The Guardian's Friday 'readers recommend ten songs about...' feature was about separation this week and went like this:
1. Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine) - Bob Dylan
2. Jilted John - Jilted John
3. The White Stripes - Hand Springs
4. Dinah Washington - I Used To Love You, But It's All Over Now
5. Gang Starr - Lovesick
6. The Communards - Don't Leave Me This Way
7. Carole King - It's Too Late
8. Peter, Paul and Mary - Leaving On A Jet Plane
9. Elvis Costello - Last Boat Leaving
10. Randy Newman - Texas Girl at the Funeral of Her Father
Notes:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/se ... tion-songs
Last Boat Leaving in Guardian list
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Otis Westinghouse
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Last Boat Leaving in Guardian list
There's more to life than books, you know, but not much more
Re: Last Boat Leaving in Guardian list
I've always loved Last Boat Leaving. Great song, melody, lyric - beautiful arrangement, too, with the guitar winding around the accordion. And that sad, sad vocal.
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Jack of All Parades
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Re: Last Boat Leaving in Guardian list
Have always been struck by the one image in the second verse-"Take care of your mother, son, it's you that she adores -'Cos no matter how long we sail-we'll never reach the shore-Last boat leaving"--I am always scared by the infinite nature of the narrator's pain-that hoped for internal peace and calm of separation will never be attained-no matter how long he voyages[both internally and externally] -that is real pain and heartache and, more apt, there is no sense that it will ever end.
"....there's a merry song that starts in 'I' and ends in 'You', as many famous pop songs do....'
Re: Last Boat Leaving in Guardian list
The song was originally written for The Courier, a 1980's Irish film that Cait O'Riordan starred in. The ending was changed so the lyric wasn't appropriate so an instrumental version was used instead.
It's interesting how many of Elvis' recent songs were originally commisioned for films ,used/not used and recycled for use later. Of the top of my head I can think of Oh Well and Smile from WIWC, The Crooked Line , Sulfur To Sugarcane from Secret, Profane and Sugarcane and so on. It seems that some of the new songs done recently are being lined up for a film T Bone Burnett is producing and scoring, "Crazy Heart" starring Robert Duvall.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1263670/
' An alcoholic country music singer who, through his relationship and experiences with a female reporter, is able to get his life and career back on track and becomes the mentor of a contemporary country star at the peak of his career, while struggling in the younger star's shadow.'
It's interesting how many of Elvis' recent songs were originally commisioned for films ,used/not used and recycled for use later. Of the top of my head I can think of Oh Well and Smile from WIWC, The Crooked Line , Sulfur To Sugarcane from Secret, Profane and Sugarcane and so on. It seems that some of the new songs done recently are being lined up for a film T Bone Burnett is producing and scoring, "Crazy Heart" starring Robert Duvall.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1263670/
' An alcoholic country music singer who, through his relationship and experiences with a female reporter, is able to get his life and career back on track and becomes the mentor of a contemporary country star at the peak of his career, while struggling in the younger star's shadow.'