ordinary pop songs and why they're great.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

 
A song, any song, the last one I acquired. Ah yes....

It Must Be Love by Labi Siffre.

The original and genuine. As distinct from the Madness version which always sounds (to me) like it's joking. When this was "in the charts" back in 1971 I remember my Mum liked it and I ..possibly therefore.. didn't. Many years later I succumbed. It's so light and airy and tinkly. The bit that has me, that I wait for, is the melody line for "as I do", " about you", "without words" and "and the birds". And even in writing that I've made a connection with Sing Baby Sing by the Stylistics which contains that very same melody run. You want to savour it, sing it slowly, elongate it.

There's also a connection with one of my other fatal attractions - the sound of a synthesized flute - there it is all through the chorus!! It turns up and calls me to a song be it good or bad. But then we don't discriminate at 45s dot so I'll just namecheck two...D.I.S.C.O by Ottawan and Haitian Divorce by Steely Dan.