@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
My, my, the clock in the sky
Is pounding away
And there's so much to say
A face, a voice
An overdub has no choice
An image cannot rejoice
Wanting to be
To hear and to see
Crying to the sky
But the porpoise is laughing
Goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Clicks, clacks, riding the backs of giraffes for laughs
S'alright for a while
(The ego) sings of castles
And kings and things that go
With a life of style
Wanting to feel
To know what is real
Living is a, is a lie
The porpoise is waiting
Goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Is pounding away
And there's so much to say
A face, a voice
An overdub has no choice
An image cannot rejoice
Wanting to be
To hear and to see
Crying to the sky
But the porpoise is laughing
Goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Clicks, clacks, riding the backs of giraffes for laughs
S'alright for a while
(The ego) sings of castles
And kings and things that go
With a life of style
Wanting to feel
To know what is real
Living is a, is a lie
The porpoise is waiting
Goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Lyrics submitted by stardroplet
Porpoise Song [Theme from Head] Lyrics as written by Gerry Goffin Carole King
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
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Mountain Song
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Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
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I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
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Three points:
The line 'clicks clacks' is wrong. It should read 'cliques claques'. Cliques: an exclusive group of people who share a common interest, view, purpose, etc. Claques: a group of followers hired to applaud at a performance. (Source: the original sheet music. Plus the fact that in lyrics of such depth a throwaway line like 'clicks clacks' makes no sense.)
The song was written by Goffin & King specially for The Monkees. G&K collaborated with The Monkees in songwriting and production on many projects. The line about giraffes is indeed a reference to Micky Dolenz in Circus Boy.
The song, in my opinion, seems to be written on two levels. One level is about the Monkees themselves, how they were a manufactured group and subsequently rebelled against that to become a 'genuine' band. The other level is a broader look at life and society that can allow such a phenomena to occur (reasoning that if it occurred with The Monkees then it must also be occurring in many other facets of life and society), and how we as individuals are either controlled by it or responding to it.
I always thought "clicks clacks" was a reference to the sound of a porpoise's "song", its sonar.
According to Micky Dolenz(quoted from The Music Box), this song was about him committing suicide. In the context of the movie it makes sense as the object was to destroy the Monkees image. To me, the line "a face, a voice, an overdub has no choice" pretty much sums up the way they were all treated by the PTB. I feel the prevailing attitude was "look good,sing, and shut up" This is without a doubt one of their best songs and Micky's rendering of it was beautiful.By the way, I saw them last week and it still is.
One of my fave Monkees songs, to be sure.
I think the comments about the song being about the band changing direction are valid.
Has anybody here read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books? In that series, porpoises are one of two species who are smarter than human beings, and, just before Earth's destruction, porpoises somehow leave the planet with a last communique that translates to, "So long, and thanks for all the fish."
This song, with the porpoise laughing and saying goodbye, reminds me of that.
Pretty plain & simple, it's about the Monkees themselves. For example, Micky has first-hand experience "riding the backs of giraffes for laughs" from his old show Circus Boy. I agree, this is a beautiful song.
If you've never heard this song, go listen to it RIGT NOW! Even better, get their movie Head and watch it. The song means so much more after you see the begining and end of this movie. OK, it is a psychedelic and probably drug influenced song, but it's the Monkees best song and my favorite song ever. Don't be turned off because you've heard they're a tennybopper, madefor tv band, because they're not and this is a truly beautiful song.
Why has no one posted on such a great song? It's obvious to me this is a psychedelic drug-inspired song, mostly because it makes no sense... but its great just the same. Its the best Monkees song imo, even better than Daydream Believer (but that song is great too).
Even if the Monkees did not write the song, I'm sure they communicated with the song writers how their lives were at the time. They movie HEAD in which this songs comes from was going to be a new direction for the band. They wanted to drop their prefabricated image and adopt a more serious aproach. Much of the movie has scences that related to this change.<br /> <br /> "A face, a voice, an overdub has no choice<br /> And it cannot rejoice" The executives did not take them serious. The band were just objects to make money from. An overdub has no choice--they flet they were just hired hands recording for the executives. "But the porpoise is laughing good-bye, good-bye<br /> good-bye, good-bye, good-bye" The porpoise is the audience, the fans. The fans were the ones who really enjoyed the band and the Monkees were thanking them and saying goodbye because they were leaving their prefabricated image. "Riding the backs of giraffes for laughs is alright for a while" means that the Monkees were doing the silly things (their tv show) for the fans for however long it lasted. They say goodbye several times in this song to show that the old Monkees were going and a the new Monkees were coming. <br /> <br /> Some may argue that the movie was just as silly as the show, but most would have to admit that they were at least trying to change their image. One of the first scenes of the movie shows a military man blasting another man in the head with a pistol. This was actual vietnam footage and was real. The movie, even though tame by today's standards, was actually one of the first movies to garner a R rating.<br /> <br />
This was't written by The Monkees, so I have my doubts as to it's lyrics referencing Micky's stint on the Circus Boy television show. It was written by the Gerry Goffin/Carol King partnership. It was, however, written specifically for the movie "Head", one of the few that actually were. Most of what was in the movie was from previous sessions, and most of what was written for the movie was used later on, on other albums.
Dusty, as you said yourself, Goffin & King wrote it specifically for the film, so they knew the Monkees would be doing it, and it was more than likely going to be Micky (especially since Gerry Goffin produced the track).
This song is about not wanting to be a 'fictional pop band'. the line "riding on a giraffe for laughs is alright for a while" is saying that its cool to be on this stupid show, but not forever. 'Living Is A Lie' kind of goes along with this too, thier lives on the show are NOTHING like thier lives in real life. really when you think about it, this song is a cry for help!
This song is about life, which is soon to be over and the porpoise who takes you across the river. At the beginning of the song a person is still not ready to die and is attached to physical attributes of life (Wanting to be, hear and to see), and the porpoise is laughing at us because we are so narrow minded. In the second part a person realizes that life just doesn’t ads up and everything is a lie. The porpoise is not laughing anymore and is ready to takes us away to the ‘better’ place