Friday, August 17, 2007

Hats off to the Buskers?

I've been thinking about my romantic ideal of having a song written for me. There aren't any popular songs about a girl named Nicole, except for "Darling Nikki" which I'm ruling out as not technically being "romantic" (in the classical sense) and being about Nikki, which I will never answer to.
So I've been trying to par down my favorite songs to figure out what type of song I'd like (this is all hypothetical, obviously...I don't know anyone who plays guitar, except on a video game :p). Well, I'm currently in love with the song "Flowers in the Window" by Travis, which I'd never heard before I saw them at 1st Ave. last month. It's so beautiful and melodic. Here are the lyrics, too, which are simplistically perfect:

When I first held you I was cold
A melting snowman I was told
That there was no one there to hold
Before, I swore, that I would be alone forever more

Oh, wow, look at you now
Flowers in the window
It's such a lovely day and I'm glad you feel the same
Cos to stand up, out in the crowd
You are one in a million
And I love you so
Let's watch the flowers grow

There is no reason to feel bad
But there are many seasons to feel glad, sad, mad
It's just a bunch of feelings that we have to hold
And I am here to help you with the load

So now we're here and now is fine
So far away from there and there is time, time, time
To plant new seeds and watch them grow
So there'll be flowers in the window when we go

But, of course, there's my standby lovely song, "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane (I have a thing for UK emo-pop, which is why I loved "Once"). Here are the lyrics to that one:

I walked across an empty land,
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand.
I felt the earth beneath my feet,
Sat by the river and it made me complete.
Oh, simple thing, where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on.
So tell me when you're gonna let me in,
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin.

I came across a fallen tree,
I felt the branches; are they looking at me?
Is this the place we used to love?
Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?

Oh, simple thing, where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on.
So tell me when you're gonna let me in,
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin.
AND if you have a minute why don't we go,
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything.
So why don't we go, somewhere only we know,
Somewhere only we know.

Oh, simple thing, where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on.
So, tell me when you gonna let me in,
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin.
SO if you have a minute why don't we go,
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything.
So why don't we go, so why don't we go,

Hmmm yeahh,

This could be the end of everything.
So why don't we go, somewhere only we know,
Somewhere only we know
Somewhere only we know.

And finally, because he's my ideal man, here's my favorite song by Elvis Costello:

These few words I'll devote
To a marvelous girl covered up with my coat
Pull it up to your chin
I'll hold you until the day will begin

Still
Lying in the shadows this new flame will cast

Upon everything we carry from the past
You were made of every love and each regret
Up until the day we met

There are no words that I'm afraid to hear
Unless they are "Goodbye, my dear"

Still
I was moving very fast
But in one place
Now you speak my name and set my pulse to race
Sometimes words may tumble out but can't eclipse
The feeling when you press your fingers to my lips

I want to kiss you in a rush
And whisper things to make you blush
And you say, "Darling, hush
Hush
Still, still"

Elvis is obviously the best lyricist, Tom the best singer, Fran the best banjo strummer? In any case, I think there would have to be a combination of the three styles to make the most romantic song. And this has been a pointless and self-indulgent post and now I'm done;)

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