THE END OF THE LINE - 31/08/2010

AS FROM SEPTEMBER, I SHALL BE POSTING MY FAVOURITE SONGS ON MY MAIN BLOG - joesblogpage.blogspot.com.

IT HAS BECOME VERY DIFFICULT FOR ME TO MAINTAIN SEVERAL SITES, SO I HAVE DECIDED TO REDUCE THE WORK IN ORDER TO OFFER A BETTER QUALITY BLOG.

NEVERTHELESS, YOU CAN CONTINUE TO EXPLORE THIS BLOG AND WATCH AND LISTEN TO SOME REALLY GREAT SONGS; SOME OF MY FAVOURITES.

THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING UNDERSTANDING.

JOE

OJOS DE GATA - CAT'S EYES

This is without any doubt one of the most beautiful Spanish songs I have ever heard. The tragic death by overdose in 1999 of the singer, Enrique Urquijo, only adds to its everlasting magic. It tells of the time he met a girl and discovered he was only a simple human being.

I saw Los Secretos at the Luz de Gas in Barcelona in one of the last concerts they gave before he died. The group goes on, with his brother Alvaro at the front.... but its not quite the same.

The video is courtesy of youtube.com and, especially, jmartiramos. Thank you both.
Lyrics below, together with translation.

Fue en un pueblo con mar
(It was in aseaside town)
una noche después de un concierto.
(One night after a concert.)
Tu reinabas detrás de la barra
(You ruled behind the counter)
del único bar que vimos abierto.
(Of the only bar we found open.)
"Cántame una canción al oido
("Sing a song to my ear)
te sirvo y no pagas."
(I'll serve you and you won't pay.")
"Solo canto si tu me demuestras
("I'll only sing if you show me)
que es verde la luz de tus ojos de gata."
(that the light in your cat's eyes is green.")
Loco porque me diera las llaves de su dormitorio,
(Crazy for her to give me her bedroom keys)
esa nioche canté al piano del amanacer todo mi repertorio.
(that night I sang to the dawn's piano all of my repertoire.)
Con el "Quiero beber" el alcohol me acunó entre sus mantas
With an "I want to drink" I settled between her sheets)
y soñé con sus ojos de gata pero me olvidé que de mí algo esperaba.
(and I dreamed of her cat's eyes, but forgot she expected something of me.)
Desperté con resaca y busqué pero allí ya no estaba.
(I woke up with a hangover a looked for her but she wasn't there.)
Me dijeron que se mosqueó porque me emborraché y la usé como almohada.
(They said she got angry 'cause I got drunk and used her as a pillow.)
Comentó por ahí que yo era un chaval ordinario.
(She said I was nothing but an ordinary fellow.)
Pero ¿Cómo explicar que me vuelvo vulgar
(But how do I explain that I become ordinary)
al bajarme de cada escenario?
(Everytime I come off the stage)
Pero ¿Cómo explicar que me vuelvo vulgar
(But how do I explain that I become ordinary)
al bajarme de cada escenario?
(Everytime I come off the stage.)

IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE - ROXETTE

So many things end, yet what can be sadder than the final realisation that a love story is over? I say "love story" rather than "love affair" to emphasise the depth of feelings. I'm talking of course about love between two people and not family love, although that too sometimes comes to an end. Love affairs tend to be short and superficial and generally devoid of deep feelings. Love stories, on the other hand, are what love is really all about. I'm sure the vast majority of us have experienced the breaking up of a special relationship with a person we loved. I certainly did, both a teenager and as an adult. I cried, with real tears, when I was just a kid, and I cried, deep inside, when I was older.

Here's Roxette telling us about the love she lost. I love this song and chose this version, although the official video is much better, because she sings alone, and the crowd is overwhelmingly with her. They're shouting "Otra! Otra!", meaning "Another one". I love her strong but at the same time lovely and sensual voice. IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE, courtesy of youtube.com and marcoapcosta. Thank you both. For other versions try:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=it+must+have+been+love

For a good unplugged version, go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIzqZyfDE_M

Enjoy. As usual, Lyrics are below.

Lay a whisper on my pillow. Leave the winter on the ground.
I wake up lonely, there's air of silence in the bedroom and all around.
Touch me now. I close my eyes and dream away...

It must have been love, but it's over now.
It must have been good, but I lost it somehow.
It must have been love, but it's over now.
From the moment we touched till the time had run out.

Make believing we're together, that I'm sheltered by your heart.
But in and outside I turn to water, like a teardrop in your palm.
And it's a hard winter's day; I dream away...

It must have been love, but it's over now.
It was all that I wanted, now I'm living without.
It must have been love, but it's over now.
It's where the water flows, it's where the wind blows.
It must have been love,

YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE

It's been two long never-ending months since I last posted a song. Illness, I'm afraid, has been the cause. details in http://www.joesblogpage.blogspot.com/
Anyway, it became quite clear while I was in hospital that I was not alone. Family, friends, colleagues, even the hospital staff, all helped me through what could have proved a traumatic experience. I am pleased to say I have recovered from the heart problem I suffered, though I 'm on a rather strict diet at the moment.
This song illustrates the feeling that accompanied me during my ten-day stay in hospital. I particularly like the original Gerry and the Pacemakers version, though countless others have been made. The song is taken, of course, from the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical "Carousel", and both lyrics and music are simply extraordinary. Lioverpool football Club have adopted it as their Hymn and it was particularly, and very emotionally, satisfying to watch the crowd and hear them sing it when they came to Barcelona three years ago. Needless to say, with such support they won.

(see it on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7xvegPH_Lw)

I chose this particular version from youtube.com because it's gerry's original song with the lyrics superimposed on the Liverpool FC flag, Thank you youtube,com and thank you toga 1989 who posted it. Enjoy.

HOTEL CALIFORNIA - THE EAGLES

WOW! What a song.... and what a group! You can't think of them without thinking of the whole scene back in the years when so many of us protested. Has it been worth while? Of course it has. Maybe not as much as the more idealists among us wanted, but there has certainly been progress. Today's leaders were the young ones then, and they have undoubtedly been influenced by the songs written then, whether by The Beatles, Bob Dylan or The Eagles, and by the many demonstrations in which they also participated.

This song in particular brings back an awful lot of memories, not the least of them when I heard my son sing it for the first time with his group. Tears literally flooded my eyes.

And here they are, singing it unplugged, years later (1994), older, wiser, better and obviously enjoying it and very pleased with the result, as can be deduced from the mutual congratulations at the end!

Listen to it... slowly, gently, lovingly. Savour its delicious introduction, both guitar and bongos, as the tempo gradually increases, till the applause finally bursts out and those unforgettable words come out: "On a dark desert highway..." A remarkable performance. Absolutely fantastic. Unrepeatable. Simply genius. Love it. Love the Spanish guitar flavour. . Hope you will too. Lyrics below. Video courteousy of youtube.com and marvtheeguy; thank you both.




On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair,
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air,
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light,
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim, I had to stop for the night.
There she stood in the doorway; I heard the mission bell,
And I was thinking to myself: "This could be heaven or this could be hell".
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way,
There were voices down the corridor, I thought I heard them say...

"Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place, such a lovely face.
Plenty of room at the Hotel California,
Any time of year, you can find it here."

Her mind is tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends.
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, that she calls friends.
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat.
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget.
So I called up the captain: "Please bring me my wine.
"He said: We haven't had that spirit here since nineteen-sixty-nine."
And still those voices are calling from far away,
Wake you up in the middle of the night just to hear them say...

"Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place, such a lovely face.
Living it up at the Hotel California,
What a nice surprise, bring your alibies."

Mirrors on the ceiling, pink champagne on ice,
And she said: "We are all just prisoners here of our own device."
And in the master's chambers, they gathered for the feast,
They stab it with their steely knives, but they just can't kill the beast.
Last thing I remember, I was running for the door,
I had to find the passage back to the place I was before.
"Relax," said the night man. "We are programmed to receive.
You can checkout any time you like, but you can never leave!"

PINK MARTINI

Curious really, just when Martini launch the pink version of their famous beverage, I go and discover this group that's been going for fifteen odd years. This is their web site and you'll find there everything you'll want to know about them.

http://pinkmartini.com/home/
And here's a video of their song "La soledad" (Loneliness). Lovely "Chopin" piano intro, rich tenor voice and a sensually delicious tango rythm that simply seduces your body into swaying to the music, all combine to make listening to it a truly enjoyable experience which I strongly recommend, just as I urge you to listen to "Splendor in the grass"; a simple country tune (reminiscent of "Burning Bridges" from the Kelly's Heroes film) with simple country lyrics, leading in to a slow version of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concierto nº1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZyp2j3Jabg

Lyrics and translation below the video (Thank you youtube.com and MagicBlondGirl). Photos on the left.




Viniste a mi como poesía en la canción
(You came to me like poetry in a song)
Mostrándome un nuevo mundo de pasión
(Showing me a new world of passion)
Amándome sin egoismo y sin razón
(Loving me without selfishness or reason)
Mas sin saber que era el amor
(But not knowing that it was love)
Yo protegi mi corazón
(I shielded my heart)
El sol se fue y yo cantando tu canción
(The sun went off, and I remained singing your song,)
La soledad se aduena de toda emoción
(Loneliness robs me of all emotion)
Perdóname si el miedo robo mi ilusión
(Forgive me if fear took away my yearning)
Viniste a mi no supe amar
(You came to me, I did not know how to love you)
Y solo queda esta canción.
(And all that is left is this song.)

MIQUEL VIVES ARTÈS - R.I.P.

J'ATTENDRAI

Sadly, he passed away during the night of the 29th/30th of September. Curiously enough, it was his Saint's Day, Saint Michael.

He was well over eighty, probably ninety. Miquel Vives was my children's maternal grandfather, my father-in-law. I hadn't seen him in over 25 years, but I retain fond memories of us walking in the mountains of Vandellos, in Spain, or collecting olives on his land in those same mountains, and of our after-dinner conversations over a good glass of brandy and a strong "Faria", the Spanish cigar from Galicia.

I remember, especially, that night during the winter of '70/'71 when, driving up the mountain in a heavy snowstorm, his car got stuck. My two baby kids were in that car with their mother! Jaume, her brother, had to walk in the freezing cold and thick snow to the next village for help.

Miquel was an educated man with a vast and varied experience in a dozen different fields, ranging fron the Spanish Civil War, in which he participated, to running businesses, driving taxis, building and modernising houses and working the land.We quarelled back in '82 and never saw each other again, mainly because of his poor health, and also to avoid causing each other unnecessary stress. We did, however, respect each other. I am sure he will be sadly missed.

His favourite song was "j'attendrai" by Dino Oliveri and Louis Poterat/N.Rastelli. It's a French wartime song, based on an Italian song, that tells of waiting for one's loved one's return. Here it is, sung by Tino Rossi, courtesy of Youtube.com and maldoror26, thank you both.The song is, of course, quite old and so is the arrangement. Perhaps a more modern, and possibly more popular, version was Dalida's (1975), but this one, Tino Rossi's, retains a certain melancholic flavour which, I think, is particularly suitable for the occasion.

J'attendrai,le jour et la nuit, j'attendrai toujours

ton retour.

J'attendrai,car l'oiseau qui s'enfuit vient chercher l'oubli

dans son nid.

Le temps passe et court en battant

tristement

dans mon coeur si lourd.

Et pourtant, j'attendrai ton retour.

Les fleurs palissent, le feu s'éteint,

l'ombre se glisse dans le jardin.

L'horloge tisse des sons tres lent,

je crois entendre ton pas.

Le vent m'apporte des bruits lointains

que dans ma porte j'écoute en vain.

Hélas, plus rien,plus rien ne vient.

J'attendrai...(etc.)