2008/09/21

Square One


Tom Petty的作品再一首,也是他特別為電影Elizabethtown而寫的, 同時也獲得2006年葛萊美電影音樂獎提名。


大概因為電影的關係,這首Square One在台灣知道的人也多一些。 有別於Tom Petty一貫的搖滾曲風,整首歌走的是輕柔的小品路線, 吉他的伴奏不但襯托出Tom Petty 歷經歲月洗禮卻依然真誠的聲音,更讓歌詞有種極致的純粹感,是一首會想一聽再聽的歌。


"square one" 意謂起點。歌詞簡單地陳述人生無可避免的不如意事,真實而貼切。一句 "you won and you're so lost" 簡單卻有深刻的意義 (另一版本是 "you won and you also lost",不確定哪個是正確的,意思略有出入但同樣有它的道理在)。整首歌聽下來,看似悲觀的歌詞流露出無能為力之感,隱於其後,Tom Petty真正想表達的其實是面對困境時不輕言放棄的一種堅持態度。


也許失去一些,也許面臨困境,也許 life sucks;回到原點,其實我們還是擁有很多。


Square One, by Tom Petty



Had to find some higher ground
Had some fear to get around
You can't say what you don't know
Later on won't work no more

Last time through I hid my tracks
So well I could not get back
Yeah my way was hard to find
Can't sell your soul for peace of mind

Square one, my slate is clear
Rest your head on me my dear
It took a world of trouble, took a world of tears
It took a long time to get back here

Tried so hard to stand alone
Struggled to see past my nose
Always had more dogs than bones
I could never wear those clothes

It's a dark victory
You won and you're so lost
Told us you were satisfied, but it never came across

Square one, my slate is clear
Rest your head on me my dear
It took a world of trouble, took a world of tears
It took a long time to get back here


2008/09/14

The Last Dj



這首歌是搖滾界另一經典傳奇 Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers 在2002年發行的專輯主打歌,算是籍由電台的經營方式針砭流行樂壇一些空泛現象,歌詞的涵義甚至引起一些地區性的電台拒絕播放這首歌。也有人說歌詞裡的DJ真有其人,不過我一直無法證實這點(如果真的是美國某電台DJ,就算知道名字我想我還是不知道他老兄到底是何許人也)。


歌詞本身其實沒有特別去指責某些人,只是很單純地描述一位自有定見,不管高層的商業考量而隨心所欲地播放他想放的歌,說他想說的話的酷DJ。與其說佩服那些有話直說的人,羨慕應該要來得貼切些,希望有一天我也能做到那樣的隨心所欲、敢於直言,對於認定的事堅持到底。


不過第一次聽這首歌時並未特別注意歌詞的意思,只是單純喜歡它輕快的曲調和Tom Petty慵懶隨意的聲音,雖然聽得出來有點年紀,但他的歌聲並未因此而扣分,反而自有一種灑脫的特質。後來在Youtube 上找到在錄音室錄這首歌的影片,也許是表情的關係吧,Tom Petty的聲音在影片裡聽起來更有吸引力。年近半百的五個人在過程中流露出的默契也賦予這首歌強烈的生命力,雖然不是樂團最初的組合,但彼此間眼神的交流與互動看起來依然相當完美和諧,不必說話也能心領神會。此外樂器彈奏的部份也非常精采,功力之強差不多閉著眼睛都能表演了,有幾個地方指法看來頗不容易,雖然對我而言每個音都很難……總之,很敬佩這幾位大叔,希望他們保持嚼土豆的精神繼續創作更多好作品!


The Last DJ, by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Well you can't turn him into a company man
You can't turn him into a whore
And the boys upstairs just don't understand anymore
Well the top brass don't like him talking so much,
And he won't play what they say to play
And he don't want to change what don't need to change

There goes the last DJ
Who plays what he wants to play
And says what he wants to say, hey hey hey...

And there goes your freedom of choice
There goes the last human voice
There goes the last DJ

Well some folks say they're gonna hang him so high
'Cause you just can't do what he did
There're some things you just can't put in the minds of those kids

As we celebrate mediocrity all the boys upstairs want to see
How much you'll pay for what you used to get for free

There goes the last DJ
Who plays what he wants to play
And says what he wants to say, hey hey hey...

And there goes your freedom of choice
There goes the last human voice
And there goes the last DJ

Well he got him a station down in Mexico
And sometimes it'll kind of come in
And I'll bust a move and remember how it was back then

And there goes the last DJ
Who plays what he wants to play
And says what he wants to say, hey hey hey...

And there goes your freedom of choice
There goes the last human voice.
And there goes the last DJ





2008/09/06

年年有今日


雖然說對於過生日這檔事沒有太熱衷,而且在生日前夕感冒實在有點衰,
但收到來自各方人士的祝福,知道還有人記得這個日子還是很令人感動的事,
謝謝大家。


謝謝我可愛的家人雖然完全沒有慶祝這回事,

謝謝連著兩天請我吃飯的婉婷、可法、凱哥,

謝謝牧羊中還記得我生日的希寶,
謝謝在英國忙著論文還不忘傳簡訊給我的小仙女還有同樣為論文打拚的伯母,
謝謝同樣遠在英國的Bianca、Kathrin和半夜不睡覺的大叔,

謝謝台灣區的小鴨、夏班長、土嫂、51、大肚還有跟我同天生日的玉米兄,

謝謝Facebook上的四位不太熟的朋友。

最後


謝謝遠從新莊趕來還特別買小蛋糕和現磨咖啡粉給我大驚喜的園長和給我兩口黑青的布丁,

就甘心A。


咖啡很香很棒,我喜歡!
捨不得太快喝完,要省著點喝...好像很難 XD
蛋糕也很好吃,口感濃郁而且不會太甜,
所以要省著點吃也很難 哈



園長快遞的蛋糕一塊,果然相當了解我的口味啊!