Let's Be Naive Together!

"Be simple", she said... so I made this blog.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Songs about love, pain and indifference.


This is my first "old fashioned podcast". I won't try to get you to listen something you probably would hate for an hour, so instead of making a modern podcast with the whole mix and a tedious voice, I'm gonna give you the melodies. It's going to be a virtual mix-tape, like in the times of yore. No strings attached.

Our first "Pirate This" session, has a common topic shared with this blog: "Love, "Pain & Indifference". Hope you like it.

--- JUST CLICK THE ARTIST-SONG AND YOU WILL GET A DIALOG BOX PROMPTING THE "SAVE AS" TO DOWNLOAD THE FILE. ---

Sally Shapiro - He Keeps Me Alive: A cover from paisano/compadre Nixon. The original song is mellow and sung to a girl. This cover version is good if you like your mornings with synths.

"…but I'm still happy when I get to hold his hand
he says I can hold it but we're just friends
and I try and I try to be satisfied
after all, he keeps me alive…"

Earlimart - Answers & Questions: Two guys from L.A. trying to communicate. Nothing happens. Silence is underrated.

"I'm wide awake I'm watching you
All night long, tell me what to do.
I'm wide awake I'm watching you
All my lies they tell the truth."

Jens Lekman - I'm Leaving You Because I don't Love You: More from Sweden and it's Sweet-en. Barry White's soul lies beneath Jens' heart. If you're running out of love with someone, sing to that someone this song.

"...so pick up your asthma inhaler
and put it against your lips
and oh those lips I've loved
that I was dreaming of
they're so red and soft
I'm so sorry I couldn't love you enough
I'm so sorry I couldn't love you enough
I'm so sorry that I'm leaving you
because I don't love you
I am leaving you
because I don't love you"

Moving Units - Dark Walls: Yeah, he/she will do anything for you, so if you're passing through very difficult moments, let the walls clear opening your door to that person. At least he/she will kill a dragon for you.

"Give me your heart
Give me your soul
I am your lover
You are my own
I wanna save you
I wanna keep you here
I wanna pave you
Until the road is clear."

Mount Eerie - I Hold Nothing: Phil Elverum sings to her wife that he doesn't care if he's poor as long as she's with him, holding each other's hands. In the end there's no place to spend our money where we live.

"In a generous way:
I give long walks to the dogs.
I put commas and periods in songs.
I give closed eye to the day.
I give peace to the long decay.
We do not need to fear dying."


Sean Lennon - Parachute: Love is like a soup, eventually it will finish. If you have a big pot, it's gonna last too long. So let's enjoy life together before we breakup.

"Cause if I have to die tonight
I’d rather be with you
Cut the parachute before the dive
Baby don’t you cry
You have to bring me down
We had some fun before we hit the ground."


Smog - Rock Bottom Riser: If you have love, then, everything's not lost. Uncomplicated...

"I love my mother
I love my father
I love my sisters, too.
I bought this guitar
To pledge my love
To pledge my love to you.

I am a rock bottom riser
And I owe it all to you
I am a rock bottom riser
And I owe it all to you"


Emiliana Torrini - Heartstopper: Someone has a crush on me, but I have a crush on somebody else. Like Interpol said: "It should be me"... I'm insecure, I can't sleep, too much coffee running through my veins, I think it's him... an impossible love.

"Outside your house
To make a scene
In my head you grabbed me passionately
But the lights are out
And in an hour I walked on home
In the pouring shower
Lost my keys in front of me
My neighbor's smile he's handing me
The blackest coffee you will ever see

And my heart stopped beating."

Deftones - Cherry Waves: "This is a story about being in the middle of the ocean with someone saying, 'If you were to sink underneath the waves, then I'd swim after you. Would you do the same for me?. It's seeing how far the trust goes." - Chino

"And the waves suck you in, and you drown
If like you should sink down beneath
I'll swim down, would you?
Is that what you want?
You?
Is that what you want?"

Joseph Arthur - Honey and the Moon: Not the best time for them to be together. Probably too much honey. She wants different things and he doesn't want to be with her all the time. We all got scared, at least once in our lives.

"Don't know why I'm still afraid
If you weren't real I would make you up now
I wish that I could follow through
I know that your love is true and deep as the sea
But right now everything you want is wrong
And right now all your dreams are waking up
And right now I wish I could follow you
To the shores of freedom where no one lives"


Jay May - Gray or Blue: This song is easy to understand because it happened to someone I know, except she's not talented at all... and you know those persons involved. Just read the next lines of the song.

"You haven't written to me in a week
I'm wonderin' why that is
Are you too nervous to be lovers
Friendship's ruined with just one kiss?
I watched you very closely, I saw you look away
Your eyes are either gray or blue
I'm never close enough to say

But your sweatshirt says it all
With the hood over your face
I can't keep starin' at your mouth
Without wonderin' how it tastes
I'm with another boy (he's asleep, I'm wide awake )
And he tried to win my heart
But it's taken
Time"

Say Hi - Spiders: You're hanging out with a girl and you can't tell her how you feel, you just can sing things about her. You don't feel you have a chance with her, there's a lot of stuff going on. You think she wants something else and she deserves better.

"And I haven't asked for much since I met her,
some courage and maybe some heart.
But Jupiter, please, will you raise your fists
and mend all that keeps us apart?
There's the thing with her father,
the thing with me broken,
her new jealous ex and the press."

Bon Iver - Skinny Love: Love going sour, probably it's too late to do something about the relationship. I've been through that before, it sounds familiar to me. The "I love you but I don't think you care" thing.

"I told you to be patient
I told you to be fine
I told you to be balanced
I told you to be kind
Now all your love is wasted?
Then who the hell was I?
Now I'm breaking at the britches
And at the end of all your lines

Who will love you?
Who will fight?
Who will fall far behind?"


The Besnard Lakes - For Agent 13: To me the whole album sounds like a love conspiracy, and it brings a set of imagery to my head, it's like a movie, there's dialogues between the guy and the girl, she has to go on a mission: relationships between agents can't really work. The end of the song is just beautiful and it reminds me to Pierrot Le Fou: "it's your life and it's your love."

"my baby, don't go
nothing is fair in love and war
my baby, don't go
I'll write you a love song
my baby, don't go
I'll love you whenever I'm wrong."


Now It's Overhead - Estranged: Sometimes when love's gone it makes you feel distant, thinking about the good old times but in the end you don't miss your ex-partner, you just miss the feeling and then you just want to be loved so bad.

"Oh I fear a change coming on
I feel estranged love is gone
I so bad want back what we had
I so bad want love."

A Toys Orchestra - Danish Cookie Blue Box: It's all about the mementos. It's like when you smell the plastic wrap on the toy's box and it reminds you when you were a little boy, playing with your friends and being happy. This song is about that and it brings you a big smile.

"I dreamed the winter sun
Turns your eyes into diamonds
Your little sugar heart
Melts into my tears
I dreamed I bring my heart to you
Closed into a tin box
...it was an old danish cookie blue box."

Nixon - If You Ever See: Again, something once was nice now it's sour. At least we have our memories.

"But if you ever see
What you mean to me
Then it would be easier
My memories remain
of you and me in the rain
Wishing they were sunnier."

Britta Persson - You're not my Boyfriend: Desperate to attract attention? This is what I call an unbeatable song about trying to make someone else jealous.

"You are not my boyfriend,
well a lot of people ain't
The fact that you do not want me
makes me not wanting you.
Next time I make out it won't be with you
I could not have done it different,
I always have to say it all
How could love be hidden?
In a way I am proud
I want you to feel something,
if not love, hate will do."

Korgis' - Everybody's Got To Learn Sometimes: He's nice, she's a cold hearted bitch. (The cover version by Beck has better arrangements, but this one is the original and it was made with the heart so give it a chance.)

"Change your heart, look around you
Change your heart, it will astound you
I need your loving like the sunshine
And everybody's gotta learn sometime
Everybody's gotta learn sometime
Everybody's gotta learn sometime."

The Frames - What Happens When the Heart Just Stops?: I guess there's no love to give anymore. Breaking up is painful.

"So what happens when the heart gives up
But the body goes on living
The blood crawls to a slow and stops
And flows away

Well we got no-one to meet
No love we would beseech
We only have ourselves to blame for everything
The was no answer in the dust
And I'm missing you so much
And now you're sleeping
And I'm leaving"

The Sun - Must Be You: Another breakup song, except that this one is about trying to deal with it... also is danceable. Bring the rock on... even if it's heart-breaking.

"You forgot your dagger when you left
Six inches deep, buried in my chest
And if you come back to pull it out to look at the blood
I'll slap your hand away, at least I loved, loved you.

Why's the sun always out when I'm feeling blue?
It must be you."

The Subways - No Goodbyes: Nothing lasts forever, that's why we have to make the most of when we're with someone we love.

"when every single day
will never feel the same
a single minute can't be wasted.

Tell me, tell me there's no goodbyes
tell me, tell me there's no goodbyes
tell me, tell me there's no goodbyes
tell me, tell me there's no goodbyes."

Edson - Birth! School! Dole! Angst!: Like the title, it's just a phase honey, so don't worry, I'll be back someday. We all had experience the sensation of being with someone just because we don't want to be alone.

"I never meant to live a lie - no I
I still believe in honesty and I tried
To tell you about a year ago - honestly
And now I have deceitful written all over me

You don't have to worry
You don't have to cry
There will be another time
You don't have to worry
This is not goodbye
You don't have to worry, I'll be fine."

Mirah - Don't Die in Me: While Mirah's gently guitar weeps, she's trying not to let the memories die because she cherishes him no matter how hard he hurt her. Getting over is not easy at all.

"Did you forget how much you once loved me
And if you want something back
All the things that got cracked
When I felt like you lied to me
And all the million mistakes
And the kicks in the face
But i don't want you to die in me
So when you say what you want
That you need what you got
Don't forget to be kind to me
I don't want you to die in me"


New Order - 1963-95
: I personally like the Arthur Baker remix better than the original version and definitely amongst the rest of the remixes. Cheating on someone is like an assassination attempt and the gifts just an excuse to make it right or buy her love back. But like New Order once said in "Crystal","Here comes love, it's like honey you can't buy it with money." Stephen Hague said, "the only song about domestic violence you can dance to".

"It was January, 1963
When Johnny came home with a gift for me
He said 'I bought it for you because I love you
And I bought it for you 'cos it's your birthday, too'
He was so very nice, he was so very kind
To think of me at this point in time
I used to think of him, he used think of me

He told me to close my eyes
My gift would be a great surprise
I saw tears were in his eyes
He never meant to hurt me
Oh, God, Johnny, don't point that gun at me
There's so many ways our lives have changed
But please, I beg, don't do this to me
Johnny, don't point that gun at me
Can I save my life at any price?
For God's sake won't you listen to me?"

Minipop - Like I Do: This is in the same line as "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeah's, corny and naive... yet beautiful. It's simple, You won't find someone who loves you more than I do."

"Who loves you
Like I do."

Bloc Party - Selfish Son: The girl is not interested in you, accept it, you're nice, she wants someone to treat her bad. Do you want to get her back? Be an ass!

"I took it too far, I took it too far again
Night bleeds into day
I took it too far, I took it too far again
I nearly lost you

I can be cruel, I can be cruel
To you
I can be cruel, I can be cruel
To you, my love"

The Raveonettes - Lust: Let's face it, she will go to hell just to be with him. I think she's just horny.

"I fell out of heaven
To be with you in hell
My sins not quite seven
Nothing much to tell
Lust I have and crave
A saintly boy I'm not
I'll take it to my grave
Beside it cursed I'll rot."

The Good Life - So Let Go: The kind of relationship I hate: lack of communication, drama, fights and after all, they repeat themselves that everything will be alright. They love pain!

"We could try and patch things up
Siphon out the bad blood
We could set our pride aside
Ignore our egos for the night
And make love
But we won’t
But we won’t
But we won’t
We won’t."

St. Vincent - Marry Me: This is the title of the album too and it started as a joke, quoting a gag from "Arrested Development". The song is just innocent, it's like when we were kids playing the Bride and the Groom. Make me yours, tee hee hee! (Little school girl laughter).

"Oh, John c'mon we'll do what married people do
Oh, John c'mon we'll do what Mary and Joseph did without the kid

So Marry me, John
Marry me, John I'll be so good to you
You won't realize I'm gone
You won't realize I'm gone."

Young Galaxy - The Sun's Coming Up and My Plane's Going Down: The quietness in this song kills me. I saw them last night and I almost cried. Sometimes you need to fix some parts in your life and come clean to the person you love... sometimes it's too late, she's with someone else or probably dead.

"Some feelings are so simple
but too hard to state
and I know it's too late to say it
but I've changed my ways
I didn't know how to reach you
how to show myself.
I could give you what you wanted now
but you're onto something else
the sun's coming up
and my plane is going down
the sun's coming up
and my plane is going down."

Destroyer - Painter in your Pocket: They were not meant to be together. I posted that before so you should go there instead. The healing process is on...

"I didn't stand a chance.
I didn't stand at all.
You looked ok with the others.
You looked great by yourself.
It was 2002 and you needed reminding to stay alive.
And so did I, but at least I tried to fall upon that sword and never look back...

Where did you get that line?
Where did you get that look?
Where did you get that penchant for destruction in the way you talk?
Where did you get that ride?
Where did you get that rocket?
Where did you get that painter in your pocket?"


Destroyer - Foam Hands
: As a plus, this beautiful song from the forthcoming Trouble in Dreams. I can't wait any longer. Dan Bejar just misses her soft hands all over his face... She's gone because he wasn't paying attention...

"True love regrets to inform you
there are certain things
you must do
to perceive his face
and the stains on the wall

I didn't know what time it was at all
I didn't know what time it was at all
Foam Hands.

Since you've been gone
Since you've been gone
Me and the King have been steadily growing
apart -- he lives down the hall.

I didn't know what time it was at all
I didn't know what time it was at all
Foam Hands.

I'm not the kind to tell you what is true
And what is to-tally out of control

I didn't know what time it was at all
I didn't know what time it was at all
Foam Hands."

1 comment:

N¡uz said...

good job! great collect!