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Lyric of the Day #10

5 Jun

Neutral Milk HotelRecently, I posted in the Links of the Day a link directing you to an article about the recluse rocker Jeff Mangum and how after he wrote the best album you have never heard of “In the Aeroplane over the Sea,” with his short lived band Neutral Milk Hotel he had a nervous breakdown and put music aside. Today’s lyrics are from this album that was devoted to Mangum’s obsession, Anne Frank. These particular lyrics are something incredible and really indescribable. It is best you just read them and take them in for yourself. Listen to the odd song as well to further the effect.

The only girl I’ve ever loved
Was born with roses in her eyes
But then they buried her alive
One evening, 1945
With just her sister at her side
And only weeks before the guns
All came and rained on everyone
Now she’s a little boy in Spain
Playing pianos filled with flames
On empty rings around the sun
All sing to say my dream has come

But now we must pick up every piece
Of the life we used to love
Just to keep ourselves
At least enough to carry on

And now we ride the circus wheel
With your dark brother wrapped in white
Says it was good to be alive
But now he rides a comet’s flame
And won’t be coming back again
The Earth looks better from a star
That’s right above from where you are
He didn’t mean to make you cry
With sparks that ring and bullets fly
On empty rings around your heart
The world just screams and falls apart

But now we must pick up every piece
Of the life we used to love
Just to keep ourselves
At least enough to carry on

And here’s where your mother sleeps
And here is the room where your brothers were born
Indentions in the sheets
Where their bodies once moved but don’t move anymore
And it’s so sad to see the world agree
That they’d rather see their faces fill with flies
All when I’d want to keep white roses in their eyes

                – “Holland 1945,” Neutral Milk Hotel off of “In an Aeroplane Over The Sea”

Song of the Day #10

5 Jun

                 We have reached 10. Unfortunately, there is nothing fantastic planned. Who am I kidding! Song of the Day is fantastic in itself. Okay moving away from my sarcastic arrogance, a few days ago I learned that Paul McCartney will be the first performer to open Citi Field. For all you Mets fans and those who follow baseball, I wish Paul all the luck in the world and I must ask the Rock Legend to be careful when he steps on the field. A hip/hamstring/stomach injury/virus may overcome you as you walk on the grass. The concerts are July 17th and July 18th. The 18th is my birthday. To say I want to go is an understatement. Tickets go on sale June 15th. Good luck getting your pair!

            On to today’s song of the day. Not to much going on in the world of music today. Phish is coming to Jones Beach Theatre on Long Island, NY tonight. That’s pretty cool. I thought we would focus on some older stuff today. As we all know this is the 40th anniversary of Woodstock (1969-2009) and there are a couple of tours going on to commemorate the drug-filled, muddy, musical haven. Hippiefest, led by the surprisingly funny Flo and Eddie will continue there yearly tour with old, depleted bands ( I do not mean that in a bad way). Heroes of Woodstock, a new list of bands including Country Joe will also make its rounds. Yet, I am most disappointed that on these lists is no Richie Havens. Havens, the first Woodstock performer, was called on for seven encores because he was plagued by his punctuality and the fact that since the crowd was close to, I don’t know, 500,000 strong other performers had a little trouble making there way down the small pathway to the field in White Lake, NY. I have been there and it really is amazing because no one can imagine 500,000 fitting in the cramped space. Seven encores! He was later interviewed and he mentioned that he played all he knew. This included numerous Beatles covers. One of which is today’s song of the day.

            Number four on his extensive set list is “Strawberry Fields Forever.” There are two things I really enjoy about Richie Havens. First, his thumb is enormous. Seriously he bars chords with his thumb successfully. His thumb can consume my hand. Second, his voice is just wonderful. It is like a gravely folk voice of old. He performs the song with power and feeling. He turns Strawberry Fields Forever into a Soul/Folk mix that sounds extraordinary.

 

Oh My Lord, Look at the Thumb

Oh My Lord, Look at the Thumb

Cool Video (I apologize for the premature rolling credits):   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQG-xM62tQg

Lyric of the Day #9

4 Jun

        

  Mellow Yellow

  Let us get to some 60’s humor for today. “Mellow Yellow” by Donovan, the confusing, debated, but clear folk hit, literally hit the stores in 1966 and was originally thought to be about using dried banana skins as a Hallucinogenic drug. This rumor was actually perputated by Country Joe McDonald, no surprise there, who thought it was an interesting idea to smoke dried banana skins. The Music Court does not support doing this in any way. Yet, this rumor was debunked.

        Apparently, according to a Rolling Stones interview, mellow yellow is in reference to a certain device used in women’s pleasure. I will let you put that together. What we really can conclude is that the song is wierd, the lyrics are wierd, and there is no point. This is exactly what makes the song hilarious. And wait, you have got to be kidding me. Straight from wikipedia, “In Episode 17 of the 5th Season of  Scrubs, JD figures out the Song is about Liver Disease (not quite rightly).” Scrubs, stop taking every song for your show.

      Interesting fact. Many believe that this is actually a Beatles song because it sounds similar and it is extremely catchy. While it is not a song by The Beatles, Paul McCartney can be heard as a background singer for the song. Donovan and The Beatles were friends.

     Now to the lyrics.

“I’m just mad about Saffron.
A-Saffron’s mad about me.
I’m-a just mad about Saffron.
She’s just mad about me.”

        – Donovan, “Mellow Yellow,” Single released in 1966.

Saffron is a spice and is used for cooking. How did this come about? Donovan must have been cooking with Saffron and sneezed. Saffron, you make me mad!

Look at how it stares at you. No wonder why Donovan was mad

Look at how it stares at you. No wonder why Donovan was mad

Song of the Day #9

4 Jun

Words and Music

“Close your eyes baby close your eyes
sunshine just this one last sunrise and im home”

                   These homebound lyrics appear in Aqualung’s 2008 release Words and Music. Aqualung is the taken name of English singer/songwriter Matthew Hales known for his “Strange and Beautiful” which has appeared in a Volkswagen commerical and countless television shows. Okay I know what you are all thinking. Can he pull it off? Is one of his songs in Scrubs? Yes, of course, every band must be christened by the Scrubs producers. “Easier To Lie” was featured in an episode.

            Yet, while Matt Hales has enjoyed popularity based off of his older releases, it is this recent release, Arrivals, on the album Words and Music that I believe displays his true talent and potential. The song is a masterpiece that is connected with his pleasent whine that explores head falsetto’s and chest low’s. Yet, what really puts this song in the category of strange and beautiful is the beginning. The beginning that introduces morning strings which almost feel like they are introducing you to a new day. Strings that play the hook that follows the song through both strings and piano. Notes that resound beautifully and carry the melody. Notes that carry you home.

Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loqseAaW-Zs&feature=related   (Not the greatest video and no opening strings, but check it out and possibly buy it if you want to hear the full version)

Song of The Day #8

3 Jun

In honor of Bruce Springsteen closing out Giants Stadium where Giants fans have celebrated and Jets fans, over the past 40 years, have wallowed in continual defeat (You can tell I am a Jets fan right?), today’s song of the day will be my favorite Bruce Springsteen song.

Devils & DustOver his incredible career Bruce has had a multitude of #1 hits and epic songs from “Thunder Road” to his recent song “The Wrestler” which appeared in the movie “The Wrestler” as the title track. Yet, while his popular classics are fantastic hits my favorite Bruce song is a recent classic dating only four years. “Devils and Dust,” the title track off of Springsteen’s 13th studio album, “Devils and Dust” has a subtle beauty to it that resounds through Springsteen’s vocal, lyrics, and harmonica.

What I believe is most impressive about the song is the build-up. The song begins with Springsteen and an acoustic guitar, the two most basic elements for a musician, instrument and voice. Beginning in the second verse we are introduced to a synthesizer that reverberates as the bass and a rising horns section that matches perfectly with Springsteen’s lyric that also gets louder with the lyric, “The smell begins to rise.” Strings are introduced by the Nashville String Machine, the master group of session musicians. Then we get drums and a bass which combine with the strings and the synthesizer and the guitar and the voice and the lyrics and then wow. You pause and you think. What we need now is an elongated harmonica solo. We get it. It is pronounced above all the other instruments. Everything combines and one can get the image of the soldier that Springsteen portrays in his lyrics. The soldier that is thinking and searching for guidance and a morally correct solution to the war. The soldier who is alone in, “a field of blood and stone…just trying to survive.” The soldier whose harmonica is felt and as it fades and the acoustic guitar (which has both high and low E tuned down to D giving it a deeper sounds) fades and as Springsteen’s voice reaches a culminating note, we as listeners understand why Springsteen is considered one of the very best and even at sixty years old still continues to rock harder and write better then anyone in the music business.

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