Look on the bright side, at least I didn’t know it was you again, otherwise that would certainly have earned some disciplinary demotion.
In 4th place, scoring 10 points
Liz Phair - Table For One
This is a song written from the point of view of an alcoholic - Liz’s brother, from what I’ve read. It’s depressing as hell, but hey, I invited that on myself with this category. I think it’s a good portrait of alcoholism, not over-dramatizing it, as there’s really nothing romantic about drinking yourself to death. It really stuck with me. Unlucky to miss podium.
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Please wait. Your podium is under preparation.
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Fucking knew it.
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This got me searching. Apparently Canada has put out some walrus coins.
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You gotta be kidding me. No way I made a ChrisV podium. I don’t even remember what I submitted.
I bet my submission got lost.
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Now we reach the time where a few select walruses rear their heads above all others, the sunlight striking their majestic figures as they bask in their success.
In 3rd place, scoring 11 points
Neil Young - Borrowed Tune
The submitter wrote:
Recorded during the aftermath of the separate deaths of two friends, Young, on his own after the other musicians have left, takes the tune from Lady Jane and admits he’s “Alone in this empty room too wasted to write my own” having clearly reached a low point…“I hope that it matters, I’m having my doubts”. Like no other, this song encapsulates for me a sense of bereavement. The whole Tonight’s The Night album is brilliant but beyond mere sombre, epitomising the label of difficult-but-rewarding-album.
This was a last-minute elevation to the podium. On first listen it’s a little bit harsh, Young’s voice sounds like it was the first take and there are some rough edges. On repeated listens I came to appreciate how effectively Young captures his context at the time, this sense that right now he can barely be bothered with any of this shit. He writes:
I’m climbing this ladder
My head in the clouds
I hope that it matters
I’m having my doubts
Think we’ve all been there.
In 2nd place, scoring 12 points
Palace Music - Ohio River Boat Song
I didn’t realise this was an alias for Bonnie Prince Billy until I started prepping my reveal this morning (Australian time). This was one of those songs where on first listen I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, but I liked it more on every subsequent listen. It’s got this languid feel and pulls in influences from Americana, folk music, even gets a bit bluesy at times, but ends up sounding like something totally original. Charmed its way all the way up here in the end.
In 1st place, scoring 13 points
Joan Baez - Diamonds and Rust
Normally I’m reluctant to put the best-known song from an artist on the podium, but this is such a beautiful, captivating song. The story goes that Baez was part way through composing this when Bob Dylan, about whom this song is written, called her. This is a killer category fit, where you join Baez journeying back in time, by turns wistful, then subtly lamenting her own naivety and offering some gentle but sharp digs at Dylan. There’s the bit where she recalls him telling her that her poetry was lousy in the course of proving him wrong, but I like this one the best:
Now you’re telling me
You’re not nostalgic
Then give me another word for it
You who are so good with words
And at keeping things vague
Winning song from the first listen.
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Another superb reveal from the grandfather of Unstuck Walrus.
Updated scorecard - I have marked in green at the bottom the scores for people who have now done their reveal (and ate a 0 point round).
I have also approximated a gold, silver and bronze colour on the names of those in the relevant places thus far. Note that they have all not done a reveal yet, so should come back to the pack a little when they do.
@eyebooger you still good to reveal tomorrow?
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Originally I was going to post guesses for who submitted what, but I dropped it because there were a number of people whose proclivities I don’t know well enough to make guesses. Looks like I guessed right for @LouisCyphre (didn’t have to be clairvoyant to place the Euro submission) and @pyatnitski. I was also 100% certain that it was microbet who had submitted Joan Baez and only unluckily turned out to be wrong because he isn’t even playing.
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Yeah, I should be good to go tomorrow
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I’ve posted about how much I love that song before. I was afraid you noticed and remembered. I guess I can live with first or last every time in the ChrisV universe - better than 7th every time.
I think this stanza is extremely wistful:
Now I see you standing
With brown leaves falling all around
And snow in your hair
Now you’re smiling out the window
Of that crummy hotel
Over Washington Square
Our breath comes out white clouds
Mingles and hangs in the air
Speaking strictly for me
We both could have died then and there
This was the first thing that popped into my head when I read your category description.
I mostly try to ignore lyrics because I don’t expect singers to be poets and I hate being disappointed. IE - me looking up the lyrics to Hello by Adele. Totally ruined the song. I thought she was bellowing out from the bowels of her soul to some lost dead loved one across the ethereal plane - possibly her child - maybe that she even accidentally killed in a house fire or something. No. Turns out she’s just gets that worked up because an old flame won’t pick up the phone and let her rub it in now that she’s famous.
But they do write great poetry, and combine it with the perfect killer guitar melody - it’s pretty magical.
Although she uses light-year as a measure of time which always bugs me when I hear it.
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Have you heard the Judas Priest cover? I made it about 30 seconds before HomerIntoBush.gif
Diamonds and rust is a good song
Sick burn. Saved for future use.
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Incorrect. I’ve sold out now and gone mainstream songs to top yourself to.
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See?
One thing I found out while preparing my predictable submission is that it’s a version of a Scottish folk song, The Loch Tay Boat Song. It’s been my favourite song of his for years, and I also hoped that, as an Australian, you might similarly get a mild chuckle out of the line about “Floyd’s knob.”
Hmm, another 9th place. The only rational explanation is ChrisV has poor taste.
It’s a good job the entries I received were anonymized as I find to my shame that lockdown has made me extremely petty and vindictive
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Likely to start my reveal very shortly.
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