Hallelujah

One of the big talking points in the media this week has been the widespread (although mostly on the internet) opposition to x-factor winner Alexandra Burke presumed Christmas number 1 with a cover of Hallelujah. Seeing as this blog is indeed on the internet I probably ought to be taking this opportunity to join in the general hatred of Simon Cowell, but unfortunately I can't bring myself to do that.

You see here's the thing, the main argument seems to be something on these lines. Hallelujah is a great song, that is special to an awful lot of people, so therefore it shouldn't be commercialised.

Now that's quite a good argument, but sadly the reality is that great songs are sometimes going to be butchered by later pop covers (case in point, the brilliance that is Axel F, destroyed forever by the evil that is the Crazy Frog). If songs are going to be covered you have to accept that some will be good and some will be bad, that's just how it is.

That is not to say that I won't be overjoyed if Jeff Buckley is propelled to the top of the charts, it's just that I'm not upset about x-factor winners singing good songs. The way I see it, I'd rather listen to a passable version of a great song than Shayne Ward warbling 'That's my goal' or some similar tripe.

You're more than welcome to disagree with me in the strongest possible terms via the comments box, but remember this, no covers means no Buckley version either. If I have to ignore an awful version of a song in order to hear a great version then that's a price I'm willing to pay.

On a similar (but festive) note I'd just like to point out that the best xmas number one ever was also a cover...that's right Only You by The Flying Pickets

Returning to Hallelujah, here's a quick run down of a few of the many versions that are out there on Youtube. I've trawled the internet so that you don't have to.

Leonard Cohen - The original, but probably not the best. Cohen delivers in his typical singing-talking hybrid. Though quite frankly he wrote the thing so he can do whatever the hell he likes.

Jeff Buckley - Minimalistic, guitar backed, epic length version. If you are an angst-ridden teen, as opposed to a screaming pop-idol loving teen this will probably be your favourite.

Alexandra Burke - Not as bad as people seem to think, Burke can certainly sing a bit and it's nice to hear a version with a bit more in the way of backing. Though Dermot O'Leary doesn't add much with his cameo and there appears to be a point at which Westlife would stand up if they were singing it. Definitely goes down hill in the second half.

Kate Voegele - Sounds not entirely disimilar to a female Jeff Buckley version, not quite as good as Jeff but miles better than Alexandra.

Imogen Heap - Short A-Capella version, certainly different, but loses marks since it was recorded for use in The OC.

Rufus Wainwright - Piano backed, this is my favourite...so there

KD Lang - Somewhere in the gap between Rufus and Jeff, theres even a string section in there somewhere...marvelous

So there you go, if you know another good version please let me know the link (no rick-rolling please lol)

Have a great Christmas, may you receive many hats
D

Single

Lie in bed, awake
Thoughts of the day
Dreams of the night
Merge until you can’t separate
Here everything is possible
Repeat the failures
Relive success
Improve on either
Again, again and forever

Lie in bed, asleep
The images that come are not real
They will flicker
Fade with the sunrise
Nothing but fantasy
But sometimes more real
Than the thoughts that preceded them

Lie in bed, alone
No one to hold close
Loneliness that dominates the night
Unwanted?
Loneliness that dominates the day
Everyone else is loved
But not you

Another night, awake
The dreams of the day
And the thoughts of the night still mingle
Here nothing is possible
Except to relive the failures
And forget the successes
Improving on neither
Feels like forever

Dave on...The Credit Crunch

I work with accountants, but I'm not exactly an economic wizard myself, but I'm still pretty interested in the current situation. So I thought I would share my limited knowledge with you.

The first thing is this, the credit crunch is not entirely a bad thing. Sure some people are losing their jobs. And I'll admit that if you took out a mortgage in the last five years you're probably F***ed, but there is a bright side...let's look at which business' are in trouble
Woolworths only sells things that you could get in Tesco for cheaper...so no loss there
MFI, Land of Leather...if DFS gets into trouble we'll really be cooking
Chrysler??? General Motors, they're only killing the planet with gas guzzlers that no one wants anyway

So all things considered we're not losing anything worth having and with a little bit of luck we might manage to get rid of a few faceless coffee houses and mobile phone shops as well

The main question though is this, why are these companies in trouble??
The answer is simple, they all make shit that we don't want.

Land of Leather aren't selling any sofas because most people are still paying for the ones they bought back in 2006 with a pay nothing for two years deal. Something that has always confused me is this, who actually buys a couch after watching a tv advert? Or for that matter, who buys a tv? I've always assumed that anyone watching an ad on tv, probably already has a tv, which rather takes away the main selling point.
The same is (you would assume) true for reasonably priced, leather, three piece suites now available at up to 50% off. If you are watching tv (I would assume) that you probably already have something to sit on.

Most advertising works best with the sort of stuff you might buy on the spur of the moment, as I'm wandering through Tesco or Asda (but not woolworths) I might pick up a particular bar of chocolate. Domino's adverts have made me fancy a pizza. Grabbing a brand new car with my morning paper? Less so...

More thoughts next week as the pound slides further towards parity with the euro...looks like everyone is holidaying in Scotland next year...bad times
Dave

November Sky

Bury me under November sky
Beneath full moon final lullaby
Shun the day, embrace the night
Banish all cloud with cool starlight

No icy crypt, gates locked and barred
Trapped in town and grim churchyard
Promise you won’t do that to me
Wild river and forest to set me free

Across the streams, amongst the trees
Unchained at last to roam with ease
Far from houses, on lonely hill
Where my spirit wanders it feels no chill

Though I have gone don’t mourn my death
Cherish the moments when we drew breath
Bury me shallow or bury me deep
The bones lie still but my soul won’t sleep

Don’t mark the spot with grey headstone
I’ll be long gone, leave the flesh alone
Never visit the grave, forget that place
But remember my name, remember my face

Random thoughts of a random mind

My day has just been ruined. An advert has revealed to me that Camp Rock is actually a new Disney High School Musical spin off rather than the long awaited Scissor Sisters - Guns n Roses crossover album that I had previously assumed.
Bad times

I was off work last week for two days sick leave, which was a bit of a downer. I don't usually take much time off. My mother used to be a nurse, so I've never really got much sympathy unless I've been close to death (limbs missing or similar). At school I didn't get Man Flu, I got a cold, some vitamin C, a packet of tissues and thrown out the door into the swirling snow...it was a hard childhood

Christmas seems strangely close, yet still miles away. There's hardly any Christmas decorations up yet, but it's barely three weeks away. I must confess that I'm looking forward to it, unusual I know. There's going to be a fair few good friends back in the area, which should be a great excuse to drink to excess. Which lets face it, is the true meaning of Christmas

I appreciate that a few of my poems are a little bit vague on the specifics. The poem in my previous post would be one such example, so here is a little explanation. Both 'Half Forgotten Riff' and 'What was Said' are actually about the same (sadly drunken) night out, which rather sticks in the memory for mostly the wrong reasons.
Although the night is mostly a depressing blur, the most tangible memory of the evening was a particular song from the club we were in. This featured a very distinctive but unknown (at least to me) melody. Some how I ended up in a mindset whereby until I discovered the song, I wouldn't really be able to put the whole shambolic affair behind me. For two months the song taunted me, played at the start of a film, half heard in the background of a French Pizzeria. I think the poem was jotted down at some point during that period.
Eventually I managed to pin down the song (and by this stage it was a genuine relief), the tune? Time to Pretend by MGMT

So there you go, till next time, may you guard your words and feelings whilst under the influence
D