SUNDAY, JULY 1st, 2007

"After ten years there's been a rumbling of people bringing up the bad and over time people seem to forget – or have forgotten – all the amazing things she did and what an amazing person she was," said William, 24. "We felt that this was the best way of bringing that back to life and letting people remember all the good things about her because she's not here to defend herself when she gets criticised and so we want to do that instead."

Harry, 22, said he thought the concert was the right way to celebrate Diana's life. "She was a happy, fun, bubbly person who cared for so many people," he said.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21909697-401,00.html

THESE ARE THE SONGS OF MY LIFE!

No. 4 - HAPPY HEART by Petula Clark

The second happiest song of all-time, sung by the immortal Pet, as we call her "back home." This song meant nothing to me until 2001 when I discovered Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss. It's not a particularly memorable movie: a sweet young man pines ardently for the affections of someone too shallow and too beautiful to live who eventually breaks his heart - can't imagine why anyone would want to endure such a thing. But the song reached out like a demon and got a grip on me. I still can't say I'm a fan of her work, but this song made me believe in miracles. I've got the modern remix as well, but I have to say the original, from the 1968 album Portrait of Petula, is perfection itself. Here is an unabashedly romantic tale of unadulterated joy in which the singer rhapsodizes about having found the one who makes her heart happy. Isn't that what we all want? Maybe it's not an original concept, but the elation exuded by Pet, as she crashes into the giddiness of the chorus, makes me feel as if I could float to the highest reaches of empyrean light. (I can hear all you cynics scoffing - shame on you.) The piercing vocals, the jubilation of this union, the romantic and yet unusual lyrics - all of it comes together to create an exceptional song that I will love until my dying day:

Feeling more and more like I've never felt before
You have changed my life so completely
Music fills my soul now, I've lost all control now
I'm not half, I'm whole now with your love

It's my happy heart you hear
Singing loud and singing clear
And it's all because you're near me, my love
Take my happy heart away

Make me love you, make my day
In your arms I want to stay, oh my love...

SUPERNATURAL SCOOP!

News bulletin: Unconfirmed reports currently circling the globe indicate that ultra-fab heartthrob David Usher, formerly of the band Moist, is set to join the cast of the CW's Supernatural. An unidentified spokesman for Mr Usher is quoted as saying "it's been a dream of his to perform with Jared & Jensen, and we can promise you the episode, entitled "The Blackest of Hearts," will be the most exciting episode ever filmed for the show. " Mr. Usher is currently unavailable for comment, and is allegedly hiding out somewhere near Vancouver, Canada, with an unidentified male companion. Our sources have obtained several photos from the closed set, one of which is posted here for our loyal readers.

THESE ARE THE SONGS OF MY LIFE!

No. 5 - SCIENCE by David Usher

Shock horror! David Usher makes the Top Ten! What can I say about this song that I haven't already committed to blog? I'll keep it short so as not to alienate more of you: this is the most wondrous, infectious, angry, uplifting, decadent, happy, dreamy, ripping, orgasmic, edgy, poetic, danceable, transcendent masterpiece ever put on record by David Usher. The minute I heard this song from Strange Birds it immediately supplanted every other David Usher song in my heart. I am damned proud to call this my fifth fave non-ABBA song of all-time:

I'm stuck here in the middle of
This mess that I don't understand
Come on wake up, open my eyes
It's raining on Fifth Avenue
The lovers have all gone to ground
You've been crying, I don't ask why
Make pleasantries with everyone
We're cruelest to the ones we love
Just keep smiling now

Your science is breaking my heart in two
And I know that we will soon be enemies

Cause time will tell...
All of the stars are falling from the sky
These oceans open wide, and drag me under
As these rivers start to green
And the waves keep crashing in...

Night is clearly not my sister, Vincent...

I am a shepherd of those sheep

That climb a wall by night

One after one, until I sleep,
Or the black pane goes white.

Because of which I cannot see
A flock upon a hill,

But doubts come tittering up to me,

That should by day be still.
And childish griefs I have outgrown

Into my eyes are thrust,
Till my dull tears go dropping down
Like lead into the dust.

- Edna St. Vincent Millay.

THESE ARE THE SONGS OF MY LIFE!

No. 6 - MAN by Agnetha Fältskog
For those tired of reading about my incurable romanticism, read no further. Now, I said the group itself was excluded from my Top of the Pops list, but I said nothing about either lead singers' solo recordings. "Man," composed by Agnetha herself, and the album Wrap Your Arms Around Me, first entered my life in June '83, co-incidentally the same month my Granda died. "Man," although released as the B-side to her Top 20 Canadian hit "Can't Shake Loose," is sublime. Most Agnetha fans go with "Maybe It Was Magic" or 2004's plaintive "Sometimes When I'm Dreaming" as the definitive Agnetha solo track (both of these are strong favourites of mine), but each time I hear "Man" it's as if a tidal wave of pure bliss is washing over me. The mesmerising ABBA-esque beat, the chord progression and the achingly gorgeous vocals from the Queen of Heartbreak as she sings about being swept away by her adoring Prince Charming are enough to melt even the most cynical heart. Why else do you think this is my favourite song from all of Frida & Agnetha's post-ABBA English-language solo albums? You will notice, I hope, that I have chosen a happy photo to convey the song's meaning. This is done deliberately to counter the public perception of Agnetha: she is usually seen as damaged, lonely and reclusive. You wouldn't guess it from the persona she presents in this song though: she has found her nirvana, and seems to be overflowing with joy, as anyone who had found their soulmate might be. In this song, she has found "the one", at last:

You are beside me, I'm part of you now
Love of my life, this moment
Was made for us somehow
Where did you come from?
And how did it start?
Was it a star from heaven
That brightened up my heart?

That light keeps shining on me
Since you walked into my life
You're here and now I can see
Whatever it takes
Take care of me
Man don't make me cry
Don't let it die...

More vindication

Pete Townshend's A Closet ABBA Fan

The Who guitarist Pete Townshend is a secret fan of Swedish pop group ABBA, insisting their 1975 hit SOS is "the best pop song" of all time. Townshend's daughter, Emma, has fond memories of her childhood growing up surrounded by the sounds of the Dancing Queen stars...
She says, "In 1975, the house was filled with the sound of ABBA. 'SOS is the best pop song ever written,' he will still insist. (He'll say), 'It has all those Swedish folk elements that tap into whatever elemental musical self we have.'

(Editor's note: I envision a time when one won't have to be 'in the closet' about how frigging brilliant this band was.)

MOISTly for you

This is for those out there who are perhaps wondering...why have there been no songs from David Usher on THE LIST? And why have there been no photos of David Usher lately? In fact, he's hardly mentioned David Usher at all in the past fortnight, you may be thinking. Perhaps the David Usher crush is fading? Fear not, dear readers (again with the Jane Eyre allusions), David Usher is never far away. Does David Usher make the greatest songs list? You'll have to wait and see. But rest assured, David Usher is still my main man...

THESE ARE THE SONGS OF MY LIFE!

No. 7 - WHEN YOU TELL ME THAT YOU LOVE ME by Diana Ross

In a previous incarnation this would have been my one and only wedding song. It makes me glow with joy every time I hear it, simply because it's so beautiful and personal. I'm not sure what happened to Diana Ross in North America: in Britain, she's a living legend who continues to have number one hits with new material. Not so on this continent. This ballad, the first single from 1991's The Force Behind The Power album, is something I could never get tired of. ("When You Tell Me That You Love Me" was only prevented from reaching the top of the UK charts by the death of Freddie Mercury and the subsequent re-release of "Bohemian Rhapsody.") I love the piano arrangement, the softness of the voice, the graceful lyrics, and the massive crescendo near the end. I remember pausing for one of those Wordsworthian "spots-of-time" when I first heard the song. Even now, embittered and satiated on realism, I still love it, foolish old man that I am. I guess I'm a romantic until my heart stops beating. Anyway, I used to sit and dream about my fantasy lover gazing into my eyes while we danced to this song under an incandescent spotlight. Thank heavens I grew up:

I want to call the stars down from the sky
I want to live a day that never dies
I want to change the world only for you
All the impossible I want to do
I want to hold you close under the rain
I want to kiss your smile and feel the pain
I know what's beautiful looking at you
In a world of lies you are the truth
And baby everytime you touch me
I become a hero
I'll make you safe no matter where you are
And bring you everything you ask for
Nothing is above me
I'm shining like a candle in the dark
When you tell me that you love me...

Today is the anniversary of my grandfather's passing. He too was a tremendous music lover. So, as a special treat in honour of Alec Smith, here is the world premiere of the song from the Royal Command Performance, 1991:

THESE ARE THE SONGS OF MY LIFE!

No. 8 - WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS by The Beatles
George was always my favourite. In fact, his "My Sweet Lord" only narrowly misses being included on this list. Like everyone else of my generation, I grew up with this band; my parents were devoted to them. The later works always appealed to me more, probably because they were poetic, lush-sounding and profound when compared to their earlier stuff. When I reflect upon my childhood and the songs which guided me through it all, there are a few Beatles tracks (most of which are from the Blue Album) which are pivotal, and this one has always been tops. It's their magnum opus, as far as I'm concerned. The pathos of the lyrics alluding to the end of the Beatles' love for each other and the tensions within the band, the psychedelic transcendence of the whole sound, and the "eroticism" of the guitar (played by Eric Clapton) when played at high decibels all carry me away to an idyllic late '60s oasis of kaleidescopic colour and vision. Does that make sense? Probably not. But I know what this little song means to me, and George will always have a place in my heart:

I look at you all see the love there that's sleeping
While my guitar gently weeps
I look at the floor and I see it needs sweeping
Still my guitar gently weeps
I don't know why nobody told you how to unfold your love
I don't know how someone controlled you
They bought and sold you.
I look at the world and I notice it's turning
While my guitar gently weeps...

HALLELUJAH!

After several weeks quietly going out of my mind reversing the polarity of the neutron flow whilst everyone in the UK got to see new episodes, Series 3 of Dr. Who premieres on CBC this Monday at 8pm. Highlights of the season, featuring David Tennant as the 10th incarnation of the Doctor, include a trip back in time to visit William Shakespeare, the re-emergence of the Daleks (this time in 1930s Manhattan) and the much-anticipated return of...The Master! Anyone care for a jelly baby?

THESE ARE THE SONGS OF MY LIFE!

No. 9 - IF YOU'RE RIGHT by Barbara Dickson

Of course, there has to be a genuine Scots lass on the list. Folk singer turned actress Barbara Dickson (Blood Brothers, Evita, Chess) is a household name in the UK. Her 1985 single "I Know Him So Well", a duet with Elaine Paige, stayed at the top of the British charts for a month. Babs' 1986 album Gold closed with the melancholic "If You're Right." First time I heard it, my best friend David & I were deep in the wilderness of some camping ground I've now forgotten. To the annoyance of other Led Zeppelin-crazed campers, we played this gorgeous ballad on repeat for hours. Neither of us had heard it before, and we were entranced. I guess it's always going to be "our song." Anyway, it was released as a single in the UK, and without a doubt remains one of the most heartbreaking ballads ever. I have found solace in these lyrics and that voice for years:

My eyes are close to tears
I can't believe I hear the words you say, oh no
You tell me there's no point
To make it work when we've lost yesterday, oh no
And if you're right
Then love's a game for children
Just a game of seaside touch and run
And if you're right
Then Shakespeare wrote a long lost play
Called 'Romeo and something or someone'...

People who have friends are the happiest people...

More than anything in the world

GENIUS IS NEVER RECOGNISED IN ITS TIME

"Thirty years is a phenomenal amount of time. And people talk about thirty months as a long time these days, but these people created music that has lasted part of our life, and our tradition. Their songs go deeper than people give them credit for. They've entertained us, they've made us cry. They've made us rejoice, they've made us dance. That's what music does. And when you think that they don't speak English as their first language, makes us very sick to be songwriters, when you can write songs like 'The Winner Takes It All.' Unbelievable. Thirty years on, they've sold 360 million albums…ABBA, we thank you for your entertainment, for making our lives richer, and for thirty years of fabulous music."
-Pete Waterman, April 6, 2004.

THESE ARE THE SONGS OF MY LIFE!

No. 10 - TOO MUCH LOVE WILL KILL YOU by QUEEN.

I always thought that the deceptively simple "Radio Ga Ga" would have topped my list of Queen songs, but it doesn't anymore. "Too Much Love" came into my life the year after Freddie died: 1992. It was sung by Brian May at Freddie's tribute concert at Wembley, and brought the 72,000 strong audience to tears. My mum and I immediately recognised its genius, and had memorised the words within days. But it wasn't until Queen's posthumous Made In Heaven LP came out in the mid-90s, and I heard the unreleased version with Freddie on lead vocals that it became a personal anthem. Haunted by the fact it was one of his last ever recordings, the song took on more meaning; even more so in years to come. But the brilliance of the song lies in its simple message: whether we run from love or swallow it whole, we can never escape its power:

How would it be if you were standing in my shoes?
Can't you see that it's impossible to choose?
No there's no making sense of it
Every way I go I'm bound to lose
Too much love will kill you
Just as sure as none at all
It'll drain the power that's in you
Make you plead and scream and crawl
And the pain will make you crazy
You're the victim of your crime...

The Invisibility Factor

"When I watch them, it feels so strange. It's like I'm not even a part of it. They're all so much more attractive than I am. No, you know what? I don't mind. Really I don't. I kind of like being attractive by association; it's the closest I've ever gotten to feeling beautiful."

THESE ARE THE SONGS OF MY LIFE!

For the next fortnight or so, there will be a new series on the blog: the Top 10 songs of my life...OUTSIDE of ABBA. Now, everyone has a large database of songs which inspire, motivate, thrill, delight, whatever, so I've decided to finally make public the TEN songs which mean the most to me. Some have stayed with me for nearly 4 decades; others are newer songs which nevertheless appear to have been written for me. There are some surprises (for me, anyway), as these songs are not necessarily sung by the usual suspects. There are no entries in the Top 10 list from some of my favourite artists: Fleetwood Mac, Judy Garland, ELO or Moist. I have also chosen to compile this list in the absence of ABBA as a group, as that is something completely different. Their songs have their own special place in my heart and nothing can compare to or challenge them. (Anyone interested in seeing my all-time ABBA Top 10, please ask.) But I thought it might interest some of you to read about other crucial songs which have, in one way or another, become a part of who I am. These exceptional songs will forever lift my spirits, give me strength, and make me shine. I cannot live without them. Stay tuned!

Blogger Interrupted

So some of you may be thinking to yourselves: "but wait, the Regular Blogger has been back in the country for three days now and yet there have been no postings rhapsodizing on the philosophy and pulchritude of David Usher during that time. What gives?"

Well, gentle readers, I have sad news for you. The Regular Blogger, although he did make it safely back to Canada (despite his Cassandra-like prophecies of fiery airline crashes and synchronized shark attacks), has been felled by a malignant case of the something nasty (but not, we are assured, TB). At this moment in time he should be tucked up in his bed (sans yams) where we trust he is resting and recovering.

We have high hopes that the blog will contain all the David Usher news that's fit to print tomorrow.