A song that makes you sad.
I'm struggling here. I was too quick in choosing Elbow's 'Scattered Black and Whites' earlier. If I'd planned it out better, that would have been the song for today. I'll pick this song . . . 'cos it is a beautiful song . . . sad or not.
I'm still convinced that the late Adrian Borland looks a bit like the late Christopher Hitchens. I remember mentioning the passing resemblance one time - probably on this blog - and the you'd have thought that I just let rip the biggest fart in history in front of The Queen and Betty White. Those fanboys of Hitchens really were fucking protective of their boy . . . at all times and in all circumstances. It's amazing the shield that is constructed all around you if you have a few witty epigrams hiding up your sleeve.
I still love this performance of 'Sense of Purpose' by The Sound on TheOld Grey Whistle Test. Of course they should have bigger, but it's the business of the cheekbones and pop music again. You can't be all moody and introspective as a pop star if you're an ordinary looking bloke. It doesn't properly scan. You can only be truly tortured if you're really good looking. This also applies to female musicians, as well, by the way. Yes, Fiona Apple, I am looking at you.
PS - There's not enough punching the side of your head in pop performances, and if I've ever lose a few pounds, I'm wearing a version of that suit of his in my next life:
Day 19 - A song that tells a story
Sadly I've already mentioned Joel and Rosselson on the Another 30 Day Song Challenge, so those two great singer-storytellers are out of consideration. This song and this song immediately sprang to mind when thinking about the challenge but I think that has more to do with my unresolved issues concerning Red Wedge and my unread copies of Marxism Today from the '87/'88 period.
So I'll get off the eighties lefty schtick - if only for a moment - and plump for Janis Ian's 'At Seventeen'. Drop dead gorgeous:
Day 16 - A song that reminds you of first discovering the opposite sex
I'm sure that there's other earlier moments but this song - or rather video - sticks in the mind. It's '83 or '84 and for some reason I'm watching Richard Skinner presenting Whistle Test (the title had been shortened at this point) and he cues up this video by The Bangles video:
If only the poor bastard had had a set of cheekbones. They would have been bigger than Joy Division. It would have been a case of Uwho?
Brilliant clip of The Sound from The Old Grey Whistle Test. Don't know the year, but the songs off their second album, 'From The Lions Mouth', that dates from 1981.
I still think that '81 was the best year for music . . .still think the late Adrian Borland is the spitting image of Christopher Hitchens.
