Booking It Through Music

A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence. ~Leopold Stokowski

But, enough about books … Other things have words, too, right? Like … songs!

If you’re anything like me, there are songs that you love because of their lyrics; writers you admire because their songs have depth, meaning, or just a sheer playfulness that has nothing to do with the tunes.

So, today’s question?

What songs … either specific songs, or songs in general by a specific group or writer … have words that you love?

Why?

And … do the tunes that go with the fantastic lyrics live up to them?

You don’t have to restrict yourself to modern songsters, either … anyone who wants to pick Gilbert & Sullivan, for example, is just fine with me. Lerner & Loewe? Steven Sondheim? Barenaked Ladies? Fountains of Wayne? The Beatles? Anyone at all…

Not to steal directly from your question, but I absolutely ADORE Gilbert & Sullivan. My DD has been listening to the soundtrack from "Pirates of Penzance" non-stop of late, and it's on my mind.

I love them because they are just so freaking clever.

In PofP when Frederick finds out he must return to his pirate band because of his birthdate, and that he must stay indentured to them for eighty-eight more years, he goes to Mabel and tells her the sad news... and says:

"In 1940 I of age shall be." (This story takes place in the 1800s)

and she responds:

"It seems so long."

Or when the pirates are sneaking up to the castle to kill the Major General and they sing, at the tops of their lungs, "With Catlike Tread".

Or, when the Pirate King says to Frederic: "Away to the cheating world go you, Where pirates all are well-to-do..."

Or just the comedy factor (Keven Kline was truly a master of it in this movie) -- like when the pirates are trying to marry the daughters of the major general and they get into a grave misunderstanding between the words "often" and "orphan" because of the MG's accent.

Their other works are equally as clever: HMS Pinafore or The Mikado. If you ever have a chance to see them, don't miss it. If you pay attention (and you do have to pay attention, because G&S slip their humor in), you'll laugh until you pee your pants.

I leave you with a little taste:



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I did some writing yesterday and wrote about it on JaNoWriMo, where things are very, very quiet. I hope that means everyone is writing like mad!

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