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

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.

'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'

999 sings 'Homicide' and 'Emergency'

'Homicide'
I believe in Homicide
I rest my case, don’t cast aside.
You better believe it
That’s the truth of it
Take it or leave it
Resign to it.
Homicide, Homicide,
Homicide, Homicide.

No one cared
When someone lied
They’d rather say
That it’s irrelevant.
You better believe it,
That’s the truth of it.
Take it or leave it,
Resign to it:

Homicide, Homicide,
Homicide, Homicide.

You tried to tell me it’s his fault because he’s down
And letting loose this Homicide all over the town
I’ll take your number I’ll write it down;
What’s your address, I’ll write it down;
I’ll be in touch so don’t leave town in a big black car

Homicide, Homicide,
Homicide, Homicide,
Homicide, Homicide,
Homicide, Homicide.

This song still has great energy.





'Emergency'

We've heard it all before,
We're learning to ignore,
You must confess this awful mess
Isn't just a bore.
It's more than we can bear,
But do you really care?
The kiss of life to save a life
All you do is stare.
Sell yourself for cheap,
Make your mother weep.
Losing pride is hard to hide,
And harder still to keep.

I'm back in full attack
Never give in until they crack
Emergency,
emergency.

Raiders strike but where?
Panic in the air,
Running scared, I'm oh so scared:
It gets you everywhere.
Heard it on the news,
Rebels get accused,
Fighting for another cause
But why and where and whose?
Carry out their plan,
Release us if you can,
What's your worth to a pile of earth?
You're just another man.

Blackjack, what a quack,
Never get your money back.
Pack attack in the back,
By a bloody maniac.
Better see industry
Take it fast and make it last.
Go away make them pay,
Never make the same mistake.
Sometimes care, sometimes not
See them bleed and see them rot.

Sex Pistols

'Anarchy in the U.K.'



'God Save the Queen'

What can I say? I love the Sex Pistols... incredible energy. They fueled the Punk movement.

Klaus Nomi

Here's a genius who never cared what any one else thought...



'Simple Man'



'Lightning Strikes'

Gary Numan 'Cars'

'Cars'

Here in my car
I feel safest of all
I can lock all my doors
It's the only way to live
In cars

Here in my car
I can only receive
I can listen to you
It keeps me stable for days
In cars


Here in my car
Where the image breaks down
Will you visit me please?
If I open my door
In cars


Here in my car
I know I've started to think
About leaving tonight
Although nothing seems right
In cars'



Gary Numan on the Graham Norton Show...

WARNING: THIS VIDEO IS RATHER RUDE! It's hilarious, though. It's the Graham Norton Show, featuring Gary Numan. I happen to like Graham Norton and Gary Numan, and it is a bit of a laugh even if you aren't familiar with either one of them.

Moody Blues

'Go Now'



'Nights in White Satin'



'Tuesday Afternoon'

'Song for Europe' by Roxy Music

'Song for Europe'




'Smoke Gets in your Eyes'



'Same Old Scene'

'These Foolish Things' and 'Over You' by Roxy Music

'These Foolish Things' by Bryan Ferry



'Over You' by Roxy Music

'Let's Stick Together' by Bryan Ferry

'Let's Stick Together'



'More than This'

More Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry

'Virginia Plain'



Bryan Ferry sings 'If Not for You'



'A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall'

Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music

'All I Want is You'



'Do the Strand'




'Out of the Blue'

Billy Idol: 'White Wedding' and 'Rebel Yell'

This song still can send shivers up my spine...



'White Wedding'

'There is nothing fair in this world,
There is nothing safe in this world;
And there's nothing sure in this world,
And there's nothing pure in this world,
Look for something left in this world,
Start again,

Come on,
It's a nice day for a white wedding.
It's a nice day to start again.'



'Rebel Yell'



'Hot in the City'




'Don't Need a Gun'


'...Of what a story dreams to buy,
Don't need a knife to violate my life.
It's all so insane:

When the other man has none
You don't need a gun;
Yes a Russian roulette no fun,
I don't need a gun.
I just need someone
I don't need a gun.

Blood red lights a domination street, yeah.
Just need your love and I feel that heat, yeah.
You can drive me through
That red stop light
With a whiplash smile'



'Wasteland' from the Cyberpunk album



'Adam in Chains'
'They've broken your heart,
Ah yeah, they're gonna tear your world apart.
Why make up a lie
And believe it's true?
Ah, tear it all apart:
I know the shape of things to come.
Why this now, girl?
Will we murder each other?

Like Adam in chains
I want revenge...'

'Cradle of Love'




The song is decent enough but I am including it for the video. It is both clever and amusing... Billy Idol always did know how to put together a great music video.

'This is How I Disappear' by My Chemical Romance

'Mama' by My Chemical Romance, the studio version

'Mama, we all go to hell.
Mama, we all go to hell.
I'm writing this letter and wishing you well,
Mama, we all go to hell.

'Oh, well, now,
Mama, we're all gonna die.
Mama, we're all gonna die.
Stop asking me questions, I'd hate to see you cry,
Mama, we're all gonna die.

'And when we go, don't blame us, yeah.
We'll let the fires just bathe us, yeah.
You made us, oh, so famous.
We'll never let you go.
And when you go, don't return to me my love.

'Mama, we're all full of lies.
Mama, we're meant for the flies.
And right now they're building a coffin your size,
Mama, we're all full of lies.

'Well Mother, what the war did to my legs and to my tongue,
You should've raised a baby girl,
I should've been a better son.
If you could coddle the infection
They can amputate at once.
You should've been,
I could have been a better son.'




'House of Wolves' by My Chemical Romance


'You play ring around the ambulance,
Well, like you never gave a care.
So get the choir boys around you,
It's a compliment, I swear.
And I said, ashes to ashes, we all fall down,
I wanna hear you sing the praise,
I said, ashes to ashes, we all fall down,
We got innocence for days!

...And say, ha,
What I wanna say:
Tell me I'm an angel,
Take this to my grave.
Tell me I'm a bad man,
Kick me like a stray.
Tell me I'm an angel,
Take this to my grave.'



'Sleep' by My Chemical Romance



'This is How I Disappear'

'Thanks for the Venom' by My Chemical Romance

'Thanks for the Venom'



'Kill All your Friends'



'Desert Song'

Well tonight, well tonight
Will it ever come?
Spend the rest of your days rocking out
Just for the dead
Well tonight
Will it ever come?
I can see you awake anytime, in my head

Did we all fall down?
Did we all fall down?
Did we all fall down?
Did we all fall down?
From the lights to the pavement
From the van to the floor
From backstage to the doctor
From the Earth to the morgue, morgue, morgue, morgue

'The Ghost of You' My Chemical Romance and Good Charlotte

Two good groups with a song named 'Ghost of You'. The first is 'My Chemical Romance'; the second is 'Good Charlotte'.



'The Ghost of You' by My Chemical Romance



'The Ghost of You' by Good Charlotte



'Helena' by My Chemical Romance

'Dead' and 'Disenchanted'

'Disenchanted' by My Chemical Romance

More from 'My Chemical Romance'

'The Sharpest Lives'



'Cancer'



'Honey'




'Vampires will Never Hurt You'

'Pretty in Pink' by the Psychedelic Furs

'Pretty in Pink'

At one point, there was some hope that this group would inherit the mantle of the Velvet Underground... not quite, in the end, but they had some good moments.




'Sister Europe'

'Bloody Sunday' by U2

'Bloody Sunday' by U2... one of those classics one can't forget.

'Brothers in Arms' by Dire Straits

'Brothers in Arms' by Dire Straits

These mist-covered mountains,
Are a home now for me;
But my home is the lowlands,
And always will be.

Some day you'll return to
Your valleys and your farms,
And you'll no longer burn
To be brothers in arm.

Through these fields of destruction,
Baptism of fire;
I've watched all your suffering
As the battles raged higher.

And though they did hurt me so bad,
In the fear and alarm;
You did not desert me
My brothers in arms.

There's so many different worlds,
So many different suns.
And we have just one world,
But we live in different ones.

Now the sun's gone to hell,
And the moon's riding high;
Let me bid you farewell,
Every man has to die.

But it's written in the starlight,
And every line on your palm:
We're fools to make war
On our brothers in arms.



'So Far away' by Dire Straits

'Hold On' by Good Charlotte

This is one of Good Charlotte's greatest songs:



'Hold On'

This world, this world is cold,
But you don’t, you don’t have to go.

You’re feeling sad you’re feeling lonely,
And no one seems to care.
You’re mother’s gone and your father hits you
This pain you cannot bear.

But we all bleed the same way as you do,
We all have the same things to go through.

Hold on...if you feel like letting go,
Hold on...it gets better than you know.

Your days you say they’re way too long,
And your nights you can’t sleep at all.

And you’re not sure what you’re looking for,
But you don’t want to no more.

And you’re not sure what you’re waiting for
But you don’t want to no more.

But we all bleed the same way as you do,
And we all have the same things to go through.

Hold on...if you feel like letting go.
Hold on...it gets better than you know.

Don’t stop looking, you’re one step closer,
Don’t stop searching, it’s not over...hold on.

What are you looking for?
What are you waiting for?
Do you know what you’re doing to me?
Go ahead...what are you waiting for?

Hold on...if you feel like letting go,
Hold on...it gets better than you know.

Don’t stop looking, you’re one step closer,
Don’t stop searching, it’s not over...

Hold on...if you feel like letting go
Hold on...it gets better than you know...hold on.'

The following is another video of the same song, but this one is an amateur video, albeit a powerful one. There is one error in the song: 'Your father hates you' should be 'Your father hits you'.

Good Charlotte: 'The Anthem'

'The Anthem' by Good Charlotte



'Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous' by Good Charlotte



'I Just Wanna Live' by Good Charlotte



'Girls and Boys' by Good Charlotte



'Little Things' by Good Charlotte



'We Believe'

'American Idiot' by Green Day

'Don't Want to be an American Idiot' by Green Day

Interesting note about this video: In looking for a video of this song, I went through six or seven different versions. This was the only one where the lyrics weren't censored.

Some of the lyrics:

'Don't want to be an American idiot.
Don't want a nation under the new media.
And can you hear the sound of hysteria?
The subliminal mind fuck America.

Welcome to a new kind of tension,
All across the alien nation.
Where everything isn't meant to be okay.

Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
For that's enough to argue...

Now everybody do the propaganda.
And sing along to the age of paranoia...

Don't want to be an American idiot.
One nation controlled by the media.
Information age of hysteria.
It's calling out to idiot America.'




'Time of your Life'

Almost every school graduation this summer featured this song.



'Working Class Heroes'

N.B. Unfortunately, the situation in Darfur is not as simple as this. Humanitarian intervention is one thing but American intervention is not justified. 'Green Day' is a great group, but they've jumped on the wrong bandwaggon this time... Still, given the media propaganda blitz on the Sudan, it's not surprising.

'Wake me up When September Ends' by Green Day

In response to a 'Green Day' fan, I am adding another 'Green Day' page...



'Wake me up When September Ends'

This is the original video, which is rather long:



'Wake Me Up When September Ends'


Summer has come and passed:
The innocent can never last,
Wake me up when September ends.

Like my father's come to pass,
Seven years has gone so fast,
Wake me up when September ends.

Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars;
Drenched in my pain again,
Becoming who we are.

As my memory rests
but never forgets what I lost,
Wake me up when September ends.

Summer has come and passed,
The innocent can never last:
Wake me up when september ends.

Ring out the bells again
Like we did when spring began:
Wake me up when September ends.

Here comes the rain again
falling from the stars;
Drenched in my pain again,
Becoming who we are.

As my memory rests
But never forgets what I lost:
Wake me up when September ends.

Summer has come and passed,
The innocent can never last:
Wake me up when september ends

Like my father's come to pass,
Twenty years has gone so fast:
Wake me up when September ends.
Wake me up when September ends.
Wake me up when September ends.





'Basket Case'

Do you have the time
To listen to me whine
About nothing and everything
All at once
I am one of those
Melodramatic fools
Neurotic to the bone
No doubt about it

Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
Or I'm just stoned

I went to a shrink
To analyze my dreams
She says it's lack of sex
That's bringing me down
I went to a whore
She said my life's a bore
So quit my whining cause
It's bringing her down

Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
Uh, yuh, yuh, ya

Grasping to control
So I better hold on

Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
Or I'm just stoned

'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' by Green Day

'Boulevard of Broken Dreams'



'Holiday'



'Minority'

Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance

'Welcome to the Black Parade'


When I was a young boy,
My father took me into the city
To see a marching band.
He said,
'Son, when you grow up, will you be the saviour of the broken,
The beaten and the damned?'

He said:
'Will you defeat them, your demons, and all the non-believers, the plans that they have made?
Because one day I leave you,
A phantom to lead you in the summer,
To join the black parade.'

When I was a young boy,
My father took me into the city
To see a marching band.
He said,
'Son, when you grow up, will you be the saviour of the broken,
The beaten and the damned?'

Sometimes I get the feeling she's watching over me.
And other times I feel like I should go.
Through it all, the rise and fall, the bodies in the streets.
When you're gone we want you all to know:

We'll Carry on,
We'll Carry on!

Though your dead and gone,
Believe me,
Your memory will carry on,
Carry on
We'll carry on.

And in my heart I can't contain it,
The anthem won't explain it.

And we will send you reeling
From decimated dreams;
Your misery and hate will kill us all.

So paint it black and take it back!
Let's shout it loud and clear!

Do you fight it to the end

We hear the call to
To carry on
We'll carry on
Though your dead and gone,
Believe me,
Your memory will carry on!
We'll carry on!

And though you're broken and defeated,
Your weary widow marches on
And on

We carry through the fears
Ooh oh ohhhh
Disappointed faces of your peers
Ooh oh ohhhh

Take a look at me 'cause
I could not care at all.

Do or die,
You'll never make me,
Cause the world
Will never take my heart.

You can try,
You'll never break me,
Want it all,
I'm gonna play this part.

Won't explain or say I'm sorry,
I'm not ashamed,
I'm gonna show my scar.

You're the chair
For all the broken,
Listen here, because it's only..

I'm just a man,
I'm not a hero,
Just a boy,
Who's meant to sing this song.
Just a man,
I'm not a hero
I -- don't -- care

Carry on
We'll carry on,
Though your dead and gone
Believe me,
Your memory will carry on!

We'll carry on

And though you're broken and defeated
Your weary widow marches on.
We'll carry on
We'll carry on
We'll carry on
We'll carry
We'll carry on'

(Welcome to the Black Parade by Gerard Way)



'I'm Not Okay (I Promise)' from 'Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge'



'Famous Last Words'

'I am not afraid to keep on living,
I am not afraid to walk this world alone!'



'Teenagers'

They're gonna clean up your looks,
With all the lies in the books
To make a citizen out of you;
Because they sleep with a gun,
And keep an eye on you, son,
So they can watch all the things you do.

Because the drugs never work,
They gonna give you a smirk
'cause they got methods
In keeping you clean.
They gonna rip up your heads,
your aspirations to shreads,
Another cog in the murder machine.

They said:
All teenagers scare the living shit out of me.
They could care less as long as someone'll bleed,
So darken your clothes,
Or strike a violent pose,
Maybe they'll leave you alone,

But not me!

The boys and girls in the clique,
The awful names that they stick.
You're never gonna fit in much, kid.
But if you're troubled and hurt,
What you got under your shirt
Will make them pay for the things that they did.

They said:
All teenagers scare the living shit out of me.
They could care less as long as someone'll bleed.
So darken your clothes
Or strike a violent pose,
Maybe they'll leave you alone,

But not me!

Oh yeah!

(Reprise)

Rainbow: Since You've Been Gone

'Since You've Been Gone'



'All Night Long'

(Tell me Why) I don't like Mondays

(Tell me why) 'I don't like Mondays' by Bob Geldorf and the Boomtown Rats

And school's out early,
And soon we'll be learning,
And the lesson today is How to Die...


And he can see no reasons
'Cos there are no reasons,
What reason do you need to die?'




'Some one's Looking at You'

The classical song about 'Big Brother' and paranoia.

'On a night like this I deserve to get kissed at least once or twice.
You come over to my place screaming blue murder, needing someplace to hide.
Well, I wish you'd keep quiet,
Imaginations run riot,
In these paper-thin walls.
And when the place comes ablaze with a thousand dropped names
I don't know who to call.
But I got a friend over there in the government block
And he knows the situation and he's taking stock,
I think I'll call him up now
Put him on the spot, tonight.

They saw me there in the square when I was shooting my mouth off
About saving some fish.
Now could that be construed as some radical's views or some liberal's wish.
And it's so hot outside,
And the air is so sweet,
And when the pressure drop is heavy I don't wanna hear you speak.
You know most killing is committed at 90 degrees.
When it's too hot to breathe
And it's too hot to think.

There's always some one looking at you.
S-s-s-s-someone.
They're looking at you.

And I wish you'd stop whispering.
Don't flatter yourself, nobody's listening.
Still it makes me nervous, those things you say.
You may as well
Shout it from the roof,
Scream it from your lungs,
Spit it from you mouth.

It could fall on deaf ears to indulge in your fears:

There's a spy in the sky,
There's a noise on the wire,
There's a tap on the line
And for every paranoid's desire...

There's always some one looking at you.
S-s-s-s-someone looking at you...
They're always looking at you.

(Both songs are from 'The Fine Art of Surfacing'

The Velvet Underground: Heroin

Here's the original version of 'Heroin' sung by Lou Reed. Contrast this with 'I'll be your Mirror,' an intensely personal romantic song.

'Heroin, be the death of me,' he croons.
'Heroin: it's my life and it's my wife.'

This song, however disturbing, is utterly brilliant. The music sustains its underlying hypnotic quality as it moves from soft seduction to chaotic excitement. Lou Reed is the Verlaine of the 20th century.

'...And thank your god that I'm not aware,
And thank god that I just don't care,
And I guess that I just don't know,
And I guess that I just don't know.'

The Velvet Underground: I'll be your Mirror

'I'll be your Mirror' sung by Nico with the Velvet Underground.




I'll be your mirror,
Reflect what you are,
In case you don't know.
I'll be the wind, the rain and the sunset
The light on your door,
To show that you're home.

When you think the night has seen your mind,
That inside you're twisted and unkind
Let me stand to show that you are blind.
Please put down your hands,
'Cos I see you.

I find it hard
to believe you don't know
The beauty you are;
But if you don't
Let me be your eyes,
the hands in your darkness
So you won't be afraid.

When you think the night has seen your mind,
That inside you're twisted and unkind
Let me stand to show that you are blind.
Please put down your hands,
'Cos I see you.

I'll be your mirror.
I'll be your mirror.

'The Logical Song' by Supertramp

'The Logical Song' by Supertramp (two different versions)



'Take the Long Way Home' by Supertramp



'Breakfast in America'



'Give a Little Bit'

Pink Floyd

One of the most influential musical groups of all times, and certainly pivotal in my own life...

'Comfortably Numb'



'Wish you Were Here'



'So, so you think you can tell
Heaven from Hell,
Blue skies from Pain.
Can you tell a green field
From a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?

And did they get you trade
Your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
And did you exchange
A walk on part in the war
For a lead role in a cage?

How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl,
Year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
What have we found?
The same old fears,
Wish you were here.'

It wouldn't be right not to include this:

'Shine on You Crazy Diamond'
(Tribute to Syd Barrett)




'Remember when you were young,
You shone like the Sun,
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Now there's a look in your eyes,
Like black holes in the sky,
Shine on, you crazy diamond...

You reached for the secret too soon,
You cried for the moon,
Shine on, you crazy diamond.
Threatened by shadows at night,
And exposed in the light,
Shine on, you crazy diamond...

Come on, you boy child,
You winner and loser,
Come on, you miner for truth and delusion,
And shine!'

It's a song for every prodigy who didn't make it as well as those who did, paying a terrible and wonderful price for their genius and vision.

Eric Burdon and The Animals

'It's My Life'



'We Gotta Get Out of this Place'



One really can't ignore The Animals' version of 'House of the Rising Sun':



'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood'

'Stand and Deliver!' by Adam and the Ants

From Adam Ant, the song (and clip) that made him King of the Wild Frontier, and the coolest of the Young Romantic Highwaymen of the 20th Century, 'Stand and Deliver!'

'Stand and Deliver! Your money or your life!
And even though you fool your soul, your conscience will be mine!'

'I've spent my cash on looking flash
And grabbing your attention!
The devil take your stereo and your record collection...'

Moving from the sublime to the ridiculous, I'll include the clip of 'Prince Charming'
here as well:



'Silk or leather, or a feather,
Respect yourself and all of those around you...

Don't you ever
Don't you ever
Lower yourself
Forgetting all your standards...

Prince Charming
Prince Charming:
Ridicule is nothing to be scared of.'

The Manifesto of the Young Romantics Movement in the 1980s. The swashbuckling instinct never quite dies out in any case. There is no doubt that Johnny Depp took his inspiration for Jack Sparrow from Adam Ant!

The Incomparable Al Stewart

Unfortunately, I cannot find any videos of my favourite songs by Al Stewart, but here's a good clip of a live performance of 'Time Passages' that demonstrates his incredible gift:



As I cannot find the music, I will post the lyrics of two of my favourite songs:

The Palace of Versailles

The wands of smoke are rising
From the walls of the Bastille
And through the streets of Paris
Runs a sense of the unreal

The Kings have all departed
Their servants are nowhere
We burned out all their mansions
In the name of Robespierre

And still we wait
To see the day begin
Our time is wasting in the wind
Wondering why,
Wondering why, it echoes
Through the lonely palace of Versailles.

Inside the midnight councils
The lamps are burning low.
Oh you sit and talk all through the night
But there's just no place to go

And Bonaparte is coming
With his army from the south,
Marat, your days are numbered
And we live hand to mouth

While we wait
To see the day begin,
Our time is wasting in the wind,
Wondering why
Wondering why, it echoes
Through the lonely palace of Versailles.

The ghost of revolution
Still prowls the Paris streets,
Down all the restless centuries
It wanders incomplete.

It speaks inside the cheap red wine
Of cafe summer nights,
Its red and amber voices
Call the cars at traffic lights.

Why do you wait
To see the day begin?
Your time is wasting in the wind,
Wondering why,
Wondering why, it echoes
Through the lonely palace of Versailles.

Wondering why, it echoes
Through the lonely palace of Versailles.

MAN FOR ALL SEASONS

What if you reached the age of reason
Only to find there was no reprieve,
Would you still be a man for all seasons?
Or would you just have to leave?

We measure our days out
In steps of uncertainty,
Not turning to see how we've come;
And peer down the highway
From here to eternity,
And reach out for love on the run.

While the man for all seasons
Is lost behind the sun.

Henry Plantagenet still looks for some one,
To bring good news in his hour of doubt,
While Thomas More waits in the Tower of London
Watching the sands running out.
And measures the hours out
From here to oblivion,
In actions that can't be undone.
A sailor through the darkness,
He scans the meridian,
And caught by the first rays of dawn

The man for all seasons
Is lost beneath the storm.

And I should know by now,
I should know by now.
I hear them call it out all around.
Oh, they go
There's nothing to believe in,
Hear them,
Just daydreams, deceiving,
They'll just let you down.

What if you reached the age of reason
Only to find there was no reprieve
Would you still be a man for all seasons?
Or would you just disbelieve?

We measure our gains out in luck and coincidence,
Lanterns to turn back the night;
And put our defeats down to chance or experience,
And try once again for the light.

Some wait for the waters of fortune to cover them,
Some just see the tides of ill chance running over them,

Some call on Jehovah,
Some cry out to Allah,
Some wait for the boats that still row to Valhalla.

Well, you should try to accept what the fates are unfolding,
While some say they're sure where the blame should be falling,
You look round for maybe a chance of forestalling
But too soon it's over and done,

And the man for all seasons
Is lost behind the sun.

When the Music's Over

The Doors: 'When the Music's Over'



A video made for 'Riders on the Storm' by an aspiring artist...



'The End', a live performance...

This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end,

Of our elaborate plans, the end,
Of everything that stands, the end,
No safety or surprise, the end,
I'll never look into your eyes again...

It hurts to set you free,
But you'll never follow me.'

'I Wanna be Sedated' by the Ramones

'I Wanna be Sedated' by the Ramones



'The KKK Took my Baby Away'



'Sheena is a Punk Rocker'

Some good headbanging music, a cure for frustration and rage.

Marc Bolan and T-Rex

'Jeepster' by Marc Bolan



'Get it On (Bang a Gong)' by T-Rex

More from the Sweet: Blockbuster

Blockbuster by the Sweet.

One of the great pleasures of watching the recent British series, 'Life on Mars' was the inclusion of music by the Sweet and David Bowie in the drama.

'Little Willy' by the Sweet




'Wig Wam Bam' by the Sweet

'Fox on the Run' by Sweet

'Fox on the Run', a fabulous song by a fabulous group...



'Ballroom Blitz'

These guys had personality!

The Power of Slade

Gudbye to Jane by Slade



Slade produced some songs that shook the rafters and still have that power...

Roll Away the Stone by Mott the Hoople

'Roll Away the Stone' by Mott the Hoople

David Bowie, Mick Ronson, Ian Hunter, playing 'All the Young Dudes' (Freddie Mercury Tribute)

Gary Glitter: Do you Wanna Touch...

Long before Joan Jett, Gary Glitter made this song famous... (Let's not discuss the fact that the man now is in prison for his inappropriate application of the philosophy in this song.)

Gary Glitter: Leader of the Gang

Gary Glitter never took himself too seriously, as any one can see from this video. These old songs have a primal appeal and even Gary, although slightly the worse from wear, still is entertaining.

Gary Glitter: I didn't know I loved you

The ultimate exhibitionist, Gary Glitter still is fun to watch and the primitive, heavy beat of his music sometimes is precisely what one needs.

'On the Outside' by Oingo Boingo

One of the rather fabulous benefits of the explosion of internet culture is the way that old music and books now are resurfacing, whether in the form of e-texts, 'You Tube' videos or other more traditional media. There was a time when an old song had to be considered lost forever once the record or cassette no longer played. No longer is that the case. Albums that never enjoyed mainstream success sometimes can be found now in some form through the power of the internet.

For any one who ever felt alienated by contemporary society, Oingo Boingo's song 'On the Outside' represented a cri de coeur of sorts. The group was led by Danny Elfman, who later attained universal fame for writing songs for film and television, including the track for 'The Simpsons'. His old group 'Oingo Boingo' continued to produce albums, but are not as well known as Elfman himself. 'Only A Lad', produced in 1981, contained some of Oingo Boingo's earliest hits, including 'On the Outside' and the song for which the album was named.

For every individual I've known who didn't quite fit in with the mainstream, I would like to share some of the lyrics of 'On the Outside':

'They laugh at me aloud
They say I'm just a clown
That I ain't got no pride
I'm on the outside
The girls look really cute
They really make it work
They think I'm just a jerk
I'm on the outside.
I never could sit still
I never was too hip
I never caught the ride
I'm on the outside

I'm on the outside I'm on the outside now
This is where it all begins
right here
On the outside lookin' in, I'm on the outside...


This is where it all begins on the outside
Looking in

Looking in
At you
I'm just an alien through and through
Tryin' to make believe I'm you
Just a stranger on the outside lookin' in.'

I truly believe that every human being experiences moments when he/she feels utterly alien, no matter how popular or how 'accepted' he or she may be by society or loved ones. Alienation is the human condition. It definitely is the 'adolescent human condition', haunting individuals throughout that crucial period of self-discovery and self-development. For the artist, it may be both his/her greatest strength and greatest weakness. It is our sense of alienation that forces us to strive to communicate our experiences and emotions to others and yet, it is our sense of alienation that makes us forever insecure to some extent, tormenting us in the dark hours of the night...

Like all the other songs on the album, 'On the Outside' was sung with a sort of exuberance and upbeat attitude, despite its rather tragic message. The other song on the album that I found equally unforgettable was 'Only a Lad'. Unlike 'On the Outside', 'Only a Lad' does not resonate with me as much on the personal level, but it is a very clever and biting piece of social satire, sung in Oingo Boingo's early cocky, rather devil-may-care style.

ONLY A LAD

'Johnny was bad, even as a child everybody could tell
Every one said if you don't get straight
You'll surely go to hell
But Johnny didn't care
He was an outlaw by the time that he was
Ten years old
He didn't wanna do what he was told
Just a prankster, juvenile gangster

His teachers didn't understand
They kicked him out of school
At a tender early age
Just because he didn't want to learn things
(Had other interests)
He liked to burn things.

The lady down the block
She had a radio
that Johnny wanted oh so bad
So he took it the first chance he had
Then he shot her in the leg
And this is what she said

Only a lad
You really can't blame him
Only a lad
society made him
Only a lad
He's our responsibility
Only a lad
He really couldn't help it
Only a lad
He didn't want to do it
Only a lad
He's underprivileged and abused
Perhaps a little bit confused

His parents gave up They couldn't influence
his attitude
No body could help
The little man had no gratitude

And when he stole the car
Nobody dreamed that he would
Try to take it so far
He didn't mean to kill the poor man
Who had to go and die
It made the judge cry

Only a lad
You really can't blame him
Only a lad
society made him
Only a lad
He's our responsibility
Only a lad
He really couldn't help it
Only a lad
He didn't want to do it
Only a lad
He's underprivileged and abused
Perhaps a little bit confused
It's not his fault that he can't behave
Society made him go astray
Perhaps if we're nice he'll go away
He'll go away

Hey there Johnny
You really don't fool me
You get away with murder
And you think it's funny
You don't give a damn if we live or if we die
Hey there Johnny boy
I hope you fry!'

Evidently 'Only a Lad' was included in a video game, 'Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s'. This video is taken from the game and was posted by a fan on 'You Tube'. It is not as good as the original track from the album and the game activity is a little distracting, but even so, it provides the opportunity to hear a very amusing song:

'The Tide is High' by Blondie

'The Tide is High' by Blondie

'Sunday Girl' by Blondie

Debby Harry sings 'Sunday Girl'

'Heart of Glass' by Blondie

Debbie Harry singing 'Heart of Glass'.

'One Way or Another' by Blondie

Few women ever had more sex appeal than Debbie Harry.

'Call Me' by Blondie

Wonderful video of Blondie singing 'Call Me'.

Atomic by Blondie

A rather choppy video, but it does show Debbie Harry at the top of her form.

Perfect Day by Lou Reed

'Perfect Day' by Lou Reed.

This is one of those songs that reminds one of Lou Reed's ultimate greatness. The sweetness is underlaid always with a certain bitterness.

'You made me forget myself. I thought I was some one else, some one good...
You're going to reap just what you sow.'

As a matter of fact, I will include a clip from the film 'Trainspotting' featuring the same song. This clip really reflects Lou Reed better, but is not suitable for the faint-hearted...




One of the more bizarre videos I found on You Tube featured Lou Reed with Pavarotti singing 'Perfect Day'. I'm afraid that, however happy it makes me to know that Lou Reed now has the universal recognition he deserves, the 'duet' was less than sublime.