David Gray

right

oh and smell if you ever do that again with the emoticans or whatever they are called I am getting on a plane to Phoenix driving to wherever in the desert it is and smack the heck out of you lol!!!

YouDontTelephoneMe:

Ak11:

Now knowing YDTM, (SHE) 

I have no idea why I wrote HE lol.

dca: Yeah, the video definitely influenced! And yes, I agree with you, that's a much better explanation !

YouDontTelephoneMe:

Ak11:

Now knowing YDTM, (SHE)  is obviously talking about What Am I Doing Wrong which is a perfect example of a song that has pretty simple lyrics and just by doing an amazing vocal delivery on a few lines like "what am I doing wrong" or "you don't telephone me" the whole thing suddenly becomes alive.. you know, you don't need anything else. 

 Funny how things turn out... when i first read Teems post, my first reaction was that I would do Lately, as its the most played song in my life since first hearing it back in 05 and the most deeply ingrained to my heart for the moments in life that it has comforted me and then helped me carry on.

"Honey Lately... I've been ....."

But I began remembering the first time i heard It ...and then began recalling the same for other heavy favorites of his,  and then the whole process I described in my first post came into realization...and as I typed that above reply--I  also realized I was indeed defining "What am I Doing Wrong" .. a song that I had mostly passed over for years, till a late night, long drive, and I really "heard" it for the first time...

And as AK says.. its a simple song on the surface...very repetitious but it was the way he nailed it vocally... as well as some brilliant pauses in the arrangement..a bridge that always makes me smile at his instincts,(listen at 2:57) as well as its unusual ending... it just fades out almost as if he didnt know how to finish it...but then you make the connection to the lyrics...

"Ghost on the highway
Bird with metal wings

Crowd all around me
Just don't hear a thing"

SO... to finally answer Teem's request.. lol... I think the song is about being on tour..the isolation of the road--the long bus rides and flights, and being away from loved ones for an extended time and the toll it takes on a relationship...the desperation in not being there to make things right, and knowing long distance leaves you falling short of saving it....

"What am I doing wrong
What am I doing tell me

You won't telephone
You won't telephone me"

the missed connections...the knowing somethings been lost.....

and then the verse that is like a kick in the chest....

"You never spoke a word
But it's over
I saw the way you turned your head
You never spoke a word
But it's understood"

amputation put into words.... whew..........

and that ending I mentioned? fades off into the night..the "ghost on the highway"....

the whole thing brought full circle....

pure genius..............

thanks again for reading...

Janet

 Epic!

That's all i can say, wow... i can't believe i noticed this but those are some well thought through ideas YDTM!

Loving the different opinions on Sail Away.. and sort of have to agree with dca slightly i mean.. if he did base alot of song meaning on the videos.. then can someone explain Be Mine to me? haha (Link to it here if anyone hasn't seen it before).

Also Jan, i liked how you made connections with the song structure to the meaning..... it goes to show that David really does make an art out of his music..

For example, i've also wondered why the fast beat in PFM... was it just because Clune wanted a chance to drill some epic beatz.. or was it thought through... i personally thought that maybe it could represent the beat of a heart when extremely nervous (as the song is basically admitting love).

Ahh.. i love this thread , Also looking forward to Kangaroo!

Teemto:

For example, i've also wondered why the fast beat in PFM... was it just because Clune wanted a chance to drill some epic beatz.. or was it thought through... i personally thought that maybe it could represent the beat of a heart when extremely nervous (as the song is basically admitting love).

Ahh.. i love this thread , Also looking forward to Kangaroo!

 

 

What Am I Doing Wrong is definitely a great song, I wonder why David hasn't played it live (well, he might have but there's no record of it). I agree on the small details YDTM pointed out. I think the arrangement on that song is just brilliant.

My answer may be a little off on a tangent and it's kind of like the favorite song question...I just wouldn't know where to begin.

Having five small children I find it hard to take time for myself and rarely listened to the radio except for my commute to a job which I work part time. Very occasionally I would here Sail Away, and think "I really like that song".  At the end of the day, with work and the kids, it would slip my mind and I never remembered to pursue it any further. Then in August of '09, a dear friend of twenty years was changing jobs and moving to NYC. As a parting gift, I gave a small iPod loaded with many songs we loved as well as some of my favorites. It was while I was on itunes that I really listened to more of David's music and decided to get tickets to the show the following April. The rest is history.

I have and iPod loaded with about 90 of David's songs and they kept me going as I started to run. I go out at night after the kids are in bed and jog on my street. My street is very quiet with tall trees on either side and it's really lovely when the full moon shines down the road. I credit David's music with "raising my body from the ground" (Destroyer). While I am very much a beginner, I figure David and I have logged about 200 miles together so far.(I am currently sidelined from jogging with a bum knee .) I haven't taken the time to do it, but does any know how many songs have the word "running" in them? It is quite a few.

Lorelei.....

What can I say......This is a song of heartbreak and hope.....Love ans loss.......everything.....

You give it all, you get it all........It doesn't matter. 

The lyrics pull you in......the melody keeps you there......

pretty soon I'm free.....Freedom depends on whether or not you are free with the one you love, or free from the one you love. 

That is the joy of DG's music.....It all depends on where you are at in life.

so alex as the 12 year old going on 17 had me turn down andam on the way to practice yesterday eve.......but after slightly adjusting the volume upward I did notice him humming and taping when real love came up. Nice.

I know slightly off topic but wanted to share and couldn't be bothered finding the exact correct thread lol!

DCA, you've indoctrinated him well  !!    Bravo !

OK, I doubt this is a song that will resonate with many, but it hit me like a truck the first time I put the Foundling CD into my car...

Only the Wine

Hmm, my side of the story, song chosen - Flame Turns Blue.  (its in the little bubble over my head where the favourites float around)

So.. I was told by my sweet departed mom when I was a child that if you sang before breakfast you would cry before lunch.

I would listen to this song on the way to work and then ensued an inner struggle. I hummed it but found it hard to sing any song in the morning. How I missed her and did not want to let go.  Eventually, probably in the middle of a whiteout on Canada's 3rd worst highway in winter, I let her go and I started to sing in the morning. (Actually I rarely had breakfast until about 2 years ago when I underwent a major weight reduction - eat your breakfast kiddies,). 

This song and those simple words, "in the morning I will sing" , means so much more than just getting past a superstitition.  It helped me to let go. I still hold her in my heart and I am sure that she is happy I sing before breakfast.

I have a couple of lines that stick with me - The first one is Seagulls Screaming Overhead. This reminds me of times in Hastings, East Sussex UK where they have the Fishmarket at Rock-a-nore in the Old Town. The fishermen's huts are tall timber constructed sheds that are use for drying their nets - so of course there were always Screaming Seagulls Overhead. I think these huts are unique to that area - put fishermen's huts Hastings into your search engine and you will see what I am talking about. I remeber the sky was always blue and the weather sunny. The area was full of happy holiday makers eating fish and chips and other seafoods.

My second line is Starry firament - On starry nights I feel secure under a canopy of stars.  Thank you DG.

OK, you all asked for it... some more than others... (you know who you are!)

The Rice

Now, I had no idea that this song is so hit or miss with the fans.  But apparently, some of you just don't get it.  So I will proceed to explain it to you.  (I'm totally kidding here   I know how subjective these things are!)  So suffice it to say, here's what it means to me:

This speaks volumes to me about the progression of a relationship, the shift of priorites, being stuck in a rut, feeling out of touch with your partner and the desire to have it all back for just a moment... to FEEL love again. 

Visually, I picture him (someone/me/my husband) just leaning up against the fridge, waiting for dinner in a completely mundane moment. (I mean how boring is rice... RICE!  The imagery is perfect!)  When, all of the sudden he gets lost in memories of how passionate everything between them used to be, memories of being completely enveloped by love on a cold,windy rainy night.  When they had "no concerns" other than loving each other.   Apparently, life and routine have changed things... the "silence is bitter," they've become distracted from each other by life. Whereas they used to turn to each other and their love for refuge, they are becoming "unhinged" and distant.

It's about the desire to fight this distance and separation and take back all of the passion.  "Screw the rice, screw dinner, I don't care about any of it, I want you. Drop it all for just one second and just love me like we used to love. Let's get our priorities straight again."

And the voice, the emphasis on certain words..... so raw, so passionate!  I mean who has ever sung a song like that?!  He's completely pouring his heart out in the unpolished version of himself that we will never hear again!

Pretty much the most passionate song ever written.  And in my eyes, the same message as "Jackdaw," only with less acceptance of the situation... more fight... more raw emotion.  And who hasn't felt disconnected from your partner?  It's one of the most horrible feelings in the world.  I TOTALLY get it.

And the spatula?  Totally phallic!  LOL, I don't know, but who has EVER used the word "spatula" in a song before?!  You have to give him credit for that!

And, if it means anything, I HATED, HATED, HATED this song and all things DG the first 20 or so times I heard it, until I *listened* to the lyrics, at which point my heart broke for him.  Then I felt it in my own relationship... and once your hit a personal connection with a song... it's all over! 

So there you go... (love the topic, btw... you really have to open yourself up for this one!)

Christine