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!
In October I had the honour of interviewing Eddi Reader for The Mancunion ahead of her gig at the RNCM on 1st November. I was then given the chance to review that gig, which was brilliant, and afterwards I met Eddi! She came across as a lovely, down-to-earth person and the whole experience was fantastic.
You can read my interview of her here and my review of the gig here. I hope you enjoy them.
Eddi and me
Let me now share with you some Eddi Reader videos.
I wish there was a video for Married to the Sea, a gorgeous song she performed at the concert I saw. Look out for that song, it's wonderful.
Bell, Book and Candle is probably my favourite song that she sings, and this live version is so beautiful.
There's also Patience of Angels, which I heard in a music quiz last year and which I recognised but couldn't place. I'm sure I heard it when I was much younger. It's a lovely song and always has that sense ofdéjàvu for me.
Here is Perfect. I never was a massive fan of this until she performed it live at the RNCM gig, and since then it's grown on me. I love this performance:
Finally, here is one of my favourite music videos of all time, Is This Love? by Alison Moyet, in which she, Eddi and the rest of the band dance on the beach and look so happy and carefree - that's how all music videos should be!
You are maybe wondering what JSC stands for. It stands for July Song Challenge, and is a challenge I have invented for myself using the daily prompts of the Fat Mum Slim July Photo Challenge.
Basically the original challenge is to take a photo each day of the month on a specific theme. I decided to twist it to pick a song that I feel suits each theme and share it with you, my readers, along with the story of why this song is important to me, and why it fits the theme if it isn't obvious.
The story of my challenge is that I decided I wanted to choose a song a day for all of July, and that each song must have a theme. I wanted the themes to come from an external source rather than me making them up as I wanted a real challenge where I may have to really think to find a song that fits.
My friend Kylie (click green link for her blog) had done the FMS photo challenge a previous month which was how I had heard of the monthly challenges and I decided it would be a good source of a daily theme. So, please note: I don't have any links or endorsement with Fat Mum Slim or the photo challenge; I'm simply using it as a source of daily themes.
Day 1's theme is "Happiness is..." I had to think for a bit, as there are many songs that make me happy but in the end I settled for Love Changes (Everything) by Climie Fisher.
This was my second-favourite song for a bit - my favourite being Is This Love? by Alison Moyet. The reason why the latter is not my happiness song is that I just feel Love Changes (Everything) is more upbeat and therefore better fits the theme.
It a song that makes you happy and hopeful and you just want to get up and dance to it! Well, I do; who knows, I may be in a minority, but you cannot deny that it is a song that fills you with hope - even if things are going badly, love can change everything.
Plus it is a beautiful and well-produced song that is simply nice on the ears and I think would make enjoyable listening - and make you happy - even if you couldn't understand English, because the tone of the song is just so positive.
I wrote a post about this song when I first started this blog two years ago, at which time I was obsessed with the song; feel free to check it out.
So, I intend to pick a song a day. I probably won't post daily, as I once did that for a bit and I saw these posts got less views than others on the blog, which suggests that people maybe don't have time to see each daily post before the next one arrives. So I'll probably be posting three or four days worth of songs at a time.
I hope you enjoy them! Also, watch out for none-song-challenge-related posts as there will be some of them as well. I have a post linking royalty and music planned to celebrate the birth of the royal baby, who is due some time this month, so watch this space!
Thanks for reading,
Liz x
Song: Love Changes (Everything) - Climie Fisher - 1987
I have discovered that one of my favourite artists and one of my favourite bands, both of whom were perhaps better known for their music in the 1980s/90s, have recently released new songs. They are, more specifically, Alison Moyet and Deacon Blue.
What I have always loved most about Alison in her older hits such as "Is This Love?" and "Invisible" is her amazing voice, the emotion she puts into her songs, which really feels genuine, and the good production - her records tend to be very pleasant on the ear with regards to the music as well as her voice.
I came to this song half-expecting a belt-y ballad, and whilst it proved to be exactly that, it still quite surprised me. I think I had expected it to be looser and simpler, primarily a means of showcasing her voice, while in fact it is quite a complicated arrangement, which showcases her voice yet is also a really beautiful song with interesting lyrics and a catchy tune.
At first listening I quite liked it, at second listening I liked it a bit more - basically it's grown on me very quickly. It's the first single from her new album "the minutes," which is set to be released in May, and from which I am looking forward to hearing more material.
I like the video - the coastal theme provides a link back to her 1986 hit "Is This Love?" - one of my favourite songs - and they did a good job of finding a look-a-like who is also a good actress and presents the song well.
I was getting worried that we might not actually see the real Alison in the video, when happily she appeared. I love that unlike some artists who see a come-back as a chance to completely change their image, Alison is completely recognisable as the young woman who sang and danced about on the beach in "Is This Love?".
And of course, her voice is amazing, as always. The emotion is clear and raw. The production is also good; I really like the instrumental particularly; it sounds like it could have come from a Cure song, which is high praise from me because I love The Cure's arrangements.
All in all, I really love this new song; I had been doubtful as to whether it could match the sheer brilliance of some of Alison's older songs, but it is certainly one of the nicest songs I have heard in a long time. Welcome back, Alison ♥
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The next song I want to share with you is Turn by Deacon Blue, from their late-2012 album, "The Hipsters."
I heard this song on the radio a couple of days ago and quite liked it and wondered who it was by, then when the DJ announced that it was by Deacon Blue I was surprised and pleased.
At first I liked it but thought it sounded like a lot of other songs. Having heard it a few more times, it's really growing on me and I now think it sounds quite distinctive. The video is slightly bizarre but I like it.
Also, assuming the backing vocals are by Lorraine McIntosh as usual, I like them on this song more than on some of Deacon Blue's older songs. I think they add more to this song, maybe as she is just singing rather than doing fancy things with her voice as in some other songs; perhaps the simplicity is what works particularly well here.
I like the quieter, more lyric-based feel of this song, as opposed to some of the louder, faster material of Deacon Blue such as "Wages Day" and "Queen of the New Year" - although I still love these songs! I just think it's nice to have something more raw and stripped-back for a change, in addition to their brilliant back-catalogue.
I like the reference to "Dignity" in the video! I predicted that the third card would say "work" and was quite pleased with myself when it turned out I was right. I also think the first guy on the bus looks like Marcus Bridgestocke... Is he Marcus Bridgestocke?
I really like this song; it isn't my favourite Deacon Blue song - that would probably be "Your Swaying Arms" or "When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring)," but I do really like "Turn."
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So, two really good new songs from an artist and a group who have been about for years; let's hope they continue producing fantastic new material for many years to come.
I thought I would talk you through my Oldies, why I chose them and what they mean to me.
Firstly, First Time (very apt for the first song) by Robin Beck.
I first heard this song on one of the music channels on TV, and I really liked it - it is very much the archetypical 80s love song: big-haired, big-voiced singer; moody video; strong beat and a really catchy tune. I love the lyrics and find them a lot deeper and more sensitive than many 80s love songs; I particularly like:
"Like a break in the clouds, in the first ray of sun,
I can feel it inside; something new has begun."
And,
"It's an uncharted sea, it's an non-opened door,
But you gotta reach out, and you gotta explore."
I love this song; I had forgotten about it for a bit and then something recently reminded me of it and I fell in love with it a second time. Brilliant song. And I'm glad they put it on first out of the Oldies; whether it was an intentional pun or not, it amused me.
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Secondly, we have the Rah Band and Clouds Across the Moon.
I first heard this at the gym, on some mix-tape they had of old songs. I'd hear snippets and really liked the chorus, but with machines whirring it was hard to hear the rest of it properly, so I went home and looked it up.
I really liked the song when I heard it through; however this was on Spotify, so I remained blissfully unaware of the bizarre video until I finally thought of looking for it on YouTube.
Though I do think the end of the video is really touching; you can see her despair at having to wait a whole year to hear her loved one's voice again.
Some people may see this as some sort of novelty song - a woman calling her husband who is fighting a space war is certainly an interesting concept - but I think it stands on its own as a really good song, novelty or otherwise. Certainly, as Steve says, there "doesn't seem to be a hint of irony."
I like to think this song is a serious exploration of what a space war could mean for the people left on Earth. To be honest this song could be used as an exploration of war generally and its effect on civilians; before I heard this properly I did think it was about a woman talking to her soldier husband in a more conventional war.
I also found out that the singer is called Liz! ♥
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Next we have Maria Vidal with Body Rock.
I can remember exactly where I was when I first heard this - doesn't that tend to be the way with songs that are special to us? I first heard Body Rock while on the way to badminton practice one night; we were driving past the DW Stadium except it was probably the JJB at the time; I remember the song reminded me of Rhythm of the Night by DeBarge at the time, though now I can't hear that much of a similarity.
It was me and my Mam in the car and I think I remarked to her that I liked this song; it has since been played on many car journeys. It just makes me want to dance! Not easy in a car, I know, but when I listen to it at home I do confess that I usually end up dancing about to it.
This seems to have been Maria Vidal's only big hit; I think it's a shame as she had a lot of potential. She was pretty in a way that seems far more natural than some other female pop singers of the era and she had a really nice and quite unusual voice.
I think she wrote this song, though I don't know for definite; if so she is a talented songwriter. I'm surprised she didn't achieve greater success in the 80s, as this is another song that epitomises the 80s for me!
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The next of my Oldies is Crazy For You by Madonna.
I included this in my choices partly for my Mam, as it is one of her favourite songs, and also for myself as I love it too, and as I like a lot of Madonna's music I was keen that she be represented in my Oldies.
I love her voice so much in this song, and she looks so beautiful in the video. The production of this record is also gorgeous; from the beginning it it just a real pleasure on the ears.
In fact, the beginning of this song is one of my favourite song-beginnings, and it is pretty unmistakeable, especially in the video where it starts with an alarm clock ringing!
Whenever I see the video I ponder watching Vision Quest, the film featured, but never actually get around to it. If anybody has seen it and could let me know whether it is any good, that would be much appreciated.
Regardless of the merits of the film, Crazy For you is a really beautiful song and one of my favourite Madonna songs, as well as one of my favourite love songs of the 80s.
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My next Oldie is Ella Elle L'a (Ella, she has it) by the French chanteuse France Gall.
As you may have guessed from the fact that she features in the video, this song is a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald. It was written by France Gall's husband Michel Berger. I love how happy and carefree France looks in this video, dancing around and looking like she is having a really good time - in her early career she came across as rather shy and demure, but here she seems to be coming out of her shell.
I love this song; I discovered it when looking for French music to listen to sometime when I was at sixth-form college and a combination of my really inspiring French teacher and a wonderful college trip to Montpellier in the south of France made me really love French culture, music included. As well as France Gall I love Jean-Jacques Goldman, Lio, Niagara and many other French or Quebecois musicians and bands.
Steve Wright commented on how high he finds France Gall's voice to be; I don't find it particularly high but maybe that is just because I am used to it as I have listened to this song so many times. Anyway, high or low I really love her voice and this remains one of my favourite songs in any language.
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Next is R.E.M. with Bad Day.
I have already done a blog post discussing this among other R.E.M. songs, which can be found by clicking above; however to re-iterate, I really like this song; it was one I heard and loved years ago, then lost, then rediscovered and now love as much as ever. And the video is really original and quirky; clearly a lot of effort went into the making of it. I love this song and always end up singing along to it!
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My penultimate Oldie is Don Henley with The Boys of Summer, which was my favourite song for a while when I was in early high school, maybe 12 or 13 years old.
We were doing some sort of project in our Music lessons about DJs, and I did DJ Sammy, and through doing so found his version of this song, which brought me right back to finishing primary school, when people were singing it on karaoke - either that or we were just listening to the song, I can't remember - but it was certainly popular at the time and I really liked it.
I then heard it in a bowling alley on one of our high school bowling trips, and wondered who sung it. I found out through doing my DJ project, and I re-listened to it and enjoyed it. Seeing that it was a remix of an older song by Don Henley, I listened to the original, convinced I couldn't like it more than the remix. I was wrong. It became my favourite song and I listened to it endlessly.
The fact that the original is sung by a man makes the sentiment a lot nicer, I feel - the DJ Sammy one seems to be a woman declaring without much shame that she is cheating on her lover but still expects him to be there for her "when the boys of summer have gone," whereas the Don Henley version seems to be a man bitterly acknowledging that his lover is cheating on him but saying he'll always love her and will still be there for her at the end of it all.
I still love this song and it was lovely to hear it on the radio and to share it with the listeners of Radio 2.
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My final Oldie is Is This Love? by Alison Moyet, which, again, was my favourite song for a bit - it may still be my favourite song. I have trouble deciding on a favourite at the minute, but this is certainly in contention.
I have a blog post all about my love for Alison Moyet in which I discuss this song and video, so feel free to check that out. For now I'll just say that I absolutely adore this woman and her music, and this song is so happy and upbeat, and the video just puts a smile on your face; they are all having so much fun on the beach.
And the dance they do at the beginning and end is contagious - I find myself doing the actions whenever I hear the song!
I love Alison Moyet ♥ And I love that my selection of Oldies ends on such a happy note with this jolly little song.
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I am really chuffed at my Oldies being chosen, and cannot stop listening to that half-hour of all my favourite music ♥ And I have a badge saying, "I chose the Non-Stop Oldies on Steve Wright in the Afternoon." I am very happy.
I hope you have enjoyed listening to my Oldies as well - please feel free to add any comments below.
Thank you so much for reading my blog and letting me share with you the music I love.
I am currently in the middle of a busy exam period at college, so I have been doing lots of work and revision. But I have also tried to find time to listen to some music as well, to help me stay as relaxed as possible and not get too stressed by all the extra work.
At the minute I am listening to a lot of music by Alison Moyet; I have already mentioned her in this blog a while back because her song "Is This Love?" is one of my favourite songs of all time.
It is just so happy and can always make me smile, and the video is lovely as well because it is a group of people having a really good time together (in Cornwall apparently; I've just looked it up) without too much of the melodrama, acting and posing that you get in a lot of music videos, especially ones from the 80s which was when this song came out. (I do love the 80s though! And 80s videos. I just like this one particularly for daring to be a bit different.)
Another song of hers which I adore is "Invisible." I first heard this on the radio and was surprised when at the end they said that the song was by her - I had thought I would have recognised her voice, but I just hadn't. I'm not saying it doesn't sound like her; I just didn't make the connection.
The first twenty seconds of this record are so exquisitely beautiful - the musicianship is amazing, and it justs sounds sublime. One of those musical moments that has been toned absolutely perfectly. Just fantastic. And the song goes on to be lovely as well - a very sad story, with a bitter-sweet melody; they just match so well while managing to still form quite an upbeat song.
"Like a merry-go-round, I'm going up; going down..."
I must also mention "Only You," a gorgeous song she sung as one half of the duo Yazoo (the other half being Vince Clarke, who wrote the song). There was also a famous cover by the group, The Flying Pickets, which was sung a capella, and is truly amazing. But I still prefer the original, because I adore Alison ♥
There are various versions; I like this orchestral one but there are more synth-based versions so I would give them a listen to as well.
I remember being set a task in art at high school; to produce a piece of art based on a piece of music; as Kandinsky did a lot. I chose this song, and my picture was a pastel drawing of circles and dots and swirls of pink and blue and red. I just find the sound so magical, yet peaceful. I love it. The bit where she sings, "And I need you..." and she sounds like she really means it. That's my favourite lyric.
So, I hope this has been nice for Alison Moyet fans to reminisce - and also to celebrate her, as she has until recently still been producing new material, so she is by no means a singer of the past. She is a singer of the past, present and maybe of the future - and certainly her songs are timeless and the themes in them - mainly different views on love - will always be relevant.
And if you are new to this singer and her music, I hope I have provided a good introduction to her, and that I have done her justice. The three songs I have chosen to highlight are only the tip of the iceberg; she has so much great music out there, so I recommend you have a listen and see what you think. You may find you have a new favourite singer.
I first heard someone singing it on Stars In Their Eyes, and I liked the song but could only ever remember the chorus as I had only heard the song that once.
A long time passed and I forgot about it, then I heard it on the radio and I loved it and I looked it up and found the video on YouTube.
And what a lovely video! I adore seeing musicians enjoying themselves in music videos; just having a laugh and making you, the viewer and listener, smile with them.
And it goes without saying that Alison's voice is just sensational.
A lovely song, an adorable singer and a band who look like they are a great lot to hang around with, judging from the video.
Long live Alison Moyet! She is just amazing.
I hope that you enjoy this song as much as I always have done.
