Emotions....

are funny things.

I used to listen to a song, years ago, Dire Straights' Brothers In Arms and it used to make me cry.

I hadnt heard it for years, so i down loaded it off the net and listened to it.

Sure as clock work, the exact same thoughts and emotions id had years ago came right back to the forefront of my memory... and had the same effect.

I cried.

The lyrics are open, raw, and somewhat "exposed". They describe the futility of war, and the bond which is formed between men on all sides when faced with such adversary. Its only the last verse though which gets the juices flowing. Im not normally such a sentimental person, nor one to cry over music relating to an issue ive not experienced first hand, but there is something about this song which just stirs my soul.

These mist covered mountains
Are a home now for me
But my home is the lowlands
And always will be
Some day you’ll return to
Your valleys and your farms
And you’ll no longer burn
To be brothers in arms

Through these fields of destruction
Baptisms of fire
I’ve watched all your suffering
As the battles raged higher
And though they did hurt me so bad
In the fear and alarm
You did not desert me
My brothers in arms

There’s so many different worlds
So many differents suns
And we have just one world
But we live in different ones

Now the sun’s gone to hell
And the moon’s riding high
Let me bid you farewell
Every man has to die
But it’s written in the starlight
And every line on your palm
We’re fools to make war
On our brothers in arms

So, on that rather frank and open post... i pose the question, which song, if any, has the same effect on the members of the .org?

huh.

I will go then. I forsee this being a quiet thread though,
Well, when I was young, I used to listen to that album too. I havnt heard it in a while. But there was another album, Love over Gold, and this one track on that album, it was about 15 minutes long, and it had an effect on me. But it wasnt the lyrics. It was something else in the music. I think... I suppose I was about 10, and I was listening to that really long track, and there was something about it that made me emotional, not crying, just moved. I was quite suprised. I can remember it clearly.

There are (at least) three differant ways music can get you.
It can have some assosiation, (basically ex girlfriends in my case),
or it can have emotive lyrics,
or the music itself can have an effect.
That brothers in arms track probably links the last two of them I suppose.

You have the obvious contenders.
You have basically all of Jeff Buckley's Grace album. This is sort of sucker punching you though.

Well your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you to her kitchen chair
She broke your throne and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

There is an album by a norwegian guy, called Thomas Dybdahl, he wrote a song that cracked me pretty quickly.

"It seems I have a weakness I didn't know about, till the day it rained..."
I think that's an amazing lyric.

Elliot Smith's last album (before he topped himself)

Sunshine, been keeping me up for days
there is no night time, it's only a passing phase
and i feel pretty, pretty enough for you
i felt so ugly before, i didn't know what to do

sometimes is all i feel up to now
but it's not worth it to you
cos you gotta get out somehow
it's the destruction that you require to feel
like somebody wants you, someone that's more for real

sunshine, been keeping me up for days
there is no night time, only a passing phase
and i'll feel pretty, another hour or two

i felt so ugly before, i didn't know what to do...

Of course:

Imagine there's no heaven,
It's easy if you try,
No hell below us,
Above us only sky,
Imagine all the people
living for today...

Imagine there's no countries,
It isnt hard to do,
Nothing to kill or die for,
No religion too,
Imagine all the people
living life in peace...

But, like GYKD was saying, its the lyrics really.
Some music though can just get me...

There were two mexican guitarists, Rodrigo y Gabriella, classicaly trained, ex mettlers, who now play gigs around Dublin. When I first saw them I was totally overwhelmed with emotion. It is a man and a woman, and they are very tight, the gig I was at was very small, the woman Gabriella kept percussion using an upside down empty wooden box (very Tom Waites) and they played. And, jesus they played. The power, and the guts and fury that went into those acoustic guitars that night was scary. I was sitting at a table with two people who were signed to make music, and one classical pianist. All of us just sat with our mouth open and eyes wide open. It wasnt sad music, not at all. It was classical Spannish folk trad metal, and it was serious blood and guts stuff. Completely instrumental, but they had poured so much emotion into it I couldnt deal with it.


I wonder where this sort of power comes from in music...

[Supervox]

Brothers In Arms has exactly the same effect on me as does Imagine.

Others would include :-

Fatal Hesitation - Chris de Burgh

The cafes are all deserted, the streets are wet again,
There's nothing quite like an out of season holiday town,
In the rain,
When the tourists go and the cold winds blow,
And my girl is on a plane, home...

I'm never going to love another, the way that I have loved you,
It's taken me a little time to discover it,
Now I know it's true, but fatal hesitation,
Made me miss the show,

Oh Romeo is standing in the rain,
And I know that I have let her slip away,
Fatal hesitation, fatal hesitation...

I saw you again this morning, walking down the beach,
And though you are a thousand miles away,
You were only just out of reach, but when I got up close,
And I saw her face, I knew it couldn't be so, no, no;

Oh Romeo is standing in the rain,
And I, yes I know, I have let her slip away,
Fatal hesitation, fatal hesitation,
I'm going to get on my boat and sail away;


Through The Years - Kenny Rogers

I can’t remember when you weren’t there
When I didn’t care for anyone but you
I swear we’ve been through everything there is
Can’t imagine anything we’ve missed
Can’t imagine anything the two of us can’t do

Through the year, you’ve never let me down
You turned my life around, the sweetest days I’ve found
I’ve found with you ... through the years
I’ve never been afraid, I’ve loved the life we’ve made
And I’m so glad I’ve stayed, right here with you
Through the years

I can’t remember what I used to do
Who I trusted whom, I listened to before
I swear you’ve taught me everything I know
Can’t imagine needing someone so
But through the years it seems to me
I need you more and more

Through the years, through all the good and bad
I knew how much we had, I’ve always been so glad
To be with you ... through the years
It’s better everyday, you’ve kissed my tears away
As long as it’s okay, I’ll stay with you
Through the years

Through the years, when everything went wrong
Together we were strong, I know that I belonged
Right here with you ... through the years
I never had a doubt, we’d always work things out
I’ve learned what love’s about, by loving you
Through the years

Through the years, you’ve never let me down
You’ve turned my life around, the sweetest days I’ve found
I’ve found with you ... through the years
It’s better everyday, you’ve kissed my tears away
As long as it’s okay, I’ll stay with you
Through the years!

& finally . . .

Land Of Hope & Glory & I Vow To Thee My Country - one of which I believe SHOULD be our National Anthem

Originally Posted by Supervox

Land Of Hope & Glory[/b] & I Vow To Thee My Country - one of which I believe SHOULD be our National Anthem

I agree with that

Sorry to disagree but to adopt Land of Hope and Glory would simply add to the history of uninspiring national anthems that we have had. Take a listen to some of the others out there and you surely can see what I mean?

Originally Posted by Peter Henry

Sorry to disagree but to adopt Land of Hope and Glory would simply add to the history of uninspiring national anthems that we have had. Take a listen to some of the others out there and you surely can see what I mean?

Agreed.

I Vow To Thee My Country is better, but not brilliant.

I just adore Jerusalem. Although thats more of an "English" tune.

GYKD...

My point is that an anthem should have an uplifting tune and tempo along with a motivating lyric. For me the present anthem is no more than a slightly upbeat funeral march which only "bursts" in to life by people yelling at the top of their voices for the second verse.

All of the other home nations have great anthems as do the French,Italians and even the Germans! Along with the American and Australian.

An anthem for me should also,(contentious point coming) be a celebration of the country and it's people not a figure head. Other countries have a monarchy but do not sing about their King or Queen in their anthems.

*All of the above is of course purely my own personal opinion.*

PH, you are of course correct. However, you're forgetting something important.

National pride in Britain is no longer allowed

Originally Posted by Peter Henry

GYKD...

My point is that an anthem should have an uplifting tune and tempo along with a motivating lyric. For me the present anthem is no more than a slightly upbeat funeral march which only "bursts" in to life by people yelling at the top of their voices for the second verse.

All of the other home nations have great anthems as do the French,Italians and even the Germans! Along with the American and Australian.

An anthem for me should also,(contentious point coming) be a celebration of the country and it's people not a figure head. Other countries have a monarchy but do not sing about their King or Queen in their anthems.

*All of the above is of course purely my own personal opinion.*

Peter,

I know what your point is, and i entirely agree with you. There is nothing mroe depressing than hearing a load of people just drag their heels through our current National Anthem. Its drab. Dull. Dead. Horrid. There is no emotion there.

I Vow to Thee My Country is better than God Save Our Queen, but still fairly low key and not entirely soul stirring.

Jerusalem to me is the tune we need. Fantastic lyrics, uplifting, passionate. Hearing it makes me proud to be a British Citizen. The problem with this tune though is that its more suited for an "English Anthem", as opposed to the whole of the UK. I see no reason why we can not adopt it though, here in England. Afterall, Scotland has theirs, Ireland has theirs, (not sure if Wales has theirs).. why cant we have ours?

I simply agree with Billy Connolly - whatever the words may be it should be sung to the theme tune from the Archers!