| Dire Straits – Romeo And Juliet Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Dire Straits started their musical career much later than most rock 'n rollers, and brought a mature, older perspective to the subjects they tackled. A friend of mine is sure every Scandinavian father ti be goes through a period of intense listening to Dire Straits. I see this song as bringing an older, more world-weary perspective on teenage love, as symbolized by the classic "star-struck lovers" of that immortal play, Romeo and Juliet. What if they had kept on living? Could they have kept the fire burning? In the real world, scar tissue grows over those so intensely felt hurts of youth, and you lose that particular intensity of living. |
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| Dire Straits – Romeo And Juliet Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Dire Straits started their musical career much later than most rock 'n rollers, and brought a mature, older perspective to the subjects they tackled. A friend of mine is sure every Scandinavian father ti be goes through a period of intense listening to Dire Straits. I see this song as bringing an older, more world-weary perspective on teenage love, as symbolized by the classic "star-struck lovers" of that immortal play, Romeo and Juliet. What if they had kept on living? Could they have kept the fire burning? In the real world, scar tissue grows over those so intensely felt hurts of youth, and you lose that particular intensity of living. |
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| The Magnetic Fields – California Girls Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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At first I thought a man sung it. Then the last verse was disturbing. After watching live clips on Youtube, I realize it's the band's female lead singer, Shirley Simms who sings it. This placed the song, for me, closer to The Prom Queen killed by the crazy, wild-haired bag lady. But men do feel this hatred towards beautiful women. Just look at degrading pornography! Rocco Siffredi comes to mind, if you want cultural references. Also, so many have sung about California Girls, from the drooling Beach Boys on, so it's an interesting twist of that tradition. As for me not identifying the female singing voice at first, it must be because of the mixing - it wouldn't happen on 69 Love Songs. Not as often anyway, though the Magnetic Fields other singers are hardly alpha male. Stephen Merritt however, sound obviously male, the others a bit nerdy. Personally, I identify more with the stinking crazy bag lady in the above. Like so often with the Magnetic Fields, the potentially bad elements, such as excessive self-pity, and delighting in a snobbish outsider persona, gets set off for a moment in the wittiness of the execution. This song is fun! |
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| The Magnetic Fields – Born on a Train Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I like the line "Maybe I was born on a train" because the singer doesn't know where he was born, adding to the drifter/vampire persona. Killing, rather than leaving, the partner in his or her sleep steps up the theme of betrayal one notch. Maybe the small word change should be saved for the last time the chorus is repeated. I listened once to the Arcade Fire version. To me it's weaker - I believe less in the singer. But I'm less used to his voice - anyway, he comes off as more theatrical, more accessible but not to have ascended from the same e.motional depths as Merritt. |
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| The Magnetic Fields – Born on a Train Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Dept. Of Creative Mishearing. I memorized this one wrong, but I kind of like my variations. I'll list them below: *I've been making promises I know I'll never keep, One of these days I'm going to KILL you in your sleep I have to go, I have to leave, the needle knows my name Maybe I was born on a train |
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