| Talking Heads – This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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this song was the ending theme for the 1987 film about the American stock market, 'Wall Street'. Perhaps this context has clouded my interpretation of it, I dunno. The first version I heard of it was the more optimistic, seemingly 'sweetness and light' one; it seemed so... well, naive, the way love songs supposedly should be. However, that was before I watched the film and heard the other, more lo-fi version. I think that the song possibly is a deceptively upbeat melody encasing a much darker message than it appears to convey. (Spoilers for film ahead) At the end of 'Wall Street', Charlie Sheen's character is a ruined man. Everything he sought after, the home he bought and 'made' with fashionable art and expensive decor, was simply an emblem of greed and materiality: status symbols. He has lost everything important to him- and comes to realize how empty the notion of 'making it big' really is; but of course, it's too late and he has to pay the price for his actions. In my opinion, this song seems to echo a similar message. A man who longs to be 'home', somewhere he envisions as elaborate and expensive, realizes that he's 'already there' and that he didn't need to go to such lengths to find it. This is because 'home' is something metaphorical; it was something he knew all along (home is where the heart is, pardon the cliche.). It seems to me that throughout the song, the singer (or protagonist, whatever) constantly tries to deny that he is unhappy with his life, dismissing his feelings of emotional numbness with rational explanations- "I feel numb, born with a weak heart I guess I must be having fun" In 'Wall Street', Charlie Sheen's character has a relationship with a rich and attractive woman- purely due to his status as a wealthy businessman. This relationship is wholly based on sexual attraction and convenience, much as the inside world of 'big bucks' is. Thus, "never for money, always for love" seems to have an ironic desperation about it. The singer knows things are quite the opposite, and expresses his feelings with bitter sarcasm, wishing the world of cold, hard business was different. But there is not a glimmer of warmth or indeed, 'love' about it. He, like the singer, loses out because he doesn't see this from the beginning. As I listened to this song in the film's ending credits, I felt deeply saddened because I realized that there is nothing sentimental or indeed 'good' about that sort of business- something Sheen also said in the documentary. I think the song is written from the perspective of someone who has lived an indulgent, yet empty life and lost everything (or tried to distance himself from it) only to realize just how illusory and futile it all was. All he can do is reflect despairingly on what he had, and the empty carnality of the truth; that he, and perhaps all of us, are just animals looking desperately for warmth and shelter, no matter how briefly it lasts- we'll do anything to get it. "I'm just an animal looking for a home Share the same space for a minute or two" |
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| The Brian Jonestown Massacre – Hide and Seek Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| Did anyone else get the bit of the Smiths' 'That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore' at the end of the song? I love the way the BJM incorporate their influences into their music. This song sounds like a mix between the Cure and the Smiths. | |
| Blur – All Your Life Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Firstly, I only just came across this song, and it's a real grower. It has a great tempo and wonderful hints of synthesizers audible in the chorus. Has anyone noticed its slight similarity to David Bowie's 'Oh, You Pretty Things?' You can tell that Bowie's an influence for Damon- he even seems to attempt to imitate his vocal style in this song. As for the lyrics, they seem to convey a growing disenchantment with England after the decline of the Britpop movement in the mid '90s. The song has an almost hungover feel to it, in addition to a sense of weary repetition: 'Put a new shirt on, wash my face in beer/Fall through the crowd, and disappear' By the song's conclusion, it has been made clear that Britpop no longer holds any interest for Blur, nor for Damon as an individual. In the early 1990s, Blur were essentially the definition of Britpop itself, with Damon as its pretty little poster boy. However, the later association between the two can be described as a relationship soured. In this vein, it can be argued that the 'you' Damon refers to in the chorus simply represents Britpop, and the 'me' Blur. He is propagating the idea of a 'breakup', stating that the connection between Blur and Britpop is no longer there ('I need someone who loves me/more than you do'), despite the fact that they were previously inextricably linked. ('You and me in line as double bill/Surrogate heroes on TV and films'). |
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| Blur – All Your Life Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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here are the complete lyrics: Put a new shirt on, wash my face in beer Fall through the crowd, and disappear In the teenage magazines, and shopping malls Walk through the wildlife for miles, and miles Hold my breath and count a hundred and ten And back up the hill to start again Watching spiders on the bedroom ceiling They got big plans, so they're not breathing Feel the frisson of tomorrow today I could get up but it won't go away Do nothing to impress my friends Just rub my eyes for hours on end Oh England, my love, you lost me, made me look a fool I need someone to tell me Everything'll be alright I need someone who'll hold me When the day turns to night I need someone who loves me More than you do Oh we say that's not true And you and me in line as double bill Surrogate heroes on TV and films I've never met anyone like you I've never done the things you like to do On the way to heaven in a comedy car The new stars of melancholia There's nothing to get angry about We're too hung over to be bad shout??? Oh England, my love, you've tattooed your past all over me I need someone to tell me Everything'll be alright I need someone who'll hold me When the day turns to night I need someone who loves me More than you do Oh we say that's not true And you and me in line as double bill Surrogate heroes and welcome you will I've got a feeling that nobody's sold I've got a feeling that I should let myself go, go, go And days will be like this All your life |
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| Gorillaz – Hong Kong Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Damon Albarn is a musical and lyrical genius. It's as though he's summarized everything I've ever had cause to feel regretful or nostalgic about and set it to beautiful, spine-chilling music. How on Earth does he do it? He's an incredible man. Fangirling aside, the serene melody and oriental instruments remind me of ancient China, its idyllic rice fields peacefully reflecting blue skies in shimmering waters. The song feels like an amalgamation of everything encapsulating the country in the past, gradually being phased out by looming modernization. To me, it's a pensive reflection on how life used to be a long time ago. It's like the fading essence of a dream-like memory, tenderly captured in one delicate song. Hauntingly beautiful. |
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| Leonard Cohen – You Know Who I Am Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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For some reason (and I am not religiously inclined in the slightest) I perceive this as possibly being from the perspective of a deity, attempting to make contact with mankind and inform them of the extents of its power. There's an atmosphere of omniscience throughout the song, especially in his requests: "Sometimes I need you naked, sometimes I need you wild, I need you to carry my children in and I need you to kill a child." However, it can be argued that Cohen intended the song to have this religious ambiguity, so deliberately sang in a way that endowed it with double entendre. |
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| Blur – Maggie May (Rod Stewart cover) Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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Due to the protagonist's hinting at the significance of 'school' in his life throughout the song, I find myself thinking that he is a teenage boy, his 'lover' perhaps an older teen or woman. The way he articulates his frustration is reminiscent of a schoolboy, as well as the childish 'possibilities' he imagines: "I suppose I could collect my books and go back to school I'll steal my daddy's cue And make a living out of playing pool I'll find myself a rock 'n roll band That needs a helping hand Oh, Maggie, I wish I'd never seen your face" Earlier on in the song, his mentioning that he amuses her leads me to think that she is a bored and jaded older woman (possibly married) who sought after a school-going toyboy to have an affair with. She chose him because she wanted sex and excitement with a younger man, whereas he, vulnerable and lonely, just wanted her friendship: : "All I needed was a friend to lend a guiding hand" However, he soon realizes the superficial nature of their relationship on seeing that his only purpose is to keep her entertained, and wants out. "I know I keep you amused But I feel I'm being used Oh, Maggie I couldn't have tried anymore" Also, am I the only one who thinks that in the song, Damon seems to sing the lyrics with a strange sort of detachment in his voice? It's almost as though it's a song he's covering, and not his own at all. |
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| Daniel Johnston – Love Is Weird Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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no comments yet? I'm surprised as it's such a beautiful song. It is insightful and intricate despite its short length. I feel this song essentially summarizes the details and quirks of being in love/in a relationship. We often envision Love in the fabled, cliched form books and movies present us with: something that is idealistic, forgiving and romantic. However, in reality, raw sexual attraction is what really brings two people together. I think Daniel Johnston is pointing out the impermanence of so called 'Love' between people, yet is able to empathize with their situation as he has been in the same position (perhaps regarding unrequited love)- "But you forget everything when you're smack dab in it Get your thrills and it's over in a minute" Despite Johnston's melancholy perception of Love in the song, there is an air of dogged acceptance. He will do whatever is required to make the girl he desires accept and thus love him. |
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| Gorillaz – November Has Come Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| dammit, correction 2: * despite only ONE being aware of the other's presence. | |
| Gorillaz – November Has Come Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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correction: *despite only being aware of the other's presence |
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| Gorillaz – November Has Come Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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Has no one else noticed the allusion to Death in the title? I thought the idea was strange, the first time I heard of the month November being symbolic of Death. I had never thought of it in that way before. My high school English teacher explained to us when we were analyzing poetry that November, being the month before December, then January (when the New Year begins) symbolizes Death. The death of old habits, a lifestyle, a loved one, precedes the birth of a new year and a new beginning. I think in 'November Has Come', Gorillaz are referring to the death of a gangster, whose violent life is essentially doomed from the outset, and therefore a metaphor for Death being inevitably close by. Perhaps Death has already come for him, and the song is a jaded reflection on ghetto life in general. There are two protagonists in the song, which leads me to think that one (MF Doom) is a gangster, currently (in the song) immersed in the ghetto lifestyle, made flippant and blasé by his desensitization to violence. It is something he sees everyday, so he treats it with savage amusement, much like a teenager playing a violent video game. "Baha, can you dig it like a spigot My guess is: yes you can like, can I kick it? Wicked" His language, which seems at times bemused and even condescending, seems to indicate that despite the violent nature of his 'work', he enjoys it, despite having come to find certain aspects of it banal with time and experience. "Aw, send 'em a gun an tell 'em 'clean it' Then go get the nun who said her son didn't mean it" Furthermore, his thinly veiled contempt for the series of events that lead to the death of another gangster suggests that Death is something he has come to view as mundane, due to the regularity with which it occurs. The second protagonist (2D) seems more omniscient and ephemeral. He is less preoccupied with the details of ghetto life and death, instead focusing more on its consequences, giving the impression that he is not a person, but more the spirit of remorse. "Something has started today Where did it go? Why you want it to be? Well you know November has come And it's gone away It's... It's gone away" 2D's repetition of these lines serves to hammer home that on this day, gang warfare was set into motion by MF Doom's persona. "Well you know November has come And it's gone away" The finality within these lines insinuates that 2D's persona has witnessed Doom's persona either kill a man, or lose his life as a result of gang warfare. If this is the case, Doom's character's death (or the death of his rival) will kick-start further altercations and war between those that murdered him and his own gang, and this is the 'Something' that is being referred to so ominously. The time for Doom's character to lose his life has arrived, and gone away again. All in all, a portentous, even sorrowful song, maybe intended both as a lament, and a warning that with a violent way of life often comes a great price; one's own life. I like the way the two different characters voice their messages throughout the song, seemingly without ever being aware of one another's presence. It gives the impression that one is but a ghost of the other's past, trying to communicate the inevitable truth. Maybe Doom's character manages to evade Death, but I believe that the loss of a life is mentioned in the song, be it his own or that of a fellow gangster. |
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| Blur – Battery in Your Leg Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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I interpret this song as being almost a lament for a once 'special' relationship that has been lost. Damon, or the persona he adopts in the song, wants his partner or friend back. 'this is a ballad for the good times' It seems as though he is pleading to whoever abandoned him to remember how they once enjoyed themselves together and not to forget the happy memories. However, despite the poignancy of his appeal to the person, perhaps it falls on deaf ears. He is offering his love to this person, but they no longer care for him. People move on, people change, and people can be very unkind. They can leave others, distraught and alone without a care if they are extremely unsympathetic. 'I got nothing to rely on I've broken every bone' Though the narrator intends to tell the story of their 'good times', the juxtaposition of the achingly sad melody and lyrics emphasize the importance of his lost relationship, and in particular the sorrowful way in which it ended. I always felt this lyric in particular portrays how it feels after you know that everyone, friends included, has forsaken you. Nobody has any interest in your happiness or well-being whatsoever anymore, and you feel as though your heart itself could have shattered because it wouldn't make any difference to them how hurt you are. You cease to exist in their eyes. To me, it signifies the loss of a relationship, after which one party is indifferent and the other longs solely for them to return. 'Everybody's stopped believing But you know you're not alone You can be with me' the way in which it ends, sorrowfully and atmospherically, further heightens the intensity of his 'lost plea'. It makes it clear to the listener that although Damon's friend/partner has moved on, he still remembers and loves them. Despite their indifference towards him, he would readily accept them if they were to return to him. 'You can be with me If you want to be You can be with me..' |
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