"And Guess What I Found..." Part 4: 51-60

 

60 Pacific

(Single, 1999)

A dreamy, almost abstract concoction, the spoken vocal parts giving it the sense of being some kind of blurred hallucination or flashback. It does feel a little fragmentary, and it might have been nice to let it have a bit more space to spread and develop, but it's still a haunting and intriguing piece.

59 Christmas Song

(Unreleased)

Recorded live at Peel Acres on 21 December 2000, 'Christmas Song' is a touchingly fragile and melancholy little thing. David's vocal is a little wobbly in places (it would have been nice to hear a 'proper' studio version) but that just adds to the charm. 

58 Barefoot in the Park

(Va Va Voom, 1998)

An archetypal Cinerama song: understated strings, a tasteful blend of delicate wah-wah and classical guitar, breathy backing vocals, jazzy Hammond organ, a hint of trilling flute and of course a dreamy melody.  It's lovely, if perhaps a little overly polite.

The lyric veers between sweetly romantic ('how could anybody not love you?'), tired cliché ('that smile on your face as you awake / oh, it just makes my heart ache'), slightly icky ('you open my lips with your thumb') and downright weird ('when you shave my skin I don't feel pain'). The title refers to a 1967 romantic comedy starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, adapted from a 1963 play by Neil Simon.

57 Let’s Pretend

(Disco Volante, 2000)

A break-up song that finds the narrator parcelling up his ex's possessions (her earrings, a Corrs cassette). There's a nice contrast between the gentle melody and arrangement and the embittered lyric ('can we pretend we never met? / pretend there's nothing to forget'). It's another song that contains some rather odd lines: 'I put this in because it looked feminine / I'm not quite sure if it was mine or yours'; 'I'm finding things everywhere / when I think that I am done, I'll find some underwear'.

It's a strong melody, and the sweeping strings are deftly applied, especially towards the end; the wah-wah guitar is a little clumsy, however. Overall, it's rather touching and bittersweet, although you can't help feeling that there's a soaring chorus that never arrives.

56 Me Next

(Va Va Voom, 1998)

The verses are a little trite, both in terms of melody and lyric ('I was too scared to phone / in case you weren't alone') and 'please don't think that I'm suggesting you're over-sexed / but if he's really gone / oh please, can I be the next?' is a rather strange line with which to woo someone who's just split from their partner. Nonetheless, it's a gloriously catchy chorus and the song is full of delightfully twangy / tremolo guitar.

55 On/Off

(B-side of Don't Touch That Dial, 2003)

A taut, concise (102 seconds) heads-down rocker with some lovely splashes of Hammond organ. Short but sweet.

54 End Credits

(Valentina, 2015)

By far the best track on Valentina, courtesy of a sympathetic arrangement and a joyfully galloping bass line. It's the only track on the album that comes close to realising the epic vision that was lurking in amongst the other ambitious but fatally flawed versions.

Too often on Valentina, David sounds like he's battling against the arrangements, swamped by all the unnecessary fuss. Here, Terry is the star of the show, with a beautifully cool and measured vocal.

53 Lollobrigida

(Disco Volante, 2000)

Glamorous movie stars of the 50s and 60s are quite a significant Cinerama touchstone, and also pop up from time to time in Wedding Present songs (for example 'You Jane'). Gina Lollobrigida was an Italian actress and sex symbol (as horribly dated as that term sounds) who starred in dozens of films alongside the likes of Errol Flynn, Frank Sinatra, Rock Hudson and Humphrey Bogart. Les Belles de Nuit ('Beauties of the Night'), the 1952 film referenced in the song, was written and directed by René Clair.

You can see what Gedge is going for here - sultry, steamy, sensual... ('I ache / you're wet / I cling / your thighs / your breasts / my cheek') but whilst there's a strong sense of intense intimacy, it's all just a little too much, verging on the icky, to use a technical term. The accordion is jolly though.

52 Airborne

(Torino, 2002)

Given the given general departure from TWP norms, it's perhaps surprising that David hadn't attempted something  like this before. Over an austere but moving string arrangement, he intones a melancholy tale of separation: 'I was watching you from the observation deck / until your plane became a shiny speck'. It's a strong vocal performance and a lovely melody, although the lyric doesn't always rise to the occasion ('you just packed up all your stuff / and said that you'd had enough'). 

51 7X

(B-side of Kerry Kerry, 1998)

The title is a reference to Coca-Cola's 'Merchandise 7X' flavourings that have remained unchanged since 1886 (the actual recipe is only known to two of Coke's executives, who are not allowed to travel on the same plane in case it crashes and the secret is lost). The opening line uses this to comment on how 'circumspect' the narrator's girlfriend is, which feels like a rather laboured analogy made just to reference an interesting fact.

But this doesn't matter too much, as it's a jaunty, engaging tune with a stirring chorus.

See you next Wednesday!

"And Guess What I Found..." Main Page