Posts Tagged Song
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November 3, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Dylan Jones: The Wichita Lineman – Searching In The Sun For The World’s Greatest Unfinished Song
The Wichita Lineman: Searching In The Sun For The World’s Greatest Unfinished Song Dylan Jones Faber & Faber Social It’s anyone’s guess what the “greatest” song of all time is – but a clever choice might be Wichita Lineman as recorded by Glen Campbell and written by Jimmy Webb. You could certainly do a lot […]Archive
October 21, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Poem: Wind Chimes
What’s the last song that made you feel like you actually stopped existing? That was the question. And there’s only one answer. That one by The Beach Boys… The one that goes, “On the warm breeze the little bells/Tinkle like wind chimes Though it’s hard I try not to look at my wind chimes Now […]Archive
May 1, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 205 Stop the World
I think it took me over ten years to write this song. I know I started on the verses in 1980 after the demise of Negative Theatre. I’d read an interview with Steely Dan where they talked about mu major chords and I played the A, E, A, D, C#m, D, A, E, A pattern […]Archive
March 27, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 200 The Last Cigarette In The World
I watch another boat in the harbour sail out Sitting on my own in the bay By the time you get to China on that slow ship I’ll have bitten all my nails and crumbled into the carpet You had no clear idea of what you’re looking for You only knew you couldn’t stay […]Archive
March 21, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
On: Giving Up Everything
Elton John had it wrong – or rather Bernie Taupin if you prefer. Sad songs are not the ones that say so much – it’s only a special type of sad song; where there’s hope peeking through, where there’s an attempt at stoicism – the head being held high, an aim to move on, an attempt at rebirth or a […]Archive
December 7, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
Don’t Give Up…
The original plan Peter Gabriel had for his song Don’t Give Up was for it to be a duet between him and Dolly Parton. He wrote it with Dolly in mind. She gave up before she began; she had no interest in recording the song with him. Gabriel heard it, in part, as a country song. You hear the song […]Archive
November 19, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
Truly Bizarre: The Story of ‘How Bizarre’
How Bizarre is 20 years old. In fact a little older now even. When I was asked to write a book about important/favourite songs I was encouraged to make it a personal selection but there was a list supplied of obvious contenders. Top of that list was How Bizarre.Archive
October 23, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 184 Matinee Idle
They got me in to play a track and talk about the album and it meant a lot to me. I’ve been listening to Matinee Idle ever since I found out it was on all those years ago – every public holiday in New Zealand in the afternoon. Phil O’Brien and Simon Morris have this […]Archive
September 17, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 180 We Are Strangers
I was feeling very alienated from the family It wasn’t actually my family it was my partner’s All her brothers and sisters and their offspring We were on holiday at Ocean Beach and it was pissing with rain They were all getting drunk and arguing in the house I wasn’t drinking in those days and […]Archive
July 24, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 172 There Goes The View
The final track on the album The protagonist is cut loose in a cold world with the scars and in the uniform of his struggle Prison clothes or a de-mob suit It’s a kind of elongated funeral march into the unknown ahead There’s a loser on the loose And he’s wearing clothes like mine […]Archive
July 17, 2017 by Simon Sweetman