| John Cale – Dying On The Vine Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| I am quite sure this lyric should read "like a Hollywood", not "like a holy war". It's an allusion to the famous intersection of Hollywood & Vine in Los Angeles. | |
| Tim Buckley – Song To The Siren Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| The real magic of the song is in those last two lines. Singing to the siren who enticed him and broke him, the sailor becomes a siren himself, enticing her to swim out and return to him. Breathtakingly perfect. | |
| Orange Juice – Rip It Up Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| Yeah, I always took this song as a response to "Boredom" from start to finish. "Boredom" is all about getting nowhere in life, and this song basically says so what if you're a has-been...just "rip it up and start again". | |
| Red House Painters – Find Me, Ruben Olivares Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| You make friends in life, and sometimes they fall out of your life. You lose touch, you lose track...and one day you suddenly wish you'd kept up with them. If only that person could find you... | |
| Nina Simone – Wild Is The Wind Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| The song was originally recorded by Johnny Mathis in 1956, for a film also called "Wild Is The Wind", but of course it was made *most* famous by Nina Simone, whose interpretation is so passionate it gives you chills. | |
| Cat Power – Wild Is the Wind (Johnny Mathis cover) Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| The song was originally recorded by Johnny Mathis in 1956, for a film also called "Wild Is The Wind", but it was made *most* famous by Nina Simone. It's Nina Simone's version that Cat Power is covering here. | |
| David Bowie – Wild Is the Wind Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| The song was indeed originally recorded by Johnny Mathis in 1956, for a films also called "Wild Is The Wind", but it was made *most* famous by Nina Simone. Bowie was reportedly a big admirer of Simone's singing style, and after meeting her in person he was inspired to record it. | |
| Joy Division – Interzone Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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To clarify a little, the song is an apparent homage to Naked Lunch (no "The") by William S. Burroughs. The book is partially set in The Interzone, an imaginary location which was Burroughs' own way of expressing themes that are also very prevalent in Joy Division's music: claustrophobia, paranoia, fear of authoritarian control, rebellion against societal norms of being, and the sense of everyday life as a sort of exotic living nightmare. The original working title of Naked Lunch was Interzone, and there is also a published book called The Interzone, which is a collection of letters and short stories, but it does include a portion of the original working manuscript for Naked Lunch. Anyway, read Naked Lunch and you'll find more than a few parallels between Burroughs' worldview and the one expressed in Joy Division's songs. It's no surprise that Ian Curtis was a fan of his writing. For the trivia-minded, Joy Division even played a gig alongside Burroughs (and Cabaret Voltaire) on October 16th, 1979, at which Ian met Burroughs in person. |
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| José González – Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division cover) Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| Just in case someone wasn't aware of who made the original, this song was originally written by Joy Division. | |
| Echo and the Bunnymen – Ocean Rain Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| At the SXSW 2006 festival, cheeky old Ian McCulloch introduced this song by saying "Next we're going to play the most beautiful song ever written". Arrogant, yes, but I can't really argue the truth of that statement. One of the most perfect marriages of lyric to music ever. | |
| Frank Sinatra – Mack The Knife Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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This song is from Brecht & Weill's Threepenny Opera, which was itself based on the Beggar's Opera by John Gay. In the Brecht version, Macheath (aka Mack the Knife aka Mackie Messer) is absolutely ruthless. The whole Threepenny Opera is a scathing critique of capitalism, and the song itself is bloody and filled with tales of arson, rape, and murder (sanitized considerably in the most well-known English translation which we know and love). Don't let me catch you playing this at your wedding because no matter what famous crooner sang it, it is *not* romantic, and it is *not* appropriate for an insanely expensive party. Brecht would roll over in his grave. Here are a few sample stanzas from a more faithful translation of the original German (tr. Manheim & Willett): And the ghastly fire in Soho, Seven children at a go— In the crowd stands Mack the knife, but He's not asked and doesn't know. And the child bride in her nightie, Whose assailant's still at large Violated in her slumbers— Mackie how much did you charge? For everything you ever wanted to know about this song, just search the Internet for "Everything you ever wanted to know about Mack the Knife"...you'll learn a lot. |
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| Louis Armstrong – Mack the Knife Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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This song is from Brecht & Weill's Threepenny Opera, which was itself based on the Beggar's Opera by John Gay. In the Brecht version, Macheath (aka Mack the Knife aka Mackie Messer) is absolutely ruthless. The whole Threepenny Opera is a scathing critique of capitalism, and the song itself is bloody and filled with tales of arson, rape, and murder (sanitized considerably in the most well-known English translation which we know and love). Don't let me catch you playing this at your wedding because no matter what famous crooner sang it, it is *not* romantic, and it is *not* appropriate for an insanely expensive party. Brecht would roll over in his grave. Here are a few sample stanzas from a more faithful translation of the original German (tr. Manheim & Willett): And the ghastly fire in Soho, Seven children at a go— In the crowd stands Mack the knife, but He's not asked and doesn't know. And the child bride in her nightie, Whose assailant's still at large Violated in her slumbers— Mackie how much did you charge? For everything you ever wanted to know about this song, just search the Internet for "Everything you ever wanted to know about Mack the Knife"...you'll learn a lot. |
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| Bobby Darin – Mack the Knife Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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This song is from Brecht & Weill's Threepenny Opera, which was itself based on the Beggar's Opera by John Gay. In the Brecht version, Macheath (aka Mack the Knife aka Mackie Messer) is absolutely ruthless. The whole Threepenny Opera is a scathing critique of capitalism, and the song itself is bloody and filled with tales of arson, rape, and murder (sanitized considerably in the most well-known English translation which we know and love). Don't let me catch you playing this at your wedding because no matter what famous crooner sang it, it is *not* romantic, and it is *not* appropriate for an insanely expensive party. Brecht would roll over in his grave. Here are a few sample stanzas from a more faithful translation of the original German (tr. Manheim & Willett): And the ghastly fire in Soho, Seven children at a go— In the crowd stands Mack the knife, but He's not asked and doesn't know. And the child bride in her nightie, Whose assailant's still at large Violated in her slumbers— Mackie how much did you charge? For everything you ever wanted to know about this song, just search the Internet for "Everything you ever wanted to know about Mack the Knife"...you'll learn a lot. |
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| Ida – The Radiator Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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This one is pretty straightforward. Beautiful details, and a meaning as heartfelt as it is clear. I'll just add a touch of trivia: that little melodica solo quotes the melody from the first couple of lines of Duke Ellington's jazz standard "In A Sentimental Mood": "In a sentimental mood, I can see the stars come thru my room..." |
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| Ida – Maybelle Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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This song is a retelling of the Carter Family song "Are You Tired Of Me My Darling?" with new music and lyrics. The Carter Family was a pioneering early group in the genre that would eventually become country music, and Maybelle Carter was a founding member and eventually the matriarch/leader of the band...hence the song title "Maybelle". (Extra trivia: one of Maybelle's daughters was June Carter, who married Johnny Cash and later made Reese Witherspoon Oscar-buzzworthy) So, that said, what is it about? It's about a relationship that has aged a bit, and you begin to wonder about how constant your love truly is, about whether your love regrets the choices that have been made. The original song was very clearly from a woman's point of view, so it's interesting that Ida took it and made it more universal. This could really be the song of anyone at all who has been in a long-term relationship. Here, for the curious, are the original Carter Family lyrics from 1934: Are You Tired Of Me My Darling Are you tired of me my darling Did you mean those words you said That has made me yours forever Since the day that we were wed Tell me could you live life over Could you make it otherwise Are you tired of me my darling Answer only with your eyes Do you ever rue the springtime Since we first each other met How we spoke in warm affection Words my heart can n'er forget Do you think the bloom's departed From the cheeks you thought so fair Do you think I've grown cold hearted Beneath the load of women's cares |
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| Ida – Les Étoiles Secrètes Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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Yep, it's all about a friendship that you want to be something more. What makes all these Ida love songs especially potent is their autobiographical references to the real life romance between Dan & Liz from the band. Dan & Liz actually are fans of the band The Secret Stars, and friends with them, and really did eventually develop from friends/bandmates into lovers, and later a married couple. It's entirely possible that this song is the 100% true story of a moment, exactly as it happened to them. |
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| Ida – Turn Me On Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| One of the most perfect love/sex songs ever. I love the interplay between the title (never sung in the song) and the repeated lyric "I'm a faucet", as if to say over and over "TurnmeonTurnmeonTurnmeon" without actually saying it. | |
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