You think I was kidding about continuously bumping the thread? Hell no! I'll even risk a damn warning if this is what it takes. This is one of my favorite threads of all time, and it MUST not die. Anyhoo, my 30-year high school reunion is coming up (next year) and for some reason this song is really getting to me. Of course in my case, it's the class of '88, not '57, but...hey, work with me here.
Lyrics: http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107859540285/ Video: Gary Numan had some cool stuff back with the Tubeway Army, but his more recent stuff in the last decade is easily the most refreshing stuff I'd listened to in some time. As much as his original android theme from Tubeway Army was fantastic, for which "Are Friends Electric" is still very much electric and spellbinding, his newer style is the sheer opposite of "android" and, wow, it's fantastic. It's steeped in style and emotion that hits the spot. It's goth, but so is a lot of music from 1979-1983 in the punk and new wave genres, for which the latter sometimes housed very dark lyrics juxtaposed against a happy bouncy beat. But that was then... this is now. And Gary's new music is so now. And feels original. Certainly refreshing. And powerful. Gary is said to have Asperger's Syndrome, which I certainly believe because of how he'd appeared in interviews back in 1980. (Being diagnosed officially myself probably doesn't do a disservice in some ways.) The song "Love Hurt Bleed" itself has an impeccable tonal quality, never mind the haunting (in a compelling way) music video. But the visuals aren't the point - at least from a song that "speaks to me" as such - as visuals can tell a completely different story, juxtaposed against the music and that's another topic altogether. To me, the lyrics speak of a person with an unsuccessful love life. Being "lost" meaning the person had never found the right person, or found someone that betrayed him, and is uncertain or unwilling to take another risk to be betrayed yet again. The preceding lyric about "shamed" is the one line I am baffled by - but another person and their experiences might find meaning in ways I cannot. I have not shamed anybody. Except for, perhaps, myself, for buying into a lie, yet I did not lie so what should I be ashamed of when I did nothing wrong? Anyway - for other tangents therein, perhaps "shamed" can infer an unwanted pregnancy. Maybe a person finding a partner never bothered to disclose STD status and as a result "shamed" a person, metaphorically. Perhaps the term might involve infidelity? The description of the word "shame" certainly implies guilt over proceedings that one did not want to commit, since the proceedings hurt others as a result. The lyric preceding that, about knowing one's name - that's easy. The person who felt shamed or lost believes that everyone sees what happened and the person cannot realize nobody has a clue. And that last line, about praying. Again, perception as with experience can differ between persons. For some it's much darker than others. I am grateful there are things I needn't have to pray for, but uncertain as I am part of me still prays for other things. But, regardless of reading into the lyrics too much, the strength and power of the music - coupled with the visual theme in the video - compelled me to buy the album outright. That rarely happens.
Good stuff. Are Friends Electric? is one of my all time favorite tunes. I wore that album out as a teenager.
I've been revisiting opera of late. Les pecheurs de perles is an early Bizet, widely considered unsophisticated but a strong example of Bizet's raw talent. The libretto is essentially an overlap of love triangles: one between two men and a woman and the other between the woman, man, and god (she's a priestess). The best known music is the duet between the lead tenor and baritone "Au fond du temple saint", which is stunning, and a rare romantic duet between two men; it's debated whether or not their love is purely platonic (this was 19th century France, they may have gone there), but no matter how one views it, the two men swearing their devotion to each other is moving. My favorite though is the haunting "Je crois entendre encors". "Haunting" really is the only word to describe it, and the tenor featured here, David Hobson, has a voice that truly does it justice. It speaks to Bizet's talent for melody, I think, that you don't have to know French to know what this song is about. Just a beautiful, beautiful song that makes my heart ache for forgotten love:
With the state that the world - and my own country - has been in lately, this song has been speaking to me: And just to put things in perspective: This song was written over 30 years ago.
If I ever get married, I would want this song played at my wedding. I’d love to have it playing when I dance with my new wife.
This song speaks to me. Possibly because it's heavy. Possibly because I have ruined, and am continuing to ruin, my life.
The first album I owned was Michael Jackson's Bad. I only later learned that it was at least partially meant to diss Prince. Most formative though was my contact with early 90s Eurodance. The epitome of that is without a doubt Haddaway's "What Is Love". I could link to all the others here, Dr. Alban, 2 Unlimited, Culture Beat, Captain Hollywood Project etc., but Haddaway will do. Still one of the highlights in the history of human culture. That is pretty much all of my time-aware endeavours. Later in 1993, I started listening to Black Sabbath and things would never be the same.
I'd just like to dedicate this song to @thestrangequark (who started the thread). It's by a country band called BlackHawk and it's called "That's Just About Right". Here's the lyrics:
This song was introduced to me by TrekBBS and it instantly became my favorite song ever: Being stuck in a job I hate, the idea of riding out in a Firefly is extremely appealing. Whenever I'm feeling stressed I listen to this song and feel better.
Oh, where to begin? So many songs just seem to reach down deep into the sould and pull out something indescribable. The blend of melodies, the lyrics.... In some cases it's a synesthetes response that makes a song so good, other times it's lyrics that i just relate to on a deep level, or a Melody that I'm seems to call a faded memory of another place in time. I can't always explain it. Might as well stay with a sensory treat: With a good set of headphones, or a proper set of speakers and the right acoustics this one is a feast. I get mostly a visual response on it. Little white starburst from the drums, blue bubbles that taste like white chocolate... And her voice tastes like white grape juice.
Reviving my own awesome thread (humility be damned) with this song from Joanna Newsom. I first became a fan of her inimitable, indescribable musicianship back in the mid oughts when I was in college, but this particular song gained a new resonance for me over the past couple years:
I'm all over the place music wise, I go from Ambient to Death Metal, I love good synth work, I like analogs, would love to be able to play a Moog System 55, Jean-Michel Jarre was my first musical hero, expanded into all kinds of electronic strangeness, and wandered into oldskool rock, liked AC/DC, still like them, then Rammstein, from there on Lacuna Coil, Nightwish, Arch Enemy etc and then came prog, Ayreon, Arjen Anthony Lucassen, creator of worlds, each album an adventure, lyricless music can be very beautiful, Brian Eno's An Ending (Ascent) is breath taking. Very much a contrast, Once Human's "Paragon" might be on the other side of the spectrum but in its own hars way it is beautiful, the lyrics are like a dark poem. An Ending (Ascent) Once Human -Paragon
Amy MacDonald - Run. This one speaks to me about indomitable spirit of our species and the joy of being alive and living every minute of it. I also like the sunny road by Emiliani Torrini.
everything 80's!!! some great songs here on this gta-"radio-channel": 0:08 Hall and Oates - Out of Touch 4:15 Wang Chung - Dance Hall Days 7:26 / 7:30 Michael Jackson - Billie Jean 11:35 Laura Branigan - Self Control 16:19 Go West - Call Me 21:00 Bryan Adams - Run to You 24:30 Electric Light Orchestra - Four Little Diamonds 28:24 Yes - Owner of a Lonely Heart 32:38 The Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star 35:55 Aneka - Japanese Boy 41:00 Talk Talk - Life's What You Make It 44:33 The Outfield - Your Love 49:20 Joe Jackson - Stepping Out (X) Without the music(X) 52:37 The Fixx - One Thing Leads to Another