• Voto:
Recensire "The lexicon of love" degli ABC è un po' come commentare "Viaggio al centro della terra" di Jules Verne. Sono tutte e due opere che iniziano un genere artistico totalmente nuovo, frutto però di una contaminazione da molteplici generi esterni. Quindi a cosa si può associare il "Viaggio al centro della terra" degli ABC, una sperimentale corsa al nuovo che più vecchio non si può, al nocciolo di una cosa conosciuta solo in superfice ma sotto la crosta totalmente ignota? Il sentimento più antico e ingovernabile, che regge in piedi l'umanità, ma a un suo piccolo spostamento quest'ultima crolla. Sto parlando dell'AMORE, il romanticismo che impregna l'album di debutto di una apparentemente umile band britannica, che da un giorno all'altro si ritrova a guidare (seppur non a lungo) il carro coloratissimo e camuffatissimo del Neoromanticismo musicale, meglio conosciuto come "New romantic", che farà la fortuna di gruppi come "Visage", "Spandau ballet", "Culture club", "Duran duran" e gli stessi ABC e che marchierà a fuoco, delimitandone attitudini e confini, la realtà musicale dei primi anni ottanta, uno dei periodi musicalmente più omogenei della storia della musica.
Perché non fu certo un caso che nello stesso anno (1982), in un colpo solo, uscirono i quattro vangeli del "New romantic": "Avalon" (Roxy music), "True" (Spandau ballet), "Rio" (Duran duran), "The lexicon of love" (ABC). Probabilmente, anzi, sicuramente coloro che ispirarono di più il sound e sopratutto il look delle band Neoromantiche furono David Bowie, i Roxy music e, seppur in parte più piccola, Brian Eno. Resta però ancora da capire in cosa consista veramente il Neoromanticismo degli ottanta. Non si tratta di un sound specifico, anzi, è una miscela di più generi diversi, che hanno comunque come filo conduttore una melodia orecchiabile e "facile", attitudine punk-new wave, strumentazione elettronica in largo uso e ritmo ballabile. Sovrastando tutto questo, la vera rivoluzione del "New romantic" non sta nel suono, ma nell'aspetto visivo, esteriore. Una sorta di malcelato edonismo contraddistingue ogni brano Neoromantico rispettevole, e "The lexicon of love", se vogliamo, può essere considerato sul piano sentimentale un disco di sublimazione del concetto di sentimento, ma che al solo sentire tale parola non esita un secondo a dichiararsi fervente discepolo dell'eros più carnale e selvaggio, una sorta di eros Platonico in continuo cambiamento. Concludendo col "New romantic", esso è stato indiscutibilmente il vettore finale che ha portato il genere Pop nelle case degli abitanti della terra e ne ha definito gli standard, che ancora oggi perdurano, nonostante il Neoromanticismo sia ufficialmente deceduto alla fine del '85, perdendo il colore, la vivacità e la pomposità che lo distingueva, commercializzandosi senza tregua. Ad oggi, che siamo sommersi da canzonette stupide, piene di testi impegnati e ridicoli, un po' di sano e disinvolto romanticismo ci vorrebbe di nuovo. E ora a noi.
L'album parte con "Show me", con un intro orchestrale che anticipa un'esplosione di suoni pompati e più precisi di un chirurgo, che descrive in quattro minuti l'anatomia dell'intero album, ambizioso e quantopiù efficace nell'analisi del lessico dell'amore, il centro del pianeta "umanità" sul quale si poggia. E dopo un intro da brivido si parte ufficialmente con "Poison arrow", primo successo commerciale della band e a mio parere uno dei momenti migliori dell'album e del "new romantic", questa canzone è una vera e propria "freccia avvelenata", che graffia senza esitazione l'ego e lo spirito del finora innocente ascoltatore. Il ritmo si impenna con "Many happy returns", veloce e letale brano d'atmosfera sintetica che porta all'apice il lato estetico dell'album, che assume forme sensuali e definite come non mai, tutte in realtà frutto di immaginazione di facciata. "Tears are not enough" è letteralmente e concettualmente l'immediata prosecuzione del brano precedente e ne riporta all'interno la stessa atmosfera uggiosa e lo stesso ritmo incalzante, ora ancora più forte e veloce. E' l'apice, la torre più alta dell'album. Infatti con la prossima canzone, "Valentine's day", i ritmi si mantengono veloci ma il pathos cala, mantenendo ciononostante parte dell'atmosfera di "Many happy returns" e parte di un'altra, che anticipa quella eternamente presente nel prossimo brano, erroneamente scelto da molti come il simbolo della musica degli ABC e inspiegabilmente quello di maggiore successo. Sto parlando di "The look of love", con correlato il plasticosissimo e coloratissimo video. L'unica cosa che dico al riguardo è che "The look of love" in più punti suona falso e ruffiano, ma ammetto che commercialmente parlando è stato uno dei punti più forti dell'album. E con ciò, dopo sei brani fondamentali che sono passati più veloci di un treno, si conclude il primo atto e l'anima vera di "The lexicon of love".
Il resto è il contorno e il dolce. Si passa per "Date stamp", veloce passaggio dark della band (comunque ottimo), il sentimento puro di "All of my heart", che preannuncia un cambio di direzione, un secondo attimo dark e molto d'atmosfera come "4ever 2gether", un inutile "The look of love" part 4 (chissà dove sono finite le "part 2" e "part 3"?) e la conclusione che passa per il principio, "Theme from Mantrap", una versione lenta e in sei ottavi di "Poison arrow". Così passa "The lexicon of love", un'eccellente prova di competenze che ha messo alla prova artisti e pubblico conducendo un viaggio per certi versi controcorrente verso la definizione più pulita e fedele di "AMORE", risultando promotrice di quell'amore cavalleresco e nobile oggi tanto deriso e sempre più obiettivo di satira. Si capisce molto anche guardando la stessa copertina del CD (all'epoca LP).
In conclusione "The lexicon of love" è un colpo basso all'eccessivo materialismo ed impegno politico presente nella musica odierna, un'opera completa e di classe, che non può assolutamente mancare nella collezione di un musicofilo che si ritiene tale.
Elenco tracce testi e samples
01 Show Me (04:01)
Once I needed your love
But that was just one thing left on my mind
Then I needed to feel you near me
You said:"Don`t have the time."
The cowboys at the rodeo
The rhine-stones on that Romeo
Your theme tune on the radio
Souvenirs that only go to
Show me, show me
Show me that your mine
Show me, show me
Give me just one sign
Show me, show me
Second that emotion
Show me, show me love
Since we`re skimming the surface darling
Now`s time to get in deep
You`ve opened up the envelope
But there`s still one secret you keep
A pirate station or the late night show
A sunken ship with a rich cargo
Buried treasure that the four winds blow
Wind and rain it only goes to
Show me, show me
Show me that your mine
Show me, show me
Give me just one sign
Show me, show me
Second that emotion
Show me, show me love
Some things are hidden
Some things you`ll see
Make me know
Signal to me
Nine out of ten, in every case
She might look pretty but there`s make up on her face
Show me, show me love
And you can be free
And you could be free. Free. Free.
Where are the diamonds?
Where are the curls?
Where are the things that you took from this world?
These are the diamonds
These are the curls
These are the things that you took from this world
02 Poison Arrow (03:25)
If I were to say to you
"Can you keep a secret?"
Would you know just what to do
Or where to keep it?
Then I say"I love you"
And foul the situation
"Hey girl I thought we were
The right combination"
Who broke my heart?
You did, you did
Bow to the target
Blame Cupid, Cupid
You think you're smart
Stupid, Stupid
Shoot that poison arrow to my heart
Shoot that poison arrow
No rhythm in cymbals
No tempo in drums
Love on arrival
She comes when she comes
Right on the target
But wide of the mark
What I thought was fire
Was only the spark
The sweetest melody
Is an unheard refrain
So lower your sights, yeah but raise your aim, raise your aim
Who broke my heart?
You did, you did
Bow to the target
Blame Cupid, Cupid
You think you're smart
Stupid, Stupid
I thought you loved me but it seems you don't care
I care enough to know I can never love you
Who broke my heart?
You did, You did
Bow to the target
Blame Cupid
You think you're smart
That's stupid
Right from the start
When you knew we would part
03 Many Happy Returns (03:57)
When I accepted this job
I was resigned to my fate
When I got there early
She`d arrive late
You can say she`s gone forever
Or just sit tight and wait
She said I was unprincipled
That I was not the first
Like the Phoenix coming back
From the ashes, uh-huh
I know what`s good,
But I know what trash is
In the head-lights,
In the highlights of her hair...
Hit the head lines
But she`s not there:
Many happy returns
Many happy returns
These are the lessons I could have learned
Return. Many happy returns
And these are the letters I should have burned
Okay, I`m sad, not blue
Okay, remember
All that matters to me now
Is the message I sent her
Like the world, spinning `round
On its axis, uh-huh
I know democracy
But I know what`s fascist
When she`s gone, all I got to learn
Is the law of diminishing return
When she`s here, one thing I`ve found
Things get better second time around
Many happy returns
Many happy returns
These are the lessons I could have learned
Return. Many happy returns
And these are the letters I should have burned
Okay I`m sad, not blue
Okay, remember
All that matters to me now
Is the message I sent her
Now she`s gone, she`s gone away
Now she`s gone forget her
Coming back another day
If you`d only let her
Now she`s gone, she`s gone away
But she`s gone forget her
Coming back another day
So why resurrect her?
Many happy returns
Many happy returns
These are the lessons I could have learned
Return. Many happy returns
And these are the letters I should have burned
04 Tears Are Not Enough (03:31)
Tears for souvenirs
Tears are not enough
Tears for shields and spears
Tears are not enough
Searching for certainty
When it's such an unstable world
Searching for something good
And I'm looking for the real McCoy
Blueprint: That says that boy meets girl
Picture: Girl meets boy
A blueprint that says that the boy meets the girl
Picture in a magazine
Yes you've shown your feelings
Yes you've shown you're tough
Said things worth believing
Tears are not enough
Slam that door, slap my face
I don't love you anymore
Dry your eyes Sink or swim
You surmise you can't win
We all make great mistakes
Would I lie
Should I lie
Could I lie to you?
Excuses had their uses
But now they're all used up, all used up
Yes you've shown your feelings
Yes you've shown you're tough
Said things worth believing
Tears are not enough
Tears for souvenirs
Tears are not enough
Tears for shields and spears
Tears are not enough
05 Valentine's Day (03:42)
When the postman don't call on Valentine's Day
And Santa Claus don't come on a Christmas Day
That umbrella won't work on a rainy day
Don't ask me, I already know
When they find you beached on the barrier reef
And the only pleasure treasured is in map relief
The choice is yours, sure, saint or thief
Don't ask me, I already know
Yes, they baked your cake in little slices
Kept your eyes on rising prices
Wound up winning booby prizes
I'm sure you'd like to think you know what life is
Find destiny through magazines
Liplicking, unzipping, Harpers and Queens
From here to eternity without in-betweens
Ask me, I already know
With your heart on parade and your heart on parole
I hope you find a sucker to buy that mink stole
School for scandal, guess who's enrolled
So ask me, I already know
When they find you beached on the barrier reef
When the postman don't call on Valentine's Day
When the only pleasure treasured is in map relief
When you don't tell the truth, that's the price you pay
When I'm shaking a hand, I'm clenching a fist
If you gave me a pound for the moments I missed
And I got dancing lessons for all the lips I shoulda kissed
I'd be a millionaire, I'd be a Fred Astaire
07 Date Stamp (03:52)
This heart's up for sale
Yeah, this heart's on the stand
Mix and match and melt in my mouth
Nothing ever goes quite as planned
You fly north and I'll sail south
So redevelop product
Redesign this package
Still refuse to reach in your pocket
Everything is temporary written on that sand
Looking for the girl that meets supply with demand
Love has no guarantee
(Yes I'm date stamped)
Promise me eternity
(Guess I'll fade away)
Even with a pedigree
(Yes I'm date stamped)
Love has no guarantee
That heart's on display, yes, that heart's off the rails
A ship in the harbour with wind in its sails
Chain up love inside the chain-store girl
Chain up love and exchange it
Is Monsieur a connoisseur or just short-changed?
Off the rack or custom-fit it all seems the same
Look but don't touch in paradise
Don't let them catch you damaging the merchandise
Love has no guarantee
(Yes I'm date stamped)
Promise me eternity
(Guess I'll fade away)
Even with a pedigree
(Yes I'm date stamped)
Love has no guarantee
I get sales talk from sales assistants
When all I want to do girl, is lower your resistance
Everything is temporary, written in the sand
Looking for the girl that meets supply with demand
Love has no guarantee
Brings out the woman in me
Even with a pedigree
Love has no guarantee
No chance of subtlety
No promise of eternity
Even with a pedigree
Love has no guarantee
08 All of My Heart (05:12)
Once upon a time when we were friends
I gave you my heart the story ends
No happy ever after now we're friends
Wish upon a star if that might help
The stars collide if you decide
Wish upon a star if that might help
What's it like to have loved and to lose her touch
What's it like to have loved and to lose that much
Well I hope and I pray that maybe someday
You'll walk in the room with my heart
Add and subtract but as a matter of fact
Now that you're gone I still want you back
Remembering
Surrendering
Remembering that part
All of my heart
Spilling up in silk and coffee lace
You hook me up a rendez-vous at your place
Your lipstick and your lipgloss seals my fate
Sentimental powers might help you now
But skip the hearts and flowers skip the ivory towers
You'll be disappointed and I'll lose a friend
No I won't be told there's a crock of gold at the end of the rainbow
Or that pleasure and pain sunshine and rain might make this love grow
But I hope and I pray that maybe someday
You'll walk in the room with my heart
Add and subtract but as a matter of fact
Now that you're gone I still want you back
Remembering
Surrendering
Remembering that part
All of my heart
Yes I hope and I pray that maybe someday
You'll walk in the room with my heart
And I shrug and I say that maybe today
You'll come home soon
Surrendering
Remembering
Surrendering that heart
All of my heart
09 4 Ever 2 Gether (05:30)
You can tell me how to run my life
You can tell me the drugs you're using
You're talking loud and saying nothing
Walking proud and going nowhere fast
You know
If you could tell me how to find belief
If you told me, I'd believe you
Speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil
I'll close my eyes, you know love grows
4 ever 2 gether, 4 years 2 come
4 love 2 strong, 4 us 2 part
4 ever 2 gether, 4 years 2 come
4 love 2 strong, 4 us 2 part
I stuck a marriage proposal in the waste disposal
If that's the trash aesthetic, I'd suggest that we forget it
Your 12 disciples might kiss and tell
But you can tell me much more than they can
Right now
A mathematical equation won't describe my liaison
The stars in the sky might try persuading
But you can tell me, I won't hear you
You can tell me, I gave up the listening
Years ago
4 ever 2 gether, 4 years 2 come
4 love 2 strong, 4 us 2 part
4 ever 2 gether, 4 years 2 come
4 love 2 strong, 4 us 2 part
So you're broken hearted, take it to the mender
I got something on the agenda
Speak no, speak no, speak no evil
4 ever 2 gether, 4 years 2 come
4 love 2 strong, 4 us 2 part
For when two hearts but strong and sweet
One promise I can never meet
Forgive and forget, for goodness sake
For love this strong, might make or break
4 ever 2 gether, 4 years 2 come
4 love 2 strong, 4 us 2 part
Two's a party, three's a crowd
I'm surprised what get's allowed
Three coins inside the fountain
You saw Mohammed move the mountain
Speak no evil
Speak no evil
This is silly, well nearly
Yours faithfully, well eventually
Speak no evil
Speak no evil
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