Thursday 14 April 2011

"Charmingly Mystified" (Home-Recording)

Let us turn our attention to another Y-original pop song.

This one was written in 1996-97, when I was still a paying member of Meander (the band). At that time, membership required a use of the native tongue (Dutch) exclusively! So there I was ... studying English language and literature, and being heavily influenced by Elvis Costello word-antics ...
I had to find an outlet for that and a way out - so after hours, after rehearsals, and after gigs, I spent most of my time writing English pop-music by combining as many different chords as I could find with odd and hopelessly bombastic self-penned lyrics.

This one, which has more bits and bobs than a Maceo-compiled album but still lacks a decent chorus, never made it beyond the demo stage, and although it was tried out early on with The Absence (with different lyrics) it never found a home.

Fast forward a decade, and in the summer of last year (2010) I decided to revisit this little beauty, and to give it a rather lush and laid-back arrangement instead of its early snarling tone.

For your enjoyment, the original text has been left untouched:





Charmingly Mystified

You keep hanging onto tradition -
That's not what I meant to say ...
You're more than a second-hand compromise:
You're entitled to stick around with wide-open eyes.

Excuse me if ever I did offend you
With rude words and sexual innuendo ...
Life is short, a minute is easily spent
Abbreviated to a middle bit with fringes of contempt.

SO WHAT MORE CAN I DO TO MEND YOUR HEART?
IT'S LIKE A PROBLEM YOU WERE BORN WITH
I THINK OF PHOTOGRAPHS I SADLY MISPLACED
WHICH MAKES ME WONDER
WHICH MAKES ME SMILE
WHICH MAKES YOU CHARMINGLY MYSTIFIED ...

Therefore I figure I must be grateful
For fractions of constant disbelief
Speak your mind, it's finally justified
To reveal any discontent or damaged pride.

SO WHAT MORE CAN I DO TO MEND YOUR HEART?
IT'S LIKE A PROBLEM YOU WERE BORN WITH
I THINK OF PHOTOGRAPHS I SADLY MISPLACED
WHICH MAKES ME WONDER
WHICH MAKES ME SMILE
WHICH MAKES YOU CHARMINGLY MYSTIFIED ...

How you still cope with me
How you still cope with me
How you always seem to do it gracefully ...

How you still cope with me
How you still cope with me
How you always seem to do it gracefully ...


1 comment:

  1. Ymaginatif, quite a beautiful song.

    I love the whole sound. The production is delicious and the lyrics are a far cry from my aspiration of finding words that rhyme with "Jumpin'"

    Thanks for sharing this

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