Friday, November 20, 2009

'Dis, Quand Reviendras-Tu' by Barbara

An old favourite... this song still takes me by the throat:



Voilà combien de jours, voilà combien de nuits,
Voilà combien de temps que tu es reparti?
Tu m'as dit cette fois, c'est le dernier voyage,
Pour nos cœurs déchirés, c'est le dernier naufrage.
Au printemps, tu verras, je serai de retour,
Le printemps, c'est joli pour se parler d'amour,
Nous irons voir ensemble les jardins refleuris,
Et déambulerons dans les rues de Paris,

Dis, quand reviendras-tu?
Dis, au moins le sais-tu?
Que tout le temps qui passe,
Ne se rattrape guère,
Que tout le temps perdu,
Ne se rattrape plus.

Le printemps s'est enfui depuis longtemps déjà,
Craquent les feuilles mortes, brûlent les feux de bois;
A voir Paris si beau dans cette fin d'automne,
Soudain je m'alanguis, je rêve, je frissonne.

Je tangue, je chavire, et comme la rengaine,
Je vais, je viens, je vire, je me tourne, je me traîne:
Ton image me hante, je te parle tout bas,
Et j'ai le mal d'amour, et j'ai le mal de toi.

Dis, quand reviendras-tu?
Dis, au moins le sais-tu?
Que tout le temps qui passe,
Ne se rattrape guère,
Que tout le temps perdu,
Ne se rattrape plus.

J'ai beau t'aimer encore, j'ai beau t'aimer toujours,
J'ai beau n'aimer que toi, j'ai beau t'aimer d'amour;
Si tu ne comprends pas qu'il te faut revenir,
Je ferai de nous deux mes plus beaux souvenirs.
Je reprendrai la route, le monde m'émerveille,
J'irai me réchauffer à un autre soleil,
Je ne suis pas de celles qui meurent de chagrin,
Je n'ai pas la vertu des femmes de marins.

Dis, quand reviendras-tu?
Dis, mais... au moins le sais-tu?
Que tout le temps qui passe,
Ne se rattrape guère,
Que tout le temps perdu,
Ne se rattrape, ne se rattrape, ne se rattrape plus...

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

More Steve Harley... Oh, the Era of Glam Rock!



A later live version of 'Tumbling Down' by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel



'Death Trip'




Mad, Mad Moonlight

Monday, August 3, 2009

Midnight Oil: Beds are Burning


How do we sleep while our beds are burning?

... The time has come to say fair's fair,
To pay the rent, to pay our share...

Some MCR Favourites





Make Me Smile by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel





An old classic...


You've done it all, you've broken every code
And pulled the rebel to the floor
You spoilt the game, no matter what you say
For only metal: what a bore!
Blue eyes, blue eyes, how can you tell so many lies?

Come up and see me, make me smile
Or do what you want, running wild

There's nothing left, all gone and run away
Maybe you'll tarry for a while
It's just a test, a game for us to play,
Win or lose, it's hard to smile.
Resist, resist, it's from yourself you have to hide

Come up and see me, make me smile
Or do what you want, running wild

There ain't no more, you've taken everything
From my belief in Mother Earth
How can you ignore my faith in everything
Cuz I know what faith is and what it's worth
Away, away, and don't say maybe you'll try

To come up and see me, make me smile
Or do what you want, just running wild

Come up and see me, make me smile
Or do what you want, running wild

Come up and see me, make me smile
Or do what you want, running wild

Sunday, January 11, 2009

'Heart and Soul' by Joy Division



'Heart and Soul'



'Disorder'

'Joy Division' : 'She's Lost Control'



Another group with incredible intensity and energy... his suicide was horribly inevitable and yet, what other end could there have been to his song?



'Love Will Tear Us Apart'

The same song but closer to the bone:

The Jam and 'That's Entertainment'



'That's Entertainment' by the Jam

Monday, October 27, 2008

The great Mireille Mathieu: Ne me Quitte Pas



One of the clearest, most passionate voices, the incomparable Mireille Mathieu sings 'Ne me Quitte Pas'.



'Quand on Revient'

Quand on revient
Aussi beau qu'il soit
Le pays d'où l'on revient
Mon Dieu, qu'il fait bon chez soi
Quand on revient
On voudrait chanter
Le cœur ne sait plus très bien
S'il doit rire ou bien pleurer

L'avion va se poser
Et malgré mes valises
Gonflées de souvenirs
J'ai le cœur qui se brise
En bas, je vois serrés
Autour de ses églises
La France où je suis née

Quand on revient
Aussi bleu qu'il soit
Le ciel bleu d'où l'on revient
Il fait toujours beau chez soit

J'ai dans mon passeport
Des buildings et des plages
Les hôtels et les ports
Tapissent mes bagages
Mais parmi tous ces noms
Se détache une image
Mon vieux pont d'Avignon

Quand je reviens
Aussi grand qu'il soit
Le pays d'où je reviens
Mon Dieu, qu'il fait bon chez moi
Qu'il fait bon revoir enfin le pays
Où m'attendent mes parents, mes amis
C'est le plus joli pays
Quand je reviens

Classic French Romantics by Alain Barriere



'Tout t'en Vas' by Alain Barriere and Noelle Cordier



Another version of 'Tout T'en Vas'



As a postscript, another great duet, this time Mireille Mathieu and Nina Mouskouri singing 'La Paloma'

'I'll be There' and 'Cette Annee-La' by Clo-Clo



'J'Attendrais' (I'll be There') by Claude Francois, singing the French version of the old English song, 'Reach Out, I'll be There'



'Cette Annee-La'

Classic Clo-Clo. His energy and attitude of lighting up any room he entered are most apparent in this video. His smile really did illuminate the world. If you understand French, you will see instantly how different the lyrics are in this version of the song. Incidentally, I have to confess that I never was a fan of 'les Clodettes', his entourage of dancers.

'Cette année-là ...
Je chantais pour la première fois,
le public ne me connaissait pas
Oh.. quelle année , cette année-là.
Cette année-là ...
le rock'n'roll venait d'ouvrir ses ailes
et dans mon coin je chantais 'Belle, Belle, Belle.'
Et le public aimait ça.
Déjà les Beatles étaient quatre garçons dans le vent,
et moi, ma chanson disait marche tout droit.
Cette année-là ...
quelle joie d'être l'idole des jeunes
pour des fans qui cassaient les fauteuils.
Plus j'y pense et moins j'oublie.
J'ai découvert mon premier, mon dernier amour,
le seul, le grand, l'unique et pour toujours le public
Cette année-là ...
dans le ciel passait une musique,
un oiseau qu'on appelait Spoutnik.
Oh ..quelle année, cette année-là.
C'est là qu'on a dit adieu à Marilyn au cœur d'or,
tandis que West Side battait tous les records.
Cette année-là les guitares tiraient sur les violons,
on croyait qu'une révolution arrivait cette année-là.
C'était hier, mais aujourd'hui rien n'a changé.
C'est le même métier qui ce soir recommence encore.
C'était l'année ,soixante deux ...
C'était l'année , soixante deux ...
C'était l'année , soixante deux ...
C'était l'année ......'

'I discovered my first, my last love: the only one, great, unique, and for always, the 'Public' in this year.'

It was true of him more even than for most 'stars'. He drove himself to be an icon for the 'young'... and he died before he ever experienced an end to his own youth.



Finally, 'Belles, Belles, Belles'

'Comme d'Habitude' or 'My Way' by Claude Francois

How many 'native' English speaking individuals are familiar with Claude Francois, a French pop singer affectionately known as 'Clo-Clo'? He died tragically from an electrical accident in his bath at a fairly young age 30 years ago and yet he still lives in the hearts of fans from every generation. Physically, he epitomises my own personal ideal in terms of male beauty. 'Androgynous' is a term that has been much-abused, but it definitely would describe some one like Clo-Clo, who was slim, blond and had exquisite features.

Oddly enough, one of his songs has become one of the best-known popular songs throughout the world. It is not the original, entitled 'Comme d'Habitude' that is known and sung still internationally, but the English version of the song, entitled 'My Way'. This song was made most famous by Frank Sinatra, a man I never liked at all. Give me Clo-Clo any day!



'Comme d'Habitude' by Claude Francois

The original French lyrics are quite different from the English version. In fact, the song is very Gallic, about a man who lives with a frigid woman but carries on living 'comme d'Habitude', pretending happiness where there is none... pretending and pretending, 'putting a good face on it' as it were.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

'Some Weird Sin' by Iggy Pop

'Lust for Life' is a fabulous album and 'Some Weird Sin' is one of my favourite songs, expressing all the angst of some one who wants to be acceptable but at the same time, feels compelled to be himself/herself.


'Some Weird Sin' by Iggy Pop

Well, I never got my license to live.
They won't give it up,
So I stand at the world's edge:

I'm trying to break in,
Oh, I know it's not for me,
And the sight of it all
Makes me sad and ill:
That's when I want- Some Weird Sin.

Things get too straight,
I can't bear it;
I feel stuck, stuck on a pin:

I'm trying to break in,
Oh, I know it's not for me,
But the sight of it all
Makes me sad and ill.
That's when I want- Some Weird Sin
That's when I want- Some Weird Sin
Just to relax with...

Yeah, some dumb, weird sin
For a while anyway,
With my head on the ledge,
That's what you get out on the edge:
Some Weird Sin.

Things get too straight,
I can't bear it;
I feel stuck, stuck on a pin:

I'm trying to break in,
Oh, I know it's not for me,
When the sight of it all
Makes me sad and ill:
That's when I want- Some Weird Sin
That's when I want- Some Weird Sin
Just to relax with

That's some dumb weird sin
For a while anyway
With my head out on the ledge
That's what you get out on the edge
Some Weird sin

Some weird sin, Some weird sin...



'Tonight' by Iggy Pop

Another favourite in a very different vein...

I saw my baby,
She was turning blue.
Oh, I knew that soon, her
Young life was through;

And so I got down on my knees
Down by her bed,
And these are the words
To her I said:

Everything will be allright, tonight
Everything will be allright, tonight

No one moves
No one talks
No one thinks
No one walks, tonight...

Everyone will be allright, tonight...

No one moves
No one talks
No one thinks
No one walks, Tonight, Tonight...

I am gonna love her to the end:
I will love her 'til I die,
I will see her in the sky...Tonight.'

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

'I Think I Love You' by the Partridge Family



Well, he was awfully cute and even Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance thinks he is worth a mention... if only for his gorgeous hair. There were only two songs I really liked by him. Sad to say, his beauty faded very quickly.



'I'll Meet You Halfway'

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

'Surrender' by Cheap Trick



'Surrender' by Cheap Trick



'If you Want my Love You Got it'

(Too bad the volume is low on this)



'I Want You to Want Me'

Monday, October 15, 2007

'Love's Great Adventure' by Ultravox



'Love's Great Adventure' by Ultravox

To be perfectly fair, I never was wholly seduced by tragic love. I ALWAYS loved this song by Ultravox and still do. It is the ultimate kind of positive hymn to realisation of the power of love.

'Standing on my own,
It didn't mean that much to me;
I thought I had it all,
I didn't see the mystery:
I stood the test of time,
I took the step to find
Love's great adventure.

I spoke a million words,
They didn't mean that much to me;
They rang around my head
Like empty tuneless harmonies.
Love's great adventure... oh!

Lying side by side
It didn't mean that much to me;
I started to enjoy
The poetry and symphonies.
I took it in my stride
I hailed the day I tried
Love's great adventure.

A fool who couldn't see,
It didn't mean that much to me;
I couldn't understand
That's how the game is meant to be:
Love's great adventure's mine.

Love's great adventure,
Love's great adventure,
Love's great adventure... oh!

Standing on my own
It didn't mean that much to me;
I thought I had it all
I didn't see the mystery:
I stood the test of time
I took the step to find
Love's great adventure's mine!'

Friday, October 5, 2007

'Wondering' by Good Charlotte



'Wondering' by Good Charlotte

I don't know why it virtually is impossible to find a video of this song that isn't made using some one else's graphics with only the music by Good Charlotte. As I love Final Fantasy, though, and the clip is extremely romantic in many ways, I am posting this version.


'If you want me to wait
I will wait for you
If you tell me to stay
I would stay right through
If you don't wanna say
Anything at all
I'm happy wondering

Since I was a young man
I never was a fun man
I never had a plan and no security
Then ever since i met you
I never could forget you
I only wanna get you right here next to me

Cause everybody
Needs someone that they can trust and
You're somebody
That I found just in time

If you want me to wait
I would wait for you
If you tell me to stay
I would stay right through
If you don't wanna say
Anything at all
I'm happy wondering

Now my life is changing
It's always rearranging
It's always getting stranger than I thought it ever could
Ever since I found you
I wanna be around you
I wanna get down to the point that I need you

Cause everybody
Needs someone that they can trust and
You're somebody
That I found just in time

If you want me to wait
I would wait for you
If you tell me to stay
I would stay right through
If you don't wanna say
Anything at all
I'm happy wondering

Don't tell me
The bad news
Don't tell me anything at all
Just tell me
That you need me
And stay right here with me

If you want me to wait
I would wait for you
If you tell me to stay
I would stay right through
If you don't wanna say
Anything at all
I'm happy wondering...'

It is no wonder that this song has been used as the background for hundreds of videos and films. It basically does get right to the point.



This was the only actual clip I could find by the group, but it's live... great for fans of Good Charlotte but not the best video in terms of sharing the song properly.

Saturday, July 21, 2007

The All-American Rejects: 'It Ends Tonight'



'Can't Take It' by The All-American Rejects



'Move Along' by The All-American Rejects

Go ahead as you waste your days with thinking:
When you fall everyone stands.
Another day and you've had your fill of sinking,
With the life held in your
Hands are shaking cold,
These hands are meant to hold.

Speak to me, when all you got to keep is strong:
Move along, move along like I know you do;
And even when your hope is gone:
Move along, move along just to make it through
Move along
Move along

So a day when you've lost yourself completely
Could be a night when your life ends.
Such a heart that will lead you to deceiving:
All the pain held in your
Hands are shaking cold
Your hands are mine to hold.

Speak to me, when all you got to keep is strong:
Move along, move along like I know you do,
And even when your hope is gone,
Move along, move along just to make it through:
Move along
(Go on, go on, go on, go on)

When everything is wrong, we move along;
(Go on, go on, go on, go on)
When everything is wrong, we move along,
Along, along, along

When all you got to keep is strong:
Move along, move along like I know you do;
And even when your hope is gone,
Move along, move along just to make it through.


(Go on, go on, go on, go on)
Right back what is wrong
We move along...




'It Ends Tonight' by The All-American Rejects



'Straitjacket Feeling'

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Radiohead: No Surprises



A heart that's full up like a landfill,
A job that slowly kills you,
Bruises that won't heal.

You look so tired and unhappy:
Bring down the government,
They don't, they don't speak for us.
I'll take a quiet life,
A handshake of carbon monoxide.

No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises
Silent, silent

This is my final fit, my final bellyache with

No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises please

Such a pretty house, such a pretty garden

No alarms and no surprises (let me out of here)
No alarms and no surprises (let me out of here)
No alarms and no surprises please (let me out of here)



'Karma Police'



'Street Spirit' (Fade Out)

'Sing for Absolution' by Muse



Lips are turning blue,
A kiss that can't renew.
I only dream of you,
My beautiful.

Tiptoe to your room,
A starlight in the gloom;
I only dream of you
And you never knew.

Sing for absolution:
I will be singing,
Falling from your grace.

There's nowhere left to hide,
In no one to confide;
The truth runs deep inside
And will never die.

Lips are turning blue,
A kiss that can't renew;
I only dream of you,
My beautiful.

Sing for absolution:
I will be singing,
Falling from your grace.

Our wrongs remain unrectified
And our souls won't be exhumed.'

'Invincible' by Muse



'Invincible' by Muse (Official Video)

Follow through
Make your dreams come true
Don't give up the fight
You will be alright
'Cause there's no one like you in the universe

Don't be afraid
What your mind conceives
You should make a stand
Stand up for what you believe
And tonight
We can truly say
Together we're invincible

During the struggle
They will pull us down
But please, please
Let's use this chance
To turn things around
And tonight
We can truly say
Together we're invincible

Do it on your own
It makes no difference to me
What you leave behind
What you choose to be
And whatever they say
Your soul's unbreakable

During the struggle
They will pull us down
But please, please
Let's use this chance
To turn things around
And tonight
We can truly say
Together we're invincible
Together we're invincible

During the struggle
They will pull us down
Please, please
Let's use this chance
To turn things around
And tonight
We can truly say
Together we're invincible
Together we're invincible



'Invincible' Live from Reading Festival...



'Starlight'


Far away
The ship is taking me far away
Far away from the memories
Of the people who care if I live or die

Starlight
I will be chasing the starlight
Until the end of my life
I don't know if it's worth it anymore

Hold you in my arms
I just wanted to hold
You in my arms

My life
You electrify my life
Let's conspire to ignite
All the souls that would die just to feel alive

But I'll never let you go
If you promised not to fade away
Never fade away

Our hopes and expectations
Black holes and revelations
Our hopes and expectations
Black holes and revelations

Hold you in my arms
I just wanted to hold
You in my arms

Far away
The ship is taking me far away
Far away from the memories
Of the people who care if I live or die

And I'll never let you go
If you promise not to fade away
Never fade away

Our hopes and expectations
Black holes and revelations
Our hopes and expectations
Black holes and revelations

Hold you in my arms
I just wanted to hold
You in my arms
I just wanted to hold

'Feeling Good' and 'Hysteria' by Muse



'Feeling Good'

Birds flying high
You know how I feel
Sun in the sky
You know how I feel
Reeds driftin' on by
You know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good

Fish in the sea
You know how I feel
River running free
You know how I feel
Blossom in the tree
You know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good

Dragonfly out in the sun you know what I mean, don't you know
Butterflies all havin' fun you know what I mean
Sleep in peace when the day is done
And this old world is a new world
And a bold world
For me

Stars when you shine
You know how I feel
Scent of the pine
You know how I feel
Yeah freedom is mine
And I know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me

And I'm feeling good



'Hysteria' by Muse
It's bugging me, grating me
And twisting me around
Yeah I'm endlessly caving in
And turning inside out

'cause I want it now
I want it now
Give me your heart and your soul
And I'm breaking out
I'm breaking out
Last chance to lose control

It's holding me, morphing me
And forcing me to strive
To be endlessly cold within
And dreaming I'm alive

'cause I want it now
I want it now
Give me your heart and your soul
And I'm not breaking down
I'm breaking out
Last chance to lose control

And want you now
I want you now
I'll feel my heart implode
And I'm breaking out
Escaping now
Feeling my faith erode



Plug In Baby

'Knights of Cydonia' by Muse



'Knights of Cydonia'

Come ride with me
Through the veins of history
I'll show you how god
Falls asleep on the job

And how can we win
When fools can be kings
Don't waste your time
Or time will waste you

No one's gonna take me alive
The time has come to make things right
You and I must fight for our rights
You and I must fight to survive

No one's gonna take me alive
The time has come to make things right
You and I must fight for our rights
You and I must fight to survive

No one's gonna take me alive
The time has come to make things right
You and I must fight for our rights
You and I must fight to survive

'Time is Running Out' and 'Bliss' by Muse



'Time is Running Out'



'Bliss' by Muse

Everything about you is how I wanna be
Your freedom comes naturally
Everything about you resonates happiness
Now I won't settle for less

Give me all the peace and joy in your mind

Everything about you pains my envying
Your soul can't hate anything
Everything about you is so easy to love
They're watching you from above

Give me all the peace and joy in your mind
I want the peace and joy in your mind
Give me the peace and joy in your mind

Everything about you resonates happiness
Now I won't settle for less

Give me all the peace and joy in your mind
I want the peace and joy in your mind
Give me the peace and joy in your mind

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Midnight Oil: Beds are Burning



'Beds are Burning' by Midnight Oil

'The time has come
To say fair's fair..

The time has come,
A fact's a fact,
It belongs to them,
Let's give it back.

How can we dance
While our earth is turning?
How do we sleep
While our beds are burning?'



'Put Down that Weapon'

Under the waterline
No place to retire
To another time
The eyes of the world now turn

And if we think about it
And if we talk about it
And if the skies go dark with rain
Can you tell me will our freedom remain

Put down that weapon or we'll all be gone
You can't hide nowhere with the torchlight on
And it happens to be an emergency
Some things aren't meant to be
Some things don't come for free

Above the waterline
Point the finger yeah point the bone
It's the harbour towns
That the grey metal ships call home

And if we think about it
And if we talk about it
And if the seas go boiling black
Can you tell me what you'll do about that

Put down that weapon or we'll all be gone
I must know something to know it's so wrong
And it happens to be an emergency
Some things aren't meant to be
Some things don't come for free

They keep talking about it
They keep talking...

Put down that weapon or we'll all be gone
You must be crazy if you think you're strong.'



'Blue Sky Mine'

Hey, hey-hey hey
There'll be food on the table tonight
Hey, hey, hey hey
There'll be pay in your pocket tonight

My gut is wrenched out, it is crunched up and broken;
A life that is led is no more than a token.
Who'll strike the flint upon the stone and tell me why?
If I yell out at night there's a reply of bruised silence,
The screen is no comfort I can't speak my sentence.

They blew the lights at heaven's gate and I don't know why.

But if I work all day at the blue sky mine
(There'll be food on the table tonight)
Still I walk up and down on the blue sky mine
(There'll be pay in your pocket tonight)
The candy store paupers lie to the share holders,
They're crossing their fingers, they pay the truth makers
The balance sheet is breaking up the sky
So I'm caught at the junction still waiting for medicine,
The sweat of my brow keeps on feeding the engine;
Hope the crumbs in my pocket can keep me for another night.
And if the blue sky mining company won't come to my rescue,
If the sugar refining company won't save me,
Who's gonna save me?

But if I work all day...

And some have sailed from a distant shore:
And the company takes what the company wants,
And nothing's as precious, as a hole in the ground.

Who's gonna save me?
I pray that sense and reason brings us in.
Who's gonna save me?
We've got nothing to fear.

In the end the rain comes down,
Washes clean, the streets of a blue sky town.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

'Face the Strange' by Good Charlotte



'Face the Strange' by Good Charlotte




'Where Would We Be Now' by Good Charlotte



'Victims of Love' by Good Charlotte



'Break Her Heart Open' by Good Charlotte



'Broken Hearts Parade'

'Broken Hearts Parade' by Good Charlotte

OMD: Electricity



'Electricity' by OMD



'If you Leave'

OMD: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Featured in 'Pretty in Pink'



'If you Leave' by Good Charlotte

(The same song performed more recently by Good Charlotte)

Love's Great Adventure' and 'Sleepwalk' from Ultravox



'Love's Great Adventure'

Standing on my own,
It didn't mean that much to me.
I thought I had it all,
I didn't see the mystery

I stood the test of time,
And took the step to find,
Love's great adventure.

I spoke a million words:
They didn't mean that much to me.
They rang around my head,
Like empty tuneless harmony.
Love's great adventure's mine!

Lying side by side,
It didn't mean that much to me.
Or starting to enjoy,
The poetry and symphonies.
I took it in my stride,
And hailed the day I tried,
Love's great adventure.

A fool who couldn't see,
It didn't mean that much to me.
I couldn't understand,
That's how the game is meant to be.
Love's great adventure's mine!

My great adventure.
Love's great adventure.

Love's great adventure!

Standing on my own,
It didn't mean that much to me.
I thought I had it all,
I didn't see the mystery.
I stood the test of time.
I took the step to find.
Love's great adventure's mine!



'Sleepwalk'



'The Voice'

Ultravox, 'Vienna', 'The Hymn', 'Visions in Blue'



'Vienna'



'Visions in Blue'



'The Hymn'



'Passing Strangers'



'Dancing with Tears in my Eyes'



'All Stood Still'



'The Lament'