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ventaWhile waiting for the kettle to boil, I read another installment of Nick Hornby's 31 Songs. The book does exactly what it says on the tin - it contains Mr Hornby's thoughts and reflections on 31 of his favourite songs. This makes it conveniently bite-sized to read while, for example, boiling a kettle or eating your toast-and-evil of a morning.
I think I'm so far up to Song 11, and have known around half of the songs he's mentioned. I've still found the comments on the unknowns interesting, though, and each Song also contains general rambling about music and his reactions to it, or indeed completely different songs. At some point, I hope to be able to chase up and listen to the unfamiliar ones he's mentioned.
Today (while reading about I've Had It by Aimee Mann, which I've never heard) I encountered a throwaway remark about Complete Control by The Clash having a bad opening line. It does, actually, ("They said release 'Remote Control'") though I must admit that I'd never particularly noticed.
It did make me think, though, that sometimes songs can rise above their own lyrics - sometimes you don't even notice how ridiculous a lyric is until you see it written down, devoid of melody. Sometimes, though, a song has a dreadful line or two in it which jars every time you hear it, and takes the shine off the rest of the track.
So, I submit as the worst opening line in the world Here Comes The War, by New Model Army:
"Today, as you listen to this song another 394,000 children were born into this world"
There's really not a lot of excuse for that. Other parts of the song are good, though not great: the club-floor stomp of the chorus ("Here comes the war!"), the rallying shouts that end the verses ("Did you think we were born in peaceful times?"), the bastardization of Yeats (" Faster, faster, until the Centre cannot Hold"). Even the spoken, laboured lyrics fit the music and assume a power of their own in later verses. But nothing really gets away from the fact that the beginning is awful.
Incidentally, I haven't read ahead to see what songs are coming later in 31 Songs. I quite like the surprise of finding out what the next one will be as I turn the page, so no spoilers please :)
I think I'm so far up to Song 11, and have known around half of the songs he's mentioned. I've still found the comments on the unknowns interesting, though, and each Song also contains general rambling about music and his reactions to it, or indeed completely different songs. At some point, I hope to be able to chase up and listen to the unfamiliar ones he's mentioned.
Today (while reading about I've Had It by Aimee Mann, which I've never heard) I encountered a throwaway remark about Complete Control by The Clash having a bad opening line. It does, actually, ("They said release 'Remote Control'") though I must admit that I'd never particularly noticed.
It did make me think, though, that sometimes songs can rise above their own lyrics - sometimes you don't even notice how ridiculous a lyric is until you see it written down, devoid of melody. Sometimes, though, a song has a dreadful line or two in it which jars every time you hear it, and takes the shine off the rest of the track.
So, I submit as the worst opening line in the world Here Comes The War, by New Model Army:
"Today, as you listen to this song another 394,000 children were born into this world"
There's really not a lot of excuse for that. Other parts of the song are good, though not great: the club-floor stomp of the chorus ("Here comes the war!"), the rallying shouts that end the verses ("Did you think we were born in peaceful times?"), the bastardization of Yeats (" Faster, faster, until the Centre cannot Hold"). Even the spoken, laboured lyrics fit the music and assume a power of their own in later verses. But nothing really gets away from the fact that the beginning is awful.
Incidentally, I haven't read ahead to see what songs are coming later in 31 Songs. I quite like the surprise of finding out what the next one will be as I turn the page, so no spoilers please :)
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Date: 2004-10-19 09:22 am (UTC)