Let us begin:
Song #1: Around The World by Frank Sinatra (Takin' A Chance On Love, 1996, Track 6)
Shit. Another Sinatra. Okay, as with the last Sinatra, this is clearly not the original recording date, but I really can't find the motivation to find out an exact album that this was first released on.
Musically, this song just screams "I'm from a movie", and indeed it was (any guesses which one?). I don't know if it's the reliance on the orchestra, the repetitive lyrics or the strange setup, but this song has a very Hollywood attitude. This isn't a compliant, but it is an observation. The music is very elegant, but at the same time feels very recycled, even for a Sinatra piece.
Vocally, it's Sinatra. Sinatra. Sinatra, sounding like Sinatra. What do you want from me? It's lovely, lilting and just generally magic, despite the same fucking lyrics over and over, but I'll get to that.
Lyrically, this song is far from anything special. The premise is a man going around the world to find a woman, exploring the world in the process, but she is more important than the world. This song is not too short. No, it goes over a reasonable 3 minutes. It consists lyrically, however, of 2 verse. That's 8 lines. This song is only 71 words long, not counting the infinite repetition of the second verse. Bloody hell, give me a little less to work with, I dare you. FUCK. I do NOT dare you. I apologise. Please, be kind. I'm sorry!
Song #2: Shangri-La by The Kinks (Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire), 1969, Track 7)
Musically, this song is bloody magic. I call "Sunny Afternoon" my favourite Kinks song, and I stand by that, but this song is an undisputed runner-up, and I must admit that I have been known to overlook it in the past to more successful hits like "Apeman" and "Superman". This song can be called a concept album in a song. I'll get to the lyrics very soon, but the music's pacing and style says so much. The song starts out slow, akin to a slow British ballad. The song speeds up significantly, hinting at the build up then boom, pop ballad as the first "Shangri-La" comes up. This trend repeats, with the intro to the verses being less and less gradual, almost as if the song is becoming more confident in what it's saying. The song holds it's speed for a short while, reflecting on the rest of the world in the lyrics, at it's strongest saying everything it needs to. The song slows again near the end, as if exhausted and saddened by it's message, ready to leave the audience as is, going out in another brief speed up. Bloody magic.
In regards to Davies, I have only one thing to say. I hardly noticed his singing. I don't mean this in a bad way at all. It's really clear the lyrics and music are what this song is trying to focus on and Davies is perfect for it. A better singer, and he would have drawn away from the song. A poorer singer would have had the same problem. Davies appeal is very similar to Paul Kelly; he represents the everyman, and as I get to the lyrics, you'll hopefully see why that's so important.
Lyrics. The song starts by painting the image of one man's house, or "Shangri-La". The place is portrayed as a paradise, a reward for a lifetime of hard work. The second verse begins to show the darker side of this, as the owner really doesn't know what to do now he's achieved his goals. The third verse shows the financial and mental difficulties caused by the desire to have this "Shangri-La". The next verse shows how unfulfilled life in the suburbs is for the character, and how everyone else is basically in the same position.The second verse is repeated and we're done. Whoa. This song is a hell of an experience, both musically and lyrically. Although I have spent far too much money on music presently, I'm tracking down this concept album down the second I feel secure enough to. I cannot put into words how fantastic this song is, just in telling a story through both music and words. Listen to it or read the lyrics or both. It'll be worth 5:20 of your time.
Song #3: Untouchable by Paul Kelly & The Coloured Girls (Under The Sun, 1987, Track 10)
Well, considering that Sinatra's song probably came from the 1960's or 70's, this 3 Songs must consist of the oldest three so far. Also, three countries. Not bad.
Musically, this song certainly has a lot of life to it, but I honestly don't think it quite knows what genre or style it's trying to be. It's a pretty catchy beat, certainly the catchiest of the three songs, so there's something to be said for that. The guitar really stands out here, no matter what the rest of the song is.
Vocally, this is Paul Kelly at his near best, with a simple (and sadly relatively unknown) song that doesn't push his voice. I already made comparisons with Kelly and Davies in the previous song, so that should give a comparison to anyone unfamiliar with Kelly, except with an Aussie accent. I have to give full credit to Kelly, as though he may not be the world's greatest vocalist, he is pretty damn good right here.
Lyrically, this song goes right back to Kelly's great everyman Australian theme, with almost every one of his songs being about things most people can relate to. The focus of this one is, as with many Kelly songs, a girl. This girl is,as far as I can follow, expensive and is causing fights between the narrator and his friends. The narrator's biggest problem is that she's "Untouchable", as the name suggests. I can't quite work out if the girl is physically or emotionally untouchable, as Kelly says "She's untouchable, when she's taking off her clothes". This line either means she is the most incredible tease or that although they are having sex, he really doesn't know her. Really, I'm sure that this is up to the listener to choose. Now, I've had big problems with two previous third songs about relationships, but this is fine by me. The relationship isn't portrayed as healthy, or the girl as likable and reasonable, which is a big factor, but a bigger factor is the age I consider the narrator to be. Honestly, this sounds like the ballad of a teenager. I don't know why. Perhaps it's the language or the possible focus on sex, or it might be that, as this is the oldest Kelly album I own, the singer sounds younger (he was 32, but by comparison he's still younger). Anyway, the fact that this is a much different situation gets a big pass from me.
Overall:
Musically, this is remarkably simple, compared to most of these posts. The Kinks win this easily, for telling a story through music. Kelly comes next, because Sinatra just really sounded manufactured, in a bad way.
Vocally, Sinatra shines, so good for him. I guarantee he's not getting anything else. The runner-up is a tight race, but I'm going to give it to Kelly, because this is him at the top of his singing.
Lyrically, again this is easy. Kinks for penning a masterpiece and Kelly for just doing a fantastic little tune about a "strutter" kind of girl.
Winners:
1. Shangri-La by The Kinks
2. Around The World by Frank Sinatra
3. Untouchable by Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls
This post has really made me re-think my winners system (Winners of categories, with runner-up prizes being secondary. Kelly was runner-up for all three, but Sinatra's one first place beats all three). Just as a note, Kelly kicks Sinatra's arse any day of the week, The Kinks just sort of screwed up the system a bit here.
Feedback welcome.
H. Rourke
No comments:
Post a Comment