It’s a bit uncanny that today’s tongue-in-cheek, “curb your enthusiasm” type of song follows on the heels of another “keep your sights down low” number yesterday with the Cake’s Great Expectations. The title Cheer Down is said to come from Olivia Harrison, who would tell her husband, “All right, cheer down, big fellow,” whenever he got a little too enthusiastic.
You only have to hear Cheer Down to recognise the sound that shaped Traveling Wilburys. In fact, you could argue this track sounds even more Wilburys than some of their own songs. That’s no surprise, as Harrison co-wrote it with Tom Petty and co-produced it with Jeff Lynne, who also added backing vocals, bass, and keyboards. And of course, George’s trademark slide guitar glides beautifully throughout.
The song arrived in between the Wilburys’ Volume 1 (1988) and Volume 3 (1990), so this was very much the sound Harrison and Lynne were immersed in at the time. Lynne had already helped shape Harrison’s comeback album Cloud Nine (1987), and an early rhythm track for Cheer Down actually dates back to those sessions.
Originally, the song was offered to Eric Clapton for his Journeyman album. Instead, Clapton – who was working on the soundtrack for Lethal Weapon 2 – suggested using it for the film and encouraged Harrison to record his own version. In fact, this song was sent to me yesterday by family who had just heard it in the film’s closing credits – so here we are today.
[Verse 1] I can see by your grin That you’re trembling within It’s all over town Cheer down And the smile on your face Is sometimes out of place Don’t mind, no frowns Cheer down
[Bridge] If your hair should fall If your shares should crash You’ll get by Even without, getting a rash
[Verse 3] There’s no tears to be shed I’m going to love you instead I want you around Cheer down
[Bridge] When your teeth drop out You’ll get by Even without, taking a bite
[Verse 4] If your dog should be dead (Cheer down, cheer down!) I’m going to love you instead (Cheer down, cheer down!) The world loves a clown (Cheer down, cheer down!) Cheer down
[Outro] I want you around Cheer down! Cheer down, baby! Cheer down I want you around Down Cheer down! Cheer down Cheer down It’s all that’s had you down! Cheer down Cheer down Cheer down Cheer down Cheer down Cheer down Cheer down Cheer down Cheer down Cheer down Woo! Cheer down Cheer down
Best not have Great Expectations Keep your sights down low
My favourite band from Melbourne, Australia, My Friend the Chocolate Cake, is back again with a very upbeat, fun song that doesn’t take itself too seriously. This is the Cake’s ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm‘ in song. Great Expectations is filled with Australiana – names, images, and laid-back humour – that immediately takes me back to my home country. It’s another of the band’s songs about escapism, about mixing things up and just going for it. It sits in a similar vein to one of their most popular songs, I’ve Got a Plan. Life’s too short to get stuck in the same old rigmarole that modern living creates, and not make the most of every moment we’re given.
The band’s gypsy-like, buoyant style shows they practise what they preach. Anyone who has seen them perform would agree – they have an effervescent, freewheeling spirit that you don’t see much in music these days. They’ve always felt a little enigmatic to me, perhaps because they seem more like a travelling carnival that appears every now and then. Their shows have a baroque, festival-like atmosphere – at least as I remember them – with a flair for the flamboyant.
I also got a kick out of hearing the bright, bouncy sound of Great Expectations paired with its no-thrills, yet quirky (unofficial) video below. It looks like it was filmed at a travelling “Jesus bus” show, featuring a music group alongside gleeful, animated puppets – as a sideshow. Just like the Cake’s music, the video has that folky, wandering, itinerant feel. Then David Bridie comes in to close each chorus – and the song itself – with the line: “On with the show (on with the show).”
The song finishes with a curious little yarn – and if the captions are right, it goes like this:
´They’d run away from the circus, They just never knew what to join, And one day, single-minded like a good malt whiskey was three times as old, He let her go – knowing that in the not too distant future, she’d return to it, You know what? She never did.’
Great Expectations comes from their 2011 studio album Fiasco (image inset). The pop chamber group’s musical style could be seen as straddle the worlds of ambient and world music, with an emphasis on piano and violin-led acoustic music.
[Verse 1] As time passes us by It swoops across the bay We hope that we can be found on a little hideaway And I’ll never ride ‘cross the great sandy desert On a donkey, or a mule And I’ll never bowl like Curtly Ambrose But I’ll be a fool for you
[Bridge] And if the rainbow’s end Is not around the next two turns We’re in a heap of trouble So let’s get away from here
[Chorus] Best not have Great Expectations Keep your sights down low You’d be best avoid disappointment On with the show (On with the show)
[Verse 2] Whistle, as loud as you can All your favourite Looney Tunes You should, feel sleepy When you’re barkin’ at the moon
[Bridge] And if the rainbow’s end Is not around the next two turns We’re in a heap of trouble So let’s get away from here
[Chorus] Best not have Great Expectations Keep your sights down low You’d be best avoid disappointment On with the show (On with the show)
[Verse 3] Hop on board the red cargo plane Go far across the sea And if you do you’ll end up happy as you will ever be As happy as a Rock Mango Tree
[Verse 4] How many times have I warned you? I told you Please don’t give me the top job ‘Cause I’m much more comfortable Being the Pig Pen in the mud
[Bridge] And if the rainbow’s end Is not around the next two turns We’re in a heap of trouble So let’s get away from here
[Chorus] Best not have Great Expectations Keep your sights down low You’d be best avoid disappointment On with the show
Best not have Great Expectations Keep your sights down low You’d be best avoid disappointment On with the show (On with the show)
I felt trapped by this cover song ever since I first heard it on The Essential Bruce Springsteen released in 2003. From it’s simple guitar flicking opening to that Roy Bittan’s lamenting synthesizer overlay, Trapped builds slowly, telling the story of a person tethered and stuck in a relationship that’s beyond repair. Once it becomes clear he has been made to suffer so the other can be stronger, he realises he must escape this situation and get the hell out. It carefully unravels until, all at once in the chorus, the narrator bursts out: “Well now I’m trapped!”
Bruce’s version was first officially released on the 1985 We Are the World benefit album. Critics have often read the song beyond a personal relationship. Ken Tucker of Knight-Ridder Newspapers suggested the lyrics could be heard “in the words of a black person” railing against political oppression. Eric Thurm of The A.V. Club noted that the narrator feels personal and specific, “wearing the same old chains,” rather than speaking for a faceless crowd.
Trapped was originally written and recorded by the late reggae artist Jimmy Cliff in 1972. His version was released as a single in the UK but did not chart, and it was not included on one of his main studio albums at the time.
During the European leg of The River Tour in 1981, Springsteen bought a cassette of Jimmy Cliff’s music at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. He discovered Trapped there and soon added it to his live shows. It quickly became one of his most powerful concert staples, with many live versions circulating among fans.
Apart from the chorus, Bruce’s and Jimmy’s versions are very different. Cliff’s original has an upbeat reggae feel, while Springsteen turns it into a slower, more intense and brooding piece. In November 1989, Springsteen joined Cliff onstage at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and the two performed an extended version of Trapped that leaned closer to Cliff’s original style.
The version below included on The Essential Bruce Springsteen comes from a live performance at the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on August 6, 1984, and appears on the bonus third disc of the compilation.
From Wikipedia: Regarding Springsteen’s version of the song, Cliff commented in 1988, “I look at it as a compliment. … He’s an artist in his own right and he’s written a lot of good songs, too. It’s good when an established artist does your work and does it in his way. I’ve also done other people’s work. I recorded Cat Stevens’ ‘Wild World’, a big hit in Europe, and I did it my way. From a commercial point of view, I didn’t gain from [‘Trapped’]. All the royalties were donated to the cause and I gained in the moral sense that I have done something for the cause.
[Verse 1] Seems like I’m caught up in your trap again Seems like I’ll be wearing the same old chains Good will conquer evil and the truth will set me free And I know someday I will find the key I know somewhere I will find the key Seems like I’ve been playing your game way too long Seems the game I’ve played has made you strong When the game is over I won’t walk out the loser I know I’ll walk out of here again I know someday I’ll walk out of here again
[Chorus] Well now I’m trapped Ooh yeah
[Verse 2] Seems like I’ve been sleeping in your bed too long Seems like you’ve been meaning to do me harm But I’ll teach my eyes to see beyond these walls in front of me Someday I’ll walk out of here again Someday I’ll walk out of here again
[Chorus]
[Verse 3] Seems like I’ve been playing your game way too long Seems the game I’ve played has made you strong
‘Bloodbuzz Ohio’ started as a sweet little folk song, which we transformed. But we knew that was a good one right away.”
– Matt Berninger (frontman and lyricist of indie rock band The National).
Bloodbuzz Ohio is one of the standout tracks from The National’s 2010 album High Violet, which reached No. 3 on the US charts and appeared on many “album of the year” lists. The song captures what people admire about the band: a slow, looping build that gradually comes together. The music grows in layers and only fully reveals itself near the end, a point drummer Bryan Devendorf has noted about their process.
The band often turns ambiguity into an art form. The writing is minimal, and the meaning comes more from the music than the words. Matt Berninger’s deep, weary voice feels almost like another instrument. He has said he wrote much of the album in a half-awake state after the birth of his daughter, which adds to the song’s drifting, uneasy mood. He said he was ‘happy but a little delirious’.
Despite its abstract feel, the sound is dense and immersive. It surrounds the listener, which has always been part of the band’s appeal to me. Their music may be vague, but the band themselves have been open about this period. Around 2009, they were burned out from touring and close to breaking up. Recording High Violet helped bring them back together, with Bryce Dessner describing it as entering “another universe.”
Lyrically, Bloodbuzz Ohio is about distance, identity, and change. Berninger has described it as a song about where you’re from, family, and a sense of dislocation. Lines like “I still owe money to the money to the money I owe” reflect the stress of the financial crisis. There is also a feeling of homesickness. The band formed in New York but came from Ohio, and the song captures that tension between past and present.
The band have always been very open with the media about their music, especially the making of their songs, their creative process, and their meaning. I highly recommend their interview below with Uncut magazine for a detailed breakdown of how Bloodbuzz Ohio came into being.
[Verse 1] Stand up straight at the foot of your love, I Lift my shirt up Stand up straight at the foot of your love, I Lift my shirt up
[Pre-Chorus] I was carried to Ohio in a swarm of bees I never married, but Ohio don’t remember me
[Verse 2] Lay my head on the hood of your car, I Take it too far Lay my head on the hood of your car, I Take it too far
[Chorus] I still owe money to the money to the money I owe I never thought about love when I thought about home I still owe money to the money to the money I owe The floors are fallin’ down from everybody I know
[Post-Chorus] I’m on a blood buzz, yes I am I’m on a blood buzz I’m on a blood buzz, God I am I’m on a blood buzz
I wrote this song after going through a difficult period. Like people have, nothing sort of madly serious or anything but just one of those days when it’s like, ‘Oh my god, what am I doing wrong here?’ you know? And sometimes that’s a good way to write a song. Because it’s coming from your soul. – Paul McCartney
I Don’t Know is a melancholic ballad from Paul McCartney. I liked its soft and restrained melody from the first time I heard it. You can really feel the sadness in his voice, and it shows he still has his natural gift for melody. Coming from a 76-year-old man who still has things to learn about life and himself, it shows humility and honesty.
I Don’t Know is a very beautiful and tender song from the former member of The Beatles, revealing a side of him that, apart from his very early solo work, is rarely heard in his music. In fact, Paul said in an interview that John Lennon would have liked this song. It’s hard to see why not. It’s a real keeper.
The following was abridged from Wikipedia:
I Don’t Know comes from Paul McCartney’s 17th studio album – Egypt Station. It was released as a double A side single alongside Come On To Me. The hand-numbered vinyl was limited to 5,000 copies and was available at independent record stores around the world on 23 November 2018. The track was recorded at Henson Studios in Los Angeles, with additional sessions recorded at Hog Hill Mill (Sussex) and Abbey Road Studios.
[Verse 1] I got crows at my window, dogs at my door I don’t think I can take anymore What am I doing wrong? I don’t know
[Verse 2] My brother told me, “life’s not a pain” But that was right when it started to rain Where am I going wrong? I don’t know
[Chorus] But it’s alright, sleep tight I will take the strain You’re fine, love of mine You will feel no pain
[Verse 3] Well, I see trouble at every turn I’ve got so many lessons to learn What am I doing wrong? I don’t know
[Bridge 1] Now what’s the matter with me? Am I right? Am I wrong? Now I started to see I must try to be strong
[Verse 4] I try to love you best as I can But you know that I’m only a man Why am I going wrong? I don’t know
[Chorus] But it’s alright, sleep tight I will take the strain Yeah, you’re fine, little love of mine You will feel no pain
[Verse 1] I got crows at my window and dogs at my door But I don’t think I can take anymore What am I doing wrong? I don’t know
[Outro] Now what’s the matter with me? I don’t know, I don’t know What’s the matter with me? I don’t know, I don’t know What’s the matter with me? I don’t know, I don’t know
I was walking to the shops yesterday and Raspberry Beret came on in my collection. Such was my enjoyment, I wondered why I hadn’t already featured it here. I realised I had been putting it off because I thought it sounded too much, rhythmically and melodically, like another Warren Zevon rocker – Poor Poor Pitiful Me. Oh well, I decided to let Raspberry Beret have its own day in the sun because it’s just so god-dang fun, the drums are so crisp, and Zevon sings his socks off. Also, the lyrics are very much in keeping with the humour and zest of Zevon’s other songs. But guess what?
This is not a Zevon-penned song. Drum roll… Prince wrote it. So here is Zevon doing Prince in what was basically a knock-off rehearsal. I’m not complaining. It has such a crazy tight bar-band rock sound. It seems like they are having the time of their lives recording it.
This version appears on the record Hindu Love Gods by an American band called Hindu Love Gods. That was the only album they released, and it came out in 1990. The band was made up of R.E.M. players Bill Berry, Peter Buck and Mike Mills, along with Zevon, who were also recording his album Sentimental Hygiene at the time. During late-night sessions they recorded a bunch of old blues covers and decided to release them as a separate album under a different band name – Hindu Love Gods.
Wikipedia notes that, according to Zevon and Mills, Zevon’s manager decided to release the album without consulting the musicians, which created a public rift between Zevon and the band.
It’s sad to realise that both Zevon and Prince are no longer with us. Oh, and before I forget, here is Prince’s original version, which is unsurprisingly worlds apart from Zevon’s.
Rock on and enjoy every sandwich.
[Verse 1] Yeah I was working part time in a five-and-dime My boss was Mr. McGee He told me several times that he didn’t like my kind ‘Cause I was a bit too leisurely Seems that I was busy doing something close to nothing But different than the day before That’s when I saw her, ooh, I saw her She walked in through the out door, out door
[Chorus] She wore a raspberry beret The kind you find in a second-hand store Raspberry beret And if it was warm, she wouldn’t wear much more Raspberry beret, I think I love her
[Verse 2] Built like she was, she had the nerve to ask me If I planned to do her any harm So, look here, I put her on the back of my bike and, uh, we went riding Down by old man Johnson’s farm I said, now, overcast days never turned me on But something ’bout the clouds and her mixed She wasn’t too bright, but I could tell when she kissed me She knew how to get her kicks
[Chorus] She wore a raspberry beret The kind you find in a second-hand store Raspberry beret And if it was warm, she wouldn’t wear much more Raspberry beret, I think I love her
[Verse 3] The rain sounds so cool when it hits the barn roof And the horses wonder who you are Thunder drowns out what the lightning sees You feel like a movie star Listen, they say the first time ain’t the greatest But I tell you, if I had the chance to do it all again, ooh I wouldn’t change a stroke ’cause, baby, I’m the most With a girl as fine as she was then
[Chorus] (Raspberry beret) Oh! The kind you find (The kind you find) The kind you find (In a second-hand store) Oh, no, no (Raspberry beret) (And if it was warm) Where have all the raspberry women gone? (She wouldn’t wear much more) Yeah (Raspberry beret) Aah! I think I, I think I, I think I love her! (Raspberry beret) No, no, no No, no, no (The kind you find) (In a second-hand store) (Raspberry beret) Tell me Where have all the raspberry women gone? (And if it was warm she wouldn’t wear much more) (Raspberry beret) Ooh, uh, I think I love
Too Late is another magnificent outtake from Bob Dylan, recorded during the sessions for his 1983 album Infidels. Imagine writing and recording a song like this and then leaving it unreleased for nearly forty years. Its absence from the Infidels album is puzzling. But if you started worrying about all the great Dylan songs left off his official albums, you would have gone crazy long ago. On the Infidels sessions alone, he left behind other songs like Blind Willie McTell, Someone’s Got a Hold of My Heart & Foot of Pride. He rejects songs that other artists would kill for.
In Too Late, Bob Dylan moves in a feverish stream-of-consciousness style. The lyrics are packed with rapid-fire imagery – mythical, surreal, and constantly shifting. The song touches on death, but also on how people spend their time while they are alive: how they treat others and how they eventually face the consequences of their actions.
The song describes a world full of hypocrisy, selfishness, and betrayal. There’s a feeling of being emotionally shut down and unwilling to forgive or start again. The repeated idea is that the damage has already been done – whatever apology or change might come now simply arrives too late. He let slip this thing he had. It fell apart. It cannot come back together again.
Too Late was finally issued on The Bootleg Series Vol. 16: Springtime in New York 1980–1985 in September 2021. As stated in the Press Music Reviews reference below: ‘it takes in the tail end of Dylan’s Christian phase (1981’s Shot of Love), through his excellent work with Mark Knopfler (1983’s Infidels), up to one of his more criticised studio albums (1985’s Empire Burlesque)‘. That collection captures Dylan during a fascinating period indeed.
Some listeners may have been confused by the label “Band Version” thinking it meant the song was recorded with The Band. It does not. The phrase simply refers to the band demo studio recording, as opposed to the acoustic version Dylan also recorded. According to Bootleg Series co-producer Steve Berkowitz, the song developed quickly during the sessions: there was first the acoustic version, then the full band version, and within a few days the material had evolved into Foot of Pride.
The connection between the two songs is striking. Lyrically they share many of the same lines – too many to mention here – most notably in the final stanza, where Too Late and Foot of Pride contain almost identical wording. However, the focus of the songs is different. Too Late feels more reflective and dream-like, while Foot of Pride sharpens the same material into a fierce attack on hypocrisy and pride. Musically they are quite distinct as well. In that sense, Too Late offers a fascinating glimpse into Dylan’s creative workshop, where songs are not always finished pieces but living material that can transform, merge, or reappear in new forms.
On the subject of Foot of Pride, a big shout-out to one of the very few cover versions of a Bob Dylan song that I think surpasses the original – Lou Reed’s Foot of Pride at the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration.
The structure of Too Late brings to my mind two earlier Dylan compositions, Up to Me and Tangled up in Blue from the album Blood on the Tracks. Like those songs, Too Late moves along with a steady refrain, repetitive melody and a flowing storytelling style. Musically, its acoustic strumming and the gentle folk sound reminds me of Maybe by Thom Pace, known from the television series The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams.
[Verse 1] Well, whether there was a murder I don’t know I wasn’t there I was busy visiting a friend in jail There were just two women on the scene at the time Neither one of ’em saw a thing Both of ’em were wearing veils They said it was a natural situation He reached too high and tumbled back to the ground You know what they say about being nice to people on your way up You might meet ’em again on your way back down
[Refrain] But it’s too late to bring him back Too late, too late, too late, too late, too late, to bring him back
[Verse 2] He had a brother named Paul Hang out at the cafe royal Where Miss Dolly plays and the reviews have been mixed Well, he’s pretty to look at Looking for someone to throw the book at But you know that he drinks and drinks can be fixed Sing me one more song about your summer romance I know you don’t know motherless children Sing me the one about you and Errol Flynn In these times of compassion Where conformity’s a fashion Say one more stupid thing to me Before the final nail is driven in
[Refrain] But it’s too late to bring him back Too late, too late, too late, too late, too late, to bring him back
[Verse 3] Dr. Silver Spoon from the empress ballroom He’s a retired businessman Who feeds off everyone he’s touched He gives money to the church and foundations for research He’s not someone you can play around with to much But then there’s Rosetta Blake Who’s been to both sides of the lake She’s rough to look at But she’s righteously fit She’ll feed you coconut bread and spiced buns in bed You won’t have to worry about sleeping face down with your head in the plate
[Refrain] But it’s too late to bring him back Too late, too late, too late, too late, too late, to bring him back
[Verse 4] You’ll arrange to see your man tonight Who tells you some secret things you think might open some doors How to enter the gates of paradise No not really More like how to go crazy from carrying a burden that’s never meant to be yours From the stage they’ll be doing the bumps and the grinds A whore will pass the hat, collect a hundred grand and say thanks They like to take all this money from sin, and build big universities to study in And sing amazing grace all the way to the Swiss bank
[Refrain] But it’s too late to bring him back Too late, too late, too late, too late, too late, to bring him back
[Verse 5] They got some serious people out there man They can ring your bell and show you how to hold your tongue They don’t come to party man They kill babies in the crib and say only the good die young They don’t believe in mercy and judgment on them is something you’ll never see They can put your face on a postage stamp Turn your home into a armed camp Anyway they want you That’s the way you’ll be
[Refrain] But it’s too late to bring him back Too late, too late, too late, too late, too late, to bring him back
[Verse 6] Yes I loved him too I still see him in my mind climbing up that hill Or was it a wall I don’t recall It don’t matter at all honey And it never will Ain’t nothin’ left here partner Just the dust of fools that have left their mark in spades From now on this will be where you’re from Let the dead bury the dead Your time will come Feel that hot iron glowing now as your raise the shades
[Refrain] But it’s too late to bring him back Too late, too late, too late, too late, too late, to bring him back
Eric says here, he chose the name Derek and the Dominos to test if the music could survive on its own.
I really wanted to put it to a very severe test. I made an album called ‘Layla and Assorted Love Songs’ and I thought if it sells well without any name attached to it, then it’s good music.
To me, Eric Clapton is one of those few artists who looks almost unrecognisable in their younger days. Just like in the photo above, I have to look twice to pick him out. Oh yeah – that’s him, I think on the far right. Eric’s voice sounds wonderfully soulful on today’s featured track, I Looked Away. The band makes everything sound seamless and easy on this bluesy number, and it feels like a rather underrated song in Eric’s vast catalogue.
I really like that gritty, curling guitar sound right at the start, then the other guitar comes in and overlaps it. The voices also weave together in a similar way. Then there’s that short, sharp wailing guitar solo, which is sublime. There’s real pain in Clapton’s playing – so good. It’s a tight and clever piece that seems simple on the surface and flows effortlessly, but actually there’s quite a lot going on musically.
I Looked Away seems a deceptively simple song about a woman who walked away on her man, but there may be more going on here. On the surface, the singer laments the moment he “looked away,” after which his girl leaves him and he is left miserable. In the second verse, however, it becomes clear that she was actually another man’s woman. If loving her is a sin, he says, then he will keep on sinning.
But in SongMeanings below, someone makes a very strong argument that the song might actually be about two different men who love the same woman but are on opposite sides of the situation. One voice – often assumed to be Clapton – sings the chorus and the first verse about a woman leaving him because he “looked away.” The second verse, sung by Bobby Whitlock, may represent the other man, who admits he is loving “another man’s woman.”
At the time, Clapton was deeply in love with Patty Boyd, who was still married to his close friend George Harrison. His feelings for her became one of the emotional forces behind the music he was writing around this period. Harrison and Boyd eventually divorced in 1977, and Boyd later married Clapton on 27 March 1979. Their marriage, however, was troubled and ended in divorce in 1989.
Derek and the Dominos released only one studio album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970), and I Looked Away appears early in that record. The album also features notable slide-guitar contributions from Duane Allman, whose playing became a defining part of the album’s sound and legacy.
[Pre-Chorus] She took my hand And tried to make me understand That she would always be there
[Chorus] But I looked away And she ran away from me today I’m such a lonely man
[Verse 1] It came as no surprise to me That she’d leave me in misery It seemed like only yesterday She made a vow that she would never walk away
[Pre-Chorus] She took my hand And tried to make me understand That she would always be there
[Chorus] But I looked away And she ran away from me today I’m such a lonely man
[Verse 2] And if it seemed a sin To love another man’s woman, baby I guess I’ll keep on sinning Loving her, Lord, till my very last day
[Chorus] But I looked away And she ran away from me today I’m such a lonely man
What I’ve found surprising since undertaking this project is just how much music from Enya I have featured here and continue to do so. When I first started in 2019, I had about three songs ready to go, but her contributions have more than doubled since then as I’ve heard more of her music.
I know Enya is not everyone’s cup of tea because of how much her “sound” saturates the commercial landscape, but it’s typically those songs which aren’t so well known – mostly instrumental and musically simple – that draw me in. This leads us nicely to today’s featured piece, the piano-driven instrumental From Where I Am, which is about as elementary as Enya’s music gets. Sometimes less really is more.
When I hear From Where I Am it feels homely, nurturing, yet spiritual and renewing, akin to the feminine side. It is the fifth track and the second of three piano instrumentals from Enya’s fourth studio album The Memory of Trees (1995). The album is Enya’s first to be recorded entirely in Ireland. It became a worldwide commercial success, reaching No. 1 in Australia, No. 5 in the UK and No. 9 in the US.
In terms of mood and cadence, From Where I Am reminds me of another piano instrumental – the title track from her next record A Day Without Rain. In fact, I was so taken by A Day Without Rain that I used it to conclude a family DVD I created for my son’s third birthday, thirteen years ago.
Both of these pieces I hold dear, and I feel a sense of acceptance and gratitude whenever I hear them.
Enya Patricia Brennan known professionally as Enya, is an Irish singer, songwriter, record producer and musician. She began her music career with her family band Clannad, but left in 1982 with their manager and producer Nicky Ryan to pursue a solo career. She has sung in 10 languages; eight more than me. The commercial and critical success of Watermark (1988) propelled her to worldwide fame. You could describe her music as new-age Celtic.
I tell you what’s a real “tragedy”! That they didn’t repeat the gorgeous string sequence just after Christina sings in the first refrain, “Don’t call this love,” at 1:39. Honestly, that moment alone is worth the price of admission. Astoundingly, they never lean into it again – not after the second refrain, nor anywhere else in the song. I find it frustrating that they didn’t hammer home that beautiful lamenting sequence throughout.
I know I’m being highly critical, but when you’ve listened to enough Christina Perri like I have, you start to notice the weak spots, especially in her earlier work. At the time she was clearly overworked, and sometimes you get the sense that things felt rushed. Reflecting on the making of her debut album Lovestrong – which Tragedy appears on – she described the process as “the best 33 days of my life and the worst 33 days of my life… I was running from studio one to studio three and back again doing the vocals, the piano, the guitar, the harmonies, and the doubles.”
Also, prior to 2012, Perri was struggling with alcohol and drug addiction and eventually hit rock bottom. She later turned things around and marked 11 years of sobriety in March 2023.
Tragedy is yet another song by Perri about a relationship gone sour. More than that, she calls it a tragedy because her partner never made the most of what they had. Perri found herself constantly forgiving and forgetting, only to realise that what they had was never really love at all. She also refuses to be made a fool of by calling it love. As a listener, you can really feel the depth of the heartache and pain in her voice here – at times she wallows in it.
During the recording period, Perri said that sometimes they would record two songs in a single day, forcing her to prepare mentally to sing about one relationship from 2007 and then switch emotions to sing about another relationship from 2008.
As readers of my blog know, Christina is my favourite female balladeer and troubadour and has featured here more times than I’ve had hot dinners. Normally I’m bursting at the seams to sing her praises, so I do feel a bit glum about not doing that here as much – but sometimes it doesn’t hurt to be honest and change things up a bit.
To me, Tragedy just scrapes in as mid-tier Perri. That’s still saying it’s pretty darn good, because…well…it’s Perri! But it had the potential to be an absolute masterpiece. It’s definitely the number one Perri song where I wish they could go back and produce it again. It had all the ingredients – the melody, the voice, and the instrumentation – just not the right sequencing or emphasis on certain parts which I’ll explore more below.
Strangely, this is one of the few Perri songs where I wish there were less of her voice and more of the spectacular instrumentation. Sometimes I even catch myself thinking, “No, don’t sing Christina,” because the magnificent looping piano and accompanying strings sound so exquisite on their own. I also think Perri tries to do a little too much here with her voice – stretching notes or wavering them when it isn’t really necessary. Another issue is the sheer amount of singing. She hardly takes a break. Christina, we know you have the pipes, but sometimes you wish the producer – Joe Chiccarelli in this case – had simply made her step back a little.
To her credit, Christina seems to have learned that lesson over the years: sometimes less really is more. You can hear that clearly on her later work, especially A Lighter Shade of Blue, which leans much more toward an art-music style with a minimalist and modest approach. With such a wonderful accompaniment in Tragedy, that same “less is more” approach vocally might have served the song best.
It’s also interesting to note how Christina – both in terms of her music and even her appearance – seems only to have improved with age. A Lighter Shade of Blue really is the bee’s knees, and she looks as beautiful as ever in motherhood. Just watch her video Pixie Dust to see how much – and to catch her at the apex of her music game.
[Verse 1] If you could envision The meaning of a tragedy Ooh, you might be Surprised to hear it’s you and me But when it comes down to it You never made the most of it Ooh, so I cried, cried, cried And now, I say goodbye
[Refrain] And I won’t be made a fool of Don’t call this love
[Verse 2] When did you decide That I didn’t have enough to buy Forgive and forget you a thousand times For the fire and the sleepless nights
[Refrain] And I won’t be made a fool of Don’t call this love
[Pre-Chorus] Don’t call this love
[Chorus] La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la La, love, la-la, love La, love, la-la, love La, love, la-la-la, la, love
[Verse 3] Why did you feel the need To prove that everybody else was right? No, I won’t fight
[Bridge] Oh, you’re my tragedy Tragedy, oh, you’re my tragedy Oh, this is Oh, no, no, no
[Chorus] La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la La, love, la-la, la, love La, love, la-la, love La, love, la-la, love La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la La, love, la-la, love La, love, la-la, love Love
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