tegan and sara

I'm going to see Tegan & Sara in Sydney on Thursday night. I liked their music before (I have friends who've liked them for ages), but in the last month I've been looking a bit more carefully at their lyrics. I'm quite intrigued by their songwriting. This song, 'I Was Married' is from their 2007 album The Con. The lyrics are included over a slideshow of concert stills. There are so many live videos on Youtube, I'm starting to wonder if cameras will be allowed. Not that I plan to take bootleg video ~ the sound quality is always total crap ~ but it would be a cool to get a couple of photos.



I also really like the lyrics (added below the video) in this song, 'Relief Next to Me', from the same album. I think this will sound good live.



Relief Next to Me

I miss you now
I guess like I should have missed you then
My body moves
Like curtains waving in and out of wind,
In and out of windows
I can't untangle, I can't untangle
What I feel and what would matter most
I can't get close and I,
I can't get close
And now there's just no point,
In reaching out for me
In the dark,
I'm just no good at giving relief
In the dark,
It won't be easy to find relief
And I'm not proud
That nothing will seem easy about me
But I promise this
I won't go my whole life
Telling you I don't need
But I promise this
I won't go my whole life
Telling you I don't need


I'll tell you now
I guess like I should have told you then
The thunder moves
Like damn drawers slamming in my frame
Slamming in my framework
I can't untangle, I can't untangle
What I know and what should matter most
I can't get close and I,
I can't get close
And now there's just no point,
In reaching out for you
In the dark,
I'm just no good at giving relief
In the dark,
It won't be easy to find relief
And I'm not proud
That nothing will seem easy about me
But I promise this
I won't go my whole life
Telling you I don't need

more lyrics

I Think It's Going to Rain Today (Released 1991)

Broken windows and empty hallways,
A pale dead moon in a sky streaked with grey.
Human kindness is overflowing,
And I think it's gonna rain today.

Scarecrows dressed in the latest styles,
The frozen smiles to chase love away.
Human kindness is overflowing,
And I think it's gonna rain today.

Lonely, lonely.
Tin can at my feet,
I think I'll kick it down the street.
That's the way to treat a friend.
Bright before me the signs implore me:
Help the needy and show them the way.
Human kindness is overflowing,
And I think it's gonna rain today.

the thrill

There she goes

There she goes again

Pulsing through my veins

And I just can't contain

This feeling that remains

(Sixpence None The Richer)

I love this song so much. Such a succinct description of that feeling when you first fall in love. Even the music builds to this kind of gentle exhilaration.

i got nothin'

Well, I got something, but no time to blog it today. Which is why I'm sending you over to see Arwyn, who's got something extemely fun (check out the link she posted to the flickr group, too ~ lots of gems in there). I like this one, too, from pep010:

At some point this week I will definitely be creating (and posting) a song chart of my very own. Because it must be done.

misheard lyrics

Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz apparently penned the following lyrics to express his frustration with blind followers of the Emo trend trying to 'out-Emo' each other:

I am an arms dealer.
Fitting you with weapons in the form of words
And don't really care, which side wins
As long as the room keeps singing
That's just the business I'm in

This ain't a scene, it's a god damn arms race
This ain't a scene, it's a god damn arms race
This ain't a scene, it's a god damn arms race
I'm not a shoulder to cry on, but I digress

Now that actually makes a little sense. Unlike the lyrics I've been mistakenly singing along to:

This ain't a city, it's a god damn horse race.

Which really didn't make any sense at all. 'Rat race' might have been okay, but 'horse race'? Hmmm.

Anyone else been singing the wrong words?

for all you unique flowers out there

Yesterday I was thinking that I rarely post here on Japanese stuff that I'm into. I think it's because there are only a few friends of mine from 'the Japan era' of my life that read this blog. I've been thinking about resurrecting my old blog, which I posted on while I lived in Japan, to use for things like reviews of Japanese dramas and the like. But maybe I'll cross post some things here anyway. People can always skip the stuff that doesn't interest them.

And for today's post:

I know that SMAP are a fairly crappy group musicwise (I often like their comedy or acting) but I randomly came across SMAP singing "Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake No Hana" again this morning on Youtube and it had me singing like a karaoke queen while I got ready for work.



Lyrics in romaji and translation: http://www.kiwi-musume.com/lyrics/smap/sekainihitotsudakenohana.html

The basic theme of the song is that we are sometimes so busy comparing ourselves to others and trying to be 'number 1' that we completely miss how special it is just to be a unique human being.

And can I just ask, who is this dude doing a Chinese remake of the song??? He seems to have quite a following. Maybe I'll have to ask Noddy (current Chinese boarder).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2r7PF-jgyI

permission to shine

Speaking of Akeelah, the movie most aptly used this quote, which sits near the top of my top ten favourite quotes of all time:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
(Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love, 1992)

It reminds me a little of the Bachelor Girl single, Permission to Shine. Here are some of the lyrics:

I've been crazy.
I've been holdin' myself back for so long
But I've got so much I can give
Don't wanna be afraid to be wrong

You know I'm not too good at too many things
But I've been gettin' real good at gettin' down on myself
But guess what
I'm gonna try to break free from this prison I've built

I'm gonna give myself permission to shine
I'm gonna shine so bright
Gonna make every head wanna turn
You're finally gonna see me
Give myself permission to shine
Gonna light up the night
Shine a little of my light on the world

Fabulous song! When I taught English in Japan I created a lesson based around it, because I loved the positive, uplifting message. Nice tune, too, for singing along.

roadshow countdown

Two days till the performance and I am quietly flipping out on the inside, which calming running lines with nervous people on the outside. I always seem to have an armful of props, whether I'm at rehearsal or not, and I still have to make a big pretend fairytale book for our narrator kid to read from...argh! I'm actually starting to enjoy it a lot, but I'm also living on toast and getting about 4 hours sleep a night.

Someone asked for the song lyrics. Here they are. The situation is that Sarah has just faked tripping so she can fall into Williams arms and say things like, 'oh you're so strong!' while Brittany (I didn't choose the names), Mary's other evil sister, is telling Mary, 'oh dear, it looks like you've lost your date'. Mary is devastated, throws her shoe at William (little Cinderella moment there) and storms off to the end of the stage so the audience can see her cry. William drops Sarah (very funny) and tries to think of some way to explain. His trusty servant, James, appears with a CD, and it's game on for apologetic beaus. You also need to know that William is being played in an over the top posh British type and hammed up to the nines in the process, which is why his lines in the song are so ridiculous - they sound right in his mock-upper crust accent.

To the tune of 'I Will Survive' by Gloria Gaynor

William: I know that what you just saw didn't look so good.
Made you think I hadn't acted quite the way I should.
But you have to know that you're the only one that I adore.

Mary: I should have known.
You've never let me down before.

Brittany: Oh William, please!
Don't give us that.
You had your arms around our sister soon as Mary turned her back!

Mary: Don't worry dear, I know the truth.
And you two better understand,
In all future conversations, talk directly to the hand.

Chorus (every else on stage except these four) bursts into big disco dance moves as they sing (a disco ball descends from the ceiling, hit by a spotlight):
And just like that.
Their plot's revealed.
Brittany and Sarah
Couldn't keep their jealousy concealed.

Sarah: I still don't understand what she sees in that guy!

Mary: His heart is pure.
And he's a really funny guy.

William: Oh no, not I.
You're much too kind!
Oh as long as I have you my dear
I'll always wear a smile.

Mary: They tried to make me love you less.
But I'll always love you best.

Sarah: (sob) I'm gonna cry!

Brittany: And so am I!

Chorus: Hey, hey. (They've been moving subtley while the others sang, but now burst back into big disco moves as they dance in formation around William and Mary as he returns her shoe (using James as a stool for her to sit on) and they embrace.

We didn't go for a second verse, for time reasons. I know the lyrics are a little corny, but trust me, that makes them fit right into the play as a whole.

my new favourite song

The Biggest Loser Australia's theme song is so cool, I love it, and that's saying something because I'm not so much of a Shannon Noll fan. Now every time I hear the song start I feel more buzzy and ready to go.

"Lift"

I know you're hurting
Feels like you're learning
'Bout life the hard way
And it ain't working

Seems like forever
That you've been falling
It's time to move on
You're life is calling, yeah

This was never meant to be the end
Close the book and start again

Cause I know how hard it can get
But you gotta lift
You gotta lift
And sometimes that's how it is
But I know you're stronger
Stronger than this
You gotta lift
You gotta lift

When you can feel your
Whole body's aching
What's left of your heart
It won't stop breaking

You gotta let go
You took a hit
Time to pick up now
Move on from this

This was never meant to be the end
Close the book and start again

Cause I know how hard it can get
But you gotta lift
You gotta lift
And sometimes that's how it is
But I know you're stronger
Stronger than this
You gotta

Lift yourself up above all the hurt
Don't give in
Wipe your eyes and remember
You're better than this
Let them know
That they took their best shot
And missed
C'mon and lift

This was never meant to be the end
Close the book and start again

Cause I know how hard it can get
But you gotta lift
You gotta lift
And sometimes that's how it is
But I know you're stronger
Stronger than this
You gotta lift
You gotta lift

Pick up now...
Pick up now...