Of This and Other Worlds

It's entirely possible that nobody who reads this post is going to love this song the way I do, or even love it at all -- but nevertheless, it's one of my favorite songs of all time. It moved me to tears the first time I heard it, and it still affects me a thousand listenings later. And it strikes me as eminently suitable for a Good Friday post, so I share it with you here.

For those who wish to listen, the song starts at the 1:40 mark and ends at 6:33.



EDEN

Summer bled of Eden
Easter's heir uncrowns
Another destiny lies leechèd upon the ground

A gilded wreath on reason
The flower crushed conceives
A child of fragrance so much clearer in legacy

Everybody needs someone to live by
Rage on omnipotent

- From the album "Spirit of Eden" (1988), by Talk Talk
Lyrics by Mark Hollis

Amen.

Sometimes cover versions are as good as the original (i.e. Jesse Cook's lovely, Spanish-guitar version of "Fall At Your Feet", or george's remake of "Under The Milky Way"). Sometimes they are better (Aztec Camera's brilliant acoustic take on Van Halen's "Jump", ). And sometimes they make you want to pound your fists on the floor and cry "No! No! Why did you have to ruin that song?"

I don't have anything against No Doubt, honestly. I mean, I know nothing about them. None of their past singles have succeeded in annoying me (mind you, they didn't thrill me either). And I figure, if they like Talk Talk they must have some sort of musical taste. I wasn't even against the idea of them doing a cover version of "It's My Life". I was quite curious about it, in fact, so I listened to it today.

Unfortunately, all I can say right now is "agggggggggggggghhhhhhhhh!!!" I feel like I need to listen to the original Talk Talk version again, preferably multiple times, to wash Gwen Stefani's screechy voice and that horribly flat instrumentation out of my ears. The best thing about it was the bass line -- and that was basically the same as the original version. Oh, please, please, people who like this song and have not heard the original, go listen to Talk Talk instead, and do yourself a very great favour. The real version has bird cries! And trumpeting elephants! But best of all, it has Mark Hollis, whose voice is by no means conventional, but who knows how to put actual emotion into a song instead of just whining it.

*sticks pinky fingers in ears and twists them around*

*deletes MP3 from playlist*

*feels better*

Pick a band and answer the following questions using song titles from that band:

Are you male or female? Dum Dum Girl
Describe yourself: Living In Another World
How do some people feel about you? My Foolish Friend
How do you feel about yourself? For What It's Worth
Describe your girlfriend/boyfriend/interest: Desire
Where would you rather be? Ascension Day
Describe what you want to be: Another Word
Describe how you live: Life's What You Make It
Describe how you love: I Believe In You
Share a few words of wisdom: Happiness is Easy