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This is just your basic, fun little toe-tapping, booty-wagging swing daddy rockers. It’s very straightforward, but it also has some really cool lyrics courtesy of Difford and Tilbrook. It’s a sad tale of a poor girl who’s had bad luck with a man once again, and everything just keeps going wrong. Still, you can’t help smiling while the song plays.

There’s a really nice honky tonk piano solo as well, followed by a neat guitar solo. Just a good old fun song, and I love it.

Here’s a link to a live performance

And of course, the lyrics:

She wants to give up love for good
She kicks the fence and splits the wood,
She cries her eyes out in the rain
She swears aloud and so again,
She feels messed around.
She takes her coat off as it pours
The passing daytime she ignores,
Sits with a problem on a bench
And with her heel she digs a trench,
She feels messed around.
She rips her skirt and tears her dress
Climbing over his garden fence,
Mud on her mourning as tears still fall
She’s in no mood for his love at all,

She left herself open for him all the time
But always kept off of his cloud,
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Have come to mess her around

I fell in love with this song from the first time I heard it. It’s a cool jam with a cool message and I think it’s just cool. Cool?

Okay, it’s got more going for it than that. I think it has a really good rhythm, and the violin really adds some extra flavor.

From Wikipedia

In 1997 Coppola had a big hit with “Legend of a Cowgirl,” a pop hit that mixed a sample lifted from Donovan’s “Sunshine Superman” with “with a sassy rap and a catchy hook.”[6] Coppola said at the time she recorded “Legend of a Cowgirl” that it was a fantasy about doing whatever she wanted and that now she was stuck with it.[9] “In ‘Legend of a Cowgirl,’ I talk about riding a horse. It’s a metaphor for doing whatever I want, about having sex with whoever I want and not feeling guilty, and riding on to the next town and starting all over again,” said Coppola.[9] “The song began as an idea for a movie: a fantasy about women who love ‘em and leave ‘em and ride off into the sunset. It was just a fantasy I was having for about a week,” she says with a sly grin, ‘and now I’m stuck with it.’”[9]

Part of Coppola’s marketing included a music video for “Legend of a Cowgirl,” that received heavy rotation on MTV.[7] The video showed Coppola in dream sequences as a a biker chick, a catsuit-wearing alien-type and a diva in heels and a huge afro.[7] In one scene Coppola dismounts her bike, marches up to a hitchhiking cowboy and plants a major kiss on him.[7] “It wasn’t that good of a kiss,” says Coppola.[7] “It was just like a big joke.”[7] In another scene Coppola, clad in a skintight, shiny black catsuit, is surrounded by nearly-naked dancing men in silver bodypaint and Speedos[7]. “It was very uncomfortable ’cause we had no room and their penises and their buns are just flopping around,” says Coppola.[7] “It was like, ‘Whoops, sorry. Didn’t mean to touch you!’ But they were all gay, so it didn’t really matter. They were cute though. It was a shame.

Here’s a link to the video

And of course, the lyrics:

I’m gonna drink my whiskey
I’m gonna have my man
I know you got nothing to say
I’m gonna have my man
Gonna steal their hearts
and save them for another day
Ain’t gonna hang my hat
Ain’t gonna take off my boots
Ain’t nothing gonna stop me in my pursuit
My stage, time to rehearse
Gonna see all the wonders of the universe

CH: Pack my bags and mount my horse
I’m gonna ride on into the next town
Spend all my money on absolutely nothing
Need no man to pay for anything
Ain’t got no shame, nobody knows my name
I’m gonna ride on into the next town
Pecos Bill, couldn’t hang for long
A female legend with a song…….

Rich is another of those wonderfully interesting songs from Lloyd Cole and the Commotions. Seemingly a biography of a man wallowing in his own sins, it’s a cool song with some nice horn work,

You can listen to the song below:

And of course, the lyrics:

She left you 1958
When the thought of another fifteen years
Was more than she could face
But did you miss her much well hey
You never gave her too much thought
In your newspaper grey
So waste away to morro bay
You never got around to yesterday
But money is for taking yes
And rich is what to be forsaken grey
And giving it away
And even jesus has a price
You’re making credit card donations to television faith healers
Born again missionaries come to morro bay
They saved your body but your mind hey
And everything you earned
You’re going to throw it all away
And waste away tomorrow
C.a. is where everybody falls down off the wagon under the wheels
Remember 1970
When the thought of a day without a drink
Was more than you could face
But did you miss her much well hey
You never gave her too much thought
In your newspaper grey
So waste away to morro bay
Saved your body but your mind paid
But money is for taking yes
And rich is what to be forsaken
Grey and giving it away
You’re going to hurt somebody if you can
You’re going to make somebody understand
Baby you’re a rich man
Baby you’re a rich man

—————-
Now playing: X - True Love Pt. #2
via FoxyTunes

The first time I heard this song, it was being used as pre-show music for a college production of Vinegar Tom. I loved the way the song sounds and changes time signatures from the verse to the chorus. Also, it’s Kate Bush dude!

A couple of quotes about the song from SongMeanings:

“…a song about epistemology… This song is about how hard it is to obtain knowledge, and how when you get it, it often isn’t as satisfying as you thought it would be … ‘I hold a cup of wisdom, but there is nothing within’ … You achieve some intellectual goal, and you see that it’s just a foothill for a bigger mountain of knowledge behind … ‘I’ve been doing it for years. My goal is moving near. It says, “Look! I’m over here.”, Then it up and disappears’ … (perrific.com).

I must admit, just when I think I’m king (I just begin… to write THE DREAMING…

SAT IN YOUR LAP concerns alienation and the ‘blessing or curse’ to (want to) see deeper. The opening lines express exclusion from the ordered, functioning bourgeois world. Projecting ability onto others but not being able to fit into the “triviality of everydayness”. It ‘hurts’ because it is not real enough. Colin Wilson describes two types of Outsider: the one who feels excluded from knowledge; and the one who Knows (the godlike ‘…I’m King’). The song pendulates between these high and low mental states. (Go see ‘The Outsider’, Colin Wilson, 1956.)

‘When I’m king’ everything fits into place and you see knowledge is Sat In Your Lap. But ‘when I’m dunce’ (see video for SIYL), there is nothing there/within.

SIYL also highlights the dangers of (deluded) knowledge and the knowledge-quest… Adolf Hitler: ‘By means of shrewd lies, unremittingly repeated, it is possible to make people believe that heaven is hell - and hell, heaven … The greater the lie, the more readily will it be believed’ (Mein Kampf) …
Choose wisely your teachers!

The song regards philosophical enquiry - The Longest Journey - as a religious experience… effort, balance, frustration, realisation…
It reminds me of ANNE SEXTON’S “GODS” …

And maybe the search ends with:
“Ha, ha, ha
Ho, ho, ho
And a couple of tra - la - las
That’s how we laugh the day away
In the Merry Old Land of Oz!”

Here’s a link to the video

And of course, the lyrics:

I see the people working and see it working for them,
And so I want to join in, but then I find it hurts me.
Some say that knowledge is something sat in your lap
Some say that knowledge is something that you never have
I see the people happy, so can it happen for me?
‘Coz when I am unhappy, there is nothing that can move me.
Some say that knowledge is something that you never have
Some say that knowledge is something sat in your lap
Some say that heaven is hell, some say that hell is heaven.
I must admit, just when I think I’m king (I just begin)
Just when I think I’m king, I must admit (I just begin)
Just when I think I’m king
(I just begin.)
I h’ve been doing it for years, my goal is moving near,
I says “Look I am over here,” then it up and disappears.
Some say that knowledge is something sat in your lap
Some say that knowledge is ho ho ho ho.
I want to be a Lawyer, I want to be a scholar,
But I really can’t be bothered, ooh just
Gimme it quick, gimme it, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme.
Some say that knowledge is ho ho ho ho
Some say that knowledge is ho ho ho ho
Some say that heaven is hell, some say that hell is heaven,
I must admit, just when I think I’m king (I just begin)
Just when I think I’m king, I must admit (I just begin)
Just when I think everything’s going great (I just begin)
Hey I get the break
Hey I’m gonna take it all, (I just begin,)
When I’m king, (just begin.)
In my dome of ivory, a home of activity,
I want the answers quickly, but I don’t have no energy,
I hold a cup of wisdom, but there is nothing within,
My cup she never overfloweth and ’tis I that moan and groaneth,
Some grey and white matter, (Give me the Karma Mama
a jet to Mecca, Tibet or Jeddah,
To Salisbury, A monastery,
The longest journey, across the desert,
Across the weather, acaross the elements.
Across the water)

I’m not the biggest Tori Amos fan, but I’ve always loved this song. It’s a great dance tune, it’s got a really fun video, and the lyrics may not be the deepest, but they’re pretty easy to understand.

I found a couple of quotes attributed to Tori at SongMeanings:

The animus in me is raspberry swirl, I’m in love with my women friends, but I just don’t eat pussy. But I’m in love with them. If I had a different sensibility, then you know I think I could, you know, really fulfill someone down there, where a lot of men in their lives don’t. And eating pussy is a metaphor, too - it’s about crawling in there, being with their juices, really being with them.

In some of my relationships with a few of my women friends, I play a certain role. Heh, this is really getting in…I know, I hope my father’s not watching this. He just doesn’t know what to do. The straight-jacket’s coming. But you know I always told my dad - you know, gays, lesbians, he just has to get used to it. One of the neices and nephews is gonna be one, he’s just gotta get ready. So what I said was ah to Beenie, who’s the love of my life. My husband understands this, that we’re married. We’re absolutely married. And I adore her with all my heart. And she’s dated some idiots. And I hope you’re watching. I want you to know what I think of you and in another life, I’ll absolutely kick your ass. And I’m going to kick it right now actually, because this is for her and I’m in love with her.

Here’s a link to the video–I definitely recommend taking a look at this one.

And of course, the lyrics:

Huh-huh-huh, let’s go.
I am not your señorita. I am not from your tribe.
In the gard- in the garden? I did no crime.
I am not your señorita. I am not from your tribe.
If you want inside her, well, boy you better make her raspberry swirl.

Uh, hey. Ra-a-a-a?a?spberry swirl, uh let’s go.
Ra-a-a-a?a?spberry swirl, you go inside her world.
(And she swirls.)
Yes let’s go, ra-a-aspberry swirl, let’s go.
(And she swirls, and she swirls again.)
Ra-a-a-a?a?spberry swirl.
(And she swirls, and she swirls, and she swirls again.)
Uh, uh, yes.
(And she swirls, and she swirls, and she swirls again.)
(And she swirls, and she swirls, she swirls, and she swirls?)
Uh, uh yeah, uh yeah, uh yeah, uh mmm…

This song isn’t exactly fun, but it does have a great melody, and I love Sarah Bettens’s semi-deadpan vocals.

tackymutant had this to say about the song on SongMeanings:

I bought K’s Choice ‘10′ which has songs from 93 till 03. It’s a great album. In the sleeve Sarah say’s about this song “I tried to paint a picture of a mental patient who feels grateful for being put in a situation where he’s no longer responsible for anything, a life in which other people decide for you and all you have to do is smile and be nice”

It’s exactly the way she paints it.

I think that sums it up for me.

Here’s a link to the video

And of course, the lyrics:

I don’t know who you are
But you seem very nice
So will you talk to me
Shall I tell you a story
Shall I tell you a dream
They think I’m crazy
But they don’t know that I like it here
It’s nice in here, I get everything for free

I don’t know who you are
But you seem very nice
So will you talk to me
Have you been here before
Well, you sure picked a day
They think I’m crazy

My first ever concert was Lloyd Cole and the Commotions at the Park West in Chicago in 1986. It was a fun show, and I enjoyed it immensely. Not that this has anything to do with this song, but I just thought I’d let you know.

Anyway, Speedboat in many ways is a classic Lloyd Cole song–a cool bit of a groove, pretentious but charming lyrics (some say they OD’d on Leonard Cohen), and a bit of a story as well, albeit one without any real sort of ending.

You can listen to the song below:

And of course, the lyrics:

Julie said we drink far too much coffee,
Wine and cigarettes and we never get no sleep,
I first met them at a riverboat party,
Both of them were speeding, I would say.

It wasn’t my style to find surf in my eye
It was much more my style to find sand in my eye,
It was just not my style to find surf in my eye
It was much more my style to get sand kicked in my eye,
Sand in my eye.

Most of the songs I write about here are ones that I enjoyed from the first listen. However, that is not always the case, and this is one of those songs.

Accidents Will Happen–at least to me–wasn’t as catchy and memorable as some of Elvis Costello’s other work that I had heard before, but it grew on me over time, and now I think it’s a great song.

From tunemeister over at SongMeanings:

Elvis talked about the meaning behind this song on a VH1 Storytellers episode. It’s about his first marriage, but he hid the fact when he recorded the song. What he REALLY had in mind with the chorus was a subtly but critically different verse:
Accidents will happen, I only hit and run,
I used to be your victim: Now you’re not the only one.

So he was seeing himself as both victim and assailant in the relationship while acknowledging that his wife was not “the only one” for him anymore.

You can listen to the song below.

And of course, the lyrics:

Oh I just don’t know where to begin

I know, I know… (repeat)

Me and My Charms is just one of those cool songs. In my opinion, it’s basically about a woman who’s had a child with a man who’s abandoned her, despite all she has to offer. There’s additional speculation at SongMeanings.

I love her pleading vocals during the chorus, as I think you can really hear the desperation in her voice. I really think it sets the tone nicely.

You can listen to the song below.

And of course, the lyrics:

You can come back
When you want
Just know that I’ll be here
I haven’t left this step
And when the lights go out
I pick the angel up
I only have two hands

All I have in my hands
Me and my charms
Me and my charms
When I kiss the angel
I have a taste of you
When I take the angel
I have a piece of you
I have a piece

B-Movie is a really cool sounding song from the Get Happy! album, punctuated by some excellent bass work by Bruce Thomas. The song seems to be about a short-term affair that gets a little more serious than the singer intended, as he develops feelings for the girl.

Here’s a link to a fan video

And of course, the lyrics:

I found America hiding in the corner of my wallet
It’s a well kept secret, thought that I had better swallow it
Before they make me spit out the truth
Before they find you’re lying about your youth

Turn out the lights
I’m thinking that I want to go to sleep now
Just give me a promise that I’m supposed to keep now
I don’t want some fool asking me why
When I find you’re finally making me cry