#the coldest reprise is so good

[smytherines]

the coldest goodbye

[botanicallyinclinednerd]

...I may have forgotten that while a comedy, saf is also a tragedy

[ge-nde-rr-env-y]

i played owen carvour in a production of spies in sydney, and tcb i have a confession i added a line. in the man behind the curtain reveal, owen says "if it hadn't been for my spot on aim and interest in foreign policy, i might have been an actor." i had about a month between application and audition and i was sitting on the first paragraph for so long and i got a bit bored. so i added "and you know, being blackmailed by the english" to that list. it added this manic, pained spark to the moment. fuel for the fire.

i dont know what joey thinks about owens history, but i gave him a timeline. born 1926 (nov 14th. scorpio bitch.), his fine family home destroyed in the Blitz, he enlists for some income (and maybe to escape home) at 17 in 1943, too young, but he's slick and clever enough to pass as an adult. 1945, right before the end of the war, he sees something he shouldnt have. the higher ups in a below the table deal that could ruin a lot of rich and powerful peoples lives if it reaches the wrong hands. owen carvours hands were the wrong hands. but he's a remarkable soldier, he's quick, he's a master tactician, and he's Good At Lying. hes useful. so instead of taking him out. someone says "hey kid. howd you like to be a secret agent. -also if you say no you'll die-" no choice. he'll continue to live at the behest of a governments will.

he doesnt Like being a spy, but its not the worst thing in the world. he likes the more decadent aspects, certainly, and deception not only comes naturally, but brings a sort of thrill.

he doesn't like being a spy until he meets curt mega. this part of his history is a bit blurry, but i imagine them meeting sometime near 1952 (because of the song Video Killed The Radio Star), surely on the job somewhere. curt makes spying fun. and curt is the first real thing owen has had reliably since 1943. he doesnt change, hes delightfully predictable, and despite him appearing somewhat less intelligent than owen, he has this knack for seeing straight through to owens heart. curt is daring, where owen might be intially more cautious. curt has the guts to get the two of them *into* situations, where owen has the tactician skill to get them *out*.

i think owen got comfortable. tragically, the two of them were so in sync, so reliant on each other, that he didnt see the fall coming at all.

it wasnt the fall that hurt. it was watching curt walk away. he'd always thought that if this were to happen, theyd go down together.

CHIMERA found him in the rubble, a boy who'd always been controlled, who'd never really got a chance to live a life of his own, and saw a man who was easy both to manipulate, and to empower.

they weren't aggressive about their agenda because they knew what would happen. the founder/ceo (a man i have decided is named Thomas) simply let owen recover in their facilities and let him free when he was able to leave, with an explanation of their plan, and an offer of further help should he require it.

owen broke within a month. a string of killings across europe simply attributed to an individual named The Deadliest Man Alive. CHIMERA drags owen back by the scruff of his neck.

"what the hell do you think you're doing."

"what? who are they going to arrest? owen carvours fucking dead."

its very important to me that owen wasnt brainwashed by CHIMERA. every choice has to come from him because the catharsis of him fully believing in the ideology he carries out with his chest for the first time is just delicious.

he doesnt. hate curt. i dont think. he loves curt, and he hates the institution of Espionage that forced them into this. but ultimately, that institution is so driven into curt that owen cant get what he really wants, which is to break curt out of that and have him all to himself. coldest goodbye reprise is a moment of sorrowful acceptance for both of them. owen understands that curt is always going to be a spy, no matter what, and giving up on the fantasy he had.

[starcanwrecked-confessions]

me personally i think we sleep on joey richter's vocals too much. just rewatched confrontation and GOD he sounds so good as jekyll. cool as i think i am??? absolutely stunning. one step ahead and the coldest goodbye reprise???? completely destroys me.

~~~

[do-androids-dream-ao3acc]

My BuckTommy fics / Master Post

(NeverlandPoet on AO3)

All the Pain | 13,520 words, T | Angst, Hurt/Comfort And then, another wave of realization, as hard as a tsunami. That's Bobby, isn't it? Bobby kneeling in the remains of Tommy's bathroom, his hands performing rhythmic movements. Textbook CPR, it’s just… on Evan.

Love Can Only Heal [BuckTommy Tumblr Prompts] | 12,817 words, T | Tumblr Prompt fills, 12 individual stories

In the Dark | 14,612 words, T | Hurt/Comfort Tommy is a guy to touch you in passing, not one to throw around pet names. He calls him Evan because that's his name, “Buck is a collective noun for your infamies,” he once said. Buck has already thrown a multitude of pet names at him, trying them out on him like on a blank canvas, calling him honey and darling and love to see what resonates.

Starts With a Spark, Then It's a Wildfire | 2,065 words, T, Angst, Post Break-Up „It’s me.“ His voice is but a breath, and there’s something in it that makes Tommy turn a corner. It’s the worst time, but he presses himself against a wall as if he’d something to hide. Well, not rushing to an emergency, that’s what he’s hiding right now, isn’t it? „What?“ he asks, a little sharper than intended. „It’s me. I’m the accident.“ Is… is he laughing? Is he drunk? Tommy’s fingers are itching to press the button, to stop this ridiculous call. He should’ve never picked up in the first place. Worst part is that he now feels sorry for himself, he’s disappointed without really knowing why. „Buck,“ he says in the coldest tone possible, „don’t call me at work. I’m gonna go now.“ „Wait. I’m sorry.“ Another sigh, a peculiar wet sound. Like he’s been crying. Or…

It Hurts to Feel, to Think, to Know I May Be Nothing | 1,719 words, T | Fix-it, Post Break-up

Come and Let the Storm Bring us to Life | 2,613 words, E | Helicopter sex A second lightning strike, very close again, swallows his words, and Buck blurts out, "Wanna make out?" Tommy is now used to Buck changing topics at the speed of light. He doesn't bat an eyelid as he remarks, "On the helipad of a hospital?" Hail pours down again, plop plop plop on the helicopter’s roof. "I once did it on the roof of the fire engine," says Buck.

Remember Everything | 3,931 words, T | Hurt/Comfort He could just give in. That’s what his father wanted when he beat him: obedience and respect, which he was always denied himself. That's what the teachers wanted, “just give in,” they said, “you're smarter than them.” Tommy was actually smarter, and he actually gave in, but it never helped him. He adapted. He invented one girlfriend after another, listened to Gerrard's ramblings, joined in with the jokes. Until he denied himself and believed that respect had to be earned in a way that his father, his teachers, his captain thought was right.

3 Times Buck's Date With Tommy Went Awry – And The One Time It Didn't | 7,954 words, M | Awkward dates "So," he says with relish, "that's a proper date. Just you and me and no disasters in sight." Buck sheepishly clears his throat. "I might stab myself in the eye with the fork," he says. "Well, at least not with the knife, I pre-cut your meat," Tommy returns calmly.  Desert Dreams | 4,691 words, T | Whump, Helicopter Crash "We crashed," Buck explained, "and it wasn't my fault. I mean, uh, that's probably important for insurance or something." "Are you saying it was my fault?" Tommy asked, blinking. "What? No, no way, right before the crash you said something about the engine... wait, y..you're kidding? Now?" "Now is as good as any time, Evan," Tommy said softly, and Buck's heart went into a big but very pleasant stumble.

Simply the Best, Reprise (Simply the Beast) | 2,304 words, E | Semi-Public Sex, Frottage

And How My Heart Sang True That Day | 2,309 words, T | Friendship, Character Study I am the broken, I am the wound  | 3,935 words, T | PTSD

"We're doomed." | 2,609 words, T | BuckTommypositivityweek (2), day 1: Season Opening Disaster

Wann (When?) | 1,952 words, T | BuckTommypositivityweek, day 2: Nicknames and Terms of Endearment

Has Anybody Noticed That The Sky Is Falling? | 3,427 words, T | Hurt/Comfort, Anosmia

Whisper Your Desires, And I'll Teach You How To Feel | 2,921 words, E | First Time Fic

Watch Me Burn | 3210 words, E | Kitchen Sex, POV Tommy Kinard

I'll Be Your Hero | 1,562 words, T | Shovel Talk

Set It Off Tonight, Baby, Just Like Fire & Gasoline | 3,378 words, E | First Time Fic The Day Conny Kramer Died | 3,889 words, T | Crack Fic Let's be a miracle | 992 words, T | Domestic Fluff

Tevan ficlets 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

[missholloween]

Spies are forever in 54 below performances are amazing. We have:

Daniel Belnavis amazing job in spies are forever and the coldest goodbye

Curt singing "my partner... No!" in Spy again

All of Somebody's gotta do it. Joey of course does a great job, but Pomme Koch just flexes during the whole song. Amazing job istg

Also Curt sings so sweetly and nicely the "stop being such a little pussy"

Before the chorus in Eyes on the Price I Lauren goes down instead of up and it sounds really nice

Curt mouths "yeah" when Tessa sings "you think I'm crazy"

The dance during Eyes on the Price II and the horniness of it all

JOEY PUTTING HIS HAND ON CURT WHEN HE ENTERS THE SONG

Pomme does a great job, what a good torture tango

Also Curt whimpers and moans when he's hurt

Mary Kate does also an amazing job

Joey gets closer at the end of the song (in the "Owen?") so he can look at Curt

I'm obsessed with Joey's the prince, but AJ Holmes does also a great job as Vanger Borschtit

"Would you please turn around?" "No" "Okay"

Also "I'm sure you don't need to remind him" "I also fucking despise him"

Tbh all the lyrics updates are great and I'm glad they've revisited some of them

Curt and Mary Kate joking about an upbeat, fun song just before prisoner of my past

Curt making the audience cheer Mary Kate (deservingly) after it

Curt almost drops the mic when Lauren enters the scene during doing this

Lauren totally steals the scene

"So you're into" "yeah" "agh!"

Curt is specially nervous during the conversation :') and his little smile after the "til the end"

I can't believe they did the pay attention reprise and not the coldest goodbye reprise

Lauren kills it tho. She could do an amazing toad cover

Curt and Mary Kate failing to clap during one more shot

"Curt's ex-lover slash partner"

Joey directly goes to queer smug villain and he looks amazing doing it

Joey sitted in the piano

Curt looking so hurt and conflicted during the whole song, he does an amazing job acting

"feeling a lot of déjà vu again" AND THEY GRAB EACH OTHER AS IN SPIES ARE FOREVER. WHAT.

Joey's little taunt so that Curt goes with him and they run to the mics again

They gave a special shoutout to Esther because she had covid and couldn't be there (video-called her during the ending)

"If you think about this show, it's timeless. Because spies are, what? Forever?"

[szollibisz]

just curious: what's your favorite saf song? also alternatively: what's the one lyric that gives you the most Feelings

the torture tango! :D it's a really good act 1 finale, i love the overlapping parts, all the foreshadowing etc etc, it's a banger

but for the most emotions i think it's "remember... I remember" from the coldest goodbye reprise... they were insane for that!! he remembers all the good times all the feelings he still feels them! the love is there and it matters!! he can't kill curt! and he's so bitter and disappointed in both himself and curt i'm gonna die. yeah.

[thegeminisage]

wow it is star trek update time. last night we watched ds9's "blood oath" and tng's "journey's end," which is one of the strongest quality ricochets we've had yet.

blood oath (ds9):

okay, so the summary said "three klingon legends" but what i didn't realize is that they were all REAL KLINGONS FROM THE ORIGINAL SERIES

i have to pain this picture for you, whoever is reading this. the three klingons in this episode appeared in "errand or mercy" "the trouble with tribbles" and "day of the dove." like, they really came back to reprise their roles almost 30 years later. i'm going to paste a picture but uhtw 60s blackface

now, if you're a tos viewer, you may recognize that fella in the middle as also having played the titular squire of gothos in. "squire of gothos." now, as an episode, i find "squire of gothos" to be pretty mid, but there is one specific scene that really did something for me. to me? it did something TO me. what it did to me was send me off the fucking deep end, i wish i could convey the depths of my madness with human words

(still screenshot grabbed from this infinitely more amazing gifset, give it up for @maulthots for enabling me, no literally please go through her gif tag and reblog her gifs)

anyway, before my good and wonderful friend so kindly made this gifset for me, i did maybe sit in front of my pc and replay the clip upwards of [mumble] times a day because i was very, very unwell. when i watched this scene for the very first time what happened to me in that single instant was the bone-deep realization that james t kirk (tos and aos) ate fascists on tarsus iv, probably, and he'd fucking do it again because nobody tastes better than a fascist! i wrote an entire fanfic about it, sorry for the spoilers.

what does squire of gothos and tarsus iv have to do with ds9? well first of all every star trek episode is secretly about tarsus iv so jot that down

but secondly, i've watched this clip so many times i have to hide my face when this man shows up in trouble with tribbles. now, i'm not so good with faces, but i KNOW THAT VOICE. but i know him AS the squire of gothos. i frequently forget entirely that he also plays a klingon, so i didn't recognize his name. so when i heard the squire of gothos's voice come out of a random klingon's mouth in ds9 my immediate kneejerk reaction was "no i am hearing things that can't be--" BUT IT WAS. i PAUSED the episode so i could look iy up, realized that the guy in the drunk tank was kor or "do you have a tongue you will be taught to use it" fame, and then to my eternal glee, kang shows up next

i remembered reading once that kang came back later and i was like ??? no one comes back later on tos BUT HE DID! I JUST HAD TO WAIT FOR IT!!!!! mystery finally solved...........

once i recognized them this episode was a blast. absolutely loving these 100 year old klingons getting ready for a rip roaring rampage of supercentenarian revenge. i was VERY sad that they died at the end but at least presumably they all died together (didnt see the last one go down but im just assuming he lived long enough to eat the albino's heart and then die)

(the albino is a really funny concept by the way like he's not even albino he's just a white klingon)

other notable things about this episode: firstly, quark hiding behind odo at the beginning. classic. secondly, dax actually being a good fighter ?!?!?! and finally, a true passing of the bechdel test where dax asked kira some alarming and upsetting questions about killing people and kira immediately took her aside and MADE her talk. i love. Women. and also women who murder people. i support womens wrongs.

i even love that the ONE time sisko doesn't back up one of his people it's for a good reason (doesn't want the 27yo reincarnation of his father figure to die on a klingon suicide mission)

10000/10, absolutely stellar ep, zero complaints

journey's end (tng):

oh boy.

just about the coldest bucket of fucking water...

you know, we tried to give this episode the benefit of the doubt actually. we were like "maybe this was progressive in 1994. i mean they ARE saying that moving these guys forcibly would be bad" and i mean like what would we know about what was progressive in 94? we were 5. so we checked and um i don't think anybody liked it in 1994 either

devastating that THIS has to be a wesley episode bc i wanted a better sendoff for my boy. "i had a vision and now i'm leaving starfleet" and yes they said the word vision in the most derogatory way possible. jesus christ

TRAVELER ALIEN RACEFAKING? HE PRETENDED TO BE NATIVE AMERICAN TO GIVE WESLEY THE VISION? and then he was like haha don't you know all that stuff is fake. (picard earlier in this episode "i am sooo respectful of your beliefs")

furthermore when picard was like "oh yeah this guy blames me for the crimes of my colonizer ancestor" girl at no point did he say that. idk if white people should go around accusing other white people of white guilt so i don't say this lightly but jesus christ captain picard can you tone it the fuck down buddy

i came across a gifset today of picard from season 5 (idr the episode) going "starfleet doesn't want officers who blindly follow orders sayign you're just following orders has been used to justify too many tragedies in our history" and then smash cut to this episode where he's like "well i tried but yeah i'm gonna have to move you sowwy :/" like good lord.

anyway it's a bummer these last few eps of tng have been less than great bc ik tng is capable of good episodes and i was hoping this series would go out on a high note. but it's going to end the same way it began with us waiting for something good to happen and throwing popcorn at picard

TONIGHT: ds9's "the maquis part i" and tng's "firstborn." i am Braced. for trouble.

[mythuzalassaf]

Song by song reactions:

Spies are Forever: AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH SO AWESOME, also “They’re gay and unstoppable.” THE ACCENT DAMN background dancing holy hell

Coldest Goodbye: Just a vibe, 10/10

Spy Again: awesome

Somebody’s Gotta Do It: There are bad guys my man, and then there are bad guys, ma man! Holy shit that was cool!! The intro to it was cool!!

Eyes on the Prize 1: amazing- also the transition into Pay Attention was epic

Pay attention: “Gandalf” hahahahaha

Barb’s Lament: Amazing

Eyes 2: Oh my lord this is great

Not so Bad: Brian’s speech at the beginning and checking in during the breaks are amazing also Joey doing the smoke club dance 😂

Torture Tango: Holy shitballs this was so good

We love the prince: love the lyric changes yass. Also AJ AS VANGER BORSCHTIT!!!!!!!!

Prisoner of my past: holy shit that transition- also MK is amazing

Doing this: Again, the transition was amazing and this is just a great song

Pay Attention Reprise: Yesss indeed best song in the show,

One more shot: Tessa in this song 😂, also amazing transition again

One step ahead: “Very plotty.” 😂 just all of this song I stg is amazing

Spy again reprise: still really cool

Spy Dance: So sad it’s over but Spy dance is a vibe sooooooo

TLDR: Songs were amazing, transitions were amazing just gah this is so cool!!!! Also Tessa’s energy is amazing- so is everyone’s, she just stood out to me :)

EDIT: HOW TF DID I FORGET SOMEBODY’S GOTTA DO IT?!?! THIS HAS BEEN CORRECTED NOW :)

HOLY SHIT WATCHING THE DIGITAL TICKET FOR SAF IN CONCERT AND IVE JUST GOT TO SPY AGAIN AND ITS BLOODY AMAZING!!!!! More thoughts to come once I finished :)

[considerablecolors]

Cursed SAF Movie Adaptation

So, obviously we are all in agreement that a SAF movie would be incredible. But. As we all know, musical movie adaptations do not always work out (cough cough dear evan hansen cough cough). So, here are a few ideas for the worst SAF movie possible:

It's co-directed by Tom Hooper and Ryan Murphy. I have nothing else to say here.

James Corden plays Curt Mega. This is a given. Bonus points if a bunch of unnecessary and uncomfortably-close-to-homophobic gay jokes are added to the script and James says all of them in a "gay accent".

Chris Pratt plays Owen. A slightly less obvious choice, but still an important one. Chris grows out his hair for the role, but instead of keeping it Joey's length, he grows it out absurdly long and puts it in a ponytail that flaps in the wind during the staircase scene.

Not a single original actor of SAF is invited to reprise their role. However, it is announced that Darren Criss will be in the film. While the fandom is saddened to hear there won't be any TCB members, we are, of course, thrilled by the Darren Criss news. Until we find out who he's playing.

So, the directors of this movie blessedly keep the Curt & Tatiana friendship. However, they decide there just isn't enough romance in the story. So, they decide to give Tatiana (played by Chrissy Teigen) a love interest. This love interest is Hans, one of Von Nazi's henchmen (played by Darren Criss.) After Not So Bad (a song which probably should have undergone rewrites and was instead extended to be 10 minutes long), Hans helps Tatiana leave and tells her where Curt is being held so she can rescue him. The two share a brief kiss.

Later on in the show, during the couch scene, Prisoner of My Past is replaced with an incredibly basic love song about how Tatiana has always loved Hans and that even though he's a Nazi, she truly believes he's a good person. (Nothing is done to combat this idea.) We never learn about Tatiana's backstory with the KGB, or her family. Her entire character is reduced to Curt's friend and love interest. The new love song is nominated for an Oscar. It does not win.

Speaking of, let's take a look at what songs are cut from the show, since every adaptation cuts a few: Spies Are Forever is cut and replaced with a stale 5 minute, no-dialogue cold opening. An instrumental of The Coldest Goodbye plays over it, but without lyrics. Eyes On The Prize I and II are both cut. (Barb's Lament is extended and becomes its own number.) We Love The Prince! is turned into a club song, as Vanger will be played by RuPaul. One More Shot is cut and replaced with a montage of them drinking, during which a 30-second instrumental of One More Shot plays. Spy Dance plays during the credits, but only after a terrible pop-cover of Tatiana's love song plays.

For whatever reason, the staircase scene no longer takes place on a staircase. It's not even in the Russian Weapons Facility. It's out in the middle of some random field, and Curt and Owen are standing like ten feet apart the whole time yelling the dialogue to each other. It's kind of like the end of Deathly Hallows, but there's not even any magic lasers. They're just fucking yelling across the field at each other.

Anyway, I think if I list anything else I might have a stroke (/j) so I'll end it here lmao.

[owen-not-carvour]

yknow what i love. the differences between curt and owen,,, that really aren’t that different at all.

here’s what i mean:

owen sings the reprise of the coldest goodbye,,, While curt sings a reprise (of sorts) of spies are forever.

i just like that,, and i feel like each of those fit their characters pretty well. curt sings saf because he Is a spy and he doesn't really question what he’s working for or his beliefs like owen did after (and i feel like even Before as well) he fell in 1957.. spies are forever is more about things going 'well' in a way,, the lyrics aren't as sad as the coldest goodbye,, and ofc paired with what’s going on on stage, everything is going pretty good for them there,, and i think it’s safe to say that curt is the more optimistic of the two of them while owen is more negative (with good reason) and because of this, the coldest goodbye reprise fits owen really well too because it's like the lyrics of saf, but turned and twisted to be negative and sad., and that's basically what happened to owen when he fell. he got betrayed and his beliefs changed (or his suspicions were just proven right). this isn't super detailed but i just,, really like it yknow. and i feel like it makes sense.

also ik that the coldest goodbye is Basically a reprise of spies are forever in itself,, but they're still different enough to where i feel it still makes sense and makes a difference.. and ofc that also plays into it as mentioned.

but yeah there’s This.. and that’s not even getting to how spies are forever and one step ahead are Literally the same song too.

i love the music in spies so much.

[smytherines]

Spies are noir

[thatsnailboi]

The song is Coldest Goodbye (Reprise) - Spies Are Forever, because I wanted to make my friend cry and now so can you

Chrome Music Lab Song Maker is a garbage fire and i love it.

This song doesn't translate to exclusively staccato as well as some other songs I've tried, this ended up sounding like a creepy music box.

I may end up making a v2 of this where the sung melody is a bit more clear, and cut some of the intro in favour of more of the outro, maybe try to time the gun sounds, back for a first attempt i think it's pretty good!

Spies Are Forever fans enjoy!

[theboywiththecuckooclockheart]

My Top 10 Favorite Songs From Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart: Concept Album and Movie

Here I will rank my top 10 favorite songs between the movie and concept album versions of Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart. I personally believe that the French concept album songs are quite different from the translations in the English movie, so I will rank them independently. That means that one song may end up on this list twice for the reasons I will explain as we go down the list. Let’s start from number 10:

10. “Mademoiselle Clé”

As simple and intimate as this scene in the movie is, I’m going to have to put the French version on this list. Mainly because it stays a bit more true to the scene in the novel which is much less PG than the movie. The French song shares the line “...she works her Blue Fairy magic on me, like in Pinocchio, but more real. Except it’s not my nose that’s growing longer.” The implications of that quote in the novel and the French song are obvious, but are much more loosely intimated in the film. Also, I simply prefer the composition of the French album song over the movie version.

You can find the French song from the concept album here on Dioysos’ official Youtube channel and the scene from the movie here on a fan’s Youtube channel.

9. “Tais-Toi Mon Coeur”

This song can only be found in the concept album and corresponds more directly to the plot of the book than the movie. The title means “Be Quiet my Heart” (or, more aggressively, “shut up, my heart”). It is such a catchy song and the old music video associated with it has a really cool animation style which some hoped would have been the style of the entire movie, but alas.

You can find the official song here on Dionysos’ official Youtube channel and the music video here on a fan’s Youtube channel.

8. “Flamme A Lunettes”

There are actually three versions of the song “Flame with Glasses” because it also shows up in the book. The book version is quite short, and is actually the most similar to the movie for that reason. However, the song in the concept album encapsulates more of the action in the novel itself, not just the song that Miss Acacia sings. Additionally, the imagery in the song from the album is much richer and Jack and Miss Acacia’s banter goes on for a little longer. Even though the scene in the movie is visually intriguing and captures some of the imagery with its setting, I’m going to have to put the album version on this list.

You can find the French song from the concept album here on Dionysos’ official Youtube channel and the scene from the English movie here on a fan’s Youtube channel.

7. “L'école De Joe”

“The School of Joe” can only be found in the movie in its instrumental form, so I don’t want to make a direct comparison to the lyric version in the album. However, I don’t think I have to. Both incarnations capture the same menacing energy and climactic build, and what the movie may lack in lyrics it sure makes up for in the scene. And while I hate to put Joe nearly halfway up my list, the song is just too powerful to put any lower.

You can find the French song from the concept album here on Dionysos’ official Youtube channel.

6. “Malagueña”

Doing the research on the Spanish songs in the album and the movie sure gave me a run for my money because I had no idea about the multilingual talents of Olivia Ruiz. She both voices and sings Miss Acacia in the French movie, the concept album (which is in French, of course), as well as the Spanish songs in both (if not all) of the translations of the movie. Her version of “La Malagueña”, a traditional Mexican Huapango song, was originally covered on two of her albums [1], and is of course identical in the concept album and the movie because there is no need to translate it. It was tough for me to choose between “Malagueña” and “Quijote”, but for the wonderful and fantastical elements surrounding it in the movie and for the great references to quotes from the novel during the scene, “Malagueña” makes it on this list.

You can find the song from the concept album here on Dionysos’ official Youtube channel and an amazing live performance of it by Olivia Ruiz here.

5. “Le Jour Le Plus Froid du Monde”

Thanks to this Youtube video and the fanart included in it, “The Coldest Day on Earth” was the first song I ever heard from the “La Mécanique Du Cœur” concept album and was how I discovered the movie in the first place. I have always been an enthusiast for anything vaguely steampunk, and a rhythm set by cuckoo-clocks is exactly the kind of song I’m looking for. Once I figured out what the French lyrics actually mean, I knew I needed to find out more about this weird world. It took me exactly two years to get my hands on a copy of the book after watching the movie, and I discovered the entire concept album around that time as well. Perhaps this song should be number one on this list because it is literally the reason I have this blog to begin with, but I just can’t deny how much I love the other songs at the top of this list.

I also can’t fail to mention the sort of reprised version of the song, called “Le Réveil Des Coucous Vivants”, or “The Awakening of the Living Cuckoos” which makes an appearance very early in the movie, but is actually the last song on the concept album. If you want to experience an amazing example of how cuckoos can be used as incredibly haunting musical instruments, I recommend you check it out.

You can find the French song from the concept album here on Dionysos’ official Youtube channel here is the link to “Le Réveil Des Coucous Vivants” on their channel as well.

4. “La Panique Mécanique”

I absolutely love how much this song builds and how it captures the experience of traveling on a train alone for the first time. This song does make a shortened appearance in the movie during Jack’s train ride, but I’m not a huge fan of how they altered the lyrics. Another thing that makes the French album version so much more striking than the English movie version is Alain Bashung’s [2] performance of Jack the Ripper’s lines. His voice is so mysterious and menacing and creates the perfect bridge into the chaotic latter portion of the song. Perhaps it is my relative lack of exposure to a variety of French voices, but his rendition just hits different than the English one in my opinion.

You can find the French version from the concept album here on Dionysos’ official Youtube channel. Unfortunately I can’t find a good link to the scene in the movie, so you will have to do some digging yourself if you are interested.

3. “Jack Et La Mécanique Du Cœur”

In third place is the French concept album version of the titular song “Jack Et La Mécanique Du Cœur”. It is the very first song on the concept album and serves as a sort of summary for the plot and kind of resembles a Greek chorus [3] that speculates what our protagonist Jack is going to do. It includes some interjection from Georges Méliès and ends with him saying “Et maintenant, bon film” (”And now, enjoy the film”), which I find very cute since it’s sort of like we are watching Méliès’ own film adaption of the story, which he tells Jack during the movie that he could very well make.

You can find the French concept album version here on Dionysos’ official Youtube channel.

2. “Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart” (English version from the end credits  of the movie)

Maybe this is a cop-out, but I just couldn’t decide which version of this song to put on this list, so I included both. After much deliberation, I decided to put the English version at number two instead of three. It seems sacrilegious somehow, but I just had to put it a little higher for a couple of reasons. One, I discovered it first so it lodged itself in my consciousness before the French version did, and two, I just can’t get over Orlando Seale’s voice in this song. Of course Mathias Malzieu is completely unparalleled, but there is something about Seale’s optimistic and gallant tone that is completely enrapturing.

It’s sort of a bummer that this amazing song only shows up at the very end of the credits, but I must admit it is a difficult song to place anywhere else in the film considering the inexplicable presence of Méliès (which makes it hard to put at the beginning for the sake of the plot). But, it also doesn’t make sense at the end since it’s a summary of what we just watched and the final line tells us to “enjoy the film” as the last few credits roll up on the screen. Regardless, I should be happy that the song was ever translated into English because I can thank it for keeping my interest and passion for the story alive.

You can find the English version here on a fan’s Youtube channel.

1. “L’Homme Sans Trucage”

And finally, number one. You’d think “Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart” would have taken this spot considering how much I went on about it, but “L’Homme Sans Trucage” (”The Man Without Special Effects”) from the concept album has an absolutely tangible feeling of adventure and boundlessness with instrumentals that are out of this world. Who else but Dionysos can mix record-scratching, keyboard, banjo, drums, and more simultaneously and make it sound that amazing? The song perfectly captures the “coming of age” theme of the story, and the imagery in the song is beyond inspiring. 

I also need to mention the reference in the title and in the chorus to Méliès’ diary in the story which he titled “The Man without Special Effects” (or “The Man Who Was No Hoax” per the English translation of the novel). That diary in both the movie and the novel is Méliès’ retelling of his time spent with Jack (which is why I think putting the song “Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart” in the beginning of the movie would be so cool) and is emphasized a bit more in the novel than in the movie. That diary makes a sort of legend out of Jack, and its title implies entirely different layers of meaning between the movie and the novel. 

To give the movie some credit, though, the scene is a lot of fun, and I love how they styled it à la Méliès with paper cutouts and the reference to “The Impossible Voyage” [4] by the real Georges Méliès. The scene stays true to the surrealism of the story, and is definitely quite enjoyable. But, in the end, I have to give “L’Homme Sans Trucage” the number one spot on my list.

You can find the French version from the concept album here on Dionysos official Youtube channel and the scene from the movie here on Shout! Factory’s Youtube channel.

There are 31 tracks (including interludes) on the complete “La Mécanique Du Cœur” concept album, so of course I couldn’t include them all here. The styles and tones of each song are so unique, and I think the entire album is worth a listen. I first listened to the entire album roughly concurrently with the plot of the novel, and that was a pretty great way to experience it, in my opinion. But, if you’re like me and you aren’t exactly fluent in French, it’s not like you’ll get many spoilers from the songs.

_____________

All quotes are from the film and/or novel “Jack and Cuckoo-Clock Heart” by Mathias Malzieu unless otherwise specified.

Sources and additional information:

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malague%C3%B1a_Salerosa

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alain_Bashung

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_chorus#:~:text=A%20Greek%20chorus%2C%20or%20simply,voice%20on%20the%20dramatic%20action.

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Impossible_Voyage

[coldairballoons]

spies are forever strippability ranking for anon!

overture: yes. yes. sexy spy time. 10/10

spies are forever: we got that good ol’ curtwen in this joint with mary kate wiles’ voice. 10/10.

the coldest goodbye: do you WANT ME TO STRIP AND CRY AT THE SAME TIME??????? if so, 10/10, but if not, 2/10.

spy again: *sadly strips* 2/10 because curt mega

somebody’s gotta do it: BKHAFIASJDKAJDASKJKASKDH I WOULD STRIP TO THIS I WOULD STRIP TO THIS 10/10

eyes on the prize i: you know what? valid! strip to this! 8/10!

pay attention: i love barb too much for this. 3/10.

barb’s lament: awwwww babeyyyyyyyyyy 2/10 she deserves the world not to have one of her solos stripped to!

eyes on the prize ii: VALID! strip to this! 8/10!

not so bad: i would lose my shit this is kjaksdhkasjdsk do it do it. fucking do it. 10/10.

the torture tango: HOLY FUCK YOU HAVE TO STRIP TO THIS! DO IT! FUCKING DO IT! 10000000000000/10

we love the prince!: n...not great for stripping. 1/10

prisoner of my past: content wise, no. however it’s got that vibe. 4/10.

doing this: fuck it if you’re not stripping to this song what are you doing in life? 10/10.

one more shot: JAM OUT SIS!!! 10/10!

not so bad (reprise): ...conflicted. 2/10.

one step ahead: sexy fight choreography plus curtwen plus solid beats plus homoerotic tension. fuck it. strip to this. 1000000000000/10.

spy again (reprise): you know what? it’s what he would want. 10/10.

spy dance: strip to this, cowards. 10/10.

[snark-academia]

I can’t sleep and my brain has developed a need to put everything into numbered lists so here’s my top nine favorite musicals with my nine favorite songs from each musical

#9: Starship 

1. The Way I Do 

2. Kick it Up a Notch 

3. Status Quo

4. Beauty 

5. I Wanna Be 

6. Kick it Up a Notch Reprise 

7. Hideous Creatures 

8. Get Back Up 

9. Life 

#8: The Lightning Thief 

1. The Last Day of Summer 

2. My Grand Plan 

3. DOA 

4. Good Kid 

5. Drive 

6. Tree on the Hill 

7. Strong 

8. Son of Poseidon 

9. Campfire Song

#7: Ordinary Days 

1. Favorite Places 

2. Rooftop Duet/Falling 

3. I’ll Be Here 

4.Calm 

5. Fine 

6. Sort of Fairy Tale 

7. Gotta Get Out 

8. Hundred Story City 

9. One by One by One 

#6: Something Rotten 

1. Will Power 

2. Something Rotten!/Make an Omelet 

3. We See the Light 

4. Bottom’s Gonna Be On Top

5. A Musical 

6. Right Hand Man 

7. Hard to Be the Bard 

8. To Thine Own Self 

9. I Love the Way 

#5: West Side Story 

1. A Boy Like That/I Have a Love

2. Cool

3. Tonight (Quintet) 

4. Somewhere 

5. Gee, Officer Krupkee

6. I Feel Pretty 

7. America

8. One Hand, One Heart 

9. Something’s Coming 

#4: Falsettos

1. This Had Better Come to a Stop 

2, You Gotta Die Sometime 

3. Something Bad is Happening/More Raquetball 

4. I Never Wanted to Love You 

5. Everyone Hates His Parents

6. A Day in Falsetto Land

7. What Would I Do? 

8. Unlikely Lovers

9. I’m Breaking Down 

#3: Spring Awakening 

1. Don’t Do Sadness/Blue Wind 

2. Those You’ve Known

3. Touch Me

4. The Bitch of Living

5. The Dark I Know Well

6. The Song of Purple Summer

7. Totally Fucked 

8. And Then There Were None 

9. My Junk 

#2: Spies Are Forever

1. One Step Ahead

2. Doing This 

3. Spy Again

4. The Torture Tango 

5. Spies Are Forever 

6. We Love the Prince

7. The Coldest Goodbye

8. Somebody’s Gotta Do It 

9. One More Shot 

#1: Bare: A Pop Opera

1. Role of a Lifetime

2. Once Upon a Time

3. Bare 

4. One 

5. All Grown Up

6. Ever After

7. A Quiet Night at Home

8. Cross

9. Auditions