| David Bowie – The Man Who Sold the World Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| David Bowie is irreligious. | |
| The Decemberists – I Was Meant for the Stage Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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I think the character in the song (because I don't think it is autobiographical) exists in a sort of place between arrogance, blind passion, idealism and unpretentious determination. A lot of the lyrics, especially those about heavens intending them for stardom and having their sins pardoned are conceited waffle (I think knowingly so - Colin isn't religious) but evoke a kind of belief in predeterminism, that some things are just 'meant to be'. In particular the line 'I was meant for derision' reflects a darker side of this person's psyche, them knowing (or thinking they know) the negatives of their aspiration. It consumes them, it occupies them constantly. They think they know exactly what is going to happen. And then, the performance. Because I'm a visual person, as I picture it the song itself is being performed in a theatre on stage, the character performing it much in the way that Colin does. The song itself describes the theatre in a sense; 'as the spotlights fade away, and you're escorted through the foyer...' so I don't think it's an enormous leap. There's a slight echo on the vocals, suggesting a kind of solitude on stage. As the song crescendos, the dream is realised, but then, as the end release/noise jam kicks in, I can't help but picture a fire breaking out. There are cries, panic, the song descends into madness as the theatre collapses. The performer can't survive. Something they never considered happens and their predetermined world, like the theatre, falls apart. And yet, in a sense, their dream is fulfilled. The stage and themselves, perishing in unity, are inextricably linked forever. That's how I picture it anyway. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3323/3644761943_8a05ab267c.jpg |
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| Hot Chip – Shake a Fist Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| He never tells you how to play Sounds of the Studio. :( | |
| LCD Soundsystem – All I Want Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| Such a beautiful song. My favourite from the album I think, though it's a tough call cause there are so many great ones. In essence it's about longing. Don't think it takes a rocket scientist. | |
| Hot Chip – Out at the Pictures Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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I always thought the first line was 'It's on every street, it's fucking cheap' and the backing vocal was 'where the...' In which case I guess the song is about trying to find a cinema. :P |
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| Guillemots – Kriss Kross Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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'And as for you, friend High in your high home Watching us all falling down like rain I hope you're happy Feel really holy Cos your godliness has taken every single thing I loved on earth tonight' This is one of my favourite verses of any song. But I'd swear it's 'gobbiness'. As in, big-mouthedness. |
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| Jay Brannan – Half-Boyfriend Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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It's never straightforward with gay guys. :/ Poor Jay. He's fallen in love with a guy who he thought he was immune to, someone he always thought he would be 'just good friends' with. Maybe the guy's a bit of a heartbreaker. Earlier on it was the guy who fancied Jay but it wasn't reciprocated, and as time has gone on and the guy's moved on, Jay begins to see through his own unhapiness (misanthropy) and realises that he's missed out. And, yep. Jay's gay IRL, and the song's about a guy. |
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| Keane – Spiralling Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| I feel like this song has a lot in common with Once in a Lifetime by Talking Heads. Failed aspirations, confusion, the focus of our lives... It's all here. | |
| Billy Idol – Dancing With Myself Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| I think the song's about the mirror dancing thing in Japan, but more generally about clubbing and getting drunk. Entering a club, looking to pull, but as the night goes on and you drink more and more it matters less and less until your previous need for companionship is replaced just by the urge to dance, even if you're the only one doing it. He's sunk more than a few drinks. Instead of dancing by himself like a lonely person would do, he's dancing with himself. That's why a song fundamentally about loneliness, which is quite depressing, can be so upbeat and exhuberant. Both the original and Nouvelle Vague's cover are brilliant. Greenday's cover is rather dreadful though. | |
| Alphabeat – Fantastic Six Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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It depends on how deep you think Alphabeat can be. I think it's a song about propaganda, about how law enforcement is always presented as being heroic instead of suppressive. The song reminds me of Thunderbirds, this underground secretive law enforcement agency with secret headquarters who rush in to 'save the day'. Obviously the concept of salvation is deeply rooted in personal morality. I know that the band are from Denmark, and this as well as prosody contributes towards the inclusion of German lyrics, but it also i think potentially stands as a bleak reminder of other secretive law enforcement agencies. The Gestapo and Stasi come to mind, two staatspolizei agencies. I could be reading into this a little too much. |
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