Good Good Day (2001) – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Posted on January 6, 2025 by observationblogger — 2 Comments

Nothing like an uplifting Nick Cave song to commence the week. Good Good Day was released as the B-side to As I Sat Sadly By Her Side, a single from their 2001 album No More Shall We Part and later included on both the 2005 compilation B-Sides & Rarities. The song is notable as a marked departure from the darker themes of the rest of Cave’s output during this period.

I like the looseness, almost improvisational quality of the lyrics in Good Good Day. Cave’s sunny disposition radiates warmth as he reflects on seeing Mary – revelling in her beauty. She embodies a sense of serenity and delight. Mary is more than a muse; she represents a respite, a celebration of simple pleasures and whom lights up an ordinary day.
To me the spirit and ambience of Good Good Day draws parallels to Bruce Springsteen’s Girls in Their Summer Clothes (2007). Both songs hinge on characters and observations that brighten their narrators’ worlds, whether it’s Mary or the carefree girls strolling past in their summer clothes.

No More Shall We Part is the eleventh studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. The record, which was well received critically, came after a 4-year gap from recording. Nick Cave had to overcome heavy heroin and alcohol addictions in 1999–2000 before starting work on the album.

[Verse 1]
See the little cloud up in the sky
It’s a good good day today
See the little cloud pass on by
It’s a good good day today
Mary comes now, let Mary be
Can you see her down on the street?
Mary’s laughing ’cause Mary sees
That she’s a-wearin’ that dress for me

[Verse 2]
There can be times
Yeah… When all things come together
Yeah… Under a clear sky and you can believe
Yeah… You hold your breath for this moment
Yeah… But do not breathe for this day I know
Is a good day, yes I know
It’s a good day, yeah I know
Today…
Hear her feet skipping up the stairs
It’s a good good day today
She is the answer to all of my prayers
It’s a good good day today
Mary comes now, she don’t knock
‘Cause she’s runnin’ on her own little clock
Mary’s laughing ’cause Mary knows
That this day was made for us
And any fool knows… yeah
And any fool sees
That the future… yeah
Is a-down on its knees
But let ’em all cry, let ’em weep
Let those tears roll down their cheeks

[Verse 3]
‘Cause I can believe in the one
That is standing in front of me
Oh this day, don’t you know
Is a good day, yes I know
It’s a good day, I told you so
Today…
See her breasts how they rise and fall
It’s a good good day today
And she knows I’ve used that line before
It’s a good good day today
Mary’s laughing, she don’t mind
‘Cause she knows she’s one of a kind
Mary’s happy just to be
Standing next to me
And any fool knows
Yeah…
That the wind always blows
Something to someone
Yeah…
Once in a while, so let it rain, let it fall
Let the wind howl through your door
‘Cause right now for this moment
I’ll forever be
Standing next to her
On this day, which I know
Is a good day, yeah I know
Oh, it’s a good day, I told you so
Today…

References:
1. No More Shall We Part – Wikipedia

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Honey (2024) – Mr Bewlay

Posted on January 5, 2025 by observationblogger — 5 Comments

I first heard Honey on the Eclectic Music Lover blog last year and I have enjoyed listening to it ever since. It’s groovy as heck and the dance vibe is infectious. Honey was the second single from Mr. Bewlay’s Against All Reason EP and the final installment of his Reason Trilogy.
Mr. Bewlay is from Cardiff, Wales. His creative roots lie in the theater, which imbues his work with a bold, flamboyant energy. It’s said he embraces the idea of performance as a role – whether as a theatrical actor or an avant-garde pop-rock provocateur. Though his art is deeply intentional, it never veers into the overly serious, instead embracing a vibrant playfulness.

Honey channels an unmistakable ’80s dance vibe, layered with Bewlay’s signature sensuality. Lyrically it is charged with provocative imagery, it teeters on the edge of indulgent allure. Produced, mixed, and mastered by Lee House, Honey features contributions from Zsofia Pasztori-Kupan on backing vocals and Shishir Singh on guitar.

I’ll be your cardiac arrest
Steal the focus of your breath
Last night we danced in silver rooms
Spinning you round the open lights
Drowning in my eyes
I’ll be your prophet divine
Scream your feelings to the sky
Cos’ honey I like you
Honey the taste of you

Now call my bluff
And fall into my arms

Start to lose your breath
Feel the world in our embrace
I kiss that part you said you like
Shockwave through your spine
Made you come into the room
The focus you instilled
Could push through ennui

All that it took
Was this icy moment’s look
You cast a penetrating thought
Vibrations through the void
And every woman, every man
Had a spell cast on their minds
Throughout the globe

Now call my bluff
Fall into my arms
And all of my love
Falls to dust

Let me lay
Lie, in your honey
Let me lay
And lie, in your honey
All that it took was a momentary look

References:
1. Mr Bewlay – Facebook
2. Mr Bewlay: Honey – Single Review – Louder Than War
3. Mr Bewlay – Single Review: “Honey” – Eclectic Music Lover

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Suspicious Minds (1969) – Elvis Presley

Posted on January 4, 2025 by observationblogger — 6 Comments

In 1969, Elvis Presley recorded one of the defining songs of his career, Suspicious Minds, written by Mark James. It is the fourth song by Elvis to appear after his previous entry Burning Love (1972) and remains my Desert Island track by him. Elvis returned to his roots in Memphis at American Sound Studio after years of recording elsewhere. Despite initial hesitation, Elvis embraced the city’s thriving music scene, booking two weeks at the studio where he recorded 40 songs, including Suspicious Minds and In The Ghetto which would reside on one of his most celebrated albums, From Elvis in Memphis.

Chips Moman, the producer behind these sessions, was instrumental in drawing out some of Elvis’ best work. Known for his straightforward approach, Moman wasn’t awed by Presley’s fame, which allowed him to challenge the singer and refine his performances. Although the studio was far from glamorous – located in a rough part of Memphis and described as shabby it was home to a powerhouse of talent. Moman and his house band, The Memphis Boys, infused country and soul influences into the tracks, creating a distinct sound for Elvis’ music.

Mark James, a songwriter at American Sound Studio, had initially recorded Suspicious Minds himself in 1968, but it failed to gain traction. When he learned Elvis was coming to the studio, James revisited the song, believing its mature themes and emotional depth were a perfect match for Presley. Elvis spent hours perfecting the song, recording eight takes before he was satisfied. Despite initial resistance from his management, Elvis’ decision to record Suspicious Minds to focus on quality material rather than financial gain was nothing short of inspiring. Mark James would go on to write other songs for Elvis, including Moody Blue and Always on My Mind.

[Verse 1]
We’re caught in a trap, I can’t walk out
Because I love you too much, baby
Why can’t you see what you’re doin’ to me
When you don’t believe a word I say?

[Chorus]
We can’t go on together
With suspicious minds (With suspicious minds)
And we can’t build our dreams
On suspicious minds

[Verse 2]
So if an old friend I know stops by to say hello
Would I still see suspicion in your eyes?
Here we go again, asking where I’ve been
You can’t see the tears are real, I’m cryin’ (Yes, I’m cryin’)

[Chorus]

[Bridge]
Oh, let our love survive
I’ll dry the tears from your eyes
Let’s don’t let a good thing die
When, honey, you know I’ve never lied to you
Mmm, yeah, yeah

[Verse 1]
We’re caught in a trap, I can’t walk out
Because I love you too much, baby
Why can’t you see what you’re doin’ to me
When you don’t believe a word I say?

[Outro]

Released in August 1969, Suspicious Minds became an instant hit, topping the charts and selling nearly two million copies. The song was a centerpiece of Elvis’ live performances, including his return to the stage in Las Vegas after an eight-year hiatus. Elvis’ on-stage innovation of fading out and dramatically returning to the song’s climax added a theatrical element that captivated audiences. Despite its success, Suspicious Minds was Elvis’ final No. 1 hit during his lifetime.

References:
1. Suspicious Minds – Elvis Presley
2. Story Behind The Song: Suspicious Minds – Vintage Rock

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Surfing Magazines (2000) – The Go-Betweens

Posted on January 3, 2025 by observationblogger — 2 Comments

I first heard this iconic Australian surfer tune watching The Go-Betweens live concert at The Tivoli, Brisbane (August 6, 2005). I got the DVD soon after it came out and played it all the time. I was hooked on Surfing Magazines upon first listen with it’s beautiful and stark simplicity. I can relate so much to it – being an Aussie kid growing up in the 70’s and 80s and spending our summer’s mostly down at the beach near my Nan’s place on the mid north coast, New South Wales, Australia. I love how The Go-Betweens manage to capture the whole vibe from those days perfectly in one simple yet charming little tune. Also it contains a really nice video (seen below) with old footage of Aussie surf beaches. It’s just a great tribute to the Aussie beach life in the 70s and 80s.

Surfing magazines comes from The Go-Betweens 2000 comeback album (after a 12 year hiatus) – The Friends of Rachel Worth. The album was recorded in Portland, Oregon at Jackpot! Recording Studio by Larry Crane. Co-founder Grant McLennan who tragically passed away soon after The Tivoli concert below said about the album: “Rachel felt really natural – it wasn’t like Robert and I had separate managers or any of that industry bullshit. We’d always wanted to record in America, too, so that was a real dream. I think it has a really mysterious, otherworldly, ‘lost’ feel to it.” The Friends of Rachel Worth received generally positive critical reviews. It holds a score of 77 out of 100 on the review aggregator website Metacritic.  

[Verse 1]
We used to get our kicks
Reading surfing magazines
Some good looking people
Wearing Lee Cooper jeans
They’re breaking on the headland
They’re breaking on the shore
And when you’re living in Hawaii
They’re breaking at your door

[Refrain]
Da da da da da da
Da da da da da da
Da da da da da da
Da da da da da da

[Verse 2]
We used to wet our fingers
On surfing magazines
Going to throw school
And follow those scenes
Going to get a Kombi
And go from beach to beach
Be the kind of people
The Authorities can’t reach

[Verse 3]
We used to get our kicks
Reading surfing magazines
Wake up in the morning
And the waves are clean
Standing on the headland
Taking in the scene
Just like they do it
In surfing magazines

[Refrain]
Da da da da da da (surfing magazines)
Da da da da da da (surfing magazines)
Da da da da da da (surfing magazines)
Da da da da da da (surfing magazines)

References:
1. The Friends of Rachel Worth – Wikipedia

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Make You Feel My Love (1997) – Bob Dylan

Posted on January 2, 2025 by observationblogger — 17 Comments

Michael Bolton routinely introduces a number he’s about to sing by first announcing its composer, Bob Dylan. The reaction is usually muted: “Bob Dylan should elicit this enormous response,” he says. “But I don’t get that.” Then the piano-based melody starts up, Bolton works his way into the soothing melody, and the crowd melts. “It makes people feel good and they give it up at the end the song,” Bolton says. “It’s the audience’s response to the song that turns it all around.”

– How Bob Dylan’s ‘Make You Feel My Love’ Became a Modern Standard – Rolling Stone

Make You Feel My Love is a song written by Bob Dylan from his album Time Out of Mind (1997). It was first released commercially by Billy Joel, under the title To Make You Feel My Love, before Dylan’s version appeared later that same year. It has been covered by numerous performers but the most famous cover is by Adele on her debut studio album 19. The popularity of making a hit from a Dylan penned song is more associated with his 60’s output – including Blowing in the Wind, Mr. Tambourine Man and All Along the Watchtower, but Make You Feel My Love was a 90’s track that prominent music artists were falling all over to record. Even Rolling Stone argue that the song has become a modern standard with more than 450 artists having recorded it.

Make You Feel My Love is where Dylan pledges a heartfelt promise of unconditional devotion. It is hardly one of Dylan’s most complex or metaphorical songs. Yet for those very reasons, it’s been elevated to one of the most covered songs in his catalogue. The song has sparked an incredible range of interpretations, spanning mainstream pop, smooth jazz, glee-club harmonies, and even instrumental lullabies for babies. Dylan’s recording features him on piano. “I have a really great spinet piano that is a beautifully restored masterpiece from the Twenties,” producer Daniel Lanois shared with Rolling Stone in 2016.

The following was extracted from the RT article below:
Performing and plugging the song on The Late Show that year, Billy Joel told David Letterman that when he heard it, “my hair stood up on my arms.” To Rolling Stone, he added, “It’s like you struck gold.” Dylan’s less smoothly sung and produced version below arrived a month after Joel’s.
But it would be Adele who made the song the must-croon ballad of the past decade. After she had finished her 2008 debut, 19, manager Jonathan Dickins suggested she cut the song as a last-minute addition to the album. “I heard that song and I read the lyrics and they’re the most beautiful lyrics I’ve ever read or heard or sung,” Adele said at the time. “And they kind of summed up everything I’m trying to write in my songs about how I felt. It’s such a beautiful song.”

[Verse 1]
When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love

[Verse 2]
When the evening shatters and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love

[Bridge]
I know you haven’t made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I’ve known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong

[Verse 3]
I’d go hungry, I’d go black and blue
I’d go crawling down the avenue
There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do
To make you feel my love

[Bridge]
The storms are raging on the rolling sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowing wild and free
You ain’t seen nothing like me yet

[Verse 4]
I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn’t do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
To make you feel my love

The following was extracted from the Wikipedia article below:
Spectrum Culture included the song on a list of “Bob Dylan’s 20 Best Songs of the 90s“. In an article accompanying the list, critic John Paul described it thus:

“Accompanied by a lone piano, ghostlike bass line and slightly woozy sounding organ playing sustained notes throughout, the arrangement of the song isn’t terribly remarkable, the meat of the song itself relying on Dylan’s surprisingly emotional read and jazz-like chord progression”.

Ultimate Classic Rock critic Matthew Wilkening rated “Make You Feel My Love” as the 7th best song Dylan recorded between 1992 and 2011, praising it as a “weary, textured masterpiece“.

A 2021 Guardian article included it on a list of “80 Bob Dylan songs everyone should know“.

According to his official website, Dylan performed the song live over 300 times in concert between 1997 and 2019 on the Never Ending Tour.

References:
1. How Bob Dylan’s ‘Make You Feel My Love’ Became a Modern Standard – Rolling Stone
2. Make You Feel My Love – Wikipedia

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Superstar (2010) – James Blunt

Posted on January 1, 2025 by observationblogger — 2 Comments

“I guess the title is misleading because people think it has to do with my experience in the music business. Instead, it’s the way a lot of people will look at the world today. If we asked children twenty years ago what they wanted to be, they would say a doctor, or fireman, or race car driver. Now if you ask, they just want to be famous. You turn on the TV and you see images that tell you success is measured by fame. If you open magazines, they tell you what clothes you should wear or what music you should listen to. The song is the story of a teenager who is saying he doesn’t want to be force-fed who I should be, this notion of freedom is not freedom at all. I want to be myself.”

– Blunt in an interview with Mike Ragnoga of Solar Powered KRUU-FM – Songfacts

Before I discuss today’s featured song, I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year 2025 with open arms. ‘Hurray’! I hope it brings you happiness, health, and prosperity. 

I was surprised to learn Superstar is the 6th song to be presented here from James Blunt after his previous entry – Goodbye My Lover. It is a track from British singer-songwriter’s third studio album, Some Kind of Trouble (see image inset). The album was recorded largely in London with members of James’ touring band. The album cover depicts an image of YouTuber Shay Carl Butler throwing his daughter Emmi up in the air. The original photo was taken by Butler’s wife, Colette, with an iPhone.

The album’s reception by critics wasn’t kind receiving a meagre aggregate score of 45/100 from Metacritic. Ouch. Even still, I like today’s song along with three others from the record, namely: I’ll Be Your Man, Best Laid Plans and Stay The Night. They may not reach the heights of some of his other big hits, but I enjoy listening to them on occasion. Blunt described the album, saying “It’s got a certain innocence to it, which my last album didn’t have. It doesn’t sound like the current popular electro sound; it sounds like the late 70s / early 80s when the US electric guitar bands came to the UK. What I really like about it is its energy and optimism..”

The album debut at number four on the UK Albums Chart, with first-week sales of 100,000 copies. On the Billboard 200, the album debuted at number eleven, with sales of 26,000 copies. To date, the album has sold over 1 million copies worldwide.

[Verse 1]
There is an empty space in the chair tonight
Cause he don’t feel right
There are stormclouds brewing at the back of his mind
As he steps outside
He will be twenty in a week
But he’s old for his years
He’s had many of those
To confront his own fears
But his father’s not the man he’d like to grow up to be
And his mother isn’t growing old gracefully

[Chorus]
He says times like these I don’t want to be a superstar
Cause reality tv killed them all in America
Though the sun always shines in the magazines
Tonight can we be free to be who we really are

[Verse 2]
There is an empty space between the lines tonight
And it burns so bright
And the angry silence that he throws on the floor
Says he don’t care anymore
He had money for the truth
But love’s a lot more
And the answer’s is not the one he was looking for
His father’s not the man he’d like to grow up to be
And his mother is his mother reluctantly

References:
1. Some Kind of Trouble – Wikipedia

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The Phantom Thread’s New Year’s Eve Party

Posted on December 31, 2024 by observationblogger — 5 Comments

To share and celebrate making more cherished memories in 2025, I present to you; what has become a New Year’s Eve tradition here at Observation Blogger: The New Year’s Eve party scene from Phantom Thread which currently sits at No. 23 on my all-time favourite movie list. If you would like to read my review of The Phantom Thread (2017) by Paul Thomas Anderson you can do so by clicking the reference at the end of this post.

Apart from The Phantom Thread scene below, three other notable mentions for me are the following auld lang syne movie scenes:

I always felt that Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will be Blood was a homage of sorts to Orson Welles and Citizen Kane and The Phantom Thread an attempt to honor and pay tribute to Ingmar Bergman. Regarding the latter, I think the New Years event below captures perfectly the awkwardness and melancholic nature of Reynolds Woodcock. It’s an insanely romantic scene although Reynolds and Alma don’t kiss at the stroke of midnight and he scorns at her for making him go out of his way and pulls her out of the ballroom. But, the fact remains that he is there with her. Is that what Alma finds charming about him? Is this is what being in love is like? I think Reynolds realises that finding himself being there is a revelation and reinforces how much he needs Alma and dare I say, truly loves her.

I’m so grateful my friends are here to celebrate the coming-in of the New Year in good cheer! To quote Bob Dylan at his Oscar acceptance speech in 2001:

God bless y’all with peace, tranquillity and goodwill.

Related Articles:
1. The Phantom Thread (2017) – Paul Thomas Anderson (Friday’s Finest)

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Super Trouper (1980) – ABBA

Posted on December 30, 2024 by observationblogger — 10 Comments

Saxophonist Ulf Andersson, who toured with Abba during the late 1970s around the time Super Trouper was penned, revealed in a 2020 interview that mentioning Glasgow was a secret love message from Bjorn to wife Agnetha Faltskog (Second couple from left to right in image above). At the time, their marriage was teetering – mere months after the song’s release, they would indeed file for divorce – yet the track was penned during a period of reflection on the brighter days.
– ABBA’s Super Trouper – Daily Record (UK)

Super Trouper is an opportune song to oil our rusted joints and get primed for the coming of the New Year. Really, is there a better group with all of their 48 hits to strut one’s stuff on the New Year’s Eve dance floor? To quote George Constanza from Seinfeld – ‘You’re not in the mood? Well you get in the mood‘!
It is said after ABBA left the music scene, it would be impossible to find two female voices which replicated their superior harmony. Still that statement holds true; despite the musicals and movies this group has produced, that harmony which the two ladies forged is irreplaceable. ABBA remains a bit of an enigma because their talent as music artists and songwriters of producing pure ‘Hits’ was immense although the Bee Gees were nothing to scoff at.

Super Trouper is one of the group’s most addictive pop numbers and remains one of the most played songs of ABBA on YouTube. It might not hit the heights of some of the band’s earlier hits (3 of which I have presented here), but there’s still glimpses of pure ABBA Gold. At first called “Blinka lilla stjärna” (Swedish version of popular nursery rhyme ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’, this hit single was the title track from ABBA’s 1980 studio album Super Trouper. It is also part of the ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits compilation, as well as in the Mamma Mia! musical.

Super Troupers are huge spotlights used in stadium concerts and events. As popular ABBA was, the foursome were not really fond of performing onstage and liked performing in studios rather than going on tour. The idea is reflected in this song, which has an upbeat tempo while the lyrics take a more lonely approach to fame; it’s really about the drudgery of pop stardom. ABBA weren’t the first, nor the last, band to write a song about how terrible it is being famous. But somehow they manage to do it without the message grating.

‘All I do is eat and sleep and sing, Wishing every show was the last show…‘

[Intro: Frida & Agnetha]
Super Trouper beams are gonna blind me
But I won’t feel blue
Like I always do
‘Cause somewhere in the crowd, there’s you

[Verse 1: Frida]
I was sick and tired of everything
When I called you last night from Glasgow
All I do is eat and sleep and sing
Wishing every show was the last show
(Wishing every show was the last show)

[Pre-Chorus: Frida]
So imagine I was glad to hear you’re coming
(Glad to hear you’re coming)
Suddenly I feel all right
(And suddenly it’s gonna be)
And it’s gonna be so different
When I’m on the stage tonight

[Chorus: Frida & Agnetha, Benny & Björn]
Tonight, the Super Trouper lights are gonna find me
Shining like the sun (Sup-p-per Troup-p-per)
Smiling, having fun (Sup-p-per Troup-p-per)
Feeling like a number one
Tonight, the Super Trouper beams are gonna blind me
But I won’t feel blue (Sup-p-per Troup-p-per)
Like I always do (Sup-p-per Troup-p-per)
‘Cause somewhere in the crowd there’s you

[Verse 2: Frida]
Facing twenty thousand of your friends
How can anyone be so lonely?
Part of a success that never ends
Still, I’m thinking about you only
(Still, I’m thinking about you only)

[Pre-Chorus: Frida]

[Chorus: Frida & Agnetha, Benny & Björn]

[Bridge: Frida]
So I’ll be there when you arrive
The sight of you will prove to me I’m still alive
And when you take me in your arms and hold me tight
I know it’s gonna mean so much tonight

Super Trouper (the title track) was released in November 1980 as the album’s third single, reaching number one in several countries. It was the group’s ninth and final number one on the UK Singles Chart and the fourth best-selling single in the UK that year, selling over 700,000 copies in that country alone. Parts of the music video below were later reused in the clip for the song Happy New Year (which also features on the Super Trouper album.

References:
1. ABBA’s Super Trouper Glasgow reference explained as they mark 50 years since Eurovision win – Daily Record
2. Super Trouper (song) – Wikipedia

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Superman (It’s Not Easy) 2001 – Five For Fighting

Posted on December 29, 2024 by observationblogger — 2 Comments

Superman is the third song on Five for Fighting’s sophomore album, America Town (see image inset) and the second single released from it. It became a huge radio hit after the horrific 9/11 attacks and was used to honor the victims, survivors, police, and firefighters involved in the attacks. It peaked at No.14 on the Billboard, and was nominated for a Grammy in 2002. The single was a major hit in Australia (because we are more sentimental and mushy) and New Zealand, reaching number two on both countries’ national charts.

The lyrics focus on the iconic hero Superman; specifically, how, in the opinion of the singer, his life as a hero is surprisingly difficult despite his immense power. The song was featured in an episode of Smallville, which chronicled the life of a young Clark Kent/Superman. The American singer-songwriter Vladimir John Ondrasik said the song is about “frustration about the inability to be heard.”
At the end of the song’s music video (below), Ondrasik lies in bed with his own wife and son. Rob Thomas from Matchbox Twenty also makes a cameo appearance.

John Ondrasik also known by his stage name Five for Fighting was born (January 7, 1965), in Los Angeles, California, a child of a musical family. He is of Slovak descent. His mother was a piano teacher who taught at John F. Kennedy High School in Granada Hills, Los Angeles, where he graduated. He learned the piano as a child. In his teens, he learned to play the guitar and started to write music. You can read more about Ondrasik’s musical career here.

[Verse 1]
I can’t stand to fly
I’m not that naive
I’m just out to find
The better part of me

[Chorus]
I’m more than a bird, I’m more than a plane
I’m more than some pretty face beside a train
And it’s not easy to be me

[Verse 2]
I wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
‘Bout a home I’ll never see

[Chorus]
It may sound absurd, but don’t be naive
Even heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed, but won’t you concede?
Even heroes have the right to dream
And it’s not easy to be me

[Bridge]
Up, up, and away, away from me
Well, it’s alright
You can all sleep sound tonight
I’m not crazy or anything

[Verse 3]
I can’t stand to fly
I’m not that naive
Men weren’t meant to ride
With clouds between their knees

I’m only a man in a silly red sheet
Diggin’ for kryptonite on this one-way street
Only a man in a funny red sheet
Lookin’ for special things inside of me

References:
1. Superman (It’s Not Easy) – Wikipedia

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Corleone (2024) – Nathy Peluso

Posted on December 28, 2024 by observationblogger — Leave a comment
Nathy Peluso performing Corleone on the
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Dec 3, 2024

On 21 of November this year I wrote about Nathy Peluso’s big night at this year’s Latin Grammys winning 3 for Best Rap/Hip Hop Song, Best Alternative Song and Best Long Form Music Video – Grasa. One of the songs from her recent album – Grasa (Fat) that I keep coming back to is today’s featured song – the 50s Italo-ballad – Corleone. In keeping with the album’s themes from which it resides; the song explores growth, crisis, and the pressures of fame. I wrote in response to her official release video how Corleone felt like ‘Tarantino in Music‘ in the sense it would have been a perfect fit on the soundtrack Pulp Fiction or about any other one of his releases.

The Argentine-Spanish singer-songwriter is no stranger to this blog having appeared here 7 times. She is so versatile, being able to immerse herself in any genre and leave her mark in an indelible way. For me, she is one of my favourite artists of the current generation. I have admired watching how she has transfigured her artistry and changed the music landscape as we speak with such brashness and authenticity. I’ll continue to follow Nathy Peluso’s development as an artist with much attentiveness as I do all my favourite singer-songwriters. Below I have included an audio version of the song and her very recent performance of the The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

After releasing her new album ‘Grasa‘, Nathy Peluso announced last summer her world tour in 2025 in which she would travel through the United States, Europe and the United Kingdom. Before continuing her tour through Miami, Washington and Los Angeles, among others. Despite the tremendous success of the album, the Argentine singer received a lot of criticism from her fans for not including Spain and Argentina among the countries on the tour.

‘Grasa‘ is an unusual album and the singer has decided to make a long half-hour video in which she has integrated all the video clips instead of a different video for each song. “The magic is that it is very theatrical, it is almost all a sequence shot and everything happens in the same space, the characters change… It is a story” she explains.

The following is a crude English translation of Corleone:

[Verse 1]
“This ambition is killing me”
I told my friend Tatiana
Stuck in the airport
Video call connection (Ah-ah-ah)
I wonder if it’s God
The ray of sunlight coming through the window (Stiff!)
Every day at 6 a.m. in the morning

[Chorus]
I smoke a cigarette, tears and sorrow, glory and peace
And even if I get it all, I always want more
I count money, I count loves, I brush my hair
And I ask the waiter for a sweet Martini to be calm (La-la-la-la)

[Verse 2]
I have an empire
A brilliant palace and a very deep sorrow (Oh-oh-oh)
Listen to me whoever wants
Drown the bitterness that comes, I’ll invite you a round
Baby, I assure you
If tomorrow I die, I won’t be calm
I have to close deals
And leave the will to my sister Sofia

References:
1. Nathy Peluso representa ‘CORLEONE’ y ‘EL DÍA QUE PERDÍ MI JUVENTUD’ en The Tonight show – XMAG

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