#and its been disheartening to not sing in the car because i would just cry uncontrollably

[astertataricvs]

Miya Atsumu; how endearing

summary: Atsumu would frequently receive confessions from girls. But yours is the one that caught his attention.

word count: 2k+

Above the busy city, the honking of cars, the people walking down the street, and in a certain place where Inarizaki High School is established. The eminent azure tinctured heavens cloaked the world. It was an ordinary day the disseminated powder-puff clouds drift indolently across the interminable sky as the fresh sunlight irradiates the crevasses of every place – dusting off the darkness with the sun's glorious celestial entity.

Suna Rintarou stood in the rooftop, both elbows propped on the banisters as the youthful breeze of spring brushes through his body with the chorus birds above singing happily along with its kinds. He relished the calming atmosphere, feeling as it has a touch of magic, as if anything may happen that would grant him a magical experience.

Suna's eyes settled on the landscape before him, the varying types of edifices and houses with several colors that festoon the once cryptic hollow space billions of years ago. It was a sight indeed, suited for a man like him who's quiet all the time. But his eyes never missed catching two figures beneath him: a girl with long ebony hair and a familiar blonde hair who he was certain that it's their team's setter, Miya Atsumu.

The middle blocker already has the knowledge of what was going to occur among the two. It's the same scenario that he'd frequently witness every lunch break, Atsumu receiving a confession again, and he'd reject the girl straight away without batting an eyelash.

He doesn't care about what will happen anyway. That is precisely why he never had mentioned it to the setter that he'd often be the spectator of him acquiring a girl's love. It's not notable to him, and he isn't the type of guy who likes to stick his nose into other people's businesses. He likes to avoid that. He will always be doing that.

Although he's sick of perpetually seeing a confession from his usual spot, his eyes have adhered to the two persons who are beneath him.

Miya Atsumu has once again been summoned by a girl that he doesn't even know that she's actually studying here.

In the to-do lists of the girls in school, one of many cliché things there was to confess to someone at the courtyard of the school. Anyone with courage enough to do that was worthy of praise, even from Atsumu himself. He admired them for it but did not think it was riveting. Just another day at Inarizaki. Another thing to cross off on a list. Atsumu couldn't even remember the name of the last girl who confessed to him.

"I like you, Atsumu-kun!" The girl declared while eyes were sealed as her cheeks tinged in roseate hues.

Atsumu executes a subtle sigh as he straightens his back, preparing the words itching in his throat that he'd regularly answer girls.

"Sorry but I'm not interested." The girl pressed her trembling lips to keep the tears at bay.

Atsumu watched her with disinterest and full of boredom written on his face. It's the identical expressions he'd perceived whenever he'd reject them. Melancholic and tearful. Composing themselves from crying in front of him because they refuse to witness them weep by him, which is the thing he's most thankful for. He's not the one to blame if they'd cry to their friends in the girl's restroom or anywhere they pleased.

They were the ones who chose to confess to him even though they already knew the answer they would gain from him. The only emotion that keeps them from venturing their plan is their unyielding tenacity; their friends stimulating speeches and the hope that he might like them back – and that latter is what Atsumu despises the most.

He doesn't want to waste his time frequently hearing a girl's confession, it's revolting for always hearing it – though, he appreciates their feelings they possess for him, but it's not thrilling anymore.

Atsumu had achieved his task, so he excused himself first and left the girl behind, granting her an alone time to weep.

It is something that he doesn't want to see, he knows the feeling of rejection, but not in a romantic aspect, yet he is aware of how disheartening it felt – like you were being shrouded with darkness and feel the clenching of your heart inside your chest. Though it appears that Atsumu looks like he had tons of relationships in the past, he won't be ashamed of proclaiming to the world that he has stayed single ever since the day of his birth. Heck, he would admit that he much prefers being disengaged with the clutches of relationships and stay inclined to volleyball instead.

That's more preferable and pleasant to hear.

Atsumu tossed the ball to his twin and was satisfied as they earned a point with his set up. The coach decided to hold a practice match with every member of their club. Presently, they were having a match with Kita and Aran, who were on the other side of the net. It never ceases to amaze him every time he'd view their ace's spike and their captain's substantial receives. Despite being impressed with his teammates, Atsumu also gives his all in the game, and the thirst for victory enkindled in his system.

This is the thrill that he craves, not the same as the daffy confession of every damn girl he'd constantly receive every day.

"'Tsumu, are you done being a freak staring into space? Coach gave us a water break." The monotonous voice of his twin had snapped him out from his stupor.

"Shut the hell your mouth! I don't want to hear it from someone whose face is always stoic," he countered before stomping his foot and sauntering to where everyone was taking a rest and drinking their filled water bottle.

Osamu shrugged and followed his twin. Their captain had scolded them yet again with his more indomitable appearance and bland voice. Osamu told the blonde that Kita is more vacuous than him, and Atsumu wouldn't deny that because it's a fact. But still, the setter categorized them both in the same kind of species – the emotionless species.

He has no idea why he and his brother had distinct personalities, yet they are twins. Sometimes, he couldn't determine what Osamu was thinking about and his emotions except when they'd argue.

He is the actual opposite of his brother, lively and not impassive like him.

That is why he thinks that he's reliable and more preferable because he can show different emotions rather than Osamu, who is perpetually stoic as the same as the captain. Musing about it makes his ego skyrocketed.

Suna and Ginjima, who happened to witness Atsumu grinning like an idiot by himself, had caused them to step back and weirded out at him – well, he's already weird in the first place, though – but this kind of behavior only made him weirder.

'Is it the reason for getting confessed almost every day?' Suna mused while drinking his water.

A strum of a guitar resonates throughout the area, causing all the members to pause from their movements as their ears perked up upon hearing the sound of an instrument. It strummed in a familiar melodic pattern, but no one can figure what song it is. Suna knew that it's an acoustic guitar because of its vibrating strings and its sweet and softer tones.

Before they could even start a query, a woman's voice yet again halted them from their tracks and rendered them mute. Even Atsumu, who was in his stupor, had snapped back to reality once a sweet voice of a woman had rung within his ears.

I've never gone with the wind, just let it flow Let it take me where it wants to go

All of them are curious about the one who's singing, and they could distinguish that the noise is coming from outside their gym. Kita also grew curious, and his feet led him to the doors to discover the person behind that beautiful voice – even the captain admits that – Atsumu did not hesitate to follow Kita. His curiosity overwhelms him and wants to find out who is singing.

His mind is full of queries as to why someone would sing outside the gym. There are lots of rooms and areas in the campus for her to take a sweet moment by herself. However, Atsumu couldn't deny that he was pleased to hear the charming voice of this mysterious girl.

As once Kita and Atsumu took a peek outside, the setter's lips instantly dropped once his eyes landed on the girl he knew too well.

'Til you opened the door, there's so much more I've never seen it before I was trying to fly but I couldn't find wings But you came along and you changed everything.

Atsumu's eyes are like glue, transfixed on you, who is singing and playing the guitar. He didn't tear his gaze away from you even if he could hear the footsteps approaching behind him.

He doesn't have any clue why you were doing it here, as if you're a busker who sings and plays in streets or any other public places. But most of all, he feels his breath hitch when you stared into his eyes while singing the lyrics while playing the guitar. Your eyes never left him, and he did the same thing.

Atsumu let himself be absorbed with gawking to you as you played.

You lift my feet off the ground You spin me around You make me crazier, crazier Feels like I'm falling and I'm lost in your eyes

While you're singing, you suddenly step forward and mosey toward where Atsumu stood. Now he could feel his body turned rigid and as if his breath had seized by a lurking spirit, making him breathless. 

As you finally stand before him, you sing the last lyrics of the chorus.

You make me crazier, crazier, crazier.

"I like you, Miya Atsumu-san," you confessed, voice laced with fondness, no hint of jest but utter sincerity. Looking at him like the king of the jungle that bears pride and gallantry and wouldn't waver whoever it confronts someone.

Atsumu swallowed the lump inside his throat, caught off guard, speechless and dumbfounded. Now he comprehends the situation as to why you were singing outside their gym.

It's because you were serenading him. But why English, though?

Atsumu hadn't foreseen that it would happen to him, someone serenading him as their type of confession.

That is beyond the usual. You remarkably caught him by surprise, and this is the first time he couldn't produce a coherent speech in his head – except when he's taking an exam.

"I—"

"That's all!" you squawked and bowed to him before bolting away and left everyone in an astounding state.

Kita looked over at Atsumu with his usual expression, but inwardly he was surprised as well, knowing the fact that this is the first time he had heeded a woman serenading a man. That's off-the-wall. 

Everyone directed their gazes to their setter, who's still flabbergasted at the scene a while ago and stared at the path where the girl had run off.

The known Miya Atsumu, who doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut, had become speechless.

Atsumu blinked his eyes, returning him to his senses from his astonishment. As he assimilates the extraordinary event earlier into his brain, he suddenly evokes a chuckle. He was dazzled by your outlandish confession and had come to pique his interest – he's not gonna lie – the way you confessed to him was impressive.

The most shocking for him was, he never perceived you to be this daring enough to serenade him in front of his teammates. Moreover, it never forded his mind that you like him in a romantic aspect since you would approach him as a mere classmate only. You haven't provided him with a hint that you fancy him. Well, it makes sense for Atsumu why you don't look like it.

After all, you are his seatmate all this time.

'How endearing.'

[thekillerssluts]

The Story Behind Every Song On Will Butler’s New Album Generations

Will Butler has a lot on his mind. It has, after all, been five years since his solo debut, Policy. A lot can happen in half a decade, and a lot has happened in this past half-decade — much of it quite dire. Butler was in his early 30s when Policy came out, and now he’s closing in on 40. He’s a husband and father. And he’s shaken by the state of the world, the idea of being an artist and a soon-to-be middle-aged man striving to guide his family through the chaos.

At least, that’s how it comes across through much of Generations, his sophomore outing that arrives today. Generations is a big, sprawling title by nature, and the album in turn grapples with all kinds of big picture anxieties. Mass shootings, the overarching darkness and anxiety of our time, trying to reckon with our surroundings but the system overload that occurs all too easily in the wake of it. Then there are more intimate songs, too, tales drawn from personal lives as people plug along just trying to navigate a tumultuous era.

Butler is, of course, no stranger to crafting music that seeks to parse the cultural moment and how it impacts in our daily lives. Ever since Arcade Fire ascended to true arena-rock status on The Suburbs 10 years ago, they have embarked on projects that explicitly try to make sense of our surroundings. (Not that their earlier work was bereft of heavy concepts — far from it — but Reflektor and Everything Now turned more of a specific eye towards contemporary ills and trials.) But as one voice amongst many in Arcade Fire, there is a cinematic scope to whatever Butler’s playing into there.

On Generations, he engages with a lot of similar concerns but all in his own voice — often yelping, desperate, frustrated then just trying to catch a breath. Butler leans on his trusty Korg MS-20 throughout Generations, often giving the album a synth-y indie backdrop that allows him to try on a few different selves. There are a handful of surging choruses, “la-la” refrains batting back against the darkness, slinking grooves maybe allowing someone the idea of brief physical release amidst ongoing strife.

Ahead of Generations’ arrival, Butler sent us some thoughts on the album, running from inspiration between the individual tracks to little details about the arrangement and composition of different songs. Now that you can hear the album for yourself, check it out and read along with Butler’s comments below.

1. “Outta Here”

I think this is the simplest song on the record. Just, like, get me out of here. Get me fucking out of here. I’m so tired of being here. No, I don’t have another answer, and I don’t expect anything to be better anywhere else. But, please, I would like to leave here.

I can play plenty of instruments, and can make interesting sounds on them, but kinda the only instrument I’m good at is a synth called the Korg MS-20. That’s the first sound on the record. It makes most of the bass you hear on the record. It’s a very aggressive, loud, versatile machine, and I wanted to start the record with it cause I’m good at playing it and it makes me happy.

2. “Bethlehem”

This song partly springs from “The Second Coming” by William Butler Yeats:​ “What rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?” Like a lot of folks, I woke up after the election in 2016 mad and sad and scared and exhausted. This song is born of that emotion.

My bandmates Jenny Shore, Julie Shore, and Sara Dobbs sing the bridge, and it’s a corrective to my (appropriate?) freaking out — this isn’t the apocalypse. You’re misquoting Yeats. Get your fucking head on straight. History has not ruptured — this shit we’re in is contiguous with the shit we’ve been dealing with for a long, long time. But still, we sometimes do need an apocalyptic vision to make change. Even if it’s technically wrong. I dunno. It’s an ongoing conversation.

There’s a lot of interplay with backing vocals on this record — sometimes the narrator is the asshole, sometimes the backing vocals are the asshole. Sometimes they’re just trying their best to figure out the world. This song starts that conversation.

3. “Close My Eyes”

I tried to make these lyrics a straightforward and honest description of an emotion I feel often: “I’m tired of waiting for a better day. But I’m scared and I’m lazy and nothing’s gonna change.” Kind of a sad song. Trying to tap into some Smokey Robinson/Motown feeling — “I’ve got to dance to keep from crying.”

There’s a lot of Mellotron on this record, and a lot of MS-20. This song has a bunch of Mellotron strings/choirs processed through the MS-20. It’s a trick I started doing on the Arcade Fire song “Sprawl II,” and I love how it sounds and I try to do it on every song if I can.

4. “I Don’t Know What I Don’t Know”

This makes a pair with “Close My Eyes” — shit is obviously fucked, but “I don’t know what I don’t know what I don’t know what I can do.” I’m not a proponent of the attitude! Just trying to describe it, as I often feel it. In my head, I know some things that I can do — my wife Jenny, for instance, works really hard to get state legislatures out of Republican control. Cause it’s all these weirdo state legislative chambers that have enormous power over law enforcement, and civil rights, and Medicaid, and everything.

The image in the last verse was drawn from the protests in Ferguson in 2015: “Watch the bullets and the beaters as they move through the streets — grab your sister’s kids — hide next to the fire station…” It’s been horrifically disheartening to see the police riot across America as their power has been challenged. I’ve got a little seed of hope that we might change things, but, man, dark times.

More MS-20 bass on this one, chained to the drum machine. This one is supposed to be insanely bass heavy — if it comes on in a car, the windows should be rattling, and you should be asking, “What the heck is going on here?” Trying for a contemporary hip-hop bass sound but in a way less spare context. First song with woodwinds — rhythmic stuff and freaky squeals by Stuart Bogie and Matt Bauder.

5. “Surrender”

This song is masquerading as a love song, but it’s more about friendship. About the confusion that comes as people change: Didn’t you use to have a different ideal? Didn’t we have the same ideal at some point? Which of us changed? How did the world change? Relationships that we sometimes wish we could let go of, but that are stuck within us forever.

It’s also about trying to break from the first-person view of the world. “What can I do? What difference can I make?” It’s not about some singular effort — you have to give yourself over to another power. Give over to people who have gone before who’ve already built something — you don’t have to build something new! The world doesn’t always need a new idea, it doesn’t always need a new personality. What can you do with whatever power and money you’ve got? Surrender it over to something that’s already made. And then the song ends with an apology: I’m sorry I’ve been talking all night. Just talk talk talking, all night. Shut up, Will.

Going for “wall of sound” on this one — bass guitar and bass synth and double tracked piano bass plus another piano plus Mellotron piano. The “orchestra” is about a dozen different synth and Mellotron tracks individually detuned. And then run through additional processing.

6. “Hide It Away”

This song is about secrets. Both on an intimate, heartbreaking level — friends’ miscarriages, friends’ immigration status, shitty affairs coming to light — and on a grand, horrible level: New York lifting the statute of limitations on child abuse prosecutions, all the #MeToo reporting. There’s nothing you can do when your secret is revealed. Like, what can you do? You just have to let the response wash over you. If you’ve done something horrible, god-willing, you’ll have to pay for it in some way. If it’s something not horrible, but people will hate you anyway, goddammit, I wish there were some way to protect you.

This song has the least poetic line on the record, a real clunker: “It’s just money and power, money and power might set them free.” But it’s a clunky, shitty concept — the most surefire protection is being rich and knowing powerful people. But even then, shit just might come out. Even after you’re long dead.

Came from a 30-second guitar sample I recorded while messing around at the end of trying to track a different song. I liked the chords, looped them to make a demo. And the song was born from there. This is the one song I play drums on. Snare is chained to the MS-20, trying to play every frequency the ear can hear at the same time on some of those big hits.

7. “Hard Times”

[Laughs] I sat down and tried to write a Spotify charting electro-hit, and this is what came out: “Kill the rich, salt the earth.” Oh well. Written way before COVID-19, but my 8-year-old son turned to me this spring and asked, “Did you write the song ‘Hard Times’ about now, because we’re living through hard times?” No, I didn’t.

In Dostoevsky’s Notes From Underground, the narrator is a real son-of-a-bitch—contrarian, useless. Mad at the strong confident people who think they’ve got it figured out. And they don’t! And neither does the narrator — but he knows he doesn’t, and he at times yearns for some higher answer, and he’s funny, and too clever, but still knows he’s a piece of shit. I read Notes From Underground in high school and kinda forgot how it shaped my worldview until I sat down with it a couple years ago. The bridge on this song is basically smushed up quotes from Notes From Underground.

I was asking Shiftee, who mixed the record, if there are any vocal plug-ins I should be playing around with. He pointed me toward Little AlterBoy, which is basically a digital recreation of the kind of pedal the Knife use, for instance, on their vocal sound. It can shift the timbre/character of a voice without changing the pitch. Or change pitch without changing character. Very fun! Very much all over this track. Tried to make the bridge sound like a Sylvester song.

8. “Promised”

Another friend song masquerading as a love song. I’ve met a handful of extraordinary people in my life, who stopped doing extraordinary work because life is hard and it sucks. People who — I mean, it’s a lottery and random and who cares — could be great writers or artists, who kind of just disappeared. And it’s heartbreaking and frustrating. I don’t blame them. Maybe they weren’t made for this world. Maybe it’s just random. Maybe they’ll do amazing work in their 60s!

We tracked this song before it was written. Julie and Miles came over and we made up a structure and did a bunch of takes, found a groove. Which I then hacked up into what it is now! The bed tracks are lovely and loose. Maybe I’ll put out a jammier version of this song at some point. The other big synth on this record is the Oberheim OB-8, and that’s the bass on this one (triple tracked along with some MS-20).

9. “Not Gonna Die”

This song is about terrorism, and the response to terrorism. I wrote it a couple weeks after the Bataclan shooting in Paris in 2015. For some reason, a couple weeks after the shooting, I was in midtown Manhattan. I must have been Christmas shopping. I had to pop into the Sephora on 5th Avenue to pick up something specific — I think for my wife or her sister. I don’t remember. But I remember walking in, and the store was really crowded, and for just a split second I got really scared about what would happen if someone brought out a gun and started shooting up the crowd. And then I got so fucking mad at the people that made me feel that emotion. Like, I’m not gonna fucking die in the midtown Sephora, you fucking pieces of shit. Thanks for putting that thought in my head.

BUT ALSO, fuck all the fucking pieces of shit who are like, “We can’t accept refugees — what if they’re terrorists?” FUCK OFF. Some fucking terrified family driven from their home by a war isn’t going to kill me. Or anyone. Fuck off. Some woman from Central America fleeing from her husband who threatened to kill her isn’t going to fucking bomb Times Square. You fucking pieces of shit.

In November/December 2015, the Republican primary had already started — Trump had announced in June. And every single one of those pieces of shit running for president were talking about securing our borders, and keeping poor people out, and trying to justify it by security talk. FUCK OFF. You pieces of shit. Fuck right off. Anyway. Sorry for cursing.

I kind of think of the outro of this song as an angry “Everyday People.” Everyday people aren’t going to kill me. Lots of great saxes on this track from Matt Bauder and Stuart Bogie.

The intro of the song we recorded loud, full band, which I then ran through the MS-20 and filtered down till it was just a bass heart-pulse, and re-recorded solo piano and voice over that.

10. “Fine”

I kind of think that “Outta Here” to “Not Gonna Die” comprise the record, and “Fine” operates as the afterword and the prologue rolled into one. An author’s note, maybe. It was kind of inspired by high-period Kanye: I wanted to talk about something important in a profane, sometimes horribly stupid way, but have it be honest and ultimately transcendent.

In the song, I talk semi-accurately about where I come from. My mom’s dad was a guitar player who led bands throughout the ’30s and ’40s. In post-war LA, he had a band with Charles Mingus as the bass player. Charles Mingus! One of the greatest geniuses in all of American history. But this was the ’40s, and in order to travel with the band, to go in the same entrances, to eat dinner at the same table, he had to wear a Hawaiian shirt and everybody had to pretend he was Hawaiian. Because nobody was sure how racist they were supposed to be against Hawaiians.

Part of the reason I’m a musician is that my great-grandfather was a musician, and his kids were musicians, and their kids were musicians, and their kids are musicians. Part of the reason is vast generations of people working to make their kids’ lives better, down to my life. Part of the reason is that neither government nor mob has decided to destroy my family’s lives, wealth, and property for the last couple hundred years. I tried to write a song about that?

Generations is out now via Merge. Purchase it here.

https://www.stereogum.com/2098946/will-butler-generations-song-meanings/franchises/interview/footnotes-interview/

[introvertguide]

Singin’ in the Rain (1952); AFI #5

The next movie on the AFI list is perhaps the most popular musical in American Film, Singin in the Rain (1952). This film is far and away the highest ranked musical on the AFI list. It is a comedy set in early Hollywood when movies switched from silent to having sound. A lot of actors were suddenly exposed as talentless with a pretty face and the old vaudeville performers suddenly regained popularity. A film that didn’t hold any punches as to the difficulty Hollywood had with understanding this new aspect of movie media, this is definitely worth checking out. I want to go over story details before addressing the behind-the-scenes aspects, so...

SPOILER WARNING! THIS DESCRIPTION COMPLETELY SPOILS THE STORY SO WATCH THE MOVIE FIRST!

At the premiere of his latest film, The Royal Rascal, Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) tells a gathered crowd an exaggerated version of his life story, including his motto: "Dignity, always dignity." His words are humorously contradicted by flashbacks showing him alongside his best friend Cosmo Brown (Donald O'Connor) working all the undignified jobs involved with acting. He is with his shallow leading lady Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen), who turns out be very screachy and stupid. The new movie is a hit and Don leaves with Cosmo to the producer after party when the car breaks down and Don is recognized. To escape from his fans, Don jumps into a passing car driven by Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds). She drops him off, but not before claiming to be a stage actress and sneering at his "undignified" accomplishments as a movie star.

At a party, the head of the studio, R.F. Simpson (Millard Mitchell), shows a short demonstration of a talking picture, but his guests are unimpressed. To Don's amusement, Kathy pops out of a mock cake right in front of him, revealing herself to be a chorus girl. Furious at Don's teasing, she throws a real cake at him, only to accidentally hit Lina in the face. She runs away. Don is smitten with Kathy and searches for her for weeks. While filming a love scene, Lina tells him that she had Kathy fired. Don finally finds Kathy working in another Monumental Pictures production. She confesses to having been a fan of his all along.

After a rival studio has an enormous hit with its first talking picture, the 1927 film The Jazz Singer, R.F. decides he has no choice but to convert the next Lockwood and Lamont film, The Dueling Cavalier, into a talkie. The production is beset with difficulties, including Lina's grating voice and strong New York accent. An exasperated diction coach tries to teach her how to speak properly, but to no avail. Don is also given diction lessons which turns in a great tap number with Cosmo to Moses Supposes. The Dueling Cavalier's preview screening is a disaster; the actors are barely audible thanks to the awkward placing of the microphones, Don repeats the line "I love you" to Lina over and over, to the audience's derisive laughter, and in the middle of the film, the sound goes out of synchronization, with hilarious results as Lina shakes her head while the villain's deep voice says, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" and the villain nods his head while Lina's squeaky soprano says, "No! No! No!"

Don, Kathy, and Cosmo come up with the idea to turn The Dueling Cavalier into a musical called The Dancing Cavalier, complete with a modern musical number called "Broadway Melody". The three are disheartened when they realize Lina's terrible voice remains a problem, but Cosmo, inspired by a scene in The Dueling Cavalier where Lina's voice was out of sync, suggests that they dub Lina's voice with Kathy's. R.F. approves the idea but tells them not to inform Lina about the dubbing. When Lina finds out, she is infuriated. She becomes even angrier when she discovers that R.F. intends to give Kathy a screen credit and a big publicity buildup afterward. Lina threatens to sue R.F. unless he orders Kathy to continue working uncredited as Lina's voice. R.F. reluctantly agrees to her demands, as a clause in her contract states that the studio is responsible for media coverage of her and she can sue if she is not happy with it.

The premiere of The Dancing Cavalier is a tremendous success. When the audience clamors for Lina to sing live, Don, Cosmo, and R.F. tell her to lip sync into the microphone while Kathy, concealed behind the curtain, sings into a second one. While Lina is "singing", Don, Cosmo, and R.F. gleefully raise the curtain, revealing the fakery. Lina flees. A distressed Kathy tries to run away as well, but Don proudly announces to the audience that she's "the real star" of the film. Later, Kathy and Don kiss in front of a billboard for their new film, Singin' in the Rain.

I really enjoy the movie, but I have to admit a couple things that I have noticed over the years on different viewings. One thing is that the acting is not very good. It is all very hokey and I like to believe that this was done on purpose, but I have seen other productions from these actors and the acting from all three is  pretty similar. Another thing is that the pitch for the “modern number” that turns out to be the Broadway Melody was just shoved in for timing reasons and it comes out of nowhere and goes nowhere. I noticed that Rita Morena is in this film and she is a complete triple threat, but a 19-year-old Debbie Reynolds got the lead.

There are some very well known behind the scenes trivia notes that are pretty general knowledge to American movie fans, but I will go over a couple things. The Singin’ in the Rain number was set up but Gene Kelly was very sick with a fever so he did a practice take and went home. They continued filming the next couple of days but most of what is in the movie came from that initial sick take with fill shots from the other takes. 

Debbie Reynolds was not a dancer or a singer, but a gymnast. She had to be taught how to dance and you can see in her face how hard she is trying. Strangely, the speaking that she put in for Lina Lamont was actually the actress Jean Hagen (who played Lamont and was nominated for best supporting actress) who did not have that high pitch voice but a deep smoky voice. The singing that was dubbed over was not Reynolds either, but a professional singer named Betty Noyes. 

The film had a lot of difficulties as takes had to be redone because the crew did not really know what they were doing. There were episodes where the mic was poorly placed on the actor’s body (Debbie Reynolds) and there was difficulty getting clean takes, including an episode when the mic picked up her heartbeat. Donald O’Connor had to do the Make Em’ Laugh number twice because the cinematographer left the lens aperture open and the film fogged over. A lot of numbers actually had to be redone because of a fire. 

None of the other actors in this film ever reported working with Gene Kelly as a positive experience. Kelly had a very high standard and a very specific style which could be difficult as Reynolds was not a dancer. Kelly also had just come off of filming the previous year’s best picture, An American in Paris, and really wanted the movie to do just as well. He was mean to Reynolds and made her cry. He also had her do the Good Morning number over and over until vessels broke in her feet and she started to bleed all over the stage. O’Connor did not like the way the Kelly pushed around the other actors and referred to Kelly as an aggressive control freak. Gene Kelly admitted later to being far too hard on his fellow actors during this filming and both O’Connor and Reynolds forgave him suggesting it was a learning experience. It still sounds like pretty awful working conditions to me (edited)

Only two of the songs in the film were original for the movie, Moses Supposes and Make Em Laugh, although the former was based on a children’s rhyme and the latter was very similar to Be A Clown by Irving Berlin. This was actually the seventh movie that had Singin’ in the Rain as a feature song. It seemed like an homage to the popularity of the Follies in the 1920′s, using all of the popular notes of the year to commemorate the past. 

So should this film be on the AFI List? Absolutely, although I don’t know if I would have put it in the top 5. It is a lot of fun, it is very well known, it is still mentioned frequently in current popular media, and the actors really put a lot into the production. However, I wouldn’t put it above movies like Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz. That is a little much. And would I recommend it? Of course! This movie is a lot of fun and one of those movies that the pace pulls you through without ever needing to check the time. The dancing is fabulous and the show of the misunderstanding of sound in movies by the characters is truly hilarious. It is 100% certified fresh an Rotten Tomatoes and I completely agree. 

[mindtheheadspace]

Barely two days

Two days back on my medication and I feel a world better. The doctor office is strangely dragging their feet in replying to my request for a refill. My pharmacy however gave me a few tablets to get me through. Only three tablets but better than nothing. Hopefully I'll get my full refill soon.

The weirdest thing is that now I'm back on my medicine, I can sing without my voice breaking up and being overwhelmed with the feeling I could cry. It's the weirdest thing.

Before: I'd sound like someone about to break down when they sing

After: Back to my normal non cry sounding catterwalling.