Main » The Key of Life
April 13, 2006
And You Give Yourself Away
 | U2 "With Or Without You" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: Forgetting for a moment that I like to mangle one of the lines in this song into "I can't live with or without chew" (an ode to the delights of chewing tobacco, perhaps?), I'm trying to come up with a playlist of Songs to Make Out To. I'm not sure this one qualifies (do I really want to be telling the object of my affection that I can't live WITH him?), so I need people to make some recommendations. Pleeeeeeeeeease.
See the stone set in your eyes
See the thorn twist in your side
I wait for you
Sleight of hand and twist of fate
On a bed of nails she makes me wait
And I wait without you
With or without you
With or without you
Through the storm we reach the shore
You give it all but I want more
And I'm waiting for you
With or without you
With or without you
I can't live
With or without you
And you give yourself away
And you give yourself away
And you give
And you give
And you give yourself away
My hands are tied
My body bruised, she's got me with
Nothing to win and
Nothing left to lose
And you give yourself away
And you give yourself away
And you give
And you give
And you give yourself away
With or without you
With or without you
I can't live
With or without you
April 03, 2006
Every Kiss Was Neverending
 | Beach Boys "Wouldn't It Be Nice" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: And there's a man who makes me think of him when I hear this song.
Wouldn't it be nice if we were older
Then we wouldn't have to wait so long
And wouldn't it be nice to live together
In the kind of world where we belong
You know it's gonna make it that much better
When we can say goodnight and stay together
Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up
In the morning when the day is new
And after having spent the day together
Hold each other close the whole night through
The happy times together we've been spending
I wish that every kiss was neverending
Oh wouldn't it be nice
Maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray it might come true
Baby then there wouldn't be a single thing we couldn't do
But we could be married
And then we'd be happy
Oh wouldn't it be nice
You know it seems the more we talk about it
It only makes it worse to live without it
But let's talk about it
Oh wouldn't it be nice
I Wouldn't Change a Single Thing
 | Coldplay "'Til Kingdom Come" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: Here's how lucky I am – there's a man who listens to this song and thinks of me.
Still my heart and hold my tongue
I feel my time, my time has come
Let me in, unlock the door
I never felt this way before
And the wheels just keep on turning
The drummer begins to drum
I don't know which way I'm going
I don't know which way I've come
Hold my head inside your hands
I need someone who understands
I need someone, someone who hears
For you, I've waited all these years
For you I'd wait 'til kingdom come
Until my day, my day is done
And say you'll come and set me free
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me
In your tears and in your blood
In your fire and in your flood
I hear you laugh, I heard you sing
I wouldn't change a single thing
And the wheels just keep on turning
The drummers begin to drum
I don't know which way I'm going
I don't know what I've become
For you I'd wait 'til kingdom come
Until my days, my days are done
Say you'll come and set me free
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me
March 30, 2006
Nobody Said It Was Easy
 | Coldplay "The Scientist" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: *sigh*
Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry
You don't know how lovely you are
I had to find you, tell you I need you
Tell you I set you apart
Tell me your secrets, and ask me your questions
Oh let's go back to the start
Running in circles, coming up tails
Heads on a science apart
Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Oh take me back to the start
I was just guessing at numbers and figures
Pulling your puzzles apart
Questions of science, science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart
Tell me you love me, come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start
Running in circles, chasing our tails
Coming back as we are
Nobody said it was easy
Oh it's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be so hard
I'm going back to the start
March 24, 2006
And All I Want You To Do
 | Smokey Robinson & The Miracles "You Really Got a Hold On Me" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: This is the one that would make me join you down by the ocean.
I don't like you
But I love you
Seems that I'm always
Thinkin' of you
Though you treat me badly
I love you madly
You really got a hold on me
I don't want you
But I need you
Don't wanna kiss you
But I need to
Though you do me wrong now
My love is strong now
You really got a hold on me
Baby, I love you
And all I want you to do
Is just
Hold me
Hold me
Hold me
Hold me
Tighter
Tighter
I wanna leave you
Don't wanna stay here
Don't wanna spend another day here
Though I wanna split now
I can't quit now
You really got a hold on me
Baby, I love you
And all I want you to do
Is just
Hold me (please)
Hold me (squeeze)
Hold me
Hold me
You really got a hold on me
March 21, 2006
These Words Hang Empty In the Air
 | Tones On Tail "Christian Says" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: I am disgustingly happy today. I don't really have a reason for posting this song, other than that I had uploaded it a few weeks ago then forgot about it, but I'm at work right now so I can't upload any songs to my site for posting. So this is what you get. Got that? Good. This is my favorite Tones On Tail song, even though "Go!" is more well known.
Christian says everyone's to love him
Christian says just let go
Christian says you can't be happy being this way
Christian says he'll never let you go
Christian says he can't let you, let you run free
'Cause Christian says he needs you so
In this age of frozen freaks
The only highs we get are low
In this age of cold relief
Brings only what a way to go
With the money in your pocket
You stay wise and always free
But with that money in your pocket
You've got nowhere to go
But baby, baby, baby wants an empire
Baby, baby, baby needs a real thief
'Cause baby, baby, baby wants an empire
Baby, baby, baby wants a real piece
These words hang empty in the air
The only sounds you speak are dumb
And I'm a vampire
In this age of golden grief
Your own reflection's on the blink
This burning issue won't cease
This burning issue's got to go
'Cause baby, baby, baby wants an empire
Baby, baby, baby wants a real thief
'Cause baby, baby, baby needs an empire
Baby, baby, baby wants a real piece
February 27, 2006
A Little Night Music
I used to be able to play Franz Schubert's "Musical Moment No. 3." I only wish I could ever have played one of Mozart's' most famous pieces (that you've undoubtably heard), "Eine Kleine Nachtmusic."
February 23, 2006
Classical Music Is Good, Yo
Did I ever mention that I am a classically-trained pianist?
Well I'm not. I'm a self-taught pianist, and today is part one (of an undetermined number of parts) in Classical Music I Used To Be Able To Play On the Piano (But Have Now Forgotten).
Let's start with what is probably the most well-known piece - "Fur Elise" by Ludwig Van Beethoven.
I'm also going to do Songs You've Heard Before But Just Didn't Know What They Were Called. First up - Boccherini's "Minuet".
February 16, 2006
I Became Chronologically Fucked Up
 | Tragically Hip "Locked In the Trunk of a Car" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: I was going to post a Tones on Tail song (and then tomorrow a Love and Rockets song), but now I don't wanna. So instead you're getting Das Hips. The Tragically Hip, a band that I used to lovvve in the mid- to late-90s. I haven't bothered with their last two releases because the lead singer, Gord Downie, has gone totally 'round the bend, but I still enjoy their earlier, classic stuff. Apparently the band released a greatest hits compilation - "Yer Favourites" - and despite the LAME LAME LAME title, it might be a disc worth getting. But anyway, I was having a hard time deciding between this track and "Gift Shop." I went with "Locked" because it's an interesting, foreboding kind of song, it has one of my favorite lines of any Hip song, and because I'd rather post a live version of "Gift Shop" at some point in the future.
They don't know how old I am
They found armour in my belly
From the 16th century, conquistador, I think
They don't know how old I am
They found armour in my belly
Passion out of machine-revving tension
Lashing out at machiine-revving tension
Brushing by the machine-revving tension
Morning broke out the back side of a truck stop
The end of a line, a real rainbow-likening luck stop
Where you could say I became chronologically fucked up
Put ten bucks in just to get the tank topped off
Then I found a place, it's dark and it's rotted
It's a cool, sweet kinda place
Where the copters won't spot it
And I destroyed the map, I even thought I forgot it
However every day I'm dumping the body
It'd be better for us if you don't understand
It'd be better for me if you don't understand
And I found a place it's dark and it's rotted
It's a cool, sweet kinda place
Where the copters won't spot it
And I destroyed the map, that I can't believe dotted
However every day I'm dumping the body
It'd be better for us if you don't understand
It'd be better for us if you don't understand
It'd be better for me if you don't understand
Let me out...
February 10, 2006
Fear Gives Courage Wings
 | Bauhaus "Spirit" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: I was pretty obsessed with the Holy Triumverate of Bauhaus/Tones on Tail/Love and Rockets when I was a teenager. I first got into Bauhaus courtesy of my older brother (OK, so I stole his Burning from the Inside album - I can admit it now). While most goth girls glommed onto singer Peter Murphy as their crush, I went for Daniel Ash, the guitarist. When my friend Angela and I went to a Love and Rockets show when I was 16, we couldn't stop staring at his package (he was wearing illegally tight white jeans). Anyway, I've been listening to Bauhaus' "Lagartija Nick" at the gym for awhile, so I was going to post that song, but once I ripped the CD it was on I realized that I'd rather post "Spirit." However, I almost posted "Slice of Life" instead, since it has my beloved Daniel Ash doing vocals.
Tonight
I could
Be with you
Tonight I could be with you
Or waiting in the wings
Lift your heart with soaring song
Cut down the puppet strings
Cut down the puppet strings
I wear a coat of drums
And dance upon your eyes
Turn the tables upside down
Change the lows to highs
Change the lows to highs
I fill you up with butterflies
Crown the heads of kings
Be glad of first night nerves
For fear gives courage wings
Fear gives courage wings
If I am on the sidelines
Chances are you'll miss
Wait alone and spotlit
For Doctor Theatre's kiss
The stage becomes a ship in flames
I tie you to the mast
Throw your body overboard
The spotlight doesn't last
The spotlight doesn't last
I could be with you
Or waiting in the wings
Lift your heart with soaring song
Cut down the puppet strings
Cut down the puppet strings
I may tap you on the shoulder
And whisper "go" in red
Strip your feet of lead, my friend
Strip your feet of lead
Call the curtain
Raise the roof
Call the curtain
Spirits on tonight
I could be with you
Or waiting in the wings
Call the curtain
Raise the roof
Spirits on tonight
(We love our audience)
January 30, 2006
My Stubborn Will Is Learning to Bend
 | Kendall Payne "Scratch" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: This song was featured at the end of last night's episode of Grey's Anatomy. I need to write a fan letter to the music supervisor for that show, because they consistently pick really wonderful songs by artists I've never heard of (as well as cribbing a Psychedelic Furs lyrice - Into you like a train - for an episode title). I'm not sure who Kendall Payne is, exactly, but she reminds me quite a bit of Heather Nova. ETA: Now that I've listened to this a few times, she reminds me so, SO much of Shawn Colvin. She even looks a little bit like Shawn.
It's a big girl world now
Full of big girl things
And everyday I wish I was small
I've been counting on nothing
But he keeps giving me his word
And I am tired of hearing myself speak
Do you get weary?
Do you ever get weak?
How do you dream
When you can't fall asleep?
I've been wondering what you're thinking
And if you like my dress tonight
Would you still say you love me
Under this ordinary moonlight
I'm so afraid of what you'll say
I'd like to know if you'd be open
To starting over from scratch
I'd like to know if you'd be open
To giving me a second chance
I used to think I was special
And only I have proved me wrong
I thought I could change
The world with a song
But I have ended up in India
With no lamp to guide me home
The strangest place I think
I have ever been
And all this time
I thought that we were friends
My stubborn will is learning to bend
I'd like to know if you'd be open
To starting over from scratch
I'd like to know if you'd be open
To giving me a second chance
It's a big girl world now
Full of big girl things
January 18, 2006
It's Only Once We Pass This Way
 | Sting "Spread a Little Happiness" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: It's a great day, people!
Even when the darkest clouds are in the sky
You mustn't sigh and you mustn't cry
Spread a little happiness as you go by
Please try
What's the use of worrying and feeling blue?
When days are long keep on smiling through
Spread a little happiness 'til dreams come true
Surely you'll be wise to make the best of every blues day
Don't you realize you'll find next Monday or next Tuesday
Your golden shoes day
Even when the darkest clouds are in the sky
You mustn't sigh and you mustn't cry
Spread a little happiness as you go by
I've got a creed for every need
So easy that it must succeed
I'll set it down for you to read
So please, take heed
Keep out the gloom
Let in the sun
That's my advice for everyone
It's only once we pass this way
So day by day
January 16, 2006
Won't You Be My Solid Ground?
 | The Perishers "Sway (live)" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: I'm still in love with this band. This is a live track from the band's live release on iTunes (the Buy link above goes to a player on the band's website that let's you listen to all of the tracks). This track was apparently featured on an episode of Veronica Mars. I love the chorus of this song, especially the sentiment of asking someone to be your "solid ground."
I talk to you as to a friend
I hope that's what you've come to be
It feels as though we've made amends
Like we found a way eventually
It was you who picked the pieces up
When I was a broken soul
And then glued me back together
Returned to me what others stole
I don't wanna hurt you
I don't wanna make you sway
Like I know I've done before
I will not do it anymore
I've always been a dreamer
I've had my head among the clouds
Now that I'm coming down
Won't you be my solid ground?
I look at you and see a friend
I hope that's what you wanna be
Are we back now where it all began?
Have you finally forgiven me?
You gathered my dreams in
When they all blew away
And then tricked them back into me
You saved me I was almost dead
January 12, 2006
My Heart, Part II
A few days ago I posted a song by the Perishers, "My Heart," I mentioned uploading two other versions of the song. So here you go:
The Perishers - My Heart (live) – I like this version the best. It's more uptempo than the studio version and highlights the singer's voice even better.
The Perishers - My Heart (Acoustic Version) – I love acoustic versions of songs anyway, but the vocal on this track makes me want to listen to it forever.
January 10, 2006
It's My Heart You're Taking
| The Perishers "My Heart" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: You know how the other day I was talking about my Pandora station, and how I really liked a few of the songs and planned on seeking out more from the bands in question? Well I did. I checked out The Perishers and they are going to be my new obsession. They're from Sweden and I'm totally in love with the singer's voice. I downloaded a few tracks from their CD Let There Be Morning (sorry, band), and liked them so much that I bought six more songs from the band's live release on iTunes. "My Heart" is, so far, my favorite song. The track I'm putting up today is the studio version; I'll post the live version in the next few days. The live version is even better, which is one of the reasons I'm really liking this band - they've got amazing musicianship even without the benefits of all the bells and whistles of production.
It's my heart you're stealing
It's my heart you take
It's my heart you're dealing with
And it's my heart you'll break
It's my heart you're taking
It's breaking bit by bit
It's my heart you're dealing with
But you don't know about it
If you'd feel like I feel
And if you'd know what I know
I don't think you'd ever play me
I know you'd never play me
January 09, 2006
You Are Everything I Wanted
 | Cary Brothers "Ride" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: I first heard Cary Brothers on my Pandora station (more on that later), with the song "Wasted One." From the start I really liked his voice, and there's something about his style of guitar playing that reminds me of another musician, but I can't place who it is. So I bought this EP, Waiting for Your Letter, from iTunes and haven't stopped listening to it. "Ride" has become my favorite track (mostly on the strength of the guitar), although "Forget About You" is a close second. iTunes classifies Cary Brothers as folk, but I'd have to disagree. I think he's more of a combination of Pete Yorn (whom I also love) and Low Millions, with a little Nick Drake thrown in. His lyricism has been compared to Glen Phillips (ex-Toad frontman, whom I still love and adore) and I can get on board with that assessment. I also like this guy because he rocks the scruff while wearing a Wilco t-shirt. Yum.
You are everything I wanted
The scars of all I'll ever know
If I told you you were right
Would you take my hand tonight?
If I told you the reasons why
Would you leave your life and ride?
And ride…
You saw all my pieces broken
This darkness that I could never show
If I told you you were right
Would you take my hand tonight?
If I told you the reasons why
Would you leave your life and ride?
And ride…
January 05, 2006
Why Do You Sing With Me At All?
 | Damien Rice "Delicate" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: This song is just so beautiful.
We might kiss when we are alone
When nobody's watching
We might take it home
We might make out when nobody's there
It's not that we're scared
It's just that it's delicate
So why do you fill my sorrows
With the words you've borrowed
From the only place you've known
And why do you sing Hallelujah
If it means nothing to you
Why do you sing with me at all?
We might live like never before
When there's nothing to give
Well how can we ask for more?
We might make love in some sacred place
The look on your face is delicate
So why do you fill my sorrow
With the words you've borrowed
From the only place you've known
And why do you sing Hallelujah
If it means nothing to you
Why do you sing with me at all?
December 29, 2005
I Know Your Answer Already
 | Sinead O'Connor "The Last Day Of Our Acquaintance" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: I'm amazed at how well this CD, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, has stood up, despite being 15 years old. Say what you will about O'Connor's politics, or lack of appropriate respect for some religions – the woman is an excellent lyricist and an absolutely beautiful singer. Her lyrics evoke images and feelings that are breathtakingly vivid in their candor. How many people would write about feeling a little bit glad that their mother is dead ("You Cause As Much Sorrow")? Rappy and I were playing around on Pandora.com this afternoon and she mentioned adding O'Connor to her station and then getting her favorite song ("Three Babies") right away on her playlist. I like that track a lot, but my own favorites include "The Emperor's New Clothes" (How could I possibly know what I want when I was only 21?), "Black Boys On Mopeds" (These are dangerous days, to say what you feel is to dig your own grave.), and this track. I could listen to "The Last Day Of Our Acquaintance" every day and never get tired of it. It begins with a cowled whisper and ends with a triumphant scream. The death of a relationship has never sounded as simultaneously gutwrenching and life-affirming.
This is the last day of our acquaintance
I will meet you later in somebody's office
I'll talk but you won't listen to me
I know what your answer will be
I know you don't love me anymore
You used to hold my hand when the plane took off
Two years ago there just seemed so much more
And I don't know what happened to our love
Today's the day
Our friendship has been stale
And we will meet later to finalise the details
Two years ago the seed was planted
And since then you have taken me for granted
But this is the last day of our acquaintance
I will meet you later in somebody's office
I'll talk but you won't listen to me
I know your answer already
This is the last day of our acquaintance
I will meet you later in somebody's office
I'll talk but you won't listen to me
I know your answer already
I know your answer already
I know your answer already
December 23, 2005
Nothing Else to Chance Again
 | Badly Drawn Boy "Something to Talk About" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: I can't stop listening to this song. I watched About a Boy this morning and was instantly hooked by this, the ostensible theme song from the movie. The entire soundtrack is music from Badly Drawn Boy; I have a feeling that this soundtrack is going to be my next CD/iTunes purchase.
I've been dreaming
Of the things I've learnt
About a boy who's bleeding
Celebrate to elevate
The joy is not the same without the pain
Ipso facto
Using up your oxygen
You know I'm shallow
Calling out for extra help
You've got to let me in
Or let me out
Something to talk about
Something to talk about
I've been dreaming
Of the things I learnt
About a boy who's leaving
Nothing else to chance again
You've got to let me in
Or let me out
Something to talk about
Something to talk about
December 20, 2005
Do You Want Me Now?
 | Freedy Johnston "Bad Reputation" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: Continuing on with selections from my Desert Island Discs we have "Bad Reputation," the first (and perhaps only) single from Freedy Johnston's This Perfect World. Johnston is a singer-songwriter from the midwest, and this is my favorite of his releases. It's not what I would call "rocking"; it's a bit folkish and mellow overall. If I had to pick just one word to describe it I'd use pleasant, and I mean that in the best way possible. The most interesting thing to me about this CD is that I totally identify it with living in Norfolk, VA. Whenever I hear any of the songs, I can picture driving on the 64. For whatever reason, this is one of the strongest associations I have between a place and music. This is my favorite song on the CD; I love the lyrics (actually the lyrics are phenomenal through the whole disc), but especially the repetition of the line "Do you want me now?" Sometimes it sounds like a plea, but other times it sounds like a command. "Can't Sink This Town" and "Evie's Tears" are also excellent songs.
I know I got a bad reputation
And it isn't just talk, talk, talk
If I could only give you everything
You know I haven't got
I couldn't have one conversation
If it wasn't for the lies, lies, lies
And still I want to tell you everything
'Til I close my eyes
Suddenly I'm on the street
Seven years disappear below my feet
Been breaking down
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Suddenly I'm down in Harold's Square
Looking in the crowd, your face is everywhere
Been turning around
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Don't try to be an inspiration
Just wasting your time, time, time
You know about the best I'll ever be
See it in your eyes
I know I got a bad reputation
And it isn't just talk, talk, talk
If I could only give you everything
You know I haven't got
Suddenly I'm on the street
Seven years disappear below my feet
Been breaking down
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Suddenly I'm in another place
Looking in the crowd I think I see your face
Been turning around
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Don't you think I've heard the talk?
Nobody's gonna to tell me who to love
Been breaking down
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Suddenly I'm down on Harold's Square
Looking in the crowd, your face is everywhere
Just turning around
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Been breaking down
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
December 15, 2005
It Looked Much Better From Afar
 | Gin Blossoms "Pieces of the Night" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: New Miserable Experience is in permanent residence as one of my ten Desert Island Discs; it's 11 songs of sheer bliss (with one ending song that I just cannot listen to at all; I mean, seriously - what the hell is that? If you listen to the clips on the Amazon/Buy link, stop short of track 12). There are so many great songs on this CD, including the popular singles "Hey Jealousy," "Mrs. Rita," Allison Road" and "Found Out About You." All are good, but I find myself liking some of the lesser-known tracks - "29," "Lost Horizons," and this track - even better. The Gin Blossoms haven't been relevant in the record industry for years, but they reformed last year and played a concert down in St. Petersburg this summer. I went and loved every single second of it. Call me, Robin!
Well is it any wonder
That the stars just don't rush by
When you're only doin' 60
Through this oh-so-vacant night
But it's lacking something big this time
What the hell did you expect to find?
Aphrodite on a barstool by your side
Twelfth night we go
After something everyone should know
Somewhere in the distance out of sight
Then I saw
Gin mill, rainfall
What do you remember, if at all?
Only pieces of the night
And is it any wonder
In the middle of the crowd
If you let your feet get trampled on
When the music is that loud
But you wanted to be where you are
But it looked much better from afar
A hillside in shadow
Between the people and the stars
Twelfth night we go
After something everyone should know
Somewhere in the distance out of sight
Then I saw
Gin mill, rainfall
What do you remember, if at all?
Only pieces of the night
And it seems so distant
But still only half the night away
Where notions between your questions come too
Is it any wonder where
The pieces of the night have been?
December 10, 2005
Paid Ag Ofni, Dim Ond Deilen
 | Empire of the Sun Soundtrack "Suo Gan" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: In my opinion, this is one of the best soundtracks that John Williams ever composed, right up there with the score for Schindler's List (my holy triumverate of instrumental soundtracks is rounded out by James Horner's work on Glory). I saw Empire of the Sun in the theater with my dad, and I was transfixed by the performance of the kid who played Jim, the main character - an unknown British actor named Christian Bale. This song - performed by the Ambrosian Singers boys choir - opens the movie; it is a traditional Welsh lullaby. I remember at the time thinking it was unspeakably, hauntingly beautiful, and all these years later I haven't changed my mind.
Hunan blentyn, ar fy mynwes
Clyd a chynnes ydyw hon
Breichiau mam sy'n dyn amdanat
Cariad mam sy dan fy mron
Ni chaiff dim amharu'th gyntun
Ni wna undyn a thi gam
Huna'n dawel, annwyl blentyn
Huna'n fwyn ar fron dy fam
Paid ag ofni, dim ond deilen
Gura, gura ar y ddor
Paid ag ofni ton fach unig
Sua, sua ar lan y mor
Huna blentyn nid oes yma
Ddim i roddi iti fraw
Gwena'n dawel ar fy mynwes
Ar yr engyl gwynion draw
December 08, 2005
I Wouldn't Say It If I Didn't Mean It
 | Lloyd Cole & The Commotions "Lost Weekend" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: I could go for a lost weekend in a hotel in Amsterdamn RIGHT NOW. But anyway ... when I was a teenager, I loved this song, and I loved Lloyd Cole. Lloyd Cole was dark, brooding, and gorgeous - the perfect tortured artiste for a teenage girl (the best way to understand the impact of Lloyd Cole is to watch the "Perfect Skin" video - "cheekbones like geometry" indeed). At the time I just thought this song was a man waking up to find his lover had left him. But now, after reading the lyrics, I'm convinced that this song is really a political statement about pharmeceutical companies charging exorbitant rates for their drugs ("The sickest joke was the price of the medicine"). What else could it be about?
It took a lost weekend in a hotel in Amsterdam
And double pneumonia in a single room
And the sickest joke was the price of the medicine
Are you laughing at me now?
May I please laugh along with you
This morning I woke up from a deep unquiet sleep
With ashtray clothes and Miss Lonelyheart's pen
With which I wrote for you a love song
In tattoo upon my palm
'Twas stolen from me when Jesus took my hand
You see I
I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it
Drop me and I fall to pieces
So easily
I was a king bee with a head full of attitude
Wore my heart on my sleeve like a stain
And my aim was taboo - you
Could we meet in the marketplace?
Did I ever hey please
Did you wound my knees
You see I
I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it
Drop me and I fall to pieces, yeah
Too easy
There's nobody else to blame
I hang my head in a crying shame
There's nobody else to blame
Nobody else except my sweet self, again
It took a lost weekend in a hotel in Amsterdam
Twenty-four gone years to conclude in tears
That the sickest joke was the price of the medicine
Are you laughing at me now?
May I please laugh along
I was a king bee with a head full of attitude
And ashtray heart on my sleeve, wounded knees
And my one love song
Was a tattoo upon my palm
You wrote upon me when you took my hand
You see I
I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it
Drop me and I'll fall to pieces
Too easily
November 18, 2005
Nothing's Gonna Change My World
 | Beatles "Across the Universe" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: My love for the Beatles tends towards their earlier, pre-hashish years, although for the most part it's all good. I'm just saying that I'd take "Ticket To Ride" over "I Am the Walrus" pretty much any day. I heard Fiona Apple's cover of this song, which only made me yearn to hear the original. Full disclosure - when I was a kid, I thought John was singing "Jackaroo Day, uh" instead of "Jai guru de va." And I thought that was SO COOL.
Words are flowing out
Like endless rain into a paper cup
They slither while they pass
They slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy
Are drifting through my opened mind
Possessing and caressing me
Jai guru de va om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Images of broken light
Which dance before me like a million eyes
They call me on and on
Across the universe
Thoughts meander like a restless wind
Inside a letter box they
Tumble blindly as they make their way
Across the universe
Jai guru de va om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Sounds of laughter, shades of earth
Are ringing through my open ears
Inciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love
Which shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on
Across the universe
Jai guru de va om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
November 17, 2005
Could My Eyelids Cover What I Did?
 | Buffalo Tom "Sodajerk" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: I can't say that I was ever a big Buffalo Tom - I only have one of their CDs, Big Red Letter Day - but I have always loved this song. For a long time I never knew what the lyrics were, so it was the music that really appealed to me. It's all jangly guitars. I remember being shocked (and a little disappointed) when I was watching T.V. one day and the intro to this song started playing behind a Nike commercial. Heh, apparently it was also used in a Pontiac commercial. SELLOUTS! *smirk* Although I guess they win their cool points back by having appeared in an episode of My So Called Life. So good for them.
Watch an eyeball
Take a free fall
At the mention of the name
In its socket
Like a rocket
Rises just the same
Could my eyelids
Cover what I did?
Shuttin' of the door
Could these ceilings
Contain my feelings?
Me down on the floor
Jerk my fountain
Ice cream mountains
I suppose I'm just too late
Form a line here
Think I'll die here
These people nauseate me
But if my patience
Were a spaceship
High up in orbit
I would rise here
Hypnotized here
Risen from where I sit
A solid angle
My legs do dangle
Off the counter's edge
Soft words spoken
Promises broken
I close my eyes instead
But could my eyelids
Cover what I did?
The shuttin' of the door
Could these ceilings
Contain my feelings?
Me down on the floor
Me down on the floor
Me down on the floor
Me down on the floor
November 16, 2005
We Have Never Been Satisfied
 | Ash "Burn Baby Burn" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: So I was at the gym this morning (third day in a row - what is wrong with me?) and in the middle of my ellipticalling I felt like GIVING UP. Because I had set the incline on 8 and my quadriceps were about to stage a revolt. But I was able to press on. Why? Because Aaaaaaaaash started playing on my mp3 player. How could I possibly stop when a song called "Burn Baby Burn" was playing?
You're all I have in this teenage twilight
Your golden hair and pale blue eyes
But through all the days and the sleepless nights
We have never been satisfied
Tumbling like the leaves
Yeah we are spiralling on the breeze
Almost to the point of no return
Everything will burn baby burn
Look into my tired eyes
See someone you don't recognize
Binds that can't be untied
Oh this is slow suicide
Feelings that I can't disguise
And later we’ll be reconciled
Oh but something inside has died
You walk like you're in a daze
Unresponsive eyes in a distant gaze
Like all the good times have flown away
And the memory leaves a bitter taste
Tumbling like the leaves
Yeah we are spiralling on the breeze
Destructive love is all we have
Destructive love is all I am
Look into my tired eyes
See someone you don't recognize
Binds that can't be untied
Oh this is slow suicide
Feelings that I can't disguise
And never will be reconciled
Oh something inside has died
Vicious, bitter words
Becoming more and more cruel
But you always take me back
And let me lick your wounds
Tumbling like the leaves
Yeah we are spiralling on the breeze
Almost to the point of no return
Everything will burn baby burn
Look into my tired eyes
See someone you don't recognise
Binds that can't be untied
Oh this is slow suicide
Feelings that I can't disguise
We're living in a compromise
Oh but something inside has died
November 14, 2005
Keeps Spiders In Her Pocket
 | Sugarcubes "Birthday" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: Let me first say that I'm not really a Sugarcubes fan, and I think Bjork is kind of freaky. However, I've always liked this song, even if I have no idea whatsoever what it's about. This is one of those songs where I try to ignore the lyrics and just enjoy the music (especially the opening guitar line).
She lives in this house over there
Has her world outside it
Scrapples in the earth with her fingers and her mouth
She's five years old
Threads worms on a string
Keeps spiders in her pocket
Collects fly-wings in a jar
Scrubs horse-flies and pinches them on a line
She has one friend, he lives next door
They're listening to the weather
He knows how many freckles she's got
She scratches his beard
She's painting huge spoons
And glues them together
They saw a big raven
It glided down the sky, she touched it
Today is her birthday
They're smoking cigars
He's got a chain of flowers
And sews a bird in her knickers
They're smoking cigars
They lie in the bathtub
A chain of flowers
November 13, 2005
There's An Army On the Dance Floor
 | Psychedelic Furs "Love My Way" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: I was wanting to listen to a little Psych Furs tonight, but when it came time to decide which track to put up on the site I had a hard time deciding. So many good - yet tragically underrated - songs. I was going to go with the song almost everyone knows, "Pretty In Pink" but then stepped off that idea because, well, everyone already knows it. And a lot of people are going to know this song as well, but I chose it because it conveys a very specific mood for me. "Love My Way" is a song that my friends and I used to request whenever we'd go out clubbing. You could say it was the theme song for a pack of willfully misunderstood adolescents.
There's an army on the dance floor
It's a fashion with a gun, my love
In a room without a door
A kiss is not enough, in ...
Love my way
It's a new road
I follow
Where my mind goes
They'd put us on a railroad
They'd dearly make us pay
For laughing in their faces
And making it our way
There's emptiness behind their eyes
There's dust in all their hearts
They just want to steal us all
And take us all apart
But not in ...
Love my way
It's a new road
I follow
Where my mind goes
So swallow all your tears my love
And put on your new face
You can never win or lose
If you don't run the race
November 11, 2005
One Kick's As Good As Another
 | Franz Ferdinand "This Boy" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: This song is 2:21 of rollicking good fun. The single "Do You Want To?" is more popular, but this is the song I take with me to the gym. This is also the only song I can recall that makes reference to "Echinacea." That takes talent.
It seems this boy's bathed in ridicule
Too forward, way too physical
It's time that I had another
I'm always wanting more if there's another one
Give me some more, I'll have another one
I'll have a slice of your mother
And this boy's so spectacular
Not a boy, but a wealthy bachelor
I want a car
I want a car
I see losers losing everywhere
If I lose it'll only be the damn I give for another
I am complete, invincible
If I have one principle
Then it's to stand on you, brother
This boy is so spectacular
Not a boy, but a wealthy bachelor
I want a car
I want a car
If I like cocaine I'm racing you
For organic fresh Echinacea
One kick's as good as another
If I'm tired, I'm tired of telling you
I'm never tired, I'm always better than you
Bye boy, run to your mother
This boy is so spectacular
Not a boy, but a wealthy bachelor
I want a car
I want a car
October 31, 2005
It's the Same In the Whole Wide World
 | Ministry "Everyday Is Halloween" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: Oh how I used to love this song when I was a teenage goth club kid.
Well I live with snakes and lizards
And other things that go bump in the night
And to me every day is Halloween
I've given up hiding and started to fight
I have started to fight
Well any time, any place, anywhere that I go
All the people seem to stop and stare
They say, 'Why are you dressed like it's Halloween?
You look so absurd, you look so obscene.'
Why can't I live a life for me?
Why should I take the abuse that's served?
Why can't they see they're just like me?
It's the same, it's the same in the whole wide world
Well I let their teeny minds think
That they're dealing with someone who is over the brink
And I dress this way just to keep them at bay
'Cause Halloween is every day
It's every day
Why can't I live a life for me?
Why should I take the abuse that's served?
Why can't they see they're just like me?
It's the same, it's the same in the whole wide world
Why can't I live a life for me?
Why should I take the abuse that's served?
Why can't they see they're just like me?
I'm not the one that's so absurd
Why hide it?
Why fight it?
Hurt feelings
Best to stop feeling hurt
From denials, reprisals
It's the same it's the same in the whole wide world
October 27, 2005
Whatever Happens Will Be
 | Toad the Wet Sprocket "All I Want" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: I may lose some of my hipster cred by posting this song, but I don't really caaaaaaaare. Because I love(d) Toad the Wet Sprocket. There, I said it. Toad never, ever let me down. You know how you sometimes buy a release from a band you like, and it's so far from how they normally sound that you end up disappointed (Exhibit No. 1 - Radiohead's Kid A)? Well Toad never did that to me. Every time I bought a Toad CD I could count on liking it, because their sound was mostly the same. Some people would call that a boring predictability, but I appreciated the band's consistency. And I was always in love with singer Glen Phillips (then and now) and his pretty voice, even when he strains to hit the high notes in this song.
Nothing's so loud
As hearing when we lie
The truth is not kind
And you've said neither am I
And the air outside so soft
Is saying everything
Everything
All I want is to feel this way
To be this close, to feel the same
All I want is to feel this way
The evening speaks, feel it say...
Nothing's so cold
As closing the heart when all we need
Is to free the soul
But we wouldn't be that brave I know
And the air outside so soft
Confessing everything
Everything
And it won't matter now
Whatever happens will be
Though the air speaks of all we'll never be
It won't trouble me
And it feels so close
Let it take me in
Let it hold me so
I can feel it say...
October 20, 2005
Nobody Knows Me As Well As You Do
 | Depeche Mode "Shake the Disease" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: Apparently, Depeche Mode just released a new CD. Unfortunately, I still like their old stuff the best.
I'm not going down on my knees
Begging you to adore me
Can't you see it's misery
And torture for me
When I'm misunderstood
Try as hard as you can, I've tried as hard as I could
To make you see
How important it is for me
Here is a plea
From my heart to you
Nobody knows me
As well as you do
You know how hard it is for me
To shake the disease
That takes hold of my tongue
In situations like these
Understand me
Some people have to be
Permanently together
Lovers devoted to
Each other forever
Now I've got things to do
And I've said before that I know you have too
When I'm not there
In spirit I'll be there
Here is a plea
From my heart to you
Nobody knows me
As well as you do
You know how hard it is for me
To shake the disease
That takes hold of my tongue
In situations like these
Understand me
October 13, 2005
I Cannot Follow Your Disguise
 | Treble Charger "Friend of Mine" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: By special request just for youuuuuu, Austin.
Funny tortured mind
It happens all the time
It's not too encouraging
You never prayed for anything
What makes you so great
Something I would indicate
The lamest stand
The strongest can't help the similiarties
Doesn't seem at all severe
Is it fair now? Does it matter?
Backwards through another year
I'll come down soon
Don't tell me what to do
I'll make no claim on your design
I will not call you a friend of mine
I cannot follow your disguise
I will not
I will not
I'm not sure what you say
Makes any difference anwyay
Tell me what you mean
With any hope of coming clean
It's brought to you too late now
But I appreciate
The never-ending saying that
We've had days like this before
I'll make no claim on your design
I will not call you a friend of mine
I cannot follow your disguise
I will not
I will not
September 30, 2005
Slow Change May Pull Us Apart
 | Simple Minds "Don't You (Forget About Me)" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: God, I loved the movie The Breakfast Club. My friends and I all identified with the Ally Sheedy character, PRE-makeover. That part of the ending was so disappointing in a way; only when she changes herself does she get the guy. Whatever, John Hughes! Anyway, this song is appropriate considering I'll be gone for the next week traipsing through the Southwest. I won't be able to update this site, and the Audiograbber thing no longer works, so ... see you in 10 days or so. Ignore the comment spammers whenever they inevitably come. Oh, and anyone who wants a postcard has until 8 p.m. ET to send their address to me.
Won't you come see about me?
I'll be alone, dancing you know it baby
Tell me your troubles and doubts
Giving me everything inside and out and
Love's strange so real in the dark
Think of the tender things
That we were working on
Slow change may pull us apart
When the light gets into your heart, baby
Don't you forget about me
Don't don't don't don't
Don't you forget about me
Will you stand above me?
Look my way, will you never love me?
Rain keeps falling, rain keeps falling
Down, down, down
Will you recognise me?
Call my name or walk on by
Rain keeps falling, rain keeps falling
Down, down, down, down
Don't you try and pretend
It's my feeling we'll win in the end
I won't harm you or touch your defenses
Vanity, insecurity
Don't you forget about me
I'll be alone, dancing you know it baby
Going to take you apart
I'll put us back together at heart, baby
Don't you forget about me
Don't don't don't don't
Don't you forget about me
As you walk on by
Will you call my name?
As you walk on by
Will you call my name?
When you walk away
Or will you walk away?
Will you walk on by?
Come on - call my name
Will you call my name?
September 26, 2005
He Says All the Right Things
 | Vertical Horizon "Everything You Want" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: I do realize that liking this song probably makes me hopelessly uncool, but I don't care. I like it, dammit! I don't even care that it's Christian rock. Plus, I needed a band name that started with V to help round out my music archive.
Somewhere there's speaking
It's already coming in
Oh and it's rising at the back of your mind
You never could get it
Unless you were fed it
Now you're here and you don't know why
But under skinned knees and the skid marks
Past the places where you used to learn
You howl and listen
Listen and wait for the
Echoes of angels that won't return
He's everything you want
He's everything you need
He's everything inside of you
That you wish you could be
He says all the right things
At exactly the right time
But he means nothing to you
And you don't know why
You're waiting for someone
To put you together
You're waiting for someone to push you away
There's always another wound to discover
There's always something more you wish he'd say
He's everything you want
He's everything you need
He's everything inside of you
That you wish you could be
He says all the right things
At exactly the right time
But he means nothing to you
And you don't know why
But you'll just sit tight
And watch it unwind
It's only what you're asking for
And you'll be just fine
With all of your time
It's only what you're waiting for
Out of the island
Into the highway
Past the places where you might have turned
You never did notice
But you still hide away
The anger of angels that won't return
He's everything you want
He's everything you need
He's everything inside of you
That you wish you could be
He says all the right things
At exactly the right time
But he means nothing to you
And you don't know why
I am everything you want
I am everything you need
I am everything inside of you
That you wish you could be
I say all the right things
At exactly the right time
But I mean nothing to you
And I don't know why
And I don't know why
Why
I don't know
September 24, 2005
Others Lie, Lie, Lie
 | Guster "Careful" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: I've kind of decided that I really don't want to get married. At least to anyone available to me at this point. But maybe I'll meet this charming man sometime during 2006 and life will be peachy and swell despite my plans and intentions. I just hope his name is Declan. Oh, and also? My air conditioner broke last night and it's currently 85 degrees in my apartment. Guster is the only thing keeping me going.
And you walked out
When I asked you to stay
As usual you will get your way
You closed the door
And stumbled down to the street
Where you wring your hands
And you drag your feet there
Where the words can't find you
To crawl inside you
I'm ringing all the warning bells
Careful or you'll hurt yourself
Others lie, lie, lie
They adore you
I'll be the one to tell
Careful or you'll hurt yourself
Gonna try, try, try
'Til the morning comes
But you can't hide
Standing under these stars
They know everything
They know where you are
You're in your head
You're all turned around with it
And they're shining down their light
To bring you back again
Back where I can find you
To crawl inside you
I'm ringing all the warning bells
Careful or you'll hurt yourself
Others lie, lie, lie
They adore you
I'll be the one to tell
Careful or you'll hurt yourself
Gonna try, try, try
'Til the morning
All you want to see
Is make believe
It's nothing
But way down underneath
I'm ringing all the warning bells
Careful you don't hurt yourself
Others lie, lie, lie
They adore you
I'll be the one to tell you
Careful or you'll hurt yourself
Gonna try, try, try
'Til the morning comes
September 23, 2005
I've Been Spurred
 | Paul Westerberg "Waiting For Somebody" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: In keeping with the I WILL GET ENGAGED IN 2006 EVEN IF IT KILLS ME OR SOMEONE LIKE ME kick, here's a hopelessly hopeful little paen to solitude by the former frontman of one of my adolescently favorite bands, The Replacements.
All my life
Waiting for somebody
Come and take my hand
All my life
Waiting for somebody
Whoa, yeah
Been down so long
Doesn’t really matter
This downtown home
Been kicked and I’ve been spurred
You comin' along?
It does’t really matter
I go it alone
Doesn’t even hurt
All my life
Waiting for somebody
Whoa, yeah
All my life
Waiting on somebody
Ooh, yeah
I’m waitin' for the day
Waitin' for the day
That you come my way
I know down deep
I made a big decision
I'm going to sleep
I'm going there alone
I know damn well
I'm tired of all this cryin'
On my feet as far as I can tell
I'm waitin' for the day
Waitin' for the day
That you come my way
Somebody
Somebody
Somebody
Somebody
Waitin' for somebody
Waitin' for somebody
I'm waitin' for somebody
All my life
September 20, 2005
Aren't You Such a Catch?
 | OK Go "Get Over It" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: I don't know anything about this band, and I'm apparently three years too late to this party (the song was released in 2002), but that's just my way - hopping on the bandwagon long after it has sailed. My friend Jake had an evisceral, negative reaction to this song after I told him I liked it; thus its inclusion on my site.
Lot of knots, lot of snags
Lot of holes, lot of cracks lot of crags
Lot of naggin' old hags
Lot of fools, lot of fool scumbags
Oh it's such a drag, what a chore
Oh your wounds are full of salt
Everything's a stress and what's more
Well it's all somebody's fault
Hey! Get over it!
Makes you sick, makes you ill
Makes you cheat, slipping change from the till
Had it up to the gills, makes you cry
While the milk still spills
Ain't it just a bitch? What a pain
Well it's all a crying shame
What left to do but complain
You better find someone to blame
Hey! Get over it!
Got a job, got a life
Got a four-door and a faithless wife
Got those nice copper pipes
Got an ex, got a room for the night
Aren't you such a catch? What a prize!
Got a body like a battle axe
Love that perfect frown, honest eyes
We ought to buy you a Cadillac
Hey! Get over it!
August 30, 2005
My Fist Got Hard
 | Johnny Cash "A Boy Named Sue" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: This is for Randomben, future producer of the direct-to-DVD release Grannies & Trannies (Vol. I).
My daddy left home when I was three
And he didn't leave much to ma and me
Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze
Now, I don't blame him cause he run and hid
But the meanest thing that he ever did
Was before he left, he went and named me "Sue"
Well, he must o' thought that is quite a joke
And it got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk
It seems I had to fight my whole life through
Some gal would giggle and I'd get red
And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head
I tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named "Sue"
Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean
My fist got hard and my wits got keen
I'd roam from town to town to hide my shame
But I made a vow to the moon and stars
That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars
And kill that man who gave me that awful name
Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
And I just hit town and my throat was dry
I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew
At an old saloon on a street of mud
There at a table, dealing stud
Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me "Sue"
Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
From a worn-out picture that my mother'd had
And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye
He was big and bent and gray and old
And I looked at him and my blood ran cold
And I said: "My name is 'Sue!' How do you do!
Now you're gonna die!!"
Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes
And he went down, but to my surprise
He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear
But I busted a chair right across his teeth
And we crashed through the wall and into the street
Kicking and a' gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer
I tell ya, I've fought tougher men
But I really can't remember when
He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile
I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss
He went for his gun and I pulled mine first
He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile
And he said: "Son, this world is rough
And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough
And I knew I wouldn't be there to help ya along
So I give ya that name and I said goodbye
I knew you'd have to get tough or die
And it's the name that helped to make you strong."
He said: "Now you just fought one hell of a fight
And I know you hate me, and you got the right
To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do
But ya ought to thank me, before I die
For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye
Cause I'm the son-of-a-bitch that named you "Sue.'"
I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
And I called him my pa, and he called me his son
And I came away with a different point of view
And I think about him, now and then
Every time I try and every time I win
And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him
Bill or George! Anything but Sue! I still hate that name!
August 25, 2005
That's Why They Call Me Mister Fahrenheit
 | Queen "Don't Stop Me Now" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: Retro day continues. I used to listen to this album - Live Killers - all the the time when I was about 10 years old. I'm not sure why. But I used to dance around my bedroom to this song the most. Of course, I had no idea what the lyrics were - I'm pretty sure I wasn't singing "I'm a sex machine ready to reload" when I was 10. Or was I???
I'm gonna have myself a real good time
I feel alive
And the world, turning inside out
Floating around in ecstasy
So don't stop me
'Cause I'm having a good time
Having a good time
I'm a shooting star leaping through the sky
Like a tiger defying the laws of gravity
I'm a racing car passing by like Lady Godiva
I'm gonna go, go, go
There's no stopping me
Burning through the skies
Two hundred degrees
That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit
Traveling at the speed of light
I wanna make a supersonic man out of you
Don't stop me now
I'm having such a good time
I'm having a ball
Don't stop me now
If you wanna have a good time
Just give me a call
Don't stop me now
Don't stop me now
'Cause I'm having a good time
Don't stop at all
I'm a rocket ship on my way to Mars
On a collision course
I am a satellite, I'm out of control
I'm a sex machine ready to reload
Like an atom bomb about to
Oh oh oh oh oh explode
Burning through the skies
Two hundred degrees
That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit
I'm traveling at the speed of light
I wanna make a supersonic woman of you
Burning through the skies
Two hundred degrees
That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit
I'm traveling at the speed of light
I wanna make a supersonic man out of you
Don't stop me now
I'm having such a good time
I'm having a ball
Don't stop me now
If you wanna have a good time
Just give me a call
Don't stop me now
Don't stop me now
'Cause I'm having a good time
Don't stop at all
Riding On Anything
 | Elastica "Connection" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: It's retro day!
Riding on any wave
That is the luck you crave
They don't believe it now
They just think it's stupid
So got anything
Anyone could have done
Who would've cared at all
Not you
Another heart has made the trade
Forget it, forget it, forget it
I don't understand how a heart is a spade
But somehow the vital connection is made
Riding on anything
Anything's good enough
Who would've thought it of
Someone like you
Just as they brought me round
Now that they brought you down
Roundabout and roundabout
Who wants a life anyway?
Another heart has made the grade
Forget it, forget it, forget it
I don't understand how the last card is played
But somehow the vital connection is made
July 31, 2005
Never Forever Whatever
 | Soul Asylum "Sometime To Return" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: When I was in college I listened to several bands from Minneapolis - the Replacements, Husker Du, and Soul Asylum. My favorite was Soul Asylum, not in small part due to the fact that the lead singer - Dave Pirner - was this manic, whirling dervish-esque force of nature onstage. Plus, his songs were catchy as hell. Although I crushed on him quite profoundly, I always had a grudging respect for a guy who had been dating the same girl for seven years.
Then he ditched her for Winona fucking Ryder, starfucker extraordinaire.
Soul Asylum went downhill from there, and I totally blame Winona, that whore. I loved this band, but after Dave hooked up with her he got soft and happy and that, my friends, sucks in a rock band. The band later released Let Your Dim Light Shine, which is abysmal. You might remember the video for "Just Like Anyone" which features Winona's (former?) friend and minor-league starfucker, Claire Danes (here is a clip - go ahead and have fun torturing yourself. Don't say I didn't warn you).
Yes, I am apparently still bitter [side note: I just realized this is the third time I've bitched about this; so yeah, I'm clearly not over it]. Especially since bassist Karl Mueller died a few months ago (cancer) and because Soul Asylum is still one of the top three concerts I've ever attended (a double bill with the Goo Goo Dolls - before the Goos started to suck too [hmm, pattern anyone?] - during the Grave Dancers Union tour). This song is from the release Hang Time which is harder than GDU, the release that made the band famous. Both CDs - as well as ...And the Horse They Rode In On - are excellent and you should give them a listen if you get the chance.
I ran my way
I walked a fine line
Wasted time only to find
You were callin' I think my name
To remind me I am fine
What you are is what you see
And you see me and we can be
Something you can call real
We are we are we are
Doing what we can
Working without a plan
I'm beginning to understand
It's getting out of hand
I have seen these closing doors
I've woke up on this floor before
Picked it apart for hours and hours
Hours and hours
Of turning, tossing and looking and listening
To you and all the fucked up things you do
But you're doing the best you can
With every grain of sand
It's trickling through your hand
Sayin' "Catch me if you can"
If someday comes early
Comes whipping comes whirling
To take you for all you have learned
The tables are turning
Your bridges are burning
My destination sometime to return
Throw away your calender
And saddle up your salamander
Get up and get down
Ride into town and look around
Get up and do something
Your time to choose it
Do it do it do it do it do it
Doing the best I can
With or without a plan
I'm taking what I can get
I haven't seen nothing yet
If one day you wake up
And find what you make up
Come and get me, come and take me there
Into your illusion
I'll make my intrusion
Anytime, anyplace, anywhere
The hourglass is draining fast
It knows no future holds no past
And all this to will come to pass
Never, forever, whatever
If someday comes early
Comes whipping comes whirling
To take you for all you have learned
The tables are turning
Your bridges are burning
My destination sometime to return
July 27, 2005
Just to Dream a Dream With You
 | Billy Bragg & Wilco "California Stars" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: Oh, just because.
I'd like to rest my heavy head tonight
On a bed of California stars
I'd like to lay my weary bones tonight
On a bed of California stars
I'd love to feel
Your hand touching mine
And tell me why
I must keep working on
Yes I'd give my life
To lay my head tonight
On a bed of California stars
I'd like to dream
My troubles all away
On a bed of California stars
Jump up from my starbed
Make another day
Underneath my California stars
They hang like grapes
On vines that shine
And warm the lovers' glass
Like friendly wine
So I'd give this world
Just to dream a dream with you
On our bed of California stars
July 26, 2005
Who Did You Think You Are?
 | Dandy Warhols "Shakin'" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: It's been a good 10 weeks since I've posted a Dandy Warhols song. Can't let that happen again.
Oh you got me shakin'
Oh you got me high
I'm getting nowhere now
I'm not that good
But you were drinking
And thinking all night
You were hot so you thought
You didn't want to try
You were getting older
I was getting wiser not
You could see no reason to be any nicer
But I still can't seem to help
But want you back back back back back
You said I'm lazy
Well maybe you're right
I turned around and said
"Hey man turn that shit off."
Maybe baby you act like a star
You did not, anything, who did you think you are?
You were getting older
I was getting wiser not
You could see no reason to be any nicer, but
Well you get what you got
And you learn how to like it
But I still can't seem to help but
want you back back back back back
You were getting older
I was getting wiser not
Say you will but you wont but you did but you don't
Well you get what you got
And you learn how to like it
You can see no reason to be any nicer
But anyway you slice it I just don't get no wiser
But I still can't seem to help but want you back back
July 13, 2005
Watch the World Slow Down
 | Idlewild "El Capitan" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: Finally I get around to posting a track from Idlewild's fourth full-length release, Warnings/Promises, which is STILL not commercially available in the U.S. I was having trouble deciding between this song and my two other favorites ("I Understand It" and "Love Steals Us From Loneliness"), but then I visited the band's website and learned that "El Capitan" is the newest single. So I figured, let's be current and go with this song. You can listen to other tracks off the CD - as well as watch videos for my three favorite tracks - on the website's Music page.
By the harbour, I harbour the strangest memories
Older than I could ever be
Stranded in nostalgia
So tonight I'll try harder
But it's hard to fix this spotlight on me
In a cast that's taken to places
I'm unsure of where I want to be
Stand up, stand up
And stand down
I'll climb El Capitan
And jump off to cheers from the crowd
Stand up, stand up
And stand down
And I hope you take your camera
To photograph my tears as they hit the ground
No one even listens
The same way that no one ever laughs
I'm digging the car out of the snow
I'm wondering where the summer went to
Circled by your secrets
I'm hoping they don't include me
At least I'm in good company
Because there's no one else around
Except me
Stand up, stand up
And stand down
I'll climb El Capitan
Just to watch the world slow down
Stand up, stand up
And stand down
And I hope you took your camera
Silence makes the loudest sound
It seems far too easy to say the same things
I'll choose my own way to use my life up
Finally found a new way
Of saying the same things in imaginary ways
I'll use my life up
You were looking at pictures in the distance
Hoping to see the future in your pictures
Of the distance hoping to see
The future looking at pictures in the distance
Hoping to see the future through your pictures
Of the distance, hoping to see
July 12, 2005
Time Won't Stand By Forever
| Gin Blossoms "29" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: The fact that I've never posted a Gin Blossoms song is just wrong, because they're one of my all-time favorite bands. The combination of Robin Wilson's voice and the late Doug Hopkins' lyrics ... well, I find myself singing various songs from New Miserable Experience quite frequently. This song, "29," is my favorite.
Time won't stand by forever
If I know it's true
And I've learned not to say never
Else I'll seem the fool
At 29 you'd think I'd know better
Living like a kid
It's when my lies may seem less than clever
It's when I fall for it
Only time will tell if wishing wells
Will bring us anything
Or fade like scenes from childhood dreams
Forgotten memories
Some rides don't have much of a finish
That's the ride I took
Through good and bad and straight through indifference
Without a second look
There's no intentions worthy of mention
If we never try
So hang your hopes on rusted-out hinges
Take 'em for a ride
Only time will tell if wishing wells
Can bring us anything
Or fade like scenes from childhood dreams
Forgotten memories
Only time will tell
July 06, 2005
Bring On the New Messiah
 | Echo and The Bunnymen "Bring On the Dancing Horses" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: Echo and The Bunnymen's Songs To Learn & Sing was one of my favorite albums when I was a teenager. For some reason I've been dying to hear some of these songs, so I broke down and purchased a handful off iTunes. This song is one of the band's most recognizeable, having appeared in the movie Pretty In Pink.
Jimmy Brown
Made of stone
Charlie clown
No way home
Bring on the dancing horses
Headless and all alone
Shiver and say the words
Of every lie you've heard
First I'm gonna make it
Then I'm gonna break it
'Til it falls apart
Hating all the faking
And I'm shaking while I'm breaking
Your brittle heart
Billy stands
All alone
Sinking sand
Skin and bone
Bring on the dancing horses
Wherever they may roam
Shiver and say the words
Of every lie you've heard
First I'm gonna make it
Then I'm gonna break it
'Til it falls apart
Hating all the faking
And I'm shaking while I'm breaking
Your brittle heart
Brittle heart
Brittle heart
Brittle heart
And my little heart
Goes
Jimmy Brown
Made of stone
Charlie clown
No way home
Bring on the headless horses
Wherever they may roam
Shiver and say the words
Of every lie you've heard
First I'm gonna make it, and
Then I'm gonna break it
'Til it falls apart
Hating all the faking
And I'm shaking while you're breaking
My brittle heart
Brittle heart
Brittle heart
And our little heart
Goes
Bring on the new messiah
Wherever he may roam
June 22, 2005
We're So Pretty, Oh So Pretty
 | Sex Pistols "Pretty Vacant" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: I remember when I was a teenager that all of the music I listened to (Bauhaus, Black Flag, the Sex Pistols) seemed so subversive. I used to walk around singing the Dead Kennedys' "Holiday In Cambodia" thinking I was really cool. My friends and I used to sing the chorus of this song - "We're so pretty, oh so pretty - we're vacant!" without a trace of irony. God we were dumb.
Incidentally, I'm looking for a copy of Wire's "12XU" if anyone has it.
There's no point in asking, you'll get no reply
Oh just remember I don't decide
I got no reason it's all too much
You'll always find us
Out to lunch
Oh we're so pretty, oh so pretty
We're vacant
Don't ask us to attend. 'cause we're not all there
Oh don't pretend 'cause I don't care
I don't believe illusions, and too much is real
So stop your cheap comments
'Cause we know what we feel
Oh we're so pretty, oh so pretty
We're vacant
And we don’t care
We're pretty - pretty vacant
June 20, 2005
Josie's On a Vacation Far Away
 | The Outfield "Your Love" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: Ah, mid-80s pop. I just like screaming the first line of this song whenever I hear it come across the airwaves.
Josie's on a vacation far away
Come around and talk it over
So many things that I want to say
You know I like my girls a little bit older
I just wanna use your love tonight
I don't wanna lose your love tonight
I ain't got many friends left to talk to
No one's around when I'm in trouble
You know I'd do anything for you
Stay the night, but keep it undercover
I just wanna use your love tonight
I don't wanna lose your love tonight
Try to stop my hands from shakin'
'Cause somethin' in my mind's not makin' sense
It's been awhile since we've been all alone
I can't hide the way I'm feelin'
As you're leaving please would you close the door
And don't forget what I told you
Just 'cause you're right that don't mean I'm wrong
Another shoulder to cry upon
I just wanna use your love tonight
I don't wanna lose your love tonight
June 19, 2005
I Became Chronologically Fucked Up
 | Tragically Hip "Locked In the Trunk of a Car" Listen | Buy |
NOTES: Hello, I'm back. And HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! to all the dads in the viewing audience.
Now here's a little song about a serial killer.
They don't know how old I am
They found armor in my belly
From the sixteenth century
Conquistador, I think
They don't know how old I am
They found armour in my belly
Fashioned out of machine revving tension
Lashing out at machine revving tension
Rushing by the machine revving tension
Morning broke out the backside of a truck stop
The end of a line, a real rainbow-likening luck stop
Where you could say I became chronologically fucked up
Put ten bucks in just to get the tank topped off
Then I found a place it's dark and it's rotted
It's a cool, sweet kinda place
Where the copters won't spot it
And I destroyed the map, I even thought I forgot it
However, every day I'm dumping the body
It'd be better for us if you don't understand
It'd be better for me if you don't understand
And I found a place it's dark and it's rotted
It's a cool, sweet kinda place
Where the copters won't spot it
And I destroyed the map that I'd carefully dotted
However, every day I'm dumping the body
It'd be better for us if you don't understand
It'd be better for us if you don't understand
It'd be better for me if you don't understand
Let me out...
