#the lyrics are from Fake It by bastille if anyone wants to know

[picnokinesis]

Oh my lover, my lover, my love We can never go back We can only do our best to recreate So don't turn over, turn over the page We should rip it straight out Then let's try our very best to fake it

[officialleotolstoy]

Oh Natasha/Andrei brainrot we’re really in it now, aka Natasha/Andrei playlist annotations!

Honestly the age gap is so inherently uncomfortable it’s difficult for me to really ship this but I think in terms of the REALLY low bar of W&P marriages/almost-marriages, it’s one of the better ones because they at least mutually care about each other. It’s also just devastating on principle!

There are several distinct sections of song on here, this is one of the few I’ve actually put in a significant order, so I’m going to break it down into that.

Part 1: Initial Meeting/Falling In Love The First Time/General

Absolutely Smitten - dodie

“She wants to dance around the room, kiss you until her lips turn blue”

This song really reminds me of their first meeting when they’re both like 👀 at each other. I like how it captures the excitement but also nerves of the girl, which I feel like is an important feature of Natasha’s part of the relationship.

Helpless - Philippa Soo

“Tryin' to catch your eye from the side of the ballroom”

Sorry to all the ex-Hamilton stans I jumpscared with this, but it’s about the Philippa Soo Singing About Falling In Love vibe. Also the quoted lyric reminds me of their iconic dance scene, or at least the bits leading up to that.

To Noise Making (Sing) - Hozier

“Honey, the look of it was as sweet as the sound; Your head tilt back, your funny mouth to the clouds”

This reminds me of the scene where she sings for him and he’s like WAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH im in love! I paraphrase, but you get the idea.

Golden Years - David Bowie

“Look at that sky, life's begun”

This is objectively the stupidest song on here. It’s here because I think it’s funny to imagine the iconic Natasha/Andrei dance just being the Golden Years dance from A Knight’s Tale, HOWEVER the quoted lyric is in fact Andreicore.

Stop The World I Wanna Get Off With You - The Arctic Monkeys

“And I know we got places to go, we got people to see/Think we both oughta put 'em on hold”

‘Wren there are several songs that are on this playlist AND your Andrei/Pierre playlist’ Thank you for noticing it’s because if Tolstoy can recycle the same lines of dialogue for these relationships I can recycle the same songs! This song is just. I Hate Everyone Except You :) which is deeply Andrei @ both of them. But also like wanting life to stop so you can just hang out with Your People.

Strawberry Blond - Mitski

“I love everybody because I love you”

I’m pretty sure someone once pointed out how this lyric fit Andrei/Natasha once in a post and I cannot for the life of me remember who but that made an impression on me. Mystery person, thanks <3 Also I forgot this was a Mitski song??

The Anchor - Bastille

“Bring me some hope by wandering into my mind”

One of Thee things about their relationship that sticks out to me is how Natasha is so lifelike and her very existence gives Andrei hope for the world. It’s so. It’s so much!

Something After All - Starry

“You’ve turned my world around”

Like I said above, falling in love with Natasha really changes Andrei’s entire worldview! I also think “I've spent years building up walls” is very Andrei, and Natasha kind of brought them down, like what happens in the song.

Cosmic Love - Florence + The Machine

“A falling star fell from your heart and landed in my eyes”

IT’S ABOUT THE SPACE METAPHORS FOR LOVE. THIS IS NO ONE ELSE FROM GREAT COMET’S FAULT.

Cold Cold Man - Saint Motel

“I know I am a cold cold man: quite slow to pay you compliments or public displayed affections”

It’s about being generally not very emotional or expressive but being devoted to the person anyway...very Andrei-ish.

Ophelia - The Lumineers

“I don't feel nothing at all and you can't feel nothing small”

The quoted lyric just seems like a really good summary of their dynamic, but I also think “Heaven help a fool who falls in love” works well for bitter post-elopement vibes, so this song was difficult to place.

Part 2: Andrei Leaving For Abroad

Misbehavin’ - Pentatonix

For some reason this is on both the Nat/Andrei and Natasha playlists and I’m too lazy to change it. Just go look at those annotations.

No One Else - Great Comet

Duh

To a Poet - First Aid Kit

“I got on a plane and flew far away from you, though unwillingly I left”

This song makes me think of Andrei abroad missing Natasha :( Honey you’ve got a big storm coming

Part 3: Post-Elopement Breakup Songs

I Hope Your Husband Dies - Amigo The Devil

“All the distance that we've spent apart will never have to mean a thing”

This song is VERY much Andrei about Anatole. “Now you're with this asshole, you expect me to believe it's going to last” really works because her relationship with Anatole was never going to last, whether or not she knew that. And “I'm not so much afraid of being alone, just kind of feel I've had enough/And time and time again, time reminds me you'll never be my own/We'll never have a house to decorate, a place that we can call our home” as an Andrei thing makes me very sad!!!

Ruins - First Aid Kit

“Ruins, all the things we built assured that they would last”

I think you can safely say their relationship was in ruins after the elopement attempt. I also think “I lost you, didn't I? First I think I lost myself” is something Natasha would think about the whole scenario

Half of My Heart - John Mayer

“Half of my heart's got the right mind to tell you that I can't keep loving you with half of my heart”

I think this is supposed to be more of an “I don’t love you anymore and that’s on me” song, but I like to mentally frame it in the context of Andrei after the elopement refusing to take back Natasha. I also think all the bits about the singer’s love interest changing the singer’s outlook on life before really fits, like “Lonely was the song I sang 'til the day you came, showing me another way”

Love Like Ghosts - Lord Huron

“You don't want me baby please don't lie/Oh but if you're leaving, I gotta know why”

It’s all about the singer being haunted by a love that doesn’t necessarily reciprocate on the same level, and I think that really fits Andrei’s mindset. It breaks my heart to think about him trying to figure out what he did wrong, why he wasn’t enough for Natasha, and so that quoted lyric really makes me just. :(

Cold Day In Heaven - Delta Rae

“Keep thinking bout when we started, so innocent/Your heart was a mess and I was lost in it”

This whole song is so good for them, it’s essentially just a couple being disappointed that their relationship didn’t work out well. The quoted lyric is so. AAAAHHH. because both of their hearts were messes but for different reasons, Andrei was so hopeless and bleak but Natasha was so naive and not ready for it and it’s so. It’s so Much. Also “We watched, the stars fell, and oh you know we let them/We said it’ll never happen, we said it’ll never happen to us/But it’s a cold day in heaven my love” gets me because 1) star/sky references :( and 2) Natasha especially did say it’d never happen to them, she was adamant that she’d love Andrei forever and that uh. I think we all know how well that worked out!

2 Months. - Zach Adkins

Someone You Loved - Lewis Capaldi

“I let my guard down and then you pulled the rug”

This is kind of a generic betrayal/breakup/I-miss-you song, but I think it works. Especially with “I kinda liked the way you numbed all the pain” and the focus on the singer’s lover getting them through difficult times and then abandoning them.

The Night We Met - Lord Huron

“Take me back to the night we met”

I think people are legally obligated to have this song on any playlist for a couple that doesn’t end well. It’s generic but it’s good! The entire Strange Trails album my BELOVED!

Careless Whisper - George Michael

“I should have known better than to cheat a friend and waste a chance that I'd been given, so I'm never gonna dance again the way I danced with you”

UNIRONICALLY THIS SONG. I think it’s the focus on dancing as like a significant marker of the relationship for me, especially given how heavily adaptations focus on their dance at that ball. The quoted lyric reminds me of Natasha’s mindset after all of this. Also “We could have been so good together, we could have lived this dance forever, but now, who's gonna dance with me? Please stay” reminds me of Natasha asking him to forgive her. Not to actually get sad over Careless Whisper but. :,(

With Or Without You - U2

“And you give yourself away”

The quoted lyric is in reference to the elopement in my head, and “I can’t live with or without you” is like. Andrei can’t continue on and let her back into his life, he admits that he can’t forgive her, but he also has no real will to live after she betrays him and goes off to die in war.

Atlantis - Seafret

“We've built this town on shaky ground”

“This town” is in reference to their relationship, and I like the acknowledgment that there was never a great foundation to begin with. And “maybe I’m not built for love” as an Andrei lyric is a little heartbreaking! Other than that it’s just a Breakup Song.

I Don’t Wanna See You Cryin’ Anymore - Adam Melchor

“I don't wanna be the reason you can't trust me like before/My head's in my hands as I'm shaking on the bathroom floor”

This reminds me of Natasha’s deep guilt over her betrayal of Andrei. The implication that Andrei would ever let anyone see him cry is a bit much for me, just ignore that HFJAHDHSH

Part 4: Reconciling While Andrei ✨Dies✨

Fake It - Bastille

“We can never go back, we can only do our best to recreate”

This whole is song is about trying to move forward from bad things in the past with your lover which is the whole vibe! But I also think it shows some reluctance on the part of the singer to forget, and a bit of a desperation to be able to leave the mistakes in the past. “Help me turn a blind eye” really captures that. I like this as the early stages of them reconnecting, because I think it’s realistic to have Andrei especially be wary but wanting it to get better.

Bad Blood - Bastille

“All this bad blood here, won’t you let it dry?”

Letting go of a grudge and trying to move on vibes!

Let It All Go - Birdy, Alvaro Soler

“We’re strong enough to let it go”

All their hurt surrounding the elopement is the Thing they’re letting go of in this case.

Flaws - Bastille

“You have always worn your flaws upon your sleeve and I have always buried them deep beneath the ground”

The quoted lyric just feels like their general dynamic to me. Natasha is so open about everything and does indeed wear her heart on her sleeve whereas Andrei represses every emotion he’s ever felt. I think this is a post-elopement song because of “Dig them up; let’s finish what we started”. That feels like them reexamining their relationship and what went wrong and trying again.

Moscow - Autoheart

“All I need’s a fraction of your happy heart”

This song is so 🥺. “We both know what we’ve got to do: head back to where the magic grew” reminds me of them accepting their reconnection and moving on and trying to rekindle whatever was between them. And “Let’s get a dog, an Irish red setter, it’s all we need to get better” feels emblematic of them looking forward to domestic happiness as the solution. And the quoted lyric screams Andrei about Natasha.

The Heart Is A Muscle - Gang of Youths

“I will look at love as more than just an instrument of pain”

Not to be off topic but this whole album is so good every single song makes me feel SHRIMP EMOTIONS god. Also the whole thing is very Andreicore and I had to stop myself from adding every song to his playlist. But I digress. This song is all about having been hurt by love in the past (“I let bad love betray me once”) but deciding to open your heart again which is very them! “I haven't had enough and I wanna love someone” AAAAHHHH. “I am human now and terrified, but want it all the same” Mr. GangOfYouths im going INSANE! “I just ask you to be patient if you’ll have me still” HELLO? Not to quote the whole song but “I wanna be loved, I wanna be whole again, so tuck my hair behind my ears and touch my soul again” as an Andrei/Natasha lyric...I need to sit down. Can you all tell this song makes me go all kinds of crazy. And this isn’t even my favorite song off the album!

Shrike - Hozier

“I couldn’t utter my love when it counted, ah but I’m flying like a bird to you now”

This song feels very “we tried to have a relationship a while ago and it didn’t work out that well but I still love you we could try again” to me which fits this time very well!

Part 5: Andrei Goes Splat :( [And The Aftermath]

Work Song - Hozier

“No grave can hold my body down, I’ll crawl home to her”

I can’t say what it is exactly, but something about persistent love framed around the death motif works for me here.

Dancing After Death - Matt Maeson

“As the sun waits to eclipse and the taste teases my lips, I'm too tired to wrestle with it”

The quoted lyric reminds me of Andrei giving up and shutting down when he realizes he’s gonna die :( oh ALSO my brain always mentally fills in “and no one else” after the “you and I” that ends the chorus which does NOT help with my depression!

One Last Time - Jaymes Young

“Could I feel your skin on mine before I have to say goodbye?”

SCREAMS SO LOUDLY. The whole song is like. Someone dying and wanting to see their person one last time and AAAAAAAAAAA. I am a little incoherent maybe. “I'm leavin' this cold world of mine, no pleadin' is gonna turn back time” really Gets Me in the context of Andrei accepting his own death and withdrawing and it’s so. Anyway.

Oblivion - Bastille

“When oblivion is calling out your name, you always take it further than I ever can”

I don’t think this is exactly what the song is talking about, but the quoted lyric in the context of Andrei dying and Natasha watching him fade and withdraw...good Lord. I need emotional support.

Haunt - Bastille

“I’ll come back to haunt you/Memories will taunt you”

Natasha being haunted by the memory of Andrei!!! Help me!!!! Also “I will try to love you/It’s not like I’m above you” as a callback to Andrei’s feelings for Natasha when they start to reconnect is so mental illness inducing. OOOH and “Questioning why as you look to the sky that is cloudless up above our heads and thoughts come to mind that our short little lives haven't left the path that they will tread” any lyric ever about looking at the sky is Andrei’s now.

Without You - for KING & COUNTRY

“What do you do when you don't get better/Strong arms get too, get too weak to hold her”

:( :( :( :( :( Also “I’m not ready to live without you” I am so sad.

Good Grief - Bastille

“Every minute and every hour I miss you, I miss you, I miss you more”

Pain! Agony, even!

I made myself SO sad writing the entire last half of these annotations geez

[aaronstveit]

Can you share what songs remind you of pynch? I haven’t heard Bastille in a long time a would love recommendations! 🧡

oop okay quick break from my creations asks to answer this because!!! heck yes i have a TON of pynch song recs omg!!!!! gonna put it under the cut bc wow did i kinda go off jfkldsjfdlsk

first here are a few non-bastille staples (it’s possible that i’m working on a really long fic and i have a playlist for it and these songs are on said playlist)

queen of the night by hey violet (shoutout to clawsandbeak for showing me this gem because this really is THE pynch anthem okay like don’t get me STARTED on “when the night goes quiet / and we’re up in your room / and you’re kissing my fingers / and i kiss your tattoo”)

steamroller by phoebe bridgers (someone requested a pynch songfic for this and i promise i’m working on it okay but like LISTEN “part of me wants you / but most of me needs you / so i won’t fall unless you ask me to” has the BIGGEST adam vibes)

you are in love by taylor swift (”one night / he wakes / strange look / on his face / pauses / then says / “you’re my best friend” don’t talk to me)

like a prayer by madonna (”it’s like a dream / no end and no beginning” one of the best song lyrics of all time and very pynch)

somewhere only we know by keane (”is this the place we used to love? / is this the place that i’ve been dreaming of?” very cabeswater/lindenmere vibes)

daylight by taylor swift (it’s morning now! it’s brighter now! just a soft song for them because they deserve it)

the louvre by lorde (”our thing progresses / i call and you come through / blow all my friendships / to sit in hell with you / but we’re the greatest / they’ll hang us in the louvre / down the back, but who cares? still the louvre”)

a world alone by lorde (”you’re my best friend and / we’re dancing in a world alone”)

holy roller by cyn (”so you’re like my best friend, yeah, except for the sex / and god damn, you’re such an angel waking up in my bed / better listen to me, i’ve got my hands on your neck” and “i can’t repent for something i mean / besides, you know i love the punishment” and “i’m a sucker for a savior and you save me just in time” okay........)

home by one direction (”could we ever be enough? baby we could be enough”)

now my fav bastille songs for my boys <3

laughter lines (this song really makes me think of adam and ronan being long-distance while adam is at college and yeah......)

warmth (i mean come on “feeling helpless, i look for distraction / i go searching for you / wandering through our city to find some / solace at your door” st. agnes sleepovers anyone? 

the anchor (”all the time, all the time / i think of you all the time” “let the days be dark / let me hate my work / ‘cause you cut through all the noise” wow)

an act of kindness (this is a very adam song, before his character development mostly, like literally the title track on my ode to adam parrish playlist fdkslfjdsl)

send them off (”i’ve got demons running round in my head” “won’t you lay your healing hands on my chest?” “soak the ropes with your holy water / tie me down as you read out the words” “i want to be free as i’ll ever be / exorcise my mind” literally THE song for the demon scene in trk.... anyway)

fake it (”drive around / nighttime / nowhere to go” “i wanna waste all of my time / with you” owo)

doom days (in my head this is the dreamer trilogy pynch theme song okay “when i watch the world burn / all i think about is you” “like a bad religion / tell me all your original sins”)

nocturnal creatures (”you put your arms around me / partners in crime in the dead of night” “this time with you’s elastic / we stretch these hours as far as we can make them go”)

anyway yeah i spent way too much answering this but i hope you enjoy at least one of these songs!!!!!💛💛

[berlysbandcamp]

Mazouni - A Dandy In Exile - 1969/1982

1958, in the middle of the liberation war. While the rattle of machine guns could be heard in the maquis, in the city, the population listened at low volume to Algerian patriotic songs broadcast by the powerful Egyptian radio: "The Voice of the Arabs". These artists all belonged to a troupe created by the self-proclaimed management of the National Liberation Front (FLN), based in Tunis and claiming to gather a "representative" sample of the Algerian musical movement of the time.

1960, cafe terraces were crowded and glasses of anisette kept coming with metronomic regularity, despite the alarming music of police sirens heard at intervals and the silhouettes of soldiers marching in the streets. The mood was good, united by a tune escaping from everywhere: balconies, where laundry was finishing drying, windows wide open from apartments or restaurants serving the famous Algiers shrimps along with copious rosé wine. Couples spontaneously joined the party upon hearing "Ya Mustafa", punctuated by improvised choirs screaming "Chérie je t’aime, chérie je t’adore". The song, as played by Sétif-born Alberto Staïffi, was a phenomenal success, to the point that even FLN fighters adopted it unanimously. Hence an unfortunate misunderstanding that would trick colonial authorities into believing Mustafa was an ode to the glory of Fellaghas. 

1961, Cheikh Raymond Leyris, a Jewish grand master of ma’luf (one of Algeria’s three Andalusian waves) who was Enrico Macias’ professor, was killed in Constantine, making him the first victim of a terrorist wave that would catch up with Algeria at the dawn of the 1990s by attacking anything that thought, wrote or sang.

Mohamed Mazouni, born January 4, 1940 in Blida – “The City of Roses" both known for its beautiful ‘Blueberry Square’ (saht ettout) in the middle of which a majestic bandstand took center stage, and its brothels – had just turned twenty. He was rather handsome and his memory dragged around a lot of catchy refrains by Rabah Driassa and Abderrahmane Aziz, also natives of Blida, or by 'asri (modern music) masters Bentir or Lamari. He would make good use of all these influences and many others stemming from the Algerian heritage. The young Mohamed was certainly aware of his vocal limits, as he used to underline them: "I had a small voice, I came to terms with it!". But it didn’t lack charm nor authenticity, and it was to improve with age. He began his singing career in those years, chosing bedoui as a style (a Saharan genre popularized among others by the great Khelifi Ahmed). 

1962, the last French soldiers were preparing their pack. A jubilant crowd was proclaiming its joy of an independent Algeria. Remembering the impact of popular music to galvanize the "working classes", the new authorities in office rewarded the former members of the FLN troupe by appointing them at the head of national orchestras. In widespread euphoria, the government encouraged odes to the recovered independence, and refrains to the glory of "restored dignity" sprung from everywhere. Abderrahmane Aziz, a star of 'asri (Algiers’ yé-yé) was a favorite with Mabrouk Alik ("Congratulations, Mohamed / Algeria came back to you"); Blaoui Houari, a precursor of Raï music, praised the courage of Zabana the hero; Kamel Hamadi recalled in Kabyle the experience of Amirouche the chahid (martyr), and even the venerable Remitti had her own song for the Children of Algeria. All this under the benevolent eye (and ear) of the regime led by Ahmed Ben Bella, the herald of the single party and vigilant guardian of the "Arab-Islamic values" established as a code of conduct. Singers were praised the Egyptian model, as well as Andalusian art intended for a nascent petty bourgeoisie and decreed a "national classic"; some did not hesitate to sell out. These Khobzists – an Algerian humorous term mocking those who put “putting-food-on-the-table” reasons forward to justify their allegiance to the system – were to monopolize all programs and stages, while on the fringes, popular music settled for animating wedding or circumcision celebrations. Its absence in the media further strengthened its regionalization: each genre (chaâbi, chaouï, Kabyle, Oranian...) stayed confined within its local boundaries, and its "national representatives" were those whose tunes didn’t bother anyone. The first criticisms would emanate from France, where many Algerian artists went to tackle other styles. During the Kabyle-expression time slot on Radio Paris, Slimane Azem – once accused of "collaboration" – sang, evoking animals, the first political lines denouncing the dictatorship and preconceived thinking prevailing in his country. The reaction was swift: under pressure from the Algerian government, the Kabyle minute was cancelled. Even in Algeria, Ahmed Baghdadi aka Saber, an idol for fans of Raï music (still called "Oranian folklore"), was imprisoned for denouncing the bureaucracy of El Khedma (work).

For his part, Mazouni was to be noticed through a very committed song: Rebtouh Fel Mechnak (“They tied him to the guillotine”). But above all, the general public discovered him through a performance at the Ibn Khaldoun Theater (formerly Pierre Bordes Theater, in the heart of Algiers), broadcast by the Algerian Radio Broadcasting, later renamed ENTV. This would enable him to integrate the Algerian National Theater’s artistic troupe. Then, to pay tribute to independence, he sang “Farewell France, Hello Algeria”. 1965: Boumediene's coup only made matters worse. Algeria adopted a Soviet-style profile where everything was planned, even music. Associations devoted to Arab-Andalusian music proliferated and some sycophantic music movement emerged, in charge of spreading the message about "fundamental options". Not so far from the real-fake lyricism epitomized by Djamel Amrani, the poet who evoked a “woman as beautiful as a self-managed farm". The power glorified itself through cultural weeks abroad or official events, summoning troubadours rallied to its cause. On the other hand, popular music kept surviving through wedding, banquets and 45s recorded for private companies, undergoing censorship and increased surveillance from the military.

As for Mazouni, he followed his path, recording a few popular tunes, but he also was in the mood for traveling beyond the Mediterranean: "In 1969 I left Algeria to settle in France. I wanted to get a change of air, to discover new artistic worlds". He, then, had no idea that he was about to become an idolized star within the immigrant community. During the 1950s and 1960s, when parents were hugging the walls, almost apologizing for existing, a few Maghrebi artists assumed Western names to hide their origins. This was the case of Laïd Hamani, an Algerian from Kabylia, better known as Victor Leed, a rocker from the Golf Drouot’s heyday, or of Moroccan Berber Abdelghafour Mociane, the self-proclaimed “Vigon”, a hack of a r&b voice. Others, far more numerous, made careers in the shadow of cafes run by their compatriots, performing on makeshift stages: a few chairs around a table with two or three microphones on it, with terrible feedback occasionally interfering. Their names were Ahmed Wahby or Dahmane El Harrachi. Between the Bastille, Nation, Saint-Michel, Belleville and Barbès districts, an exclusively communitarian, generally male audience previously informed by a few words written on a slate, came to applaud the announced singers. It happened on Friday and Saturday nights, plus on extra Sunday afternoons.

In a nostalgia-clouded atmosphere heated by draft beers, customers – from this isolated population, a part of the French people nevertheless – hung on the words of these musicians who resembled them so much. Like many of them, they worked hard all week, impatiently waiting for the weekend to get intoxicated with some tunes from the village. Sometimes, they spent Saturday afternoons at movie theaters such as the Delta or the Louxor, with extra mini-concerts during intermissions, dreaming, eyes open, to the sound of Abdel Halim Hafez’ voice whispering melancholic songs or Indian laments made in Bombay on full screen. And the radio or records were also there for people to be touched to the rhythm of Oum Kalsoum’s songs, and scopitones as well to watch one’s favorite star’s videos again and again.

Dumbfounded, Mohamed received this atmosphere of culture of exile and much more in the face. Fully immersed in it, he soaked up the songs of Dahmane El Harrachi (the creator of Ya Rayah), Slimane Azem, Akli Yahiaten or Cheikh El Hasnaoui, but also those from the crazy years of twist and rock’n’roll as embodied by Johnny Hallyday, Les Chaussettes Noires or Les Chats Sauvages, not to mention Elvis Presley and the triumphant beginnings of Anglo-Saxon pop music. Between 1970 and 1990, he had a series of hits such bearing such titles as “Miniskirt”, “Darling Lady”, “20 years in France”, “Faded Blue”, Clichy, Daag Dagui, “Comrade”, “Tell me it’s not true” or “I’m the Chaoui”, some kind of unifying anthem for all regions of Algeria, as he explained: "I sang for people who, like me, experienced exile. I was and have always remained very attached to my country, Algeria. To me, it’s not about people from Constantine, Oran or Algiers, it’s just about Algerians. I sing in classical or dialectal Arabic as much as in French and Kabyle”.

Mazouni, a dandy shattered by his century and always all spruced up who barely performed on stage, had greatly benefited from the impact of scopitones, the ancestors of music videos – those image and sound machines inevitably found in many bars held by immigrants. His strength lay in Arabic lyrics all his compatriots could understand, and catchy melodies accompanied by violin, goblet drum, qanun, tar (a small tambourine with jingles), lute, and sometimes electric guitar on yé-yé compositions. Like a politician, Mazouni drew on all themes knowing that he would nail it each time. This earned him the nickname "Polaroid singer" – let’s add "kaleidoscope" to it. Both a conformist (his lectures on infidelity or mixed-race marriage) and disturbing singer (his lyrics about the agitation upon seeing a mini-skirt or being on the make in high school…), Mohamed Mazouni crossed the 1960s and 1970s with his dark humor and unifying mix of local styles. Besides his trivial topics, he also denounced racism and the appalling condition of immigrant workers. However, his way of telling of high school girls, cars and pleasure places earned him the favors of France’s young migrant zazous.

But by casting his net too wide, he made a mistake in 1991, during the interactive Gulf War, supporting Saddam Hussein’s position through his provocative title Zadam Ya Saddam (“Go Saddam”). He was banned from residing in France for five years, only returning in 2013 for a concert at the Arab World Institute where he appeared dressed as the Bedouin of his beginnings.

At the end of the 1990s, the very wide distribution of Michèle Collery and Anaïs Prosaïc's documentary on Arabic and Berber scopitones, highlighted Mazouni’s important role, giving new impetus to his career.  

Living in Algeria, Mohamed Mazouni did not stop singing and even had a few local hits, always driven by a “wide targeting” ambition. This compilation, the first one dedicated to him, includes all of his never-reissued “hits” with, as a bonus, unobtainable songs such as L’amour Maâk, Bleu Délavé or Daag Dagui.

[leanconnoli]

Anyone else just feel like Bastille’s Doom Days album is just about Crowley and Aziraphale???

chunks of lyrics from each song under the cut because there’s just too many

Quarter Past Midnight

“It's a quarter past midnight Still avoiding tomorrow It's a quarter past midnight But we're just getting going”

-

“And you said we'd leave this place in dust And fall from heaven straight through hell”

- "It's a quarter past midnight And the secrets are flowing Our lips are getting looser I don't know what I'm saying We never knew what we had I never know what I've had

-

“This is my favorite part so Help me piece it all together darling Before it falls apart Help me piece it all together”

Bad Decisions

“London's burning If the world is ending, let's stay up all night”

- “Do you remember what you said to me? Cause we lost track of time Yeah, we lost track of time You always let me down so tenderly”

-

“You said that maybe this is where it ends Take a bow for the bad decisions that we made Bad decisions that we made And if we're going down in flames Take a bow for the bad decisions that we made Bad decisions that we made”

- “So we'll make the same mistakes 'Till the morning breaks”

The Waves

“We never, never give up on the lost boy life So here we are, escaping from the world outside”

-

“Oh, what would your mother say if she could see what we're doing now? Oh, what would your mother say if she could hear what we talk about?”

-

“The waves are crashing down on you and me again, again, again The waves are crashing down on you and me I'll see you on the other side“

-

“Is it an apocalypse or nihilism on your lips? We sink or swim”

Divide

“In these darker days, I push the limit to the love you offer There's a riot in my head, demanding we do this forever“

-

“Why would we divide when we could come together? Just bodies that collide, lost and found each other So don't, don't leave me alone Don't leave me alone, don't leave me alone Why would we divide when we could come together?”

-

“So roll the window down, won't let you go like this Go like this, go like this“

Million Pieces 

“Don't look outside, the world is ending (Faster, faster, faster, faster, fast)”

-

“It breaks my heart into a million pieces If it's gonna break me, won't you let me go? Leave it 'til the morning, I don't wanna know Breaks my heart Breaks my heart into a million pieces”

Doom Days

“When I watch the world burn All I think about is you“

-

“There must be something in the Kool-Aid Cruising through the doom days God knows what is real and what is fake Last couple years have been a mad trip How'd you look so perfect?”

-

“I'm live-streaming the final days of Rome”

-

“Let's pick the truth that we believe in Like a bad religion Tell me all your original sins”

-

“We'll be the proud remainers Here till the morning breaks us We run away from real life thoughts tonight“

-

Nocturnal Creatures

“You put your arms around me Partners in crime in the dead of night It's our weekend religion A different chord but the same refrain”

-

“Let every night play out the same 'Cause I wouldn't, I wouldn't change a thing”

-

“No moon, no stars above us The orange sky says the night's alive This time with you's elastic We stretch these hours as far as we can make them go”

4AM

“You are my familiar, you are my familiar, ah-ah”

-

“Oh, there is nowhere I would rather be Never felt more comfortable, could never want for more when I'm here No, there is nowhere I would rather be, oh-oh Never felt more comfortable, could never want for more when you're near”

-

“Tuesday'll be doom day, this got out of hand”

-

Another Place (this whole song is literally Aziraphale’s POV in thinking that Crowley cannot love him and you can’t convince me otherwise)

“I am bound to you with a tie that we cannot break”

-

“I'm lost but found with you”

-

“I could write a book about the things that you said to me on the pillow And the way you think, and how you make me feel You can fill my mind and move my body with the fiction, fantasies Just call this what it is, we don't pretend it's real“

-

“So don't make promises to me that you're gonna break We only ever wanted one thing from this Don't paint wonderful lies on me that wash away We only ever wanted one thing from this Oh, in another place In another time, what could we have been?”

-

“So lie to me tonight and pretend 'til the morning light And imagine that you are mine 'Cause when the sun will rise with the truth coming out your eyes We'll be good in another life”

-

“Wonder what we could be living in another life Catch us in the mirror and it looks a lot like love Then you stop me talking as you kiss me from above”

Those Nights

“I can feel your eyes in the back of my head Burning, burning, burning Floating through the room as the hairs on my arms are Rising, rising, rising I'm chemically drawn closer to you Eyes wide, eyes wide open Will you be my future or just an escape?”

-

“Those nights when you crave someone To be there at dawn, to wake with, 'cause aren't we all just Looking for a little bit of hope these days?”

-

“You try to get to heaven on a night like this But you, you never get to heaven on a night like this”

-

“The lights, the lights, the lights A blinding look from me to you And I'll be your rabbit in the headlights We'll never get to heaven”

Joy

“Now my morning has broken, and it brings the fear My mind's falling, falling“

-

“Yeah, I feel my pulse quickening When your name lights up the screen”

-

“Oh Joy, when you call me I was giving up, oh, I was giving in“

-

“How'd you always know when I'm down? How'd you always know when I'm down?“

-

“Take a walk through the wreckage, clearing out my head I hear your eyes roll right down the phone I'm your walking disaster, keep on dragging me From self-pity, poor me”

-

“Then I feel my pulse quickening But I wouldn't change a thing“

[ber-bonfamille-lyons]

Made You A Mixtape: September 2015

@simba-lyons

Happy Three Year Anniversary to Simber!!!!! To celebrate, the following playlist is the first playlist that Berlioz made Simba. Yes, that’s right, I have tried to recreate what it would have been here, which means that these songs reflect three criteria:

1. They came out in 2015 or before 2015 and would be on Berlioz’s radar  2. They remind Berlioz of Simba, and so they are mostly cheerful and a bit funky and are Big Sounds 3. Lowkey Berlioz is in love with Simba and these songs are telling him if he would just PAY ATTENTION. This is most obvious in the fact that Ber put two of his fave songs ever on this playlist-- Eskimo Kiss and Wood. They are both on this like massive playlist that he gives people for like Songs That Sound Like Ber’s Soul so yes!

So this is not a ship soundtrack as much as it is a Simba Soundtrack or a Simba-as-he-sounds-to-Berlioz-in-September Soundtrack. <333 The following descriptions are all basically incoherent, so I apologize. 

Out of the Blue- Prides 

Hear you come, my heart's only drummer I've been holding out for your symphony The air in my lungs is like thunder And I can't fight what you've made of me.

This is a Big Sound Song and a good way to open the mixtape in Berlioz’s opinion. He’d talk to Simba about the scratchy guitar that rumbles under like thunder, those drums, and that persistent, driving synth. And when he’s talking about those sounds, what he’s really saying is basically what the lyrics are saying honestly, like-- this song “text paints” very well, as in, it uses a storm metaphor for a lot of it and builds a storm with its instrumentation by creating a very heavy sonic atmosphere, like with all those layers and booming drums-- wow i really do sound probably how Berlioz sounded when really what he was saying is “You’re like thunder to me” and that’s really romantic and super embarrassing 

Shut Up And Dance- Walk the Moon 

A backless dress and some beat up sneaks My discotheque Juliet, teenage dream I felt it in my chest since she looked at me I knew we were bound to be together Bound to be together

GOD this CHEESY 80s dance guitar powerhouse of a jam!! I feel like i don’t even need to describe how this is such a Simba song in every single way and why Berlioz would think of Simba at once. But yeah, I mean: the sheer joy of it, not to mention that honestly Simba is the discotheque juliet teenage dream in this song who is grabbing Berlioz and telling him to dance. But yeah, I mean it’s so over the top in like every single way. Like Simba.

On the Regular- Shamir

Hi, hi, howdy, howdy, hi, hi! While everyone is minus, you could call me multiply Just so you know, yes, yes, I'm that guy You could get five fingers and I'm not waving "hi" Guess I'm never-ending, you could call me pi But really, how long till the world realize?

Kay so Shamir is a HELLA Simba artist and this song has a lot of these kooky sound samples that Berlioz really loves, especially when it comes to Simba. I want to say that tapping noise is a cowbell? Super fun and funky. And of course, lyrics wise, this song is brimming with confidence and attitude which is definitely how Berlioz saw Simba at first. (He still sees that, but of course this song I think, more than others, really reflects the beginnings of their relationship because obviously Ber knew nothing about the drinking and depression etc.) So yeah, Berlioz literally thinks Simba’s “regular” is this cool, funky, ridiculous guy and including this on the song would be conveying that impression, while also being like “Hey Simba, you should check out Shamir if you don’t know him because his sound is You.”

Oh Girl You’re the Devil - Mika  

And I said follow me Whoever you want to be Don't care where you where you go As long as you stay with me

This is another song along the same lines of “On the Regular”-- very groovy, playful, with some fun quirky sounds and structures that just evoke Simba musically more so than lyrical content. But it’s definitely a song that Berlioz would think Simba would like and find fun to dance to/sing along to. And I mean honestly: this entire album is Simba. Me and Berlioz really struggled with which song to put on here. In addition, this was one of Mika’s more personal albums when it came to his sexuality and including Mika on here and probably writing “Please listen to all of No Place in Heaven” in the margins of the notes included with this playlist was Berlioz subtly talking about his own sexuality to Simba.

Bite Down- Bastille/HAIM

You’ve got your claws buried deep Bite down, bite down into me Bite down, bite down into me You better sink your teeth before I disappear Bite down, bite down into me

Ah yes, another “I’m very into you please make out with my face” subliminal message (is it subliminal?? Is it?) Here’s why this is a Simba song-- because its carnal and aggressive and Big. I do body rolls during the pre-chorus anyone else just me?? And the shifts from chorus to verse to post-chorus is so jarring, it just grabs your attention and keeps your attention, which is probably what Berlioz would point out to Simba. And that’s a very Simba thing too, at least a Simba thing according to Berlioz. Also, I personally love the irony considering this song foreshadows the back and forth that Simber will go through in the winter.

Love Me Anyway-The Mowglis

Oh, you know I love you But no, I am not a saint Oh, I make stupid mistakes But you love me anyway Oh, I forgot your birthday And yeah, I show up late Oh, I'll get it right someday 'Cause you love me anyway

So The Mowglis are a very Berlioz band and this album was probably something Berlioz was definitely listening to. The sing-a-long chorusy stuff is VERY Simba-sound as well as the lyrical content just being so very Simba. I like to think that even though Ber and Simba were very much getting to know each other, this chorus still makes a lot of sense since Simba would show up late and forget all these little things-- but obviously, he has such a big heart and always came across as so sincere to Berlioz. It’s a song Berlioz would maybe learn how to play on guitar and think to himself “Hey I bet Simba would really like this song!”

Eskimo Kiss- the Kooks

Oh lonely bones I'm coming through the sun And our lives have just begun Oh lonely bones I'm coming through the sun And our lives have just begun

As I mentioned above this is literally the biggest fucking tell that Berlioz has a big ol fat crush on Simba. This is one of his favorite songs, ever. This was not even a little bit new, it came out in 2011, and yet Berlioz listened to this song and to lyrics like “She's like a rose without a thorn/She's like the sunflower/That never looks back at the sun” and his first thought was “Simba.” He’d probably say some bullshit about how he just liked the lyrics because they were nice and it seemed like the kinda cheerful thing Simba would like. But it was bullshit and what he was really saying was lets please eskimo kiss under the bar rn because you make me feel both sunshiny like this first half of the song and achey and tender like this second part of the song, so, like, how i imagine how love feels like. That was the inner monologue there. And really, the shift in this song from the upbeat jangly acoustic to that tender part emulates Simba’s two sides, because he is very capable of being a gentle honeybun sweetie pie. 

Smile - The Royal Concept 

I've got to dress sharp, you know I will Give you what it takes cause I'm not Gonna be outdone By those beautiful fakes In your halo, there's gotta be gold I've got you waitin' on I'll step on a grenade so you Can see I'm the bomb

And here we are back at that interesting mix of Berlioz finding some funky songs for Simba but also songs that speak to Berlioz’s perception of Simba’s characters in subtle ways/songs that Ber really wants Simba to be into so they can talk about it! So musically wise, you’ve got a lot of the same elements as previous songs here, lots of powerful guitar and some layered vocals and a pretty groovy tempo. Basically this is an alt rock song that makes you want to dance, and that’s the perfect place where Songs-that-sound-like-Simba live (there aren’t a lot of straight pop songs on this mix as you might have noticed.) But then of course, it’s all about this guy trying to go out of his way to make a girl smile (he “carries sorrow” and will “step on a grenade” for her etc) and if that isn’t the most Simba thing. What i like is this is one of those lowkey sad songs that sounds super upbeat and happy too-- which is also a Simba thing, and I like to think Ber would pick up on those vibes. He’d definitely notice Simba trying to make others happy. And I mean.................. who else was making Berlioz smile............

Shine- Years and Years

I was biting my tongue I was trying to hide (Ooh oh oh oh, ooh oh oh ooh) I'll forget what I've done I'll be redefined

Okay, I admit: this song is really not about Simba at all, this one is Berlioz trying to tell Simba he likes him by putting this song on this mixtape and look I am not responsible for Simba not getting that.

Okay but more seriously: shine/sun/light etc are all motifs that reoccur for Berlioz when it comes to Simba, and have for Simber in general. Years and Years debuted the summer before Ber met Simba and was, again, this openly queer artist who Berlioz was definitely listening to a lot of, so it makes a lot of since that he’d go into their album and put a song on there, hoping Simba would get into them so they’d have this kind of shared connection. He picked Shine because of all the songs, Shine is the most optimistic and romantic, so naturally he thought: Simba. And again, there’s this lowkey thread of Berlioz using music to address his sexuality without actually talking about it.

By My Side- Great Good Fine Ok

Baby when I come to get you I'm all I find Every time I go to come back to see it's not my time Any time you think something is on my mind I'll tell you when it's all about you, I need you by my side

So Great Good Fine Ok is like the contemporary BeeGees, and their velvety falsetto and solid dance beats were Berlioz’s Jam in 2015. Seriously, go back and look, I reblogged all their stuff. ANYWAY, so this song really hits all three of the criteria as I talked about above-- this is a band that Berlioz was SUPER excited about and he wanted Simba to like. Sound-wise, totally upbeat and those trumpets in the end!!! scream Simba, which was basically what Berlioz said to him. He’s always associated brass with Simba, that’s just like, a general known fact. He said “The ending with the trumpets really reminded me of you.” And the translation for that is “Please be my boyfriend.” And of course lyrically, this is about someone pining over another… and that’s really not a Simba mood but it is a Ber one.  

Indian Summer- Jai Wolf

It would not be a Berlioz mixtape without at least one instrumental song or something. And this one! This one! If you noticed, Berlioz organized this playlist so it shifted toward more techno/dance music in the second half and part of that was to BUILD to this song right here, his musical climax if you will. Everything about this song screams Simba to him and I honestly do not have a developed enough vocabulary for music to talk about how that works. Maybe it’s just the scope of the song-- and that it has that very BIG scope and it goes from soft, chime-like sounds to exploding outward in these huuuge moments  that are Cinematic as heck. It’s beautiful and soft while also powerful and strong (and that’s simba for u, those four things). It sounds like adventure, like starlight, like camping? And he thinks Simba would like all those things and was probalby like “Oh he’ll like running to this song.” 

man anyone having serious simba feelings at this point just me or 

Wood- Rostam

Sunlight on your eyelids You were sleeping Ah ah, ah ah ah Sunlight on your back You were dreaming

And following a climax, you must have your falling action and resolution. Berlioz decided to end softly and tenderly with another one of his all time favorites, therefore revealing that he associates Simba with all of his favourite sounds-- all the plucky violin and bongo drum and flute. Plus, it describes sleeping with your lover. That’s it. That’s the whole song. And that’s what Berlioz wants: cat naps in the sun with his sunshine boy. 

He wouldn’t have said that obviously, he would have been like, this “cool percussion bro.” 

But we all know what he meant. 

[switchysmythe]

Guidance 52 | Anthem

Think about these questions as we get ready for guidance this week:

Make a CD playlist (at least 8 songs) that would be a timeline into your life. Why did you choose these songs? What part of your life do they represent? Please remember, I want explanations with these tracks, not just the track listing.

SIDE A

john barrowman - i am what i am

ed sheeran - drunk

mayday parade - miserable at best

young the giant - cough cyrup

nina nesbitt - colder

westlife - the dance

bastille - flaws

SIDE B (bonus)

newsies  - sante fe

book of mormon - you and me (but mostly me)

kerrigan & lowdermilk - run away with me

blood brothers - kids game

hamilton - non-stop

heathers - i say no

rent - goodbye love

JOHN BARROWMAN - I AM WHAT I AM

it's one life and there's no return and no deposit one life so it's time to open up your closet life's not worth a damn till you can shout out i am what i am

From the ages of fifteen to eighteen, I wasn’t okay with my sexuality, I wasn’t okay with who I am. It took a lot for me to open up to it, to admit that I was gay and to be okay with it. This song, while it wasn’t the sole reason I finally came out, it did help a lot. Listening to this song gave me a lot of courage and a lot of pride. I am what I am and there’s nothing wrong with it; this song reminds me of that.

Timeline: teenage years.

ED SHEERAN - DRUNK

i’m here again all by myself you know i'll never change all by myself all by myself i'm just drunk again i'll be drunk again i'll be drunk again to feel a little love

I feel like this is self explanatory, especially considering I’m not exactly shy about the fact I barely ever, you know, do the do sober. For as long as I can remember, kissing, sex, anything like that, it’s mostly all happened when I’ve been drunk. I’m sure there’s some deep meaning about why I do that but that’s a whole can of worms I’m not quite ready to open up. But yeah, get me drunk and I’ll fall in love with you for a night. 

Timeline: present day.

MAYDAY PARADE - MISERABLE AT BEST

and the hardest part of living is just taking breaths to stay cause i know i'm good for something i just haven't found it yet This song is one of my all time favourites; it’s beautiful, the lyrics are amazing, the song itself is amazing and the music is just uuuuh amazing. Did I mention it’s an amazing song? Plus I’ve seen it live and I’m not ashamed to admit I shed a few tears. It means a lot to me. And those lyrics, well, yeah, no explanation needed really. 

Timeline: past and present day. Hopefully not future.

YOUNG THE GIANT - COUGH CYRUP

i'm waiting for this cough syrup to come down life's too short to even care at all oh i'm losing my mind losing my mind losing control if i could find a way to see this straight, i’d run away to some fortune that i, i should have found by now

This song is something that speaks to me on a more deeper level, in regards to my mental health problems. I’ve always had depression but it’s situation based; when I feel like I’m losing control, when I feel stuck or lost, that’s when my lowest points hit and it drowns me. I always need some sort of release and while that’s not always been a healthy release, there’s still been some sort of release for me. It’s why I have this happy-go-lucky attitude on life, why I try not to take things too seriously, because when I do things get dark.

Timeline: past, present and future, unfortunately. Depression, huh? Sucks.

NINA NESBITT - COLDER

why’d you never trust, why’d you never love, why’d you never let ‘em in? why’d you wake up with somebody in your bed again? and say you love them till you leave? why you out so late dancing with your fake friends getting in a state? when the good guys come why’d you run away? 

This kind of links with Drunk - which funny because didn’t they used to date; Nina and Ed? Anyway, yeah. Back to my whole, drunken fun adventures. My commitmentphobe ass feels this song so much. Although, I’ve never had my heart broken, but I sure as hell am doing everything in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen but it doesn’t sound fun at all. So just pass me a drink and dance with me and I’m yours for the night.

Timeline: present day.

WESTLIFE - THE DANCE

and now i'm glad i didn't know the way it all would end, the way it all would go our lives are better left to chance i could have missed the pain but i'd have had to miss the dance

I know this is a long song but it’s not actually how I hear it, this verse especially. For me, it’s more about living life in general. I don’t really plan, I don’t have set ideas or goals and it works for me. I think you should live one day at a time, just go with the flow and whatever happens, happens. I don’t want to now how everything is going to pan out in my life, I just want to live it and live it as best as I possibly can.

Timeline: past, present and future.

BASTILLE - FLAWS

all of your flaws and all of my flaws are laid out one by one look at the wonderful mess that we made we pick ourselves undone

Again, another pretty self explanatory one. We’re all flawed, aren’t we? I’m so flawed, but I’m okay with it as other people should be too. Nobody’s perfect, nobody’s better than anyone else. We’re all just here in this shitty world trying to get through it, aren’t we? So why not open ourselves to people, all of it, the good, the bad, the ugly? 

Timeline: past, present and future.

SIDE B (bonus)

They are just some of my favourite musical songs from musicals I’ve seen live (expect no.3 which I’ve never seen live). Going to the theatre to see a musical is one of my favourite things to do.  I’m in my element when I’m sat in the audience watching all those damn talented people up on stage blowing us all away with their performances and their expertise on storytelling. It’s such talent, to be in musical theatre, and I admire everyone involved. Cast, crew, lighting, costume, orchestra, the lot. 

[lesbiancloudtail]

i was tagged by @gaelissfelin to put my playlist on shuffle & write down the name of the songs that came up & my favorite lyrics so

“I’m here at the beginning of the end / Oh, the end of infinity with you”-- The Last of the Real Ones, Fall Out Boy

“And everyone’s competing for a love they won’t receive” -- Team, Lorde

“Everything is sex / Except sex, which is power / You know power is just sex / Now ask yourself who’s screwing you”-- Screwed, Janelle Monae

“Oooh, you make me live / Whenever this world is cruel to me / I got you to help me forgive” -- You’re My Best Friend, Queen

“I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies” -- Holiday, Green Day

“Show me joy flower through disarray” -- Fake It, Bastille

“If you are not very careful / Your possessions will possess you / TV taught me how to feel / Now real life has no appeal” -- Oh, no!, Marina and the Diamonds

“No one told you when to run / You missed the starting gun” -- Time, Pink Floyd

“In you I found my only faith / I lost my halo to your renegade” -- Heaven Or Hell, Digital Daggers

 “I never imagined you dead (I never) / But tell me, are you even aware / That all that we did, you undo? / Iscariot, you fool” -- Iscariot, Walk the Moon

i tag anyone who wants to do it lol

[but-shes-a-forestfire-blog]

Writer In The Dark.

   It’s been a week. I still don't understand. I still feel like a crumbled up piece of paper and I know it’ll be a while until I feel fine. I still feel so small. I’m starting to come to terms of what happened. It still hurts like a motherfucker.  All those times you told me that you didn't deserve me when we were together, i’ve finally come to realize that you were right. You don’t. I had the guts to swallow my pride and text it to you. I have also realized what is the thing that’s hurting me the most from all of this. You just gave up. You didn't make an effort to save this. To save us. And I feel so dumb for still having these feelings for you and for still considering trying to save us. I’d do anything to save us but you also need to want this, not just me, how it feels like now it’s been for a while. I might’ve mentioned to you once or twice in our time together that I actually really like writing. You’ve got me writing again and I want to thank you for that. There’s a song by Bastille called Poet and no, I'm no poet...quite far from that. But there’s a line that says “I have written you down, now you will live forever”. Our story will live on forever. I wouldn’t necessarily consider myself a writer because I’m not very good at it, but I really enjoy doing it. Its liberating. And whenever I’m inspired to do it I just let go and everything just flows. Maybe i am a writer, I’m just a little rusty.

  Baby steps. Everyone’s been telling me to take baby steps. I started eating again, yay! I’m back on my full dose of meds, yay? I love working, it keeps my mind occupied and fake smiling at customers lifts up my mood just a little. I dread getting there because I have to walk by the monument with the water fountain where we shared one of the best memories of our time together. It hurts to walk by there. Also the bus ride there is way too long, too much time on my own. When I’m alone, taking a break, that’s when it gets bad. I’m listening to music again, yay! Lorde’s Melodrama has been giving me so much strength. It’s nice to know that someone else is going through the same feelings you are. I mean, I’m sorry that she had to go through this pain because I don’t wish this upon anyone, but it’s a bit soothing knowing that she made it through. I’m on the bus listening to Melodrama and I just want to yell out the lyrics to every single one of her songs. Buuuut I know I can't do that haha. I am doing it in my mind though.Then I get home, try to eat something and go to bed. My life is pretty exciting as you can see. It usually takes me a few hours to unwind a little and finally fall asleep. In that time, i find myself thinking and it gets bad again. So am I really making any progress? It doesn’t feel like I am. So that’s why I’m writing. It’s so hard not to talk to you like we used to. I want to hear your voice again. Your familiar smell, you smelled like home and you smelled like a man that ONE time, remember that? Haha. Your warm honey brown eyes that I love so much. Woops you see, its getting bad again. J, you have no idea how much I’ll miss you.

Writer In The Dark by Lorde

[astohria]

music tag game

I was tagged by @jamespottver tysm, that’s the best game so far, honestly!!!

rules: put your music on shuffle, list the first 9 songs and your favorite lyrics from each, then tag 9 people

elvis depressedly - thou shall not murder

You know we pass from death to life Because we love each other Anyone who does not love remains in death

(also this song is the inspiration for my blog’s title)

marina and the diamonds - idle teen

Instead of being sixteen and burning up a bible Feeling super, super, super suicidal The wasted years, the wasted youth The pretty lies, the ugly truth

ed sheeran - nancy mulligan

Never had I seen such beauty before The moment that I saw her

Nancy was my yellow rose

And we got married wearing borrowed clothes

the civil wars - devil’s backbone

Don’t care if he’s guilty, don’t care if he’s not He’s good and he’s bad and he’s all that I’ve got Oh Lord, Oh Lord, I’m begging you please Don’t take that sinner from me

bastille - fake it

Melt me down, I’m like wax to your jokes.

(...) still wanna waste up all my time with you

Don't turn over, turn over the page We should rip it straight out

led zeppelin - dazed and confused

Lots of people talking, few of them know.

Soul of a woman was created below. 

florence and the machine - bedroom hymns

This is as good place to fall as any.

(...) Make me your Maria I'm already on my knees You had Jesus on your breath And I caught him in mine

hozier - sedated

Somewhere for this, death and guns We are deaf, we are numb Free and young and we can feel none of it

bruce springsteen - thunder road

Hey, that's me and I want you only Don't turn me home again, I just can't face myself alone again

Make crosses from your lovers, throw roses in the rain Waste your summer praying in vain For a savior to rise from these streets

And I know you're lonely for words that I ain't spoken But tonight we'll be free, all the promises'll be broken

It's a town full of losers, I'm pulling out of here to win

Okay, so... I tag @roxannweasley @persephcnie @rosevtyler @kingscross @fjrebolt @albuspotr and @lilygrabharryandrun

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 11th February 2018

This is one of those episodes that’s going to be kind of slap-dash, I’m not even going to tag this on Tumblr or promote it anywhere else than on Twitter (@cactusinthebank); I just want to get this over with because nothing’s happening this week at all that is of any interest, except the top ten.

Top 10

HOW?! This is the first time on this show that I’ve been so flabbergasted at a song’s success. How is “God’s Plan” by Drake still at the top?! I can’t remember anything from it other than how he nasally says “God’s plan, God’s plan” in the outro. This is so incredibly boring and useless, why is “Diplomatic Immunity” failing? That was a decent track.

In other much better news, our first new top ten entry is “These Days” by Rudimental featuring Jess Glynne, Macklemore and Dan Caplen, which landed nice spaces up at the runner-up spot, which is great because this song is pretty nice to say the least.

”Barking” by Ramz went down a space to number-three. It’s falling, Van’s yawning. However, I have to admire how happy Ramz is. He’s adorable.

”IDGAF” by Dua Lipa stays at number-four.

”River” by Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran has gone down two spaces to number-five, but it might rebound due to that video.

”This is Me” by Keala Settle and The Greatest Showman Ensemble rises two spaces to number-six, and while I like the song, I really do not want a movie soundtrack single to be in the top five.

Cardi B’s remix of “Finesse” by Bruno Mars finally goes up two spaces back to number-seven after losing a lot of his traction.

”Tip Toe” by Jason Derulo featuring French Montana is down two spaces, sadly, to number-eight.

As soon as I praise the song on my best list, “Feel it Still” by Portugal. The Man goes up four spaces to number-nine, becoming our second new top ten entry... finally! It took you about a year.

Oh, and “Never be the Same” by Camila Cabello rebounds by four spots to number-ten to finish off our top ten, but who cares about that trash heap of a single? Let’s get to the climbers.

Climbers

Nothing’s happened. No, I’m serious, nothing’s happened. Okay, maybe “Fine Line” by Mabel featuring Not3s rose five spaces from #22 to #17, and maybe Justin Timberlake’s album gave a nine-space boost to “Say Something” featuring Chris Stapleton up to #24, as well as Kendrick Lamar and SZA having the same treatment with “All the Stars” at #28, but other than that and “For You (Fifty Shades Freed)” by Liam Payne and Rita Ora rising five spots to #18, there’s nothing interesting to see here.

Fallers

Fallers are a different story, however, with some absolutely massive drops for earlier January hits and late 2017 hits. “I Know You” by Craig David and Bastille, as well as “I Miss You” by Clean Bandit and Julia Michaels, took a seven-space fall to #12 and a whopping 19-space leap to #31, respectively.  “Let You Down” was let down hard, falling 20 spaces to #35. “17” by MK also barely holds on, zooming down 21 spaces to #38. Also, normally, I wouldn’t talk about “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran dropping down one space to #19 as it doesn’t deserve any more attention, but BBC lists the duet version still and the official UK Chart Company lists the solo version. Just thought I’d talk about that.

Dropouts

“Walk It Talk It” by Migos featuring Drake drops out from #31, as it should, due to the streaming numbers falling after the initial release. “Game Changer” by MIST has dropped out from #35 after the debut, and “Diplomatic Immunity” by Drakegrassi has sadly dropped out from #36. Other dropouts include “Let Me Down” by Jorja Smith featuring Stormzy and “Dimelo” by Rak-Su featuring Naughty Boy and Wyclef Jean from #39 and #40 respectively.

Returning Entries

For the first time ever on this show, we have a returning entry, and that is Justin Timberlake’s “Filthy” at #34 thanks to the album. No, it does not work in the context of the album at all, and honestly, all it’s done is make it even more jarring. I still hate this song with a passion and I think I always will. It’s just so Timber-lame, as was that pun. Let’s move on to the new arrivals.

NEW ARRIVALS

#39 – “Let Me Go” – Hailee Steinfeld and Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt

This took so long to chart here, and it’s no surprise, since it’s just a bunch of unrecognisable B-listers making a boring pop song with nothing of interest to talk about. I know I’ve been saying everything is boring, but it really is with this song and the charts right now. Hailee sounds okay over the fake finger-snaps, but the switch to the chorus is very jarring and took me off guard. The drop sounds very empty as well, maybe Watt could clear up some of the synth with a guitar solo? Of course not, it’s a pop song, I’m kidding myself. Florida Georgia Line are tolerable but I don’t understand why they’re here at all. The lyrics are generic, and it’s just one of the most uninteresting songs I’ve reviewed on this show. But don’t mistake, Drake takes the cake for that accolade, definitely. This is just boring. Really boring.

#33 – “Check” – Kojo Funds featuring RAYE

I wasn’t expecting a seductive Latin guitar to start a Kojo Funds song, but it really fits and I dig it plenty, especially with the soft bubbling mix of dancehall and trap percussion. It’s too bad that RAYE sounds God-awful, and Kojo Funds is just hilariously pathetic, with his corny lines about RAYE being “his Nintendo”. For God’s sake, specify, dude! His ad-libs are also very awkward, to the point where he’s crooning “ooh, wee” in the pre-chorus. Lest we forget this song is seemingly about Kojo allowing a gold digger to engage in sexual and romantic activities with him if she allows him to smoke marijuana. I’m not mad, just disappointed.

#27 – “Jumanji” – B Young

More Latin guitar intros for autotuned faux-reggae, I see. At least the last one lead to more than twinkling synth leads that sound like a music box, which is very unfitting when the song’s about B Young (terrible stage name) putting a big-booty girl’s body through the testing and fling-flinging off them panties. The main metaphor of this song is also very flawed. Why would anyone, let alone your peng ting called Ashanti, want to live life like Jumanji? She wants to take risks and chances like a board game, but why specifically Jumanji? Does she want to die? Because I sure do after listening to this song. Yikes.

#15 – “Pray for Me” – Kendrick Lamar featuring The Weeknd

Finally, the big debut of the week, “Pray for Me”, the next single off the underwhelming Black Panther soundtrack, and I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t anything but cheap and boring. The Weeknd sounds rather stiff on a beat that wouldn’t sound out of place on the super-deluxe version of Humanz – yes, it’s that cheap-sounding. The beat hardly develops during the chorus, just adding a few incredibly ineffective strings and backing vocals that do not interest or excite me at all, they just add more to the bore that is this song. Not even Kendrick can save this song with a killer verse, no, he just provides an uninteresting verse that doesn’t show off his skill or talent as well as it could have. Also, the choir vocalising during the bridge is grating. If you want a good song from that soundtrack, check out “Paramedic!” featuring SOBxRBE. Now that’s a banger! Oh, yeah, this song is just sleep-inducing. Nice try, but this warrants nothing more than a ‘good effort’ badge from me.

Conclusion

Hot take: Kendrick Lamar is starting to tire me, and is becoming oversaturated on the charts, however, it will not change since I predict some changes in the charts to come next week off the soundtrack release by Kendrick Lamar, featuring all his labelmates at Top Dawg Entertainment. This week, however, was such a non-entity that I don’t think any of these songs deserve anything that would give them a title, even if it were negative. These songs are on the edge of non-existence, they’re so forgettable. See you next week for the next episode, and see you in a few days’ time for the worst list. Goodbye.