Sometimes a song just gets its hooks into you and won’t let go.
This collaboration between Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile is one of those. I adore it. It is full of laid back warmth, gentle good humour, and intelligence. The guitar playing is superb. And their voices go together magnificently.
The song is simply a celebration of music. It makes me feel good.
The video, transposing their voices is witty. And I have to admit I find Courtney Barnett wonderfully sweet.
If you like this, do check them out separately and together. They both make music for grown ups. This track is off their 2017 joint album ‘Lotta Sea Lice’.
(this has been another of my ‘songs I like, but you might not know’ series)
Sometimes a song finds its way into my head, a cunning little earworm that just won’t go away.
And often I hate it. I look for other catchy pieces to replace it. I deliberately sing other things I know well. I will do anything to break its spell.
But not this one. I welcome it with open arms. When it comes up on my gym play list I smile to myself and no doubt look a little insane as I mouth the words.
I like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and have done so since first hearing them way back in the mid 2000s. Apart from their compelling simple-jangly-but-great indie sound I have to admit I am drawn to the voice and striking appearance of singer Karen O. But nothing they have done quite enchants me like this track.
Once again I have been singing it all morning, so I thought it would be perfect to share with you as one of the ‘songs I like but you might not know’ series.
PS If you want to know the reason why it is called Maps then read the Wikipedia entry for the song – which also explains her tears in the video. Perhaps that moves me too.
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‘Maps’ written by Brian Chase / Karen Lee Orzolek / Nicholas Joseph Zinner and performed by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Sometimes you completely forget a song that had great significance for you at some time.
Then you hear it out of the blue. Sometimes it all comes flooding back. Sometimes the years have stripped it of its power.
For me, in this case, if I am truly honest, it is a bit of both. I cannot recreate my feelings at the time I first heard it (a few years after this version was released), and yet I do remember how it seemed to capture the hurt of those days. And the lonely nights.
So I thought I would share it with you as a song that I like but you might not know
The band is Klaxons. The members are English and have been going since about 2005. Despite what Wiki says, they are still very much alive and kicking.
This song featured on their 2007 album ‘Myths of the Near Future’. It is actually a cover of a song by a dance act called Grace (actually a Paul Oakenfield vehicle). It was originally released in 1995 and had many remixes and revamps.
I am not generally a fan of covers unless the cover makes a statement that is beyond or different to the original. The Klaxons version, in my opinion, does. It has an intensity I think the original hasn’t – and an air of menace too.
Anyway. I heard it in my buds this morning and was moved enough to repeat it a number of times there and when I reached home – and to enthuse about it here.
I live for you I die for you Do what you want me to I cry for you, my tears will show that I can’t let you go
It’s not over, not over, not over, not over yet You still me want me don’t you? It’s not over, not over, not over, not over yet Cause I can see through you It’s not over, not over, not over, not over yet You still want me don’t you? It’s not over, not over, not over, not over yet
Don’t let me down, don’t make a sound Don’t throw it all away Remember me so tenderly Don’t let it slip away
It’s not over, not over, not over, not over yet You still me want me don’t you? It’s not over, not over, not over, not over yet Cause I can see through you It’s not over, not over, not over, not over yet You still want me don’t you? It’s not over, not over, not over, not over yet
It’s not over, not over, not over, not over yet You still me want me don’t you? It’s not over, not over, not over, not over yet Cause I can see through you It’s not over, not over, not over, not over yet You still want me don’t you? It’s not over, not over, not over, not over yet
This is more of a tribute to a very old canine friend who died today than ‘a track I like but you may not know’.
I could have chosen some slushy romantic song, but for the thirteen or so years of his life he was always an upbeat glass-far-more-than-half-full kind of dog. This hound loved life, adored people, was the softest, sweetest creature, but at the same time was the coolest mutt on the planet. Elegant, fast, mad, brave, stoical, and truly beautiful. A unique animal with whom everyone fell head over heels in love. He is already deeply, deeply missed. Plenty of tears.
(For the musically interested, this song is by a real old man of music, Neil Young, and comes from his 1992 ‘Harvest Moon’ album. If you like pure romance, listen to the title song of the album, and the second track, from Hank to Hendrix. In fact the whole album is romantic, in a soft, country way. Not to everyone’s taste).
Some people might wonder how I can get so emotional about a dog.
Well, I just have, and I am not ashamed about doing so.
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PS in his lyric Neil Young once kicked his dog. I never did.
King went a-runnin’ after deer
Wasn’t scared of jumpin’
off the truck in high gear
King went a-sniffin’
and he would go
Was the best old hound dog
I ever did know.
I had a dog and his name was King
I told the dog about everything
There in my truck the dog and I
Then one day the King up and died.
Then I thought about
the times we had
Once when I kicked him
when he was bad
Old King sure meant a lot to me
But that hound dog is history.
King went a-runnin’ after deer
Wasn’t scared of jumpin’
off the truck in high gear
King went a-sniffin’
and he would go
Was the best old hound dog
I ever did know.
That old King was a friend of mine
Never knew a dog
that was half as fine
I may find one, you never do know
‘Cause I still got a long way to go.
I had a dog and his name was King
I told the dog about everything
Old King sure meant a lot to me
But that hound dog is history.
King went a-howlin’ after deer
Wasn’t scared of jumpin’
off the truck in high gear
King went a-sniffin’
and he would go
Was the best old hound dog
I ever did know.
Surprisingly Wolf Alice has been around in one shape or another since 2010. This track is from the second studio album, Visions of a Life, released in September last year (2017).
I dangerously like the song and have been known to play it on serious repeat. The musicianship is good and that chorus is hypnotic (shades of Arcade Fire at their best). But what really gets me is the lyric, a wonderful capture of romantic uncertainty and breathless hope.
The video is sweet too. The actors in it are not the band members – if you want to see Wolf Alice play the song live go here. I have to admit I have a small crush on vocalist (and guitarist) Ellie Rowsell.
(This has been another of my ‘songs I like but you might not know’ posts)
I see the signs of a lifetime, you ’til I die
And I’m swiftly out, Irish goodbye
What if it’s not meant for me? love
What if it’s not meant for me? love
I’d like to get to know you
I’d like to take you out
We’d go to The Hell Mary
And afterwards make out instead I’m typing you a message
That I know I’ll never send
Rewriting old excuses
Delete the kisses at the end
When I see you, the whole world reduces
To just that room
And then I remember and I’m shy that gossip’s eye will look too soon
And then I’m trapped, overthinking
And yeah, probably self-doubt
You tell me to get over it and to take you out
But I can’t, I’m too scared
And there’s the night-bus, I have to go
And the doors are closing and you were waving
And I like you, and I’ll never let it show
And you won’t wait and maybe I won’t mind
I work better on my own
And now I’m, well, a bit drunk
And I ask myself
.
What if it’s not meant for me? love
What if it’s not meant for me? love
.
A few days pass since I last saw you
And you have taken over my mind
I’m re-telling jokes you made that made me laugh
Pretending that they’re mine
I wanna tell the whole world about you
I think that that’s a sign
I’m losing self control and it’s you
It really is, one thousand times
I look at your picture and I smile
How awful’s that? I’m like a teenage girl
I might as well write all over my notebook
That you ‘rock my world!’
But you do, you really do
You’ve turned me upside down
And that’s okay, I’ll let it happen
‘Cause I like having you around
I’m electric, a romantic cliché
And they really are all true
And we catch eyes in a stupid party
I know exactly what to do
I’ll take your hand, and we will leave
French exit for me and you
You know I’m home, a little bit drunk
Some things don’t change and I know now
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Me and you were meant to be in love
Me and you were meant to be in love
Me and you
Another in my ‘songs I like but you might not know’ (rather dull) blog posts.
This song is on my ‘gym playlist’. The list is an eclectic mix of music stretching across decades. I went back way beyond my lifetime to find a number of them. The only thing that binds them together is that they somehow inspire me just to keep going that little bit harder and longer. The inspiration doesn’t have to be what you might expect – there is enough blues and jazz to go along with the rock, plenty of Latin rhythms, a dash of grime, and some unashamed pieces of pure pop. There are about four thousand tracks which I change from time to time so it stays fresh
Anyway. I digress. This morning this particular song emerged from the pile. The vagaries of random play meant I hadn’t heard it for quite a while. And I just thought … ‘I love this’.
It is by a British band, The Cult who were formed in 1983 and, despite the usual addictions, tantrums, and break-ups, they are still recording. ‘Edie’ was apparently (according to Wiki) written about one of Andy Warhol’s actresses. It is from the album Sonic Temple which was released in 1989. It might be one of their better known songs.
If you like it, The Cult are truly worth digging out and listening to. And hopefully I haven’t tainted your perspective with the thought of me sweating and straining in the gym.
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‘Edie (Ciao Baby)’ written by Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy, performed by The Cult.
This blog post @ the author writing as Romantic Dominant
Edie (Ciao Baby)
Always said you were a youthquaker, edie
A stormy little world shaker
Oh, warhol’s darling queen, edie
An angel with a broken wing
The dogs lay at your feet, edie
Oh, we caressed your cheek
Ooh, stars wrapped in your hair
Ooh, life without a care
But your not there
Oh, caught up in an endless scene, edie
Yeah, paradise, a shattered dream
Oh, wired on the pills you took, edie
Your innocence dripped blood, sweet child
The dogs lay at your feet, edie
Oh, we caressed your cheek
Ooh, stars wrapped in your hair
Ooh, life without a care
Ciao baby
Shake it, boy
Oh, sweet little sugar talker
Paradise dream stealer
Oh, warhol’s little queen, edie
An angel with a broken wing, oh
The dogs lay at your feet, edie
Oh, we caressed your cheek, well
Stars wrapped in your hair
Ooh, life without a care
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Why did you kiss the world goodbye?
Ciao baby
Don’t you know paradise takes time?
Ciao, yeah
Why did you kiss the world goodbye?
Ciao baby
Don’t you know paradise takes time?
Ooh, ciao, yeah
Ciao baby, yeah
Ciao baby
Ciao baby, yeah
Ciao baby
Another one of my occasional posts about songs I like which you might not have heard.
Gogol Bordello are a gypsy punk band (I can think of no better description) from the USA – at least, they are based in New York but they originate from all over the world – mainly Eastern Europe. They have been going forever (since 1999).
They are anarchic, irreverent, anti-establishment, and well, very different. You might not enjoy them as much as I do. But they make me laugh, dance, feel revolutionary (always good for an old socialist like me) and sing along very loudly.
I could have chosen many songs but this is perhaps their most accessible. It was used in the film ‘Everything is Illuminated’. (I happily admit to have not having seen it but it apparently stars Elijah Wood and the group’s lead vcalist Eugene Hutz and is a comedy-drama about Nazi purges in the Ukraine – source Wiki)
Anyway. If you do listen beyond the first few bars of this song (which is absolutely nothing to do with politics), then play at a high volume and after a few listens you might be singing it too. Or not.
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Song ‘Start Wearing Purple’ written by Eliot Ferguson / Eugene Hutz / Oren Kaplan / Rea Mochiach / Sergey Ryabstev / Yuri Lemeshev and performed by Gogol Bordello
This post @ the author writing as Romantic Dominant
Start Wearing Purple
Start wearing purple wearing purple
Start wearing purple, for me now
All your sanity and wits, they will all vanish
I promise, it’s just a matter of time
.
So yeah start wearing purple wearing purple
Start wearing purple, for me now
All your sanity and wits, they will all vanish
I promise, it’s just a matter of time.
.
I know you since you were a twenty and I was twenty
But thought that some years from now
A purple little little lady will be perfect
For dirty old and useless clown.
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So yeah, start wearing purple wearing purple!
Start wearing purple for me now!
All your sanity and wits, they will all vanish,
I promise, it’s just a matter of time!
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I know it all from Diogenis to Foucault
From Lozgechkin to Paspartu
I ja kljanus obostzav dva paltza
Schto muzika poshla ot Zvukov Mu!
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Start wearing purple wearing purple!
Start wearing purple for me now!
All your sanity and wits, they will all vanish,
I promise, it’s just a matter of time!
.
So yeah, start wearing purple wearing purple!
Start wearing purple for me now!
So why don’t you start wearing purple?
Why don’t you start wearing purple
Start wearing purple for me now!
.
All your sanity and wits, they will all vanish,
I promise, it’s just a matter of time!
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So Fio-Fio-Fioletta! Etta! Va-va-va-vaja dama ti moja!
Eh podayte name karetu, votetu, I mi poedem k ebenjam!
So yeah, start wearing purple wearing purple!
Start wearing purple for me now!
All your sanity and wits, they will all vanish,
I promise, it’s just a matter of time!
I don’t think there is a single song by Scottish singer songwriter Paolo Nutini that I couldn’t post in my ‘songs I like but you might not know’ series. I adore them all.
I have enjoyed his music enormously since his debut album ‘These Streets’ in 2006
This song is from his superb 2014 album ‘Caustic Love’. I guess it says something that we have all felt at some time. I hope you enjoy.
If you don’t know his music, do take some time to discover.
Let me down easy
Though your love for me is gone
Let me down easy
Since you feel that staying is wrong?
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We are broken by others
But we mend ourselves
We take comfort in strangers
But I don’t think it helps
If every fool were a clown
I would be a king and not a clown
Cause love can’t?
Closer than our hands and our feet
.
But it’s lost on me
Oh oh
It’s lost on me
Your love for me is wrong
Let me down easy
since you feel that staying is wrong?
There was no sweeter fruit than this
With no taste of bitterness
It was so fresh and sweet before
But I can’t taste it anymore
.
I was like a man with no care
I had everything
But it’s lost
lost on me
Your love for me is wrong
Let me down easy
Your love for me is gone
Let me down easy
Since you feel that staying is wrong?
.
On a better day
we’d be waiting on our corner
Selling dreams of redemption
But this time you’ve gone your way
So I’ll go mine
Out of sight, out of love, out of time
Your love for me is wrong
.
Let me down easy
Your love for me is gone
Let me down easy
Since you feel that staying is wrong?
You probably won’t have heard this one – I only discovered it yesterday – it is off a brand new album released a couple of days ago.
It is by the legendary Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant who has being making great music all his life – he is now 70. If you like music of quality, depth and variety you should listen to his solo work.
“Carry Fire’ is the title track off his latest album. The song (one of longing, pain and perhaps regret) is an intoxicating mix of rock and Middle Eastern influences (which I adore). His extremely talented band – which includes fiddle player extraordinare Seth Lakeman – produce a track of considerable musical beauty and intense, restrained energy.
I am currently playing this on repeat and becoming more intoxicated by its hyponotic power on every listen.
Oh, and the video is a delight too.
(This is another of my irregular posts about songs I like that you might not know)
It is by a band called Stornoway, named after a town in the Hebrides. They were, however, from Oxford.
They were never hugely successful and I have no idea where I stumbled on this track, which was released in 2009.
There is something about it that always makes me think of Autumn, a new beginning, and a first love affair. It cheers me up if I ever sink low. I sing it loudly in the shower sometimes.
You might have to listen to it a few times to develop a taste for it. A bit like going zorbing perhaps.
The video is dreadful.
(this was another in my occasional ‘songs I like but you might not know’ blog posts)
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Zorbing written by Brian David James Briggs and performed by Stornoway
Conkers shining on the ground,
The air is cooler
And I feel like I just started uni
Walking backwards to my van
You’re at your window,
And I’m tripping every time I think of
Lying in your attic
I can feel the static
The storm has broken, Heavens open
Send my body out to work
But leave my senses
In orbit over south east London
Wind the window down and pinch
Me on the shoulder
Whilst I’ll be off to dream of
Lying in your attic
I can feel the static
The storm has broken, Heavens open
So electrifying, Oh I’m nearly flying
Lost my heart between the sheets of lightening
I’ve been singing you this song,
Inside a bubble,
Been Zorbing through the streets of Cali,
We were always meant to be,
Zorbing together, And i think its high time we started
Lying in your attic
I can feel the static
The storm is breaking, windows shaking
So electrifying, Oh I’m nearly flying
Lost my heart between the sheets of lightening
Lying in your attic
I can feel the static
The storm has broken, Heavens open
So electrifying, Oh I’m nearly flying
Lost my heart between the sheets of lightening
A Faded Romantic's Notebook 
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