unhappiness was when I was young and we didn’t give a damn

Brian Eno:

We (and Bono) were talking about that line in one of her songs: ‘My father, my father, he liked me.’ We were both moved by the delicacy of that word choice – such a stronger word than ‘loved’.

(Hat tip: Songfacts)

but above all this, I wish you love

Helen Brown:

This history is perhaps what gives the song its rare mood of nobility. Songs about the end of relationships are traditionally sung with an agenda. The singer often regrets bad behaviour that’s caused a break up and seeks reconciliation by promising reformation (as in The Jackson Five’s ‘I want You Back’); or threatening suicide (The Police’s ‘Can’t Stand Losing You’); or wants a cheating lover to know how empowered they feel now the relationship has ended (Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive’); or wants to vent a little spleen (Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice” or Justin Timberlake’s ‘Cry Me a River’). But the singer of ‘I Will Always Love You’ is thinking about the lover – the singee, if you like – who’s been left for his own good. Although the singer acknowledges she will always love him, she acknowledges she’s not what he needs. And so departs taking only her memories and promising she will think of him every step of the way. So it’s a brave song.

danger

NYT:

Apple Corps’ most precious resources are stored in a vault on the lower level of Abbey Road behind a massive steel door marked only with a sign that reads, dubiously, “Danger: High Voltage.”

say after me

The Independent reviews A-Ha’s latest album and argues that “the closest they come to decent melodies are pale echoes of Coldplay”.

TimesOnline, however, sets the story straight:

Chris Martin, the lead singer of Coldplay, has declared a-ha to be a huge influence on his band. He said: “I put a-ha’s first record on. I just remembered how much I loved it. It’s incredible songwriting.

“Everybody asks what inspired us, what we’ve been trying to steal from and what we listened to when we were growing up. The first band I ever loved was a-ha.”

have you come here to play jesus

Bono on One:

The words just fell out of the sky, a gift. We had a request from the Dalai Lama to participate in a festival called Oneness. I love and respect the Dalai Lama but there was something a little bit “let’s hold hands” hippie to me about this particular event. I am in awe of the Tibetan position on non-violence but this event didn’t strike a chord. I sent him back a note saying, “One — but not the same.”

a highway with no one on it

Bono:

There are some beautiful songs on Rattle and Hum. ‘All I Want Is You’ is probably the best. Jimmy Iovine always said, ‘It’s a great song but we never made it a great record.’ He felt if we’d gotten it right it would have been a number one hit. It never was.

this man has balls

The Times features Phil Collins:

When it emerged that his ex-wife had run off with a painter and decorator, he drily performed In the Air Tonight on Top of the Pops with a pot of paint and brush atop the piano. He says the song itself was written on the back of a stray piece of wallpaper.

Brian May

Here we stand or here we fall
History won’t care at all

Link

bangladeshi invasion

i live on the third floor and so when the Bangladeshi on the ground floor talks on his mobile, it feels very loud and intrusive.

just when i was about to lose my mind, i fired up iTunes and played, pretty loudly, the Beatles.

when all you need is love finished playing at 3 mins and 38 seconds, the Bangladeshi was gone.

george michael – waiting for that day

my memory serves me far too well

sometimes, i wish i can forget but who am i without these memories.

but something i just can’t explain / something in me needs this pain

although it hurts like hell, it’s the pain that makes you feel alive with the hope that you will be comforted.

the years will come and go / some of us will change our lives / some of us still have nothing to show

i have nothing to show but words.