The Music Court

Alright, I admit it, I have not posted in a while. I know it is obviously a crime in the blogosphere to leave a blog vacant for several days, but, I have a reasonable excuse. This weekend was incredibly busy. Firstly, I was initiated into Delta Sigma Phi and am now officially a brother of this fantastic fraternity. YITBOS. Secondly, my Jetsies kicked some Texan butt on sunday and I was incredubly happy to see such a great performance. Both subjects quite green surprisingl.y Now, after my long weekend I am back on the blog looking to provide you with some music before I have to go to class at 1:10 and learn about the Merchant of Venice.

Before I get into the post let me outline out for you the schedule of the other posters. Since, I am so thrilled to have other people writing with me, I am forcing them to post more. Yes, they have no choice. Josh and his lyric of the day column is going to run Tuesday and Thursday and he would very much like if some people would guess his lyrics. Anthony and his photoshop creations on visual music will run Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, for your enjoyment, and he too would like some responses. So, please people, guess and please them. For me, I shall remain writing my daily musical explosion for your enjoyment. For I am your musical servant, your trust court jester!

Wow already 12 down on the Top 100 Lyricists. We have covered obscure and well known lyricists, depressing and happy lyrics, and Donovan and his mellow yellow. What is there left? Well, 87 lyricists, but that is besides the point. Let’s see the big old 87. Hope we do not choose a Pretender. Well, lookie here, one misplaced transition and we have done what I just hoped we wouldn’t do. We have chosen a Pretender!

Chrissie Hynde, the only constant member of the new-wave group The Pretenders, is the subject of our prestigious lyricist search. The Pretenders have never been top on my list of bands to listen to, but, like I will always admit, Hynde is a tremendous band leader and a force in the music and lyric world. When interviewed Hynde mentions that here childhood revolved around going to go concerts and dreaming of something bigger. She never went out with any guys from her school because she aimed for guys like Iggy Pop. Setting your sights surprisingly low. Just kidding Iggy. In the late 70’s, Hynde gave a demo tape to Dave Hill, the owner of Real Records, and he advised her to compile a band and as the band came together the name of The Pretenders was chosen in honor of “The Great Pretender,” by The Platters. Bet you did not know that. See that is why you always come to read this blog. Are you not entertained? Why did I just reference Gladiator. Well, possibly because the two songs I am profiling are “Brass in Pocket,” and “Back on the Chain Gang.” How does that have to do with Gladiator? I don’t know. Let us move on.

As a female bandleader Hynde became a prominent style-setter for her young women following. It also did not hurt that she was truthful and I guess that is all people can ask for. Her music focuses on female confidence and some sad realizations. Let us go to our two songs.

We will start with the happier of the two songs. “Brass in Pocket,” which appeared on The Pretender’s debut self-titled album and just emits confidence and female pride. Here are some lyrics.

“Got brass in pocket
Got Bottle, I’m gonna use it
Intention, I feel inventive
Gonna make you, make you, make you notice

Got motion, restrained emotion
Been driving, Detroit leaning
No reason, just seems so pleasing
Gonna make you, make you, make you notice”

There is not to much to discuss with this song because these lyrics are self-explanatory. Hynde is saying that she is going to make you notice no matter what and that is pretty confident.

Next we have “Back on the Chain Gang,” which is not positive. It is rather sad. The song was originally going to be about Ray Davies of The Kinks who Hynde fell in love with and had a daughter with, yet, after Pretender’s guitarist James Honeyman-Scott passed away due to a drug overdose at the age of 25, the meaning of the song took an understandable turn. The song appeared on the 1984 album Learning to Crawl.

“The powers that be
that force us to live like we do
bring me to my knees
when I see what they’ve done to you.

But I’ll die as I stand her today
knowing that deep in my heart
they’ll fall to ruin one day
for making us apart.

I found a picture of you oh
those were the happiest days of my life
now we’re back on the train
oh back on the chain gang.”

This song just seeps symbolism. The last verse is just so revealing and truthful which is Hynde’s strong point. The song makes mention to Sam Cooke’s “Chain Gang” but focuses more on the depressing what if’s and unfortunate nostaligia. Great lyric from a succesful and truthful Chrissie Hynde, #87 on our dear list.

We’re going to play a game. Guess the lyricist whose hit song is about a yellow female pleasure instrument. Appalled? Yes, and it is even funnier that he is the #88th greatest lyricist of all time. Guess the lyrics actually sounds like an intriguing idea. How about we do a section here where we post lyrics and you guess what song they came from. Oh wait! My roommate had that same idea and is going to be running that exact section a couple of days a week, one of them that is already posted. Don’t you feel fooled. Okay, that was simply stupid. Let us get to the lyricist.

Did you guess who it was? Do they call him mellow yellow? Yes, they do, and his name is Donovan Leitch, a.k.a Donovan or British Bob Dylan. That title of British Bob Dylan has tracked Donovan’s music for the majority of his career which began as a young busker (street performer) in 1964. Late in that same year he recorded ten tracks for Pye Records in London, one of which included my favorite Donovan song entitled “Catch the Wind.”

Can you imagine that conversation?

The album also revealed Donovan’s tribute to both Woody Guthrie and Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, two men who particularly influenced both Dylan and Donovan. Dylan, Donovan, same interests in music, similar folk music style. Get the comparisons.

Yet, in 1966, Donovan became simply Donovan. Dylan’s folk comparisons dropped and Donovan became a British “flower power” machine. His music also switched to a fusion of eastern music, jazz, blues, and mainly pop. The psychedelic “Sunshine Superman” was released, conga, harpsichord and sitar was introduced, and some very odd lyrics started to pop up in his music. Lyrics that we will profile right now. How does that sound?

Like the majority of these lyricist profiles I would like to focus on two different songs. With Donovan this is not tough to accomplish. Let us focus first on an abstract song entitled “Atlantis,” which may actually be about love but more about love’s concept. Here are some lyrics

“The continent of Atlantis was an island
which lay before the great flood
in the area we now call the Atlantic Ocean.
So great an area of land, that from her western shores
those beautiful sailors journeyed
to the South and the North Americas with ease,
in their ships with painted sails.

To the East Africa was a neighbour, across a short strait of sea miles.
The great Egyptian age is but a remnant of The Atlantian culture.
The antediluvian kings colonised the world
All the Gods who play in the mythological dramas
In all legends from all lands were from fair Atlantis.
Knowing her fate, Atlantis sent out ships to all corners of the Earth.
On board were the Twelve:
The poet, the physician, the farmer, the scientist,
The magician and the other so-called Gods of our legends.
Though Gods they were –
And as the elders of our time choose to remain blind
Let us rejoice and let us sing and dance and ring in the new
Hail Atlantis!”

If you listen to the song you will realize that the lyrics are spoken. Yes, it still counts as a song. Yet, look deeply into the lyrics. The words represent a tender, beautiful ode to a land long lost. The people who left the land of Atlantis knowing their fate are attempting to spread their knowledge and civilization to the far reaches of an unknown world. If you listen to some more lyrics in the song you will notice that Donovan starts singing about his “antediluvian baby.” Antediluvian means old by the way. This can establish that Donovan is searching for some sort of true love that may still be in this mysterious island of Atlantis. The love goes directly into the next song, “Catch the Wind.”

“Catch the Wind” first appeared on the horribly misspelled “What’s Bin Did and What’s Bin Hid,” where it hit success as a single. Here are some lyrics:

“In the chilly hours and minutes
Of uncertainty
I wanna be
In the warm hold of your Loving mind.

To feel you all around me
And to take your hand
Along the sand,
Ah but I may as well try and catch the wind.

When sundown pales the sky
I wanna hide a while
Behind your smile,
And everywhere I’d look, your eyes I’d find.

For me to love you now
Would be the sweetest thing,
‘T would make me sing,
Ah but I may as well try and catch the wind.”

The simplicity of this song makes it good. Donovan is demonstrating his love in the song and is also realizing that while he wants her so badly he is attempting to catch the wind. Catching the wind is pretty impossible and this is an unfortunate subject in an otherwise beautiful song.

“Atlantis”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leI7sfmipuI&feature=fvst

“Catch the Wind”:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LREIPfDLYks