The Accidental Lyricist | A-Lyric.com

The ultimate David Bowie tribute

January 20, 2016October 29, 2020
by The Accidental Lyricist

David Bowie mash-up set to the silver screen

UPDATE oct 29 2020: I just watched the trailer for the upcoming David Bowie biopic.

Um.

They really should have asked Soulwax and director Wim Reygaert to handle it.

Soulwax strike again. The Belgian DJ duo Soulwax, that also work as the DJ duo 2ManyDJs, have created what is probably the ultimate David Bowie tribute.

In “Dave”, the Belgian top model Hannelore Knuts (photo) plays a Thin White Duke-era Bowie. She is brought from room to room in a hotel, each of which contains references to classic Bowie albums. It is cleverly directed by Wim Reygaert. Remarkably, it dates from 2 years ago. Where has it been hiding?

This is one for trainspotters, as elements from Bowie’s life and career abound. I think the man himself would have appreciated it, as far from being just a fan-pic, it builds into something quite spectacular at the end.

Soulwax’s clever cut’n’paste of Bowie tracks is as tasteful as you can expect from a duo that frankly ooze respect and style.

Stardust Bowie biopic

In February 2019, it was announced that Johnny Flynn will play David Bowie in the biopic “Stardust”. Even more than a portrayal of Freddie Mercury, this will be a challenge for any actor. Flynn is already a singer and actor. But people will be watching this portrayal with even more attention. I wonder did they ever consider using Knuts? 😉

meanings

“To be Sung”: opera vs meaning

January 10, 2016February 5, 2019
by The Accidental Lyricist

New version by Sjaron Minailo throws meaning out the window

I was curious, very curious. The idea of creating an opera that willingly rejects the need for meaning intrigued the lyricist in me. As a songwriter, meaning is not necessarily the only tool or goal you have to play with. Sometimes evocation is enough to create the impression of an emotion. So what to make of a lyrical work that totally abandons the need for meaning? That shrugs off narrative?

“To be Sung” is an ambitious piece. “I wanted to write something amniotic, extremely sensitive, that situates listening within an almost metaphysical feeling of understanding through light, that demands to be heard through the mystery of the eye.” Thus spoke composer Pascal Dusapin about his third opera, a musical translation of texts by modernist Gertrude Stein produced by the Monnaie opera house but shown at the Flagey centre.

Stein wrote the texts in a stream of consciousness style, apparently charting the impressions and emotions of moments with her life partner. But am I giving too much away? Does this count? The texts come from her piece, “A Lyrical Opera Made By Two (To be Sung)”.

Dusapain and director Sjaron Minailo skip the anecdotal and put the piece on a higher plane. How would you stage lines such as, ‘Yes, yes, the address. Dress, dress in a press, press, press and caress, caress, caress. In express, express, express with a stress, a stress of an aptness to kindle and confess that she will be called a progress from which it is called farm and waving it alight. Alight, which is it. She makes it do. Do, do, be my own one, do, do, do, do, do…’

To be Sung, Gertrude Stein — Marie-Louise Wilderijkx, Allison Cook, Genevieve King & Marisol Montalvo

Despite the apparent abandon of the text, everything about this piece feels studied, almost painfully so. Minailo, known for his experimental work, has created a vast open feel, dominated by a large monumental centrepiece. The chamber orchestra is off to the side. Three plus one characters amble about the stage, three in white gowns seemingly dragging parachute packs. A fourth dances occasionally.

The staging and movements around the stage look deeply symbolic. We were supposed to fill in the gaps, interpreting it in ways that are appropriate to our frames of reference. To a degree, this is what happens in many operas anyway. The combination of music, acting, sets and lighting can be significant in different way to different people in the same hall.

The question of meaning

But inevitably it again begs – sorry to come back to it – the question of meaning. On the one hand, what does “Be Bop a Lula” mean? The words help, but the emotional impact owes more to the singing than a literal reading of the lyrics. What does the last section of Richard Strauss’ “Daphne” mean? The long instrumental is punctuated by vocal trills. Is there a “meaning”?

Yet both examples come with a context and structure that bring a clear emotional baggage. This was not Minailo or Dupasin’s intention with “To be Sung”, who both focus on creating a soundscape with voices. The aloofness was further increased by a male voice reciting parts of the text in a flat voice, pretty much randomly.

The result? I was completely detached from the piece at all times, left to admire the acoustics of the Flagey hall and conductor Bassem Akiki’s careful work with the musicians and singers (Marison Montalvo, Allison Cook and Judith Gauthier). Yet just as “To be Sung” is not about narrative, nor is it about individuals. The three sopranos are so close in tone as to be almost indistinguishable.

So I left the hall pondering all these things. My personal takeways? Stream of consciousness does not necessarily mean random, and it most certainly does not mean devoid of emotion. It seems like a strange exercise to clinically remove the personal aspects from what is already such a challenging piece.

To be complete, a more literal version of “A Lyrical Opera Made By Two (To be Sung)” was produced in the US in a tone closer to a musical, with music by William Turner.

plagiarism

Dance music all sounds the same

September 18, 2015September 18, 2015
by The Accidental Lyricist

Sorry, I couldn’t resist it! To all serious music fans that think all dance/metal/country/whatever music sounds the same, I introduce you to The Lick – that line that keeps coming back again and again in jazz.

Just a bit of fun! What’s your favourite music cliché?

gadgets

Where do songwriters write lyrics?

June 3, 2015February 5, 2019
by The Accidental Lyricist

so Where do lyrics “happen?”

Jacques Prévert writing desk — Jacques Prevert’s desk. Is this tidy or what?

I often get questions about lyric-writing, but had not thought about this question. Where do songwriters write lyrics? I had to make a conscious effort to remember where I usually write (I almost said “work”!). It quickly opened up onto another question: how songwriters and lyricists actually write.

Let’s look at the first person singular: me. At all times, I carry small notebooks with me. I know it sounds old-fashioned, but I do actually use them to jot down thoughts or possible titles. In addition to writing lyrics, I also work on websites, write articles, do copywriting and have even been asked to find product names. There is always something I can work on in some way.

When you write with any regularity, there is a danger of falling into habits. If you consistently write in the same conditions, you can find yourself consistently writing the same things, or at least using the same point of view. To break that – and to also make the most of time away from my computer – I regularly write anywhere I happen to be: airports, laundrettes, at my desk, in the sofa, waiting for food in a restaurant, late-night beers on my own.

When I did more dance music, I used to even write standing up, as dance is a physical style. I put the notebook on the top of my fridge and wrote there, if not actually dancing at least swaying to the tune’s groove – try it, it really gives a different perspective.

Sparking lyric ideas

Beer Mania lyrics — Beer and lyrics: life is full of choices

Most of the writing – and certainly the final draft – happens at my desk, but these locations do inform the writing in some way. Maybe a tune you hear on the in-house music system sparks an idea. Maybe a headline in a newspaper can lead to a title. Maybe some people-watching will enable you to create a character you would not otherwise have considered – or enables you to get into their head more realistically.

The other great thing about writing outside your office or home is that it’s a very productive way to spend time. Think about the last time you had, say, ten minutes to wait for a bus, train or waiter. What do you do? Nine times out of ten, you probably flick on your phone and check Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter or incoming e-mails. If you add up all the periods of ten minutes you spend doing this in a week, you’re well over an hour or two per week.

Put them together over a year and you could have written Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” in that time (or all the episodes of “Breaking Bad”, which is nearly the same thing).

So to all those people out there that think they don’t have the time to write, leave home without your mobile and take 10 minutes to jot down some thoughts every so often. 😉

events

Don Giovanni at the Monnaie

December 1, 2014February 5, 2019
by The Accidental Lyricist

Don Giovanni: Sex, Lies and Webcams

In the second of an occasional series, a pop lyricist sits in at the opera to see what all the fuss is about.

How do you inject new life into an opera standard such as Mozart’s Don Giovanni? At the Monnaie opera house in Brussels, director Krzystof Warlikowski took the easy route: add lashings of sex and provocation.

The tale of the inveterate womaniser is taken from a darker angle than usual. Instead of being a charming seducer that gets himself into trouble, Don Giovanni is portrayed as a sex addict and pathological liar that pulls his world down around him, as well as everyone he meets. So what is often played as a comic opera actually plays out like a tragedy.

Fair enough. There is certainly enough material in the libretto (script) by Lorenzo Da Ponte to justify this approach. Don Giovanni just cannot help himself, despite the attempts of his valet Leporello. An early murder and increasingly complicated love trysts (with more hinted at through webcams) build up the number of people that want to see him fall.

From Shame to Macbeth

But instead of the fire and brimstone ending that opera-goers are used to, Warlikowski sees him engulfed by his own guilt at the end. The director refers to the film “Shame” more than once in the programme notes. A clearer reference would probably be Macbeth, a man driven to madness by the realisation of what he has done. A very interesting ending, nonetheless. And one that is capped by an equally interesting epilogue.

Where things become a bit less interesting is the unrelenting debauchery on view. From the opening video projections of a soft-porn orgy over the overture, the opera rapidly opens onto a vast space decorated with 70s lounge chic. The characters enter, sing and abuse each other. No scene is complete without a couple of women making love in the background. There are several scenes of oral sex. The entire climax features a long and distracting vignette of a cartoon-like female black character shuddering in climaxes.

I think Warlikowski underestimated the audience, who got the idea pretty quickly. The vintage porn shown at the beginning of the second half raised a few laughs at first but went on too long.

Brilliant opera, brilliant cast

Lulu opera Warlikowski — “Lulu” by Warlikowski starring Barbara Hannigan

So what we get at the end of the day is the basics: a brilliant opera with an absolutely brilliant cast. The level of singing and acting throughout was superb. The visual spectacle overshadowed what must be a very demanding role for them. It was all too easy to get caught up in the direction and miss the finesse. How easy is it to sing an aria on your back with a man lying with his head between your legs, I wonder?

Perhaps Warlikowski wanted the audience to disconnect their music-loving brain, but opera is a lyrical art more than anything else. I spent the first half without subtitles and was totally confused by the comings and goings with costume changes. Yep folks, the words matter in opera!

Who knew that opera singers had such fantastic legs?

Conductor Ludovic Morlot obviously plays along with the tragic tone, adding trombones towards the end for a more dramatic finish. On a totally sexist side-note, I have to add: Who knew that opera singers had such fantastic legs?

Don Giovanni cast

Don Giovanni	¦	Jean-Sébastien Bou
Il Commendatore	¦	Sir Willard White
Donna Anna	¦	Barbara Hannigan
Don Ottavio	¦	Topi Lehtipuu
Donna Elvira	¦	Rinat Shaham
Leporello	¦	Andreas Wolf
Masetto	¦	Jean-Luc Ballestra
Zerlina	¦	Julie Mathevet

meanings

“Do They Know it’s Christmas” gets new lyrics

November 15, 2014January 31, 2021
by The Accidental Lyricist

This Monday November 17 2014, Band Aid 30 will release the charity single “Do They Know it’s Christmas”. The proceeds will go towards helping the Ebola crisis in West Africa, whereas the original raised money for the support of famine in Ethiopia.

Artists involved this time include Bono, One Direction, Chris Martin, Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran and Rita Ora. This is actually the fourth time the song has been recorded, with the most recent version released a decade ago.

Sweeter lyrics for 2014

What has changed since the original in 1984? Lyric-wise quite a lot. Although the original song written by Midge Ure and Bob Geldof was an impassioned call for help, it also carried Geldof’s wry tone that jarred many people at the time.

The most glaring change is: “Well tonight thank God it’s them instead of you” which has become: “Well tonight we’re reaching out and touching you.”

The 1984 lyrics: “And there’s won’t be snow in Africa this Christmas time. The greatest gift they’ll get this year is life. Where nothing ever grows. No rain or rivers flow. Do they know it’s Christmas time at all?” have been changed to the following:

“No peace and joy this Christmas in West Africa. The only hope they’ll have is being alive. Where to comfort is to fear. Where to touch is to be scared. How can they know it’s Christmas time at all.”

People had pointed out that there are both snow and rivers in Africa, which I thought was a bit literal of a reading. The song was really intended for the drought that was taking place in Ethiopia, after all.

It really doesn’t matter if you don’t like this song. It really doesn’t matter if you don’t like the artists, it really doesn’t matter if it turns out to be a lousy recording – what you have to do is buy this thing.”

The original words “Here’s to you. Raise a glass for everyone. Here’s to them underneath that burning sun. Do they know it’s Christmas time at all?” have been altered to say:

“Here’s to you. Raise a glass to everyone. And here’s to them. And all their years to come. Let them know it’s Christmas after all.”

The “feed the world” chorus now also has one reference to “Heal the world”.

Touchy-feely lyrics

So overall, we’re going for a touchy-feely approach rather than Geldof’s gritty realism. At the end of the day, it doesn’t make much difference. It’s a charity single, after all. I agree with Geldof when he says: “It really doesn’t matter if you don’t like this song. It really doesn’t matter if you don’t like the artists, it really doesn’t matter if it turns out to be a lousy recording – what you have to do is buy this thing.”

Author: The Accidental Lyricist