Grapevines, Mayfields, Mountains & Valleys and Jammin'

This blog can successfully be split into two distinct halves: Songs and lyrics; and, the half-mad-ramblings of... well, me. What I suggest is this, you can A) just listen to the songs and ignore the ramblings, B) read the ramblings, thus taking the chance that you may find method within my madness, or C) go for the complete 3D, stereophonic, surrond sound, 'we ain't giving you anymore money George Lucas (THX), IMAX experience. The choice is yours.

...or you could just ignore all of it, but which case, what the hell are you doing here?! Get back to work you lazy bum!

Songs for the summer time... decided the songs I've posted so far are not summery enough. As part of my life long pusuit for perfection, this shall now be corrected with the Spice Girls! MC - you can't touch this - Hammer! And of course, those crazy 'life and soul of the party' people, Kraftwerk! ....ok, probably not.

Instead, though I'm sure a musical montage of Ginger, Sporty, Bob, Baby, Ugly, and Fat Spice with Mr Huuuuuuuuge Pants MC Hammer and 'Transvision-Vamp-Euro-Express-High-Auto-Uber-Unter-Hubba-Hubba-Umma-Gumma-Way' Kraftwerk guys (ok, I admit it, I know nothing about Kraftwerk... I even had to google their name to check how to spell it), even though I'm sure a musical montage of all those people would have been 'cool-and-the-gang-disco-fantastic-bobby-dazzler', let's do this instead:

Trying something different. Trying links to deezer.com rather than youtube.com. Recording quality is better. If anyone has trouble linking to it, give me a shout and I'll go back to using youtube.com.

First up, Marvin Gaye's 'I Heard it Through The Grapevine'. Apparently, scientists have proved that this is mathamatically the perfect song. Next they're gonna prove that 'mathematically', Angelina Jolie is attractive... ...ah, scientists. Stating the bleeding obvious for years...

http://www.deezer.com/track/17910



'I Heard it through The Grapevine'


Ooh, I bet you're wondering how I knew
About you're plans to make me blue
With some other guy that you knew before.
Between the two of us guys
You know I love you more.
It took me by surprise I must say,
When I found out yesterday.
Don't you know that...

I heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine.
Oh I heard it through the grapevine,
Oh and I'm just about to lose my mind.
Honey, honey yeah.

I know that a man ain't supposed to cry,
But these tears I can't hold inside.
Losin' you would end my life you see,
Cause you mean that much to me.
You could have told me yourself
That you love someone else.
Instead...

I heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine.
Oh I heard it through the grapevine,
Oh and I'm just about to lose my mind.
Honey, honey yeah.

People say believe half of what you see,
Son, and none of what you hear.
I can't help bein' confused
If it's true please tell me dear?
Do you plan to let me go
For the other guy you loved before?
Don't you know...

I heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine.
Oh I heard it through the grapevine,
Oh and I'm just about to lose my mind.
Honey, honey yeah.



Next, 'Move On Up' by Curtis Mayfield. Two things occured to me as I listened to this song and check the lyrics: One, this really is a very good piece of music; two, Curtis really is very effecient with lyrics. There about five lines in this song Curtis! And it's over 8 minutes long! ....who do you think are? Axel Rose 'Use your Illusion' Era?!


....I realise that some of you might actually be too young to really remember Guns n' Roses (and God that depresses me! I wouldn't mind so much if I actually had a clue about what was going in life, but I still just as confused... and I'm getting older and my taste in music is becoming sh*tter!!! Ce n'est pas juste!), but in between drinking JD & smoking, and having work done by his throat docter... eh... Axel, do you think those two things might be related???? (Idiot), Axel Rose took Guns n' Roses from being the down and dirtest bad-a*se rock band to crawl the Earth (they couldn't walk, they were all too drunk) to being the most bloated, over weight pretenious thing this side of Marlon Brando at the start of 'Superman' (You must not interfere with time my son, it is forbidden. ...eh, I wonder how the movie will end???). Seriously, by the time Axel finishes the new album, 'Chinese Democary', the title will not actually be ironic.


Anyway.... 'Move On Up':


http://www.deezer.com/track/39563

'Move On Up'

Hush now child, and don't you cry
Your folks might understand you by and by
Move on up towards your destination
You may find from time to time complications

Bight your lip and take a trip
Though there may be wet road ahead
You cannot slip
So move on up and peace you will find
Into the steeple of beautiful people
Where there's only one kind

So hush now child and don't you cry
Your folks might understand you by and by
Just move on up and keep on wishing
Remember your dreams are your only schemes
So keep on pushing

Take nothing less - not even second best
And do not obey - you must have your say
You can past the test
Move on up!

I love this song! One of the best, most enlightening moments in my life came in my late teens when I decided it was ok to listen to Motown and to hell with whether it was cool or not! 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' performed by The Supremes and The Temptations:


http://www.deezer.com/track/909811


'Ain't No Mountain High Enough'


Listen, baby
Aint no mountain high
Aint no vally low
Aint no river wide enough, baby

If you need me, call me
No matter where you are
No matter how far
Just call my name
Ill be there in a hurry
You dont have to worry
Cause baby,


There aint no mountain high enough
Aint no valley low enough
Aint no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you

Remember the day
I set you free
I told you
You could always count on me
From that day on I made a vow
I'll be there when you want me
Some way,some how
Cause baby,

There aint no mountain high enough
Aint no valley low enough
Aint no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you

No wind, no rain
Or winter’s cold
Can stop me baby
‘Cos you are my all

My love is alive
Way down in my heart
Although we are miles apart

If you ever need a helping hand
Ill be there on the double
As fast as I can

Dont you know that
There aint no mountain high enough
Aint no valley low enough
Aint no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you
Dont you know that
There aint no mountain high enough
Aint no valley low enough
Aint no river wide enough





Finally, Bob Marley's 'Jammin'':


http://www.deezer.com/track/1443


'Jammin''


Ooh, yeah! All right!
We're jammin' I wanna jam it wid you.
We're jammin', jammin',
And I hope you like jammin', too.

Ain't no rules, ain't no vow, we can do it anyhow
I'n'I will see you through,
'Cos everyday we pay the price with a little sacrifice,
Jammin' till the jam is through.

We're jammin' -To think that jammin' was a thing of the past;
We're jammin',
And I hope this jam is gonna last.

No bullet can stop us now, we neither beg nor we won't bow;
Neither can be bought nor sold.
We all defend the right; Jah - Jah children must unite:
Your life is worth much more than gold.

We're jammin' (jammin', jammin', jammin')
And we're jammin' in the name of the Lord;
We're jammin' (jammin', jammin', jammin'),
We're jammin' right straight from Yah.

Yeh! Holy Mount Zion;
Holy Mount Zion:
Jah sitteth in Mount Zion
And rules all creation.

Yeah, we're - we're jammin' (wotcha-wa),
Wotcha-wa-wa-wa, we're jammin' (wotcha-wa),
See, I wanna jam it wid you

We're jammin' (jammin', jammin', jammin')
I'm jammed: I hope you're jammin', too.
Jam's about my pride and truth I cannot hide
To keep you satisfied.
True love that now exist is the love I can't resist,
So jam by my side.

We're Jammin' (jammin', jammin', jammin'), yeah-eah-eah!
I wanna jam it wid you.

We're jammin', we're jammin', we're jammin', we're jammin',We're jammin',
we're jammin', we're jammin', we're jammin';
Hope you like jammin', too.

We're jammin', we're jammin' (jammin'),We're jammin', we're jammin' (jammin').
I wanna (I wanna jam it wid you) - I wanna -I wanna jam wid you now.
Jammin', jammin' (hope you like jammin' too).

Eh-eh! I hope you like jammin', I hope you like jammin',
'Cause (I wanna jam it wid you). I wanna ... wid you.
I like - I hope you - I hope you like jammin', too.
I wanna jam it;I wanna jam it.



Bob kinda gets into something at the end there... not exactly sure what the linguistic value of 'watcha-wa' is, but on a serious note, what Artists like Bob Marley were doing was taking a language of colonisation, a language that was forced upon their peoples and their lands and making that language their own.


In my opinion, language is the structure into which we pour that great intangible liquid that is our thoughts. It is what allows us to manipulate concept, relationship cause and effect. Quite simply, if you can't express it linguistically, you can't think it.


When European powers forced their language on people, there were quite literally conquering with language.


As I've taught English to foreign speakers, it has become increasingly clear to me that we do not think the same as each other. We feel the same. We have the same emotions inside all of us, but we do not think the same. Even, in global terms, relatively close languages like English, French and Italian, there are striking differences to the way we connect concepts and reflect the word around us, and what is in our own heads.


When the English took local language away from people, they were denying them the ability to consider the world in their own unique way. If you look at any dominating power in history, it has always attempted to unify the language of the people and lands it dominated. Speak like us, therefore think like us, therefore be like us. Conquest.


Listen to Irish, Scottish and Welsh people speak English. To this day there is a fight taking place between their own culture and this language of colonisation that they speak. Each culture makes the language their own to a degree, and from that comes great creativity. As has been said many times before, most great English language writers are actually Irish (I'd add American to that as well).


I saw an interview with a linguistic talking about Hip Hop and Rap. And he said that, not since Shakespeare had there been so much creativity in the English language. Ultimately, the great strength of English language has been its willingness to adapt, stretch and accommodate different ways of thinking. And, despite our colonial past, the English have, for the most part, not only acceptable these changes, but have also embraced them happily.


I have always been at pains to stress to clients that it is not, in any way, necessary for you to speak English like an English person. We have no interest in hearing you speak English like us (well, most of us anyway – ignore the a*seholes people! Ignore them!). You should speak English in a way that is consistent with the principles of the language, but that reflects your own culture and, ultimately, your own personality.



And now, Timothy Dalton:




...and some b*stard has glued his hands to that table. And he is not bloody happy!