are simply too specific for the macro view this album attempts to portray. |
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| Moxy Früvous – Fly Lyrics | 5 years ago |
| @[showackbianho:30414] Jian said it was a 'breakup song', but every breakup is like a death in itself. Erasing the 'memory stockpile' and letting go are easier than holding on to a love that's dead, but it's like a death in and of itself. | |
| Moxy Früvous – Stuck in the 90's (Clem) Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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First of all, I might be Moxy's only conservative fan, so I write this from my perspective. This normally doesn't matter - and has never come up in my previous song meanings posts, but many of the songs on Bargainville represent the political view from the left side of the political spectrum. I do not and will not apologize for my beliefs and you are more than welcome to yours as well. Unlike some on the left, I can put aside my political differences with them to simply enjoy the art - which in this case is wonderful. But words do matter, as does intent. Most of this song's meaning is pretty obvious, but it is also written for its time (90's). In the early 90's, Conservatism was on the rise (Pat Buchanan was mentioned, Rush Limbaugh has his own Moxy hate SONG), with George H.W. Bush serving as president in the U.S. In fact, a year after this song was released, the Republicans took over the Senate - something that hadn't happened in over 30 years. Most of the aging leftist hippies of the 60's were approaching 50-60 years old. 'Clem' is a man out of time. He still tries to hold to his old beliefs, but times have changed and the world seems to be moving beyond him. 30 years before, Cuba was slated to become a socialist paradise, but since then it became clear that Castro was nothing more than a dictator and there is no point to Clem going there 'anytime soon'. He feels powerless to speak against the current political tide, so he 'reads of the old days' and 'burns his mind in his VCR', and yet, he is not immune to his own complicity (riding a bike to his foreign car). Then the writer moves away from Clem and suggests he has similar fears (soon he'll be 30). My favorite line - and it's spelled wrong here - is: With each new computer screen, the world tells me I'm more green Buy a new game, boy! For the fun and the passion, just for the passion That's a comma in between game and boy - not the actual 'Game Boy' - a portable game system produced by Nintendo in 1989 that had a small green display screen. As written on the actual CD Lyrics sheet, it was a play on words. Being 'green' means 'inexperienced', but in full context it's clear that the author also meant the popular little Nintendo game machine. If you'd ever seen an actual Game Boy of the time, there's hardly any 'fashion' or 'passion' to it, as it's simply a white plastic brick with a small green and white screen. No doubt, the advertising of the day suggested otherwise. Jian Gomeshi and Mike Ford come from the left side of the political spectrum where the envy of wealth and power, and the forced distribution of such (White lies, rich guys, hoarding a big prize) are part of the ideology. Both of these songwriters see their own futures in Clem's experience. Hence the line, 'We've got work to do.' What work? Take other people's stuff, of course! This is certainly not the first song to tackle this concept. The Bellamy Brother's 'Old Hippie' is very similar with the lines: He's an old hippie And he don't know what to do Should he hang on to the old Should he grab on to the new He's an old hippie This new life is just a bust He ain't trying to change nobody He's just trying real hard to adjust Clem is most certainly a pitiable and bereft figure, but then all of us get old, all of us watch the world change in ways we either didn't expect or want. I believe this song represents the songwriter's realization that they may eventually become like Clem. Indecisive, confused, sadder, older. |
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| Madness – The Sun And The Rain Lyrics | 5 years ago |
| @[Boss:28255] Man Perhaps. But I think he can be forgiven with 'standing up in the falling down'. Just... Awesome. :) | |
| Madness – Time For Tea Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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@[dancj:28254] Thank you for bringing that to light. I suspected there was something concerning that 'Frigidaire' lyric, but I've been listening to this album since 1984, and until now didn't know what the hell this was about! Yet another reason why I love the Internet. I've been able to get some meaning out of songs from foreign bands like Madness and Midnight Oil. I've loved the music, but not always been able to make sense of the lyrics. |
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| Hall and Oates – You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' Lyrics | 5 years ago |
| To me, this is a clear example of: If you do a remake of a song - do something cool with it. Each version has it's charms but Daryl's 'I'm beggin' you PLEASE!', really picks up the pace of the song. H&O's version really stands out as mostly true to the original while livening things up a bit. | |
| Hall and Oates – Everytime You Go Away Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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I heard the Paul Young version of this song before I heard the 'Voices' album (which is terrific, BTW), and it took me a little while to understand this this is actually an H&O song. Paul Young absolutely transformed this song into something quite special. The original is soulful and almost gospel-like. I guess you could say it's an acquired taste and unlike anything else on 'Voices'. |
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| Hall and Oates – Kiss On My List Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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This was the first song I ever played on a jukebox that wasn't something my parents wanted to hear. I loved this song as a young teen, just as I do today, but I think I actually understand it now. So there's Daryl talking to his girl about his friends, telling her that they get on him about his happiness, but he lies when he tells them her kiss is on the list. It's a little white lie though. See, the thing is, Daryl is telling his friends that her kiss is the reason, but it's only ONE of the things on his list - he does NOT say that it's #1. What would #1 on his list be?... After the chorus, the next verse is him continuing his conversation with his girl. He essentially tells her that he hopes their relationship actually means something, because it does to him - no regrets... Which suggests what takes the #1 spot on his list of the 'best things in life'. I won't be crude, but I think readers can figure this one out for themselves. This is a song written before you could basically say anything on the radio. You had to have some writing chops to find creative ways to encode the true message of the song for more adult ears to hear it. It's a shame this this art appears to be lost in modern music. |
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| Donald Fagen – I.G.Y. (International Geophysical Year) Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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One of the first movies my father took me to see was '2001: A Space Odyssey'. At 5 years old, I was looking up at 180 degrees planetarium-sized view of MY future. Sure, there were some problems (like a computer going insane and killing everyone), but the fact that humankind were out there exploring and that we had come so far, never quite left me. Like so many who grew up with (and were more naively open to), a more optimistic vision, I was truly disappointed by what ended up happening in real life. Science and orderly society took a backseat to chaos, and social imbalances of which I was unaware of when I was young, came to the forefront. Noble visions of the future I later read about from Asimov and Clarke never quite came to fruition. When I listen to IGY, I feel like I understand where Mr. Fagen is coming from, and no, I don't see it as sardonic or ironic. I see it as an optimistic young man might have perceived his place in a pure and just future world. When Donald remembers that boy and articulates that vision, it brings a tear to my eye for what might have been. |
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| Oingo Boingo – Just Another Day Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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I think seclusion and isolation from humanity are common themes for Mr. Elfman. Compare this to 'On the Outside': They laugh at me aloud They say I'm just a clown That I ain't got no pride I'm on the outside Danny likes to write about those dark thoughts we all usually keep to ourselves, but in this, I think he writes partly from experience. It's clear that he's encouraged being an outsider, poking fun at both the left and the right - even death itself, and often writing lyrics from an observer point of view. I would go as far to assume (based on his incredibly late start in music and unbelievable success), that he is very, VERY smart, and never quite fit in with the average crowd. From 'It Only Makes Me Laugh': Remembering when I was a young man How everything seemed to turn against me I didn't know a soul, it was an alien place The sun was covered by a dark cloud And though I tried, I couldn't find a way to escape The only way to go: straight down That kind of intelligence can be very lonely. You try to see the world through the eyes of people who can't understand you. I think his lyrics are closer to who he is than he would admit himself. Does he keep a 'smile on his face for everyone', in spite of the way he feels? I don't think anyone but Danny can really say. |
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| Soulwax – More Than This Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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Good lord, there no 'interpretation' necessary here. Soulwax just puts it out there, plain as day. I think a lot of men out there have felt this way at one time or the other. I know there was a time in my own life where I didn't feel like I had any direction, or felt like time was slipping away from me with nothing in return. The key here is the self-delusion angle. Who wouldn't want to be a rock star? Who doesn't have a dream of what life must be like above the hole you're in? You can almost imagine the conversations the guy has with himself: 'No, I'm good, man. Yeah, it's just a job I have to do for now. Everything's great...' Except when it's not. GREAT song that captures that feeling of hopelessness and irrational wishfulness at the same time. |
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| Oingo Boingo – Capitalism Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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@[ctlizyrd:20365] OK... So no YouTube links allowed, eh? Well... Just do a search for this, I'm sure it'll come up there: "I Don't Wanna Be Mean To You!" Tucker Tries to Teach Socialist Student Activist |
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| Oingo Boingo – Capitalism Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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@[ctlizyrd:20364] Let's try that link again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM8OO5Vu1z4 |
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| Oingo Boingo – Capitalism Lyrics | 7 years ago |
| @[inmyeyes:20363] Wow, triggered much? ;) | |
| Oingo Boingo – Capitalism Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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You know, I saw the kid in this video and I thought, that's exactly the kind of guy who Elfman was describing in 'Capticalism': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM8OO5Vu1z4 Whether you are a socialist or not (or some masked fascist from Antifa), you just have to be honest and admit that Venezuela is a total failure as a country - but this guy couldn't even do that! Even if you consider the way Venezuela were blindsided by falling oil prices, you have to agree that 'repatriating' foreign investments was a REALLY bad idea, long term. Sure, Chavez gave it all back to the people - but by destroying those external relationships, when oil can't even buy toilet paper, no one is willing to help them. I agree that Elfman is more of a centrist - every interview I've seen with him suggests that - but I also know that this song zeroes in on the 'middle class Socialist brat' stereotype because it's true. That's how it became a stereotype! |
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| The Motels – Only the Lonely Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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Clearly Martha spent her share of time alone to be able to write a song like this. Thinking... A LOT. It makes you wonder how someone so beautiful and talented could ever feel this way, and then you read about her life: pregnant at 15, then again at 17, her mother a suicide, spent many years in poverty and deprivation chasing her dreams of stardom - never quite finding the right guy. The fact that she was able to have even a couple of hits like this one was and is an incredible story of perseverance, if not just plain stubbornness. It's amazing in some ways how different this song is from her other hit, 'Suddenly Last Summer'. In that song, the music itself is the real draw, as the lyrics are simplistic and used more as a suggestion of what you should be thinking about. This lyrics in this song are far more critical and anyone who's ever felt loneliness can absolutely empathize. Here, Martha reaches out to embrace the emptiness of her life and translate it into words. I believe she is writing this to her ex, and anyone who's had to deal with their ex after the relationship is over knows how to 'hold on to nothing we know'. You wonder how you even had a relationship with that person in the first place. And yet, when you've spent part of your life with someone, they still know you pretty well, and depending on how amicable the breakup was, maybe you can still talk to them and share. Is it a waste of time to continue to pour your heart out to someone who will no longer be with you romantically? Maybe. But maybe it beats being lonely altogether... |
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| The Motels – Suddenly Last Summer Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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Why is this song so memorable? Why is any song so memorable? In this case, I think it's due to its (likely purposeful), ambiguous nature, where anyone can apply this song to a personal memory. Hall and Oates did this a LOT. I can't go for that (for what?), She did it in a minute (did what?), She's gone (where'd she go?), etc. It's a 'Theater of the Mind' style of writing where you fill in the blanks that the song writer purposely doesn't provide. In that way, a song becomes yours personally. I suspect more than a few people out there have an unforgettable summer. A summer that simply can't end because it's always there in your mind, just waiting for you to return. As a musician, I hear something else in the music itself. There's an odd chorused, almost dissonant synth that mostly alternates between A and G. This runs through the whole song. To me, it's like the sun itself, relentless, always there. When I hear this song, I think of sunshine for that reason. You ever have a 'falling' feeling when thinking about something from so long ago? The bridge part has a 'falling' note pattern, suggesting being drawn down into a memory. In this song, the lyrics don't have to stand out or be brilliant because it's the music that grabs you without needing to tell you anything. In fact, take the lyrics out of the song and they're kinda silly, honestly. But just the suggestion that it's about a lost summer is all you really need to let the music of this song take you on that journey. |
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| Midnight Oil – Who Can Stand In The Way Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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There's a spoken bit that goes at the end of this song: When the spinifex hit Sydney, it was the last thing we expected When the desert reached the glades, but we tried to tame it And when the emus grazed at Pyrmont, it suddenly dawned on us all Hah, finally the world was silent and the door was shut. Does anyone have any idea what this song is about? I mean I get, in a general sense that it's about uncontrolled development and greed, but some of this is localized to Australia that I can't make sense of the specifics. - The line about the firstborn - are they talking about the aborigines? - What reference are they making in 'sold off the paddocks'? I think I get the 'emus' line. Pyrmont in the New South Wales during the 80's was an economically depressed area with only around 900 people living there at the time. As in Detroit, or the area around Chernobyl, Nature had started to reclaim the land. Is the point here that Man cannot tame the untamable, or if He does, he can only do it for a very short time? Are they pointing out our quest to control Nature is pointless? And yet... Even if that's true, what's the alternative? Hirst and Garrett seem to have a very low opinion of humanity, in general. And while it's great to point out the flaws, I don't see a whole lot of hope here. Being critical is easy, fixing the problem... That's harder. |
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| Supertramp – Rosie Had Everything Planned Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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'Indelibly Stamped' was not a great album, as it seemed unfocused and confused. but this song was a real standout for me. Like Supertramp's 'Home again', it was an indication of Roger's heartfelt and empathic writing style. I always wondered if this was based on a true story, but no amount of Google searching revealed this. Does anyone else know? |
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| Supertramp – No Inbetween Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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When you've sacrificed nearly everything to gain fame and fortune, it's a shock to realize that as soon as you get there, everyone and everything will seek to take you back down. Five years or so before this album was released, Supertramp was at its peak. 'Breakfast in America' was a top selling album - played seemingly everywhere on the radio. By the time this song came out (and after Roger Hodgson's departure), the band's prospects were increasingly bleak. The 70's were over, and bands like this were relegated (fairly or unfairly), to 'dinosaur' status. To Rick Davies, this had to be galling. He and his musicians were still just as talented, still just as hard working. His bitterness comes out here and it's clear that although the music is important, success is a double-edged sword. |
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| ABC – One Day Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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Probably my favorite ABC song, ever. For anyone who's ever been rejected, or wished for a better romantic outcome, this song speaks for you. This is well overdue for a remake - maybe a more acoustic take. |
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| Thomas Dolby – Screen Kiss Lyrics | 8 years ago |
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@[CuteSparkina:6617] I'd not considered those points, and I think your are right about that. I first listened to this song when I was 20, but probably didn't 'get 'it' until I hit 35 or so. 'The Flat Earth' is just one of those albums you couldn't recreate if all the stars and planets aligned just so again. Truly a different age... Thanks for your comments! |
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| Lee Ann Womack – Twenty Years and Two Husbands Ago Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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When you are older, you understand what it is to look back across the vast gulf of the past - your past - and have to accept that what's gone, is gone. I've rarely heard a song nails this feeling quite like this one. Lee Ann sings with a sad recognition that somehow, 20 years have gone by and with it her youth, innocence, and beauty (putting her makeup on). She's made mistakes, but doesn't make excuses for them: "That's just the way it is..." Indeed... |
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| Supertramp – The Logical Song Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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A serious philosophical song done in an almost whimsical way. This is one of Roger Hodgson's greatest songs, and as usual, written from the heart. He has doubts about everything he's learned - as it seems many English schoolchildren grew up to have in the 60's and 70's. As a child you want to believe all they tell you, but as you get older you see the inconsistencies, falsehoods, and complexity that you couldn't when you were younger. And then what? You've become what the system wanted you to be (a vegetable!), but what happens when you realize it's all wrong? You become an outcast, a criminal in 'polite society'. If you're not who the system wanted you to be, after all this time, who are you now? By the end of the song, Roger is screaming, 'who I aaaammmm....!' I am certain this song did so well, not just because of it's catchy theme, but because a lot more people ask this question than are willing to admit. |
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| Thomas Dolby – The Flat Earth Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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This song has one of TD's best lines: And if love, is all you're missing... Look into your heart, is anybody home? Just terrific. When he plays this song live now, he uses samples of Martin Luther King's speeches. When they spill the demon seed, turn and face into the wind - in other words, don't expose yourself to the lies and hatred being spread around. Instead, turn away from it. I think what he's saying here is that we shape the world we want to live in. Just as he believed he was immune to other people noticing his height sensitivity, he suggests that we are also blind to our own hatreds and bigotry. We need to examine our own hearts and minds - the Earth only LOOKS flat to our eyes... |
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| Thomas Dolby – Screen Kiss Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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The story is set in California, where Dolby was living at the time. He talks about a 'bar where all the English meet' in Hollywood, CA. She used to drink in the hills, only now she drinks in the valleys. I think this line is a clever way of saying that when she used to drink, she was more upbeat, more of a party girl. Now, she drinks to forget, she is depressed. The girl in question is from a generally well-to-do large town south of London (Croyton). As England is an island, it's an amazing thing to move to a place like California and have 'a thousand miles of real estate to choose from'. She has means, but money isn't everything... The lyric above is wrong - it should say, "Pill in hand, you can hear his golden surfer BOYS..." This suggests that the boys aren't hers, or doesn't seem like they are. Her partner is abusing her, and she's probably taking a pill to calm her nerves. He's 'buried in the screenplay of his feature' - he doesn't even acknowledge her or her hurt. I think the chorus is a wistful look at how she feels love should have been for her, after all, she is in Hollywood. Blue filter lensing and Vaseline were used to blur the picture for close ups and conceal lines in the actor's faces. Look at movies from the 50's and 60's (and even some TV shows!), and you'll see this effect often. In this context, I think it means she's getting older, perhaps losing her looks. 'Rushes' or 'dailies' are quickly developed, unedited film snippets. When a director wants to see how a scene looks, he calls for that day's rushes - usually with a 24 hour turnaround time. These days, of course, everything is digital, but back then, this is how it was done. 'All the rushes look the same', means that her life is the same film over and over again, every single day. Dolby is not happy. I think this was a real friend of his and he's saying here that it's a movie he wouldn't pay to see again if it's the one with 'him' in. 'Him', presumably being the abusive husband figure. He wants to rescue her (hold to me and we'll climb), but instead she commits suicide. He suggests that her death, while meaningless to some, is VERY important to Dolby. Listening to the surf at the end, the radio reports the PERFECT weather for surfing... My favorite Dolby song - ever... |
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| Supertramp – You Started Laughing Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| A Rick Davies song on the live album, 'Paris'. It's just a little ditty, maybe that's why it wasn't on any of their previous albums, but still VERY Trampish, and fun in a way only Davies can make it. | |
| Supertramp – My Kind Of Lady Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| Was Rick Davies in love or what during 'Famous Last Words'? Between this and 'Bonnie', you have think that something was going on with him. Rick wrote a lot of songs by then, but most of them were not what I would think of as 'love songs'. | |
| Supertramp – If Everyone Was Listening Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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This song was a representation of the state of the band at that time. Their benefactor (Sam), who had paid for everything including European tours and through two unsuccessful albums, had moved on. The band was broke and their contract only gave them one more chance. Those were dark times for the lads, who were starting to doubt whether or not what they had was good enough ('How do you plead, an actor indeed! Go re-learn your lines!) They put everything they had on the line to make 'Crime of the Century'. Fortunately, it paid off, but there was no guarantee it would. I think this was Roger's curtain call, his last song if things didn't take off, and his plea of 'don't let the curtain fall' was hoping for another chance. |
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| Supertramp – C'est le Bon Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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Think what you like of Roger Hodgson but he is one of the most honest songwriters on the planet. This is about his story, his coming of age, and he's telling us to illustrate the fact that there are others like him. Maybe even the listener. Lovers - you are sorely needed in this world of hate and bigotry. A world that thinks nothing of crushing others' hopes and dreams. |
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| Supertramp – Don't Leave Me Now Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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Strange. When I first heard this song, I remember my first love, our first kiss, and her running away from me in the rain. It was almost exactly as he describes it here: It was dusk. It was pounding down rain. We had just kissed under a tin roof in a mostly abandoned city block. I said something she didn't understand and she took off in the pouring rain. I always wonder if Roger had an experience like mine... |
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| Howard Jones – All I Want Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| I think what Howard is saying here is that although love should come first, the everyday pressures of life and living take us further and further away. All he wants is to love and live - everything else is a distraction. | |
| Howard Jones – Don't Always Look At The Rain Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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The meaning here is more obvious when you realize the Howard Jones is a Buddhist. Life may be pain, but there are bright spots, little things that can make all the difference. Sometimes it may be attractive to stop and focus on all the bad things in this life, but Howard suggests that we don't stop for long, that we continue to work toward improving ourselves and our outlook on life. |
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| Supertramp – Crazy Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I too think that 'Famous' is underrated, but I can understand why it's not as popular. The process of separation between Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies really started during 'Breakfast' and was clearly defined in 'Famous'. You can clearly pick out who wrote what, and, as with the Beatles final album, 'Famous' was a disunited Supertramp album. As is usually the case, the work of the two writers together worked out the good and bad aspects of their writing (Roger: meaning of life and harmony / Rick: bitterness and resentment) and produced a real balance. I suppose I have to back up what I just suggested about Roger and Rick. To me, the typical Roger song is something like 'The Logical Song' (or solo, 'Had a dream'), whereas the typical Rick song for me is 'Goodbye Stranger' (or sans Roger Supertramp, 'Cannonball'). Listen to the anger in Brother Where You Bound or in 'School'. When the two writers worked together, they tugged and pulled at a song until it fit both of them, without each other... Well, Roger's certainly had more success, but Supertramp isn't the same (or near as good) without him. Anyway, this song seems to be a Roger-only tune with the rest of Supertramp acting as a backing band. |
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| The Alan Parsons Project – Step By Step Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| The person who doesn't 'have the heart to play', doesn't, because he assumes he will lose anyway. This song is about building hope in the face of hopelessness. Maybe you can talk yourself into hope, but at the same time, it doesn't change the reality of your chances of success (not so good). | |
| The Alan Parsons Project – Shadow Of A Lonely Man Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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It's amazing how time will teach you the meaning of something you might have heard 100 times before, but never fully understood it. A few minutes ago, I was listening to this song again and I finally 'got' a line - this one: "But the sounds of the crowds when they come to see me now, is not the same And the jest of it all is I can't recall my name" Being a performer usually means changing your name. As a musician myself, my own stage name is not my 'real' name, and it's almost alien to hear my own given name on stage or thereabouts. I could see how constant performing causes you to lose your original identity. |
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| Supertramp – Rudy Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Ok, the main line here - that the original lyric poster got wrong is: See he tries to play it cool But he'll be nobody's fool It's an unfortunate flub there because that line probably sums up the whole song. Rudy has been too preoccupied with the planning for life and not the LIVING of it. All he can do it watch the movie and everything unfold around him. He's like a ghost - not here, not anywhere. He's too afraid to make a decision and commit because of all the things he's been told to do by everyone else. He's got to 'show em all', 'gain control', etc. The 'movie' he comes out of is a representation of the world around him. He knows he's not a part of it and that the distance between him and real life is the same as the distance between real life and a film. |
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| Supertramp – Crazy Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| Just another great Hogdson tune - not necessarily about something specific, just a lot of commonly held feelings wrapped up in a song. | |
| Supertramp – From Now On Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Davies describes the ultimate fantasy - rags to riches to rags and on the run with a life full of romance. Who doesn't have their little dreams while at work, wishing they were someplace else? And if that dream is too perfect, it doesn't seem as real - I guess that's why this dreamer's luck runs out - like it does in real life! It's funny though - if you're a Supertramp nut case like me, you know that while Davies talks here about the rate he gets paid, an earlier song, 'Poor Boy' says, 'One drop of rain, they complain, it's the same about the wage they're earning...', essentially not caring about the money. Very nice song and the chorus at the end was well done as well. |
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| Supertramp – Just A Normal Day Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Oh what an AWESOME song - back when Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson really worked together! "RD" Sings the emotional point of view, "RH" sings the more logical point of view. Knowing the personalities of these individuals, you would think it would be the other way around. Davies tended to be more practical and Hogdson was the dreamer. It's a song about the fight we fight every day as human beings - the emotional, pensive side, against the logical, practical side. The emotional side self-doubts that everything is 'alright', and wonders why it feels so empty, the practical side has no time for such foolishness and tells the other side to get on with things and stop moaning. I LOVE this song - and it is SO Supertramp because ultimately, this is EXACTLY the kind of battle that went on between the two songwriters behind the scenes. |
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| The Alan Parsons Project – To One in Paradise Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Here is another APP song that sounds FAR better in context than alone. Alone, it's just ok - after the Ligetti tone clusters in the song before it (basically think of an orchestra rioting), it IS paradise. That was done purposely. In context, the song is just a dream after your nightmare. What would it be like to have all the answers for once in life? To never care if you were liked or hated. To find that you were wrong about the world and that everything was groovy? Well, between the 'aaahhhhs' of the chorus, the soft main vocal, and the arpeggiated chorused guitar - if it's not paradise, it certainly sounds like it is. I love this song - but especially when I've heard the whole work before it! |
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| The Alan Parsons Project – Don't Let It Show Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Ah, illicit love! Of course, no reason is given as to WHY it's a forbidden love... If we're keeping in line with the concept of the album - Is it that the robots in the future only allow humans to mate on a schedule? Or does it have nothing to do with Robots and it's simply that classic Romeo and Juliet scenario where the political situation prevents love from blossoming? Whatever the reason, it's apparent that the love these two share is real - admitting to it is impossible. What I notice most about this is that there's no hope here - no change of a future for these lovers are in the cards. He (I assume it's a 'he' although I believe this song was redone by Streisand once), is willing to take the blame and responsibility from her and put it on himself. All she has to do is not say anything about what happened. It would seem that something bad is about to happen to our protagonist as he says, 'they say I'm to blame' and 'getting harder to take what they say' - about him, I'm assuming. Sometimes you wish a songwriter would be a little more specific - although nothing beats the Neil Young line in 'Long May You Run': 'We've been through some... things together...' Grrrrr.... ;) Still, with that much ambiguity, a lot of people can put themselves in that song and it works for them. Read the comments so far and you'll see what I mean. One poster relates it to cutting, another, a funeral song. Either way, this isn't a very happy song, but it is an effective one. |
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| Dream Academy – Edge Of Forever Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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it's a song about young love - perhaps not returned - but the songwriter doesn't appear to care. Maybe, his character so high on love that he is hyper-sensitive to things like her dropping his hand in public, after all, young love is uncertain as well. He talks about being 'older' but that's just like how teenagers talk about being older and not kids anymore - honestly, I don't think he means any older than 15 here. What he describes in this song is that crazy 'I'm in love' feeling that you get for the first time: your heart's pounding, you see beauty in things you never noticed before ('the breeze is so wild', 'the bridge is so lonely'), you're so excited you can't finish a single thought (The reasons that life... Feeling so afraid... Huh?), and you just want to be alone with that special person and devote all of your time to them. First time love should be viewed as a Class One narcotic -and Nick's lyrics here are a perfect description of why. |
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| Dream Academy – Ballad in 4/4 Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Comeuppance, anyone? First of all, Nick's been in love with a married girl for seven years out of eight. Uh.. That means he was WITH HER for a whole year - but not in LOVE with her. Ok... Even though initially it bothered him, he still saw her because he was in love with her. At some point (perhaps this was the final year of his relationship with the married girl?), he meets a younger single girl. Eventually, his married girlfriend writes him a 'Dear Nick, Goodbye' note and it's over - but he misses her and wishes they could get on as old friends do. But there's a sticking point... What he did behind her back was unimportant when she was around. And where do you suppose he learned that lesson? From the married girl, of course! It's likely that she told him the same exact thing about her husband! "Oh don't worry about him baby, it's not important, after all I'm HERE aren't I?" A life of lies indeed! |
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| Dream Academy – (Johnny) New Light Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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'Progress' once again crushes the peace of rural existence. But were the feelings that 'Johnny' had as a child any different than a child growing up post-changes in a 'new light'? It's too late for Johnny to adjust to it all, but the next generation won't know the difference living in their 'days of rain'. The sad thing here is not that Johnny will never have his world back, it's that the next generation will never understand what it was like. |
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