Hello! As you may have guessed from the name of this blog, my name is Liz and I am fascinated by song lyrics. I hope you enjoy my waxing lyrical about lyrics and about music generally. I also review albums and gigs and have interviewed several wonderful musicians. Enjoy!
I have recently come back from a lovely trip to Ireland - one of the best things that's happened to me in a long time. It was so nice to see my family, to attend my uncle's beautiful wedding, and simply to have a change of scene.
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We were based in Limerick, a city I adore and which featured in my list of Top 5 River Cities for the Cuckoo Review. It is especially gorgeous at this time of year, and I enjoyed wandering around eating crêpes and photographing swans on the River Shannon.
Swan
We also spent a day in Galway, where my father was born, and I liked it a lot - I love being near the sea. We met up with a couple of old friends, which was really nice.
Salthill, Galway
Much time over the week was spent making bracelets and Despicable Me minions from loom bands! It was a brilliant holiday and, of course, I heard many songs that will now always bring me back there.
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Firstly, Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl played both on the radio while we were driving somewhere, and at the wedding.
Every single time I hear the beginning of this, I think it is I Can See Clearly Now, and then I'm surprised when it's not! Fortunately, I prefer Van!
I am a big Morrison fan - I love his song The Queen of the Slipstream - yet this, perhaps his joint best known song with Moondance, sort of passed me by when I was younger. I heard bits and pieces of it, but never sat down and listened to it properly.
I really like it now, though, and it will forever remind me of dancing at the wedding. Whenever I hear it I will wish I had someone else to hand to dance with!
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Another song from the wedding is Neil Diamond's Cracklin' Rosie.
I first encountered this on Stars in Their Eyes. I liked it. Then I heard the original, which to me sounded like a completely different song! Not singing-wise - the Stars in Their Eyes guy was pretty good if I remember rightly - the melody just seemed different.
Nevertheless, I do still like it, and will now always associate it with one particular anecdote.
It was the wedding reception, at a hotel in Limerick, and I was sitting in the bar with various relatives, chatting. I decided to go outside for some air. I hadn't realised it was raining, but I didn't mind.
Then I discovered that the door was locked from the inside and I couldn't get in again. I could hear Cracklin' Rosie being played inside, which I was pleased about. I didn't mind being out at all; it was quite atmospheric. The night was blue and the rain was light and it was really nice.
I wasn't there for long before one of the hotel staff found me and let me back in. It was a fun, unique experience - and one I will remember!
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A third song that I heard a lot as it was on the music channels frequently is Chandelier by Sia.
I was doing a shift volunteering at the Book-Cycle - like a free library/bookshop - and I heard the first few bars of this and was unimpressed. Then I heard the whole thing and I was impressed. It suits her voice and it is really nice and quite different to other sings in the charts at the moment.
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I had a wonderful week in Ireland and it gave me some amazing memories - connected, as always, to music. The story of my life.
And if you are wondering what the "cake" in the title refers to, we had two amazing cakes - the wedding cake, which was delicious and stunningly decorated, and a cake which my Granma bought to celebrate the summer birthdays among my family, of which there are a lot! That was lovely as well.
The wedding cake, designed by Gill Corrigan
The summer birthdays cake!
Thanks for reading,
Liz x
Songs: Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison - 1967
Cracklin' Rosie - Neil Diamond - 1970
Chandelier - Sia - 2014
As you may remember, I saw Pete and Maura Kennedy live in Southport in June performing a show of the songs of Nanci Griffith. I had previously seen this show in 2013. Both evenings were very enjoyable.
In June I came away with the Kennedys' live album of Nanci songs, Dance a Little Closer, and it is my great pleasure to review it for you.
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The album opens with a lively rendition of Nanci's upbeat I Wish It Would Rain. It is followed by Trouble in the Fields, which the Kennedys manage to adapt slightly, yet keep completely true to the sentiment of the original: sad but hopeful.
Next comes Across the Great Divide. I always find it so poignant and moving hearing the Kennedys perform this song, as they sang it with Nanci twenty years ago when they were her guitarist and backing singer, and it is great to see it come full circle.
It is also interesting for being the cover of a cover - the Kennedys' version of Nanci Griffith's version of a Kate Wolf song. Through its reincarnations it has managed to stay anchored firmly to the the roots of the song: a sense of loneliness, of a haunting, of coming to terms with a loss with bravery and acceptance.
Maura Kennedy's voice is always very beautiful but in this song especially, and in several others on this album, I noticed something extra in it - a deep kind of wisdom, of knowledge and sincerity, of someone who's seen many corners of the world. And so she has. It is very special to hear.
The next track is Late Night Grand Hotel, which the Kennedys previously recorded for their album Songs of the Open road. That version was nice, but this song suits being live. Maura has mentioned how important this song is to her as it reminds her of when she first started touring with Nanci. It is also a favourite of mine.
The original Late Night Grand Hotel is one of the more heavily produced Nanci tracks, so contrasts the most of any song on this album with the Kennedys' raw, emotional, acoustic trademark style.
For me, the best part of the original was the way Nanci sang the line,
"No-one ever knows the heart of anyone else,"
with such open sadness. I listened out to hear how Maura would do it, and was pleased to hear something similar in her voice.
I like how the "no"s in the chorus were held back until the end. Something I think might have been nice is for no-one to sing them on the first chorus, then Maura on her own, then Pete on his own, then both of them, rather than nobody and then both. But the way they did it still works and I prefer it to Nanci's having them all the way through.
The Kennedys also add a nice little bridge between the first chorus and second verse and an instrumental at the end, with lovely-as-ever guitar work from Pete. Overall, they did a great job on one of my favourite Nanci songs.
Their version of Lone Star State of Mind - another cover-of-a-cover - is pleasant, although I'm not too keen on the jazzy feel they have introduced. Still, it is good that they made it their own. At the very end it reverts back to folksy with some more great guitar work.
There's a Light Beyond These Woods is another song that is important to Maura as she witnessed a very emotional performance of it by Nanci which deeply moved her. She sings it beautifully; I especially like the way she sings,
"All the dreams we sang..."
I'm Not Drivin' These Wheels is a song which I liked when I was younger, which I lost, and which I spent ages trying to find again by listening to snippets of songs on Amazon.
I'm glad the Kennedys like it and identify with it as well - enough to include it not only on this album but also as their contribution on the Nanci tribute album by various artists, Trouble in the Fields, which they produced.
Their version is perfect - it keeps everything good about the original and adds some very Kennedys guitar licks. A lovely piece of musicianship.
I have sung the praises at least twice in the past of the Kennedys' version of Gulf Coast Highway, which I prefer to the original - theirs is softer, more gentle, while the original is sharper and more dramatic. The last verse, where Maura sings on her own and is then joined by Pete, is very lovely.
They then go back up-tempo with Love Wore a Halo (Back Before the War). I feel this is often neglected as a Nanci song, and it's a good one. I'm glad the Kennedys are fans. Their version live is uproarious and great to sing along to, and the recording manages to capture that fun and spirit.
We then have From a Distance. I don't really like Nanci's version of this, and I found the Kennedys' one very similar - it is probably the truest to the original of any song on the album. Still, Maura's voice is especially nice on the chorus.
Ford Econoline moves in the vein of Love Wore a Halo: wild and joyful. I get the impression from the amount of applause that it may have been the final song in the concert and I agree that it is a great note to finish a night on - so happy and fun.
The penultimate track is Love at the Five and Dime. I would really have liked this to be the ultimate track as I think it sums up all this album is about, plus it contains the line that forms the title of the album:
"Dance a little closer to me."
It's slower than Nanci's version and I like it that way - they seem to put more focus on the story and the emotion than on the melody, although the melody is there and is strong.
The final track is Hell No (I'm Not Alright). I don't want to comment on the song because I don't understand the politics behind it; even after watching the video I'm not sure what message Nanci is actually trying to give out. So I'll comment only on the musical side: the Kennedys play it well and with great enthusiasm.
This album was very enjoyable to listen to - if there are a couple of songs I wouldn't listen to regularly, it's because I dislike the original, not because the Kennedys have done anything wrong. Maura's voice is gorgeous as ever; Pete's guitar playing is sublime; the two make an amazing duo. I've said these things many times before but they never stop being true.
Overall, a lovely piece of work that is true to the person it is celebrating while incorporating the artists' own personalities, which is the best way to do a tribute.
Rating: 8/10
Song: Across the Great Divide - Nanci Griffith - 1993
For a while I have been intending to do a Joni Mitchell post, but have only just got around to it. I've been pretty busy recently. Anyway, here is what I have to say about a very talented singer and songwriter.
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The first Joni song I will have heard is Blue, because it is on Girls and Guitars, a compilation album I listened to a lot when I was younger. I wasn't a fan of the song, however, and years later when I properly discovered Joni, I didn't remember it being her song; ie, I probably never knew the name of the singer of Blue.
So my real first Joni song was Coyote - the version from The Last Waltz.
My family obtained a copy of the famous concert film when I was about eight and since then it was a fixture in my childhood. We watched it many times; one particularly memorable occasion was when we were on holiday in the Lake District and watched it in our little cabin overlooking beautiful countryside.
After watching the film through, each family member would pick our favourite act to watch again, and my request was always Joni. I liked the song, but what I loved was the presentation: it was so simple, yet mesmerising.
A few years ago I heard the recorded version of Coyote, and I much prefer the Last Waltz one - it's much more fluid and organic. But then, the Last Waltz seemed to have that effect on songs: I also much prefer the Last Waltz version of Bob Dylan's Forever Young to the album version.
I used to vow that if I ever learned to play guitar well enough I would perform this song. Sadly, my knowledge of guitar is still quite basic. One day...
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When I was fourteen I did some work experience at my local hospital. I heard Amy Grant's version of Big Yellow Taxi on the radio in the cardiology unit. It annoyed me because I knew I knew the song, but couldn't place it.
I eventually got it, and remembered hearing it for the first time not long before, on the radio in the car on the way to school. My dad was driving me, and he challenged me to identify the singer and the writer. I didn't get either.
When he told me, the name Amy Grant meant nothing to me, but I wasn't surprised to hear Joni's name - although I had only heard a couple of her songs, I could easily envisage her singing this one.
So when I worked out what the song I heard in the hospital was, I looked up both Amy's and Joni's versions and enjoyed them both (and observed that Amy looked like Elaine from Seinfeld). I later became a big fan of Amy's song Baby, Baby, and blogged about it.
Here they are, the two versions:
I still bop along to this song in my head: it has a good beat, despite having such sad lyrics.
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The final Joni song I want to share is This Flight Tonight. I first heard the Nazareth version and somehow found out that Joni had written the original.
I found her version and on the first listening I observed that it was quite dark and strange, and very Joni-ish, and that I wasn't too keen on it, yet I also somehow knew that it would grow on me.
Now I never listen to the Nazareth version - not that I don't like it; I just don't have any strong feelings towards it - and I often listen to the Joni one.
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So, there you have it: three Joni Mitchell songs. I have listened to others, but this trio remain my favourites, because they are great songs, and also because of the memories they evoke.
I'm sorry that I haven't been able to post much recently, but I've had a very busy summer with various projects to complete and two wonderful holidays in Wales and Germany.
I wanted to share with you a song that has sort of defined this summer for me - I discovered it in May or June and have been listening to it since.
It is... Follow You Follow Me by Genesis.
It stirs up such emotion in me... It's so beautiful. The words, the singing, the music and the production are all brilliant.
Listening to it now, I've realised just how many memories are now attached to it for me. I think it will always make me happy and remind me of the summer of 2013.
I hope you enjoyed this post; you can look forward to me posting much more often in the weeks to come.
This is a special post to celebrate the birth of Prince George of Cambridge, in which I am going to discuss musical royalty.
I don't mean amazing musicians who may be described as musical royalty; no, I mean royals who exist within songs. Perhaps they exist in real life, too, but a song was where I first met each of them.
An example is the the Queen of the Slipstream, in the song by Van Morrison, which is the first song I am going to share with you.
From when I first heard this song I have regarded it as one of the most beautiful love songs ever written. The album it features on, Poetic Champions Compose, is also an exceptionally great album in my opinion; other well-written songs on it include I Forgot That Love Existed and Did Ye Get Healed?.
This song is important to me as a memory holder, as listening to it invariably brings back very clear memories of listening to it in our car on the way to badminton practice when I was about sixteen.
We would drive past Trencherfield Mill, Wigan's big old cotton mill, with the sky beautiful; sunset or dusk or just turning to night time. I love badminton but have recently been too busy to play; hopefully I can find the time to play again some day soon.
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The second royal song I want to highlight is King of Wishful Thinking by Go West.
I had heard and liked this song without knowing what it was called or who sang it. Quite recently my father played this song and I heard it and thought, "Finally! I can find out what it's called."
I was pleasantly surprised at it being Go West; I was always underwhelmed by We Close Our Eyes, which is probably their biggest hit. I think King of Wishful Thinking is a lot better, just pure eighties - even though it was released in 1990 - and something you can really dance to.
♫♥♪
The third royal song is The King of Rock 'n' Roll by Prefab Sprout.
My mother for some reason always pairs this song in her head with Somewhere in My Heart by Aztec Camera, and one time I was listening to the latter and she said, "What's that other song, the one about Albequerque?" So we looked it up and found The King of Rock 'n' Roll, and I like it.
It's one of those songs I often forget about, then when I remember and listen to it, I think, "How could I forget this?" I really need to listen to it more often; it can put you in a good mood.
Listening to good music is always a mood-lifter, and the madness of the video really helps: a lot of songs try to do the "completely mad video" thing and it fails because they're making too much of an effort.
While I acknowledge that a lot of effort probably went into this video, it just emits such a chilled vibe; like the madness was accidental. Maybe it was. Either way, it's one of the most iconic and well-done videos I've seen.
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The fourth song I want to share is Dancing Queen by ABBA.
When planning this post I'd been intending to leave Dancing Queen out on grounds of cheesiness, but then it came on one of the music channels on telly and I realise it's a lot less cheesy than I'd remembered; in fact, it's actually very sophisticated for a seventies song.
Something else that struck me when watching the video was how the two women carry themselves: they seem completely confident and in control and enjoying performing the song, and they both seem so happy in their own skin.
Compare this to a lot of female artists today who seem so insecure and seem to think the only way to sell records is to submit to men - either with skimpy outfits, or provocative dance moves, or by having some male artist say degrading things while they dance devotedly around them, or saying degrading things themselves.
A lot of these women are essentially selling their bodies when they sell records - whereas Frida and Agnetha clearly had no time for that sort of rubbish and just sold songs, songs they sung brilliantly. I think modern female artists should aim to be more like Frida and Agnetha.
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The final song I want to celebrate is Queen of the New Year by Deacon Blue, which of all these songs is probably the first I discovered, when I was young and we had a mix tape made for car journeys that featured a lot of Deacon Blue.
I always heard this song as a country music, barn-dance type thing to be performed in cowboy get-up with a dance routine and spectators standing around in the barn and cheering and joining in.
Having seen the video and learnt more about Deacon Blue, it's more Scottish folk than barn-dance, but other than that my mind's eye view of it performed seems accurate enough; they have a dance routine of sorts and a delighted and dynamic crowd.... They're just missing the cowboy get-up.
I always liked the line, "All the stars in Heaven go dim," although I did used to hear it as "All the stars in Heaven go down," which left me with images of lots of stars falling beautifully to earth and sparkling around the lovers in the song. I still find that this song conjures up that image even now I know what the actual lyric is.
While I love music videos and seeing live performances, I think it's nice with some songs to hear them for a while before you see them, if you know what I mean, so that you can create your own music video in your head; come up with your own interpretation of what the song means without a video telling you.
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Well, I hope you liked this post about royal songs and the kings and queens in them. I like how apart from possibly Dancing Queen, which may have been written for the Queen of Sweden at the time, none of the songs refer to actual kings or queens - as far as I know - nor do they use "king" or "queen" in the literal sense, meaning monarch.
They mean them figuratively, and are used to describe a lover (Slipstream and New Year), or someone who's the best at something (Dancing Queen, Rock 'n' Roll, Wishful Thinking) or who epitomises something (New Year). It shows how words can evolve; that they can be used to mean so many different things, and also how important kings and queens can be in culture.
I wish the British Royal Family, and especially Prince George, the very best for the future.
It is Friday - it often seems to be a Friday when I write on this blog - and I am home from University for the weekend. It's nice to be home ♥
I love Uni but there is nothing like being with your family and your cat and sleeping in your own bed and watching Christmas songs on the telly together.
I have been planning for a while to do a post about angel songs - in fact, the seeds of this idea were first sown in my mind as I finished my last blog post about Eurythmics as I remembered their song "There Must Be an Angel," and it reminded me of other angel songs that I like.
I here present to you three angel songs which happen to be from three different decades. They are all very special to me.
♥
Firstly; There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart). I had heard it before but sort of rediscovered it when it was featured on Dancing On Ice (a British TV show in which celebrities compete in the art of figure skating. I watch it on occasion). Here it is:
I hadn't thought I had seen the video; however watching it it seems very familiar, so I must have done. Or maybe I saw it in a previous life.
I like this song: really nice beat as always with Eurythmics, and Annie Lennox's voice is as beautiful as ever, and I was pleasantly surprised at how high she is able to sing in parts of this song - she has an amazing range. Overall a lovely song, and one where you feel safe in the strong, steady beat. A great and classic number.
♥
That song reminded me of "Heaven Must be Missing an Angel" by the Tavares. I was delighted when I found out that this song was by them - I have loved their song "More Than A Woman" for many years.
Right from the opening chimes you know this will be a great song, and again, that beat... this is such a beautifully produced song, and they move so well too! I always want to get up and dance and sing along when I hear this.
Although I have loved and appreciated their music for many years, I have never known much about the Tavares so I looked them up just now and discovered that: (1) they are brothers, (2) Tavares is their surname - somehow it never occurred to me this might be why they were called the Tavares, (3) they are still performing to this day and (4) More Than a Woman is originally a Bee Gees song from Saturday Night Fever. Now that's something I never knew.
I've just listened to the Bee Gees' version of More Than A Woman and I like it but I think I prefer the Tavares one.
This song was also sung by John Farnham and I was always curious as to who wrote it - it didn't sound to me like a Nanci-written song. Now Wikipedia is telling me that Angels was written by Tom Kimmel and Jennifer Kimball. If so,well done them - this is a beautiful song.
And well done to whoever made this video; it is really pretty. Also, the angel at 1.35 reminds me of Aliona Vilani!
I find this song quite different to other material of Nanci's, and I love hearing her voice interpreting someone else's song, and a more pop-based song than her usual country style. Don't get me wrong, I adore her country songs, but it's nice to hear her try something a bit different.
It was probably a bit of a risk. But I think the risk paid off - this song is so beautiful and is one of my favourite Nanci songs. I am sad that I only discovered it maybe a year ago (considering it was released in 2004).
The instrumental is particularly lovely. And the lyrics are gorgeous and rather reassuring, I think:
"We're lifted up by angels,
Higher than the world,
Strong enough to leave it, bound to learn the secret; angels never hurt."
To me, "angels never hurt" can be interpreted as meaning that dying doesn't hurt; that leaving this world doesn't hurt, it isn't painful, and once we learn that, the angel's secret, we can stop being afraid of dying. And I find that idea quite reassuring. This is a gorgeous song, so thank you to the songwriters and thank you to Nanci.
♥
I hope you enjoyed my selection of angel songs. I am aware that there are other songs about angels - Robbie Williams springs to mind - but I think I'll stick with these three as they are songs that mean something to me personally and which I wanted to share with you.
I think they explore - and celebrate - the concept of angels. The first song sees them as a divine presence that can make you fall in love; the second talks about a lover so amazing she must be an angel; the third describes angels as guardians who guide and look after you during life and death.
Personally I believe that everybody has it in them to be an angel and to do something special for someone else; to be there for them when they need an angel or a miracle.
So be an angel!
Thanks for reading my blog, may the angels watch over you,
Liz x
Songs: There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart) - Eurythmics - 1985
Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel - Tavares - 1976
Angels - Nanci Griffith - 2004
This is a very special blog post... it is the fiftieth post on this blog!
In the very first post I did, way back in March 2011, I mentioned some of my favourite songs lyrics-wise. I decided that between this post and the next one I will listen again to these songs and and see how I feel about them now, almost a year and a half after I made that list.
I will also see if, through keeping this blog, I have discovered any other songs that deserve to join that list. I'm sure there are many! But I am looking for the very best for my lyrics hall of fame.
The first song I mentioned in that list was Can't Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon.
I remember when I first heard this song, it was while in the car flicking through 80s songs on the mp3 player I had at the time. It included a few 80s albums on which I wasn't sure what half the songs were because it hadn't recognised the album and just called the songs, Track 1, Track 2 etcetera. I was listening through them to see what they all were when I discovered this song, which I don't think I had heard before.
I thought it must be Candle in the Wind by Elton John. I wasn't familiar with said song at the time, and I decided this must be it as I thought I heard the line, "You're a candle in the wind". I'd also heard Candle in the Wind being hyped about and as this song was amazing, I thought this must be the song.
I turned out to be wrong on several counts. The line was, "You're a candle in the window." The song was Can't Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon. Candle in the Wind isn't an 80s song so probably wouldn't have been on that album anyway. And I've since heard Candle in the Wind and don't think much of it, which is a shame because I sort of want to like it.
Anyway, the bottom line is that I discovered a song that I really loved, and that I still love. Since I wrote that blog post in March last year, Can't Fight This Feeling has been featured in a TV advert in the UK for - I think - yoghurt which has a cow running along a beach dreaming of being a horse. The ad is certainly memorable, and I think that may have brought the song to a new audience as I heard one of my friends my age singing it around that time.
In July 2011, this song took on a huge new significance and poignancy to me, as I used it in the film I made of my college trip to France, and now listening to the song evokes so many amazing memories of that wonderful trip. Here is my film, in case you are interested - Can't Fight This Feeling begins about seven minutes and fifty seconds into the film.
I chose this song for the aquarium segment of the film because I could see direct links between the lyrics - les paroles in French - and some of the things that happened in the aquarium, for example the reference to the ship. I also loved the general tune and sentiment of the song, and wanted to use it as part of my record of our trip.
Now when I'm listening to the song and I get to the part where there's talking in the film, I subconsciously expect to hear that talking, and I always feel surprised when the music goes on and the talking doesn't occur! I love this song more than ever and it certainly retains its place as one of my favourite songs ♥
"It's time to bring this ship in to the shore, and throw away the oars, forever..."
"My life has been such a whirlwind since I saw you..."
♥
The next song on my list was The Whole of the Moon, by the Waterboys.
Well... There isn't much to say about this song, I feel. Yet there is a whole ocean of things to say... It is amazing. It is beautiful. It is perfect. It is a very, very special song to me. I love it.
I first heard it in the car - I'm pretty sure I can remember exactly which stretch of road we were driving along, and where we were going. It's the same for Can't Fight This Feeling! Not the stretch of road, but the fact that I can remember exactly where I was when I first heard both songs. Songs can be so powerful when it comes to bringing back memories attached to them.
I love the lyrics to this song - I really hope that Mike Scott, who wrote and sung the song had a particular person in mind when he wrote those lyrics. There seems to be a lot of debate over who the song was written for, but all I care about is that he wrote it from his heart and with complete love and sincerity. That is when a superficial love song becomes a beautiful, evergreen love song.
This is one of the songs I would most like to be able to sing in concert if ever I got a band together. I always envision a full orchestral arrangement with trumpets and violins and maybe even a choir to do the backing singing in the last verse.
However, such powerful lyrics as these could hold their own in sung a cappella or just spoken... you could do so much with this song, so many different arrangements, and as long as you mean the lyrics and sing them with all the love and emotion you feel for that person is in your life who saw the whole of the moon, it will be something amazing.
"I spoke about wings, you just flew.
I wondered and I guessed and I tried - you just knew.
I sighed, but you swooned,
I saw the crescent, you saw the whole of the moon."
♥
The third song that was on my list of top songs lyrics-wise is Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits. As well as learning to spell their name properly - I was shocked to see, "Dire Straights" on that first post, which was swiftly corrected - I have been listening a lot to music by Dire Straits, with two particular songs being among my favourites: the aforementioned Romeo and Juliet, and Brothers in Arms.
I am planning to do a longer blog post involving Brothers in Arms soon, so for now I will just say that it is a song I have loved for a long time, and which think I can add to my lyrics hall of fame. As for Romeo and Juliet, I shared my thoughts on it as part of a blog post about love songs that I did last year, and I still love it.
♥
The next two songs on my list are both by Fleetwood Mac: Songbird and Sara. I adore Songbird and have sung its praises in my blog post about the amazing Christine McVie (whom I love and who is one of my greatest influences musically).
Sara is a song that has been in my head a lot recently - maybe partly because I was planning to do this blog, but I think it may also be partly to do with the fact that in one of the novels I am trying to write (my dream is to have a book published one day, and I am working on several potential novels) there is a character called Sarah.
Her naming had nothing to do with the song; it's just a name I like. But writing about her often reminds me of the song.
"Wait a minute baby, stay with me a while,
You said you'd give me light, but you never told me 'bout the fire."
I always liked this song, but never as much as some other Fleetwood Mac songs such as Gypsy, Little Lies and Say You Love Me. However, I've recently come to like it a lot more. Stevie Nicks has the knack for making a song not just a song, but an experience... something you get completely sucked in to, and when it finishes you feel as if you've come out of a cinema into daylight; like you have been absorbed in a story; in a far away place. In another universe.
The initial piano chords from Christine McVie have always reminded me of the church bells ringing out in my town, and whenever I hear them, this song comes straight to my head.
"Sara, you're the poet in my heart,
You never change, and don't you ever start."
I saw a documentary about Fleetwood Mac in which Stevie Nicks claimed that this song was written because she was having an affair with Mick Fleetwood, and then Mick Fleetwood ended up in a relationship with Stevie's friend Sara. The exact meaning of the lyrics of this song has always puzzled me, but I can feel a lot of love behind the words. I have come to really like this song - it still isn't my favourite Fleetwood Mac song by a long way but I do really like it.
I will sign off for now and in my next blog entry I will finish my list of top songs lyrics-wise; commenting on the work of Nanci Griffith, and of Ricky Ross and Deacon Blue, and I will add some more songs to the list, songs that I have discovered or rediscovered since I started my blog which I think merit a place on that list.
Thanks for reading,
Liz x
Songs: Can't Fight This Feeling - REO Speedwagon - 1984/85
Today is Tuesday - in my part of the world anyway.
The Olympic Closing Ceremony was on Sunday night, as you may well already know, and I found it very enjoyable. For me, it was definitely as good as the Opening Ceremony, if not slightly better because it was more music-based and, as you may have guessed from this blog, I love music!
The emphasis was on British music and I was very glad to see Queen, John Lennon (I'm not a massive Beatles fan, but I have to admit that they are icons of British music) and George Michael (Freedom '90 is stuck in my head now! And his second song seems to have attracted controversy, but I liked it).
I also enjoyed the performances by Emeli Sandé (how much coverage did she get these Olympics?! But she deserves the attention because she is amazing! ♥ ), Elbow and Madness.
I even liked the music by Blur and Muse, neither of whom I'm usually a fan of, because I just felt that they fitted into the ballot of music so well. Overall, it was a great show.
I was pleased that Annie Lennox featured in the show, but I wish she had sung Why, which I love. However, I understand that it's a bit too sad to have at a Ceremony which was billed as having a "party" vibe. Still, I have always loved this song.
"I may be mad, I may be blind, I may be viciously unkind, but I can still read what you're thinking.
And I fear I've said too many times that you'd be better off; besides, why can't you see this boat is sinking?"
It is a very sad, beautiful song that I was lucky enough to know from quite a young age as it was on one of the compilation tapes we used to play in our car. These tapes were also how I discovered the great band Niagara, who were supposedly often compared to Eurythmics, Annie Lennox's band.
However, I really can't see much similarity except that both groups consisted of a man and a woman, and that the woman in both groups has a distinctive, strong voice and that they both produced quite adventurous music videos. But otherwise I don't think the groups are alike at all - they each have their own unique style of music and of performing. And I like them both!
Here is one of my favourite songs from Niagara, "La vie est peut-être belle," and you can decide for yourself if they and Eurythmics are a bit alike.
I will probably do a blog entry all about the brilliant Niagara, but for now I will get back to British bands (Niagara being French) for this "Best of British" blog entry. The Closing Ceremony was a celebration of British music, and I want to celebrate British music too, in my blog.
In my opinion, you can't talk about British music without mentioning David Bowie. He has given so much to the music world over his long and wonderful career. Life on Mars was always my favourite of his songs, although I came to really like Let's Dance as well, as my family seems to possess a lot a of 80s compilation CDs that involve Let's Dance and we usually end up listening to it in the car!
I'd never seen this video, and I must say there is rather a lot of David Bowie in it, and not a lot else! It may seem a tad self-indulgent, but I don't mind because he's gorgeous as ever! But I do think that with such interesting lyrics he could have created a more elaborate video; however, maybe the point is to leave the lyrics open to the listener's interpretation. Hmm.
"Let's sway, under the moonlight, the serious moonlight..."
This makes me want to go and visit Australia ♥ It really does seem like a magical place. And I would love to experience the Aboriginal culture - at high school we did a lot of Aboriginal art and I really enjoyed it. I love discovering new ways of life and new ways of seeing the world. I've never been to Australia, but I'd love to go some day. There are many places I'd love to go and people I'd like to meet... One day I will travel the world! One day.
I am also quite fond of Modern Love by David Bowie, but now it has got stuck firmly in my head and won't go away! Still, it's a good song so I don't really mind.
Next, we have to have Rod Stewart - I was quite surprised and disappointed that he wasn't a performer at the Olympic Closing Ceremony. I would have loved for him to have sung Baby Jane - that would have got the crowd on their feet!
This is one of those songs I have loved for a long, long time and I never seem to get tired of. It is just so good! And I feel this is perhaps the best of his songs for showcasing his unique and fantastic voice. I love Rod!
Also, a bit of Dire Straits would have been great at the Closing Ceremony - my favourite songs by them have to be Brothers in Arms and Romeo and Juliet. Maybe not completely suitable for the Closing Ceremony, but amazing songs nonetheless.
I did my last blog post on Christine McVie, another wonderful British musician... She seems to have stepped out of the public eye a bit in recent years but I wish she could have been at at the Closing Ceremony... she is truly amazing and inspirational.
We have so much talent here in Britain! I am becoming quite proud to be British; seeing all the amazing musicians this country has produced (and some of the great Olympians as well, although I would rather be a musician than an athlete any day).
I have mentioned this next song on my blog already, but I have to say I think it would have been great for the Closing Ceremony: Shake it Out by Florence + the Machine.
This song would just fill that stadium so easily, and sweep everybody up in its power and emotion. It is one of those songs that means something to everyone. And perhaps she and Dizzee Rascal could have performed their version of You've Got the Love - two great British artists merging their talents, and a sure-fire crowd pleaser.
Finally, of course, I would have loved to have seen The Cure - I love The Cure, as any of my regular blog readers will know. Friday I'm in Love would have been amazing, if only the Ceremony had been on a Friday! In Between Days, Just Like Heaven, Love Cats and Close to Me would all have been good. Oh, I wish there had been a bit of Cure in that Ceremony!
But still, I can't complain, because it was brilliant and I really enjoyed it. It was a lovely night and one I will remember for a long time. The London 2012 Olympics have been sensational and I have enjoyed every minute.
I'm sad that they're over, but who knows what the next big excitement will be... Hopefully something amazing.
I am potentially very chuffed because I may have found out something that, to me anyway, is amazing. I just need to check to be absolutely sure that I am right.
On one of our Duke of Edinburgh's Award expeditions, we stopped in a Lake District village that I'm pretty sure was called Bouth. And if it is the right Bouth, it is where Christine McVie was born!
I must have read this sometime in the past, before we went, because I love Christine McVie and have researched her and her music many times. However, I had forgotten where she was from, and when we were in Bouth I never realised the incredible significance of the place - or, rather, the significance it should hold for me, personally, as a Christine fan.
Even without this significance, it is still a lovely village. And the Lake District is always wonderful. But to discover that, without knowing, I visited the birthplace of one of my idols, is pretty amazing news, at least for me☺♥
I think I mentioned Christine McVie in my very first post on this blog in which I listed some of my favourite songs, and her Songbird was among them. For a while Songbird seemed to be a staple on reality TV singing shows, and it probably still is, though I wouldn't know because I watch a lot less of that sort of thing than I used to. Life's too short! But anyway, for years I hadn't heard the original, though I knew it was by Fleetwood Mac. When I listened to it for the first time, I fell in love.
From those first lines,
"For you, there'll be no more crying.
For you, the sun will be shining."
You just know that what is going to follow is something beautiful and extraordinary. This really is one of the most sincere, from-the-heart things I have ever heard - more than most songs, more even than poetry. It's like a love letter, sung with all her heart and soul. None of the other versions of this, lovely as some of them may be, can possibly capture the spirit and feeling behind the original.
I hadn't been absolutely sure that it was her song, so many people have sung it, so I looked it up and when it said on Wikipedia, "written by Christine McVie," my heart gave a little twinge of happiness and love. Of course it's her song. How could I have doubted that for one minute? Only Christine McVie could write a song like this one.
I would love to be able to sing this in concert one day. If I ever become a good enough singer, and have enough confidence, to do her justice!
Although nobody can sing this as well as she who wrote it, I do believe this is one of those songs that anybody could sing well if they mean it with their heart and they pick out one person to whom they can sing every lyric and mean it with all their soul. It is one of the best love songs I know. And I can give no higher praise than that.
Christine McVie is a genius, and, almost more importantly, she writes straight from her heart. And that, when writing anything that is meant to touch the soul, is what really matters.
And her voice! Nobody else I have ever heard has a voice quite like hers. It is so, so beautiful and rich and full of love or pain or emotion or whatever she is feeling as she sings. She is blessed, yet I imagine she has also worked hard to train that voice, and I love it so much when a natural talent is nurtured properly to make the world a better and happier and more loving place, which for me, at least, it becomes when I listen to her singing.
Here is Over My Head, another of her songs which would probably never sound as good sung by anybody but her. It is just a Christine McVie song. It works with her voice so beautifully to create something truly magical.
There is another nice live version I wanted to put on here but Blogger won't let me! Ah well, this version is gorgeous, taken, it would seem, from the same concert (The Dance, 1997) as the Songbird one. I wish I had been at that concert! But I was only three at the time and I didn't really get to know the music of Fleetwood Mac until I was seven or eight, when my dad bought my mum the Very Best of Fleetwood Mac compilation CD (both my parents are Fleetwood Mac fans).
We used to listen to that CD all the time. My brother became a Lindsey Buckingham fan. I liked Gypsy by Stevie Nicks, and I came to really like a lot of Christine McVie's songs. However, it was when I was a lot older that I began to really appreciate the beauty and emotion of her lyrics, and to realise what a gifted songwriter she is. But Over My Head was always a favourite of mine and my brother's.
A Christine McVie song that I always liked but have recently come to love is You Make Loving Fun.
I just wish I could sit down at a piano and play and sing this! I could never be as good as her, but it would bring me such pleasure just to play those gorgeous chords and sing those bitter-sweet lyrics. I will try and find the sheet music to this and learn it! It could be my tribute to this amazing woman. Her maiden name was Perfect, and she really is perfect in every way as a musician.
"I never did believe in miracles, but I've a feeling it's time to try.
I never did believe in the ways of magic, but I'm beginning to wonder why."
I used to think it was "I've a feeling it's time to fly." Either lyric is beautiful.
I must also share Everywhere with you - as I said to my mum just now, "You can't have a Christine McVie post without Everywhere!" It is so... her. So Christine McVie. I know that sounds silly, but I feel this song just sums up perfectly what Christine McVie is all about. It is a beautiful love song, with simple yet amazingly powerful lyrics, and she sings with such strength and pride yet such vulnerability, in a voice as stunning as ever.
Here it is live in The Dance (with a bit of Dreams at the beginning):
And here is the video - there is another one which is similar to this but with Christine - and, I think, the other members of Fleetwood Mac as well - appearing in silhouette at intervals. Regretfully, I can't find that version on YouTube. So here is the video sans band (it's still a great video):
I remember feeling smug because I thought I was the only one who knew this was based on The Highwayman. Maybe I was, but I doubt that somehow! Anyhow, somebody has written about the poem on YouTube and it's the top comment as I write, so now everybody who looks at the video on YouTube knows.
Ah well. It's still a brilliant idea for a music video, and it really brought the poem - which I'd studied at school several times - to life for me. I just wish I could see the band's lovely faces in the video!
The song is gorgeous, and the beginning so distinctive, as is the case with many Fleetwood Mac songs - you hear it and you know at once that it's going to be Everywhere.Then that powerful drum beat kicks in, and Christine's amazing vocals, and you sit back and are taken on a journey into a fantastic, wonderful, magical song, and into her heart and soul. It is an amazing song; a masterpiece. Along with Songbird and so many other beautiful songs Christine McVie has written during her long and hugely successful and fruitful career.
I feel so privileged to have had the chance to listen to her amazing music for ten years or so and I hope to continue to enjoy her genius and talent and beauty for many years to come. Bouth is a lovely village, and from it came one of the best musicians of our time. I'm glad I got to visit it.
I will leave you with probably her biggest hit, "Don't stop," one of the most upbeat, hopeful, reassuring songs I know, which is just perfect for putting you in a better mood.
Fleetwood Mac are just amazing! And Christine McVie is a legend and should be very proud of all the beautiful, powerful, inspirational, moving songs that she has put into this world.
