Art is the music we make from the bewildered cry of being alive. ~Maria Popova
30 Jun 2013 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: rooney, stay away
Rooney: “Stay Away” (2003)
With “Stay Away” you can add the Raspberries to my previous list of bands from past decades that I hear echoed in Rooney’s propulsive tunes and harmony-laden choruses.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/11/01/songs-you-may-have-missed-211/
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2013/03/16/songs-you-may-have-missed-363/
29 Jun 2013 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: gerry rafferty, mary skeffington
Gerry Rafferty: “Mary Skeffington” (1971)
Gerry Rafferty’s 1971 solo debut Can I Have My Money Back? has the blend of rock, folk and whimsy typical of McCartney’s work of the same period.
Slotted between his work as a member of the bands Humblebums and Stealer’s Wheel, Can I Have My Money Back? would be Rafferty’s last solo effort before his monster five-million-selling City to City, the album that knocked the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack from the number one spot in the US.
The version of “Mary Skeffington” appearing on the original vinyl album is sparer, with little accompaniment other than acoustic guitar. This more fleshed-out band version has replaced it on CD reissues and compilations.
Mary Skeffington was Rafferty’s mother’s maiden name. According to Rafferty’s Daily Telegraph obituary, he was born in Paisley, Scotland on April 16, 1947, and had a miserable childhood. “His mother would hide from his father to avoid being beaten when he came home drunk.”
This lends the song’s lyric a potent poignancy.
Mary Skeffington, close your eyes
And make believe that you are just a girl again
Go to sleep tonight, dream of days
When you had something there to light the way.
Remember a holiday in a north-of-England town
You slept in a room upstairs on a bed of eiderdown.
Mary Skeffington, when you wake
You mustn’t be afraid to face another day
Think of what you have, you’ll get by
You’ve always been a lady so hold your head up high.
Look back on a home where you spent the best years of your life
Remember the man who asked you if you would be his wife.
Mary Skeffington, close your eyes
And make believe that you are just a girl again
Go to sleep tonight, dream of days
When you had something there to light the way.
29 Jun 2013 Leave a comment
in General Posts Tags: bing crosby, kesha, whistling in pop music
A study in contrasts, and perhaps validation for those who claim pop music’s current state is a sign of End Times. First Bing Crosby, the number one pop artist of the pre-Rock ‘n Roll era, checks in with “Just an Echo in the Valley”, circa 1933. It may not be your style I realize, but you’ve got to admire dude’s whistling chops. (At 1:55)
…and Ke$ha’s brand new single, “Crazy Kids”, featuring perhaps the worst whistling ever heard in a non-novelty song. What can you say? The girl does it her way (’cause she don’t give a whaa) and pop culture markers such as Rolling Stone magazine prop her up like she’s the current generation’s answer to Aretha Franklin. And hey, maybe she is. But she sure as hell can’t whistle. (:00 and 1:07)
26 Jun 2013 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: colin macintyre, mull historical society, the lights
Mull Historical Society: “The Lights” (2012)
Scotland’s Colin MacIntyre records by the name of Mull Historical Society, because it pleases him to do so.
His 2012 album City Awakenings is described as a love letter to three cities (Glasgow, London and New York) that have shaped him as an artist.
26 Jun 2013 Leave a comment
in On a Lighter Note, Video of the Week Tags: daft punk, get lucky, obama
25 Jun 2013 1 Comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ben folds, ben folds five, magic
Ben Folds Five: “Magic” (1999)
Another sad, gorgeous, and lushly orchestrated melody from The Unauthorized Biography Of Reinhold Messner, in my opinion the best Ben Folds album by a wide margin. Folds and company take cues from Queen, Billy Joel and perhaps Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys at various points of the record.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/02/27/songs-you-may-have-missed-27/
Every Moment Has A Song 