• Voto:
Tra le varie artiste femminili che hanno veramente cambiato (o fatto) la storia della musica mondiale, molte si sono fatte riconoscere per doti e qualità che permettavano di imporre e "spingere fuori" la figura femminile anche nell'universo musicale. Qualche nome? Madonna è diventata la regina del pop per la sua spregiudicatezza e la non curanza delle regole; Gloria Gaynor è diventata simbolo della diversità (per via del suo colore della pelle e per il fatto che la comunità omosessuale apprezza molte delle sue canzoni); Donna Summer è stata la prima a farsi strada sulle piste da ballo; Tina Turner è stata la pantera deglio show americani con la sua voce inarrestabile e le sue movenze selvagge. E chi più ne ha più ne metta (non me ne vogliano gli altri se non ho citato la loro cantante preferita.....).
C'è invece chi come Annie Lennox ha rinunciato a spintonarsi con le sue colleghe che, oltre alla voce, hanno incentrato la loro carriera sul proprio corpo, sui proprio spettacoli e sulla propria immagine esteriore. Ma nonostante tutto anche la Sacerdotessa del Pop è riuscita a diventare comunque un'ICONA abbastanza riconoscibile. E non solo grazie alla sua raffinatezza, al suo elegantissimo portamento e al suo fascino androgino. Ma anche grazie ad un contenuto. Grazie al suo lato artistico che forse per alcuni non sarà fonte d'invidia per le altre cantanti internazionali. Ma un lato che artistico che tutti si troveranno d'accordo con me se dico che quest'ultimo sia "unico" nel suo genere.
Presentare l'album "MEDUSA" dopo questa brillante descrizione sembrerebbe quasi un suicidio, visto che si tratta di un lavoro che racchiude 10 cover riarrangiate dalla stessa Lennox. Molti sottovalutano e snobbano gli artisti che molto facilmente costruiscono una carriera su pezzi composti già in passato (Marylin Manson, Celine Dion ecc.) Ma prima di criticare un film bisogna vederlo. E prima di criticare un album bisogna ascoltarlo. Per questo farò una breve descrizione di quest'album che proprio come i molteplici tentacoli del mostro greco Medusa fuoriuscivano dalla sua testa, mostra le varie sfaccettature, le mille personalità di una donna che rende in qualche modo "sue" queste canzoni.
L'album si apre con uno dei più grandi successi della Lennox: "No More I Love You's", che come dico sempre io "non appartieni alla razza terrestre se non conosci questa canzone...". Sicuramentel'incessante dopopopo dododo e l'utilizzo della traccia in Vacanze di Natale 95 ha celato per anni l'atmosfera macabra e psicopatica di questa malinconia canzone, lasciando il posto ad un tormentone estivo di una botta e via. Vi invito a vedere il bellissimo video della canzone (allestito in parte dalla stessa Lennox) per capirne un pò meglio il significato...
Con la seconda traccia, "Take me to the river" Annie ci porta in un'atmosfera rock anni 70, rimanendo abbastanza fedele alla versione ufficiale di Al Green (anzi forse la Lennox l'ha resa meno carica e meno "black" rispetto all'originale).
Nonostante le tracce originali riprese dalla Lennox in questo album siano per la maggior parte sconosciute al grande pubblico contemporaneo (perlomeno in Italia), con la terza canzone Annie osa veramente e si prende la briga di interpretare "A whiter shade of pale", storica canzone dei Procol Harum che è stata definita una delle più belle canzoni di tutti i tempi secondo la prestigiosa rivista Rolling Stones. L'arrangiamento risulta più moderno e la voce di Annie si adatta perfettamente.
"Don't let it bring you down" (di Neil Young) rifatta dalla Lennox sembra quasi un'altra canzone, nonostante il troppo utilizzo di una base pop spenga in alcuni momenti la magia che creava l'interpretazione di chi l'ha scritta e cantata prima di lei. La canzone sarà utilizzata nel film American Beauty.
Con "Train in vain" e "I can't get next to you" la Lennox mette le vesti di due gruppi del pop/rock anni 70 (The Clash e The Temptations) con un'ambiance che conserva un ritmo tipico di quegli anni definiti d'oro per il rock 'n' roll.
La lunghissima "Downtown lights" (dei Blue Nile) presenta in modo imbarazzante una base identica a quella originale, ma probabilmente il sound cosi futuristico della canzone non avrebbe potuto sopportare cambiamenti troppo drastici.
"Thin line between love and hate" (dei Pretenders) ci annuncia che siamo prossimi alla conclusione, dandoci col suo ritmo pop/soul un attimo di respiro che anticipa una canzone di un mito della musica.
Anche il re del reggae Bob Marley infatti compare tra gli artisti preferiti della Lennox, che gli "ruba" la solarissima "Waiting in vain" e la ripulisce leggermente dagli strumenti tipicamente reggae e la fa sua con la sua voce pop.
L'ultimo tentacolo dell'album, "Something so right" è probabilmente quello più sentito dal lato interpretativo: cosi sentito che la Lennox lo intepreterà con lo stesso autore del brano (per la cronaca Paul Simon) in una reedizione dell'album.
Questo è l'universo musicale presentato in questo bellissimo album. Un album che accompagna da sempre le mie giornate per la sua varietà di generi musicali e naturalmente per questa "Medusa" degli anni 90 che ha saputo rendere omaggio a degli artisti che lei indiscutibilmente apprezza. E presentando in più delle tracce che non hanno costruito il nome di questi artisti, ma che rappresentano invece il loro lato più intimo, più sconosciuto al grande pubblico. Lato che la Lennox ha afferrato senza troppi complimenti e lo ha reso suo.
Mi piacerebbe concludere proprio con una frase che Annie scrive nel libretto di questo prezioso lavoro appena descritto:
"Agli autori di queste bellissime canzoni, ai quali offro il mio più profondo rispetto."
Elenco tracce testi e samples
01 No More "I Love You's" (04:53)
Do be do be do do do oh
Do be do be do do do oh
I used to be a lunatic from the gracious days
I used to feel woebegone and so restless nights
My aching heart would bleed for you to see
1-Oh, but now
I don't find myself bouncing home
Whistling buttonhole tunes to make me cry
No more I love you's
The language is leaving me
No more I love you's changes are shifting
Outside the words
No one ever speaks about the monsters
I used to have demons in my room at night
Desire, despair, desire
So many monsters
(rpt 1)
2-No more I love you's
The language is leaving me
No more I love you's
The language is leaving me in silence
No more I love you's
Changes are shifting outside the words
And people are being real crazy
And you know what mommy?
Everybody was being real crazy
And the monsters are crazy.
There are monsters outside
(rpt 2, 2,...)
Do be do be do do do oh
Outside the words
02 Take Me to the River (03:33)
I dont know why, I love ya like I do,
(with) all the changes, you put me through,
Take my money, my cigarretes,
I haven't seen the worst of it yet,
I wanna know, can you tell me?
Id really love to stay...
Take me to the river,
Drop me in the water,
Take me to the river,
Dip me in the water,
(Washing me down, washing me down, washing me down, washing me down)
I don't know why you treat me so bad,
Think of all the things, that we could have had,
Love is a notion, and I cant forget, (aahhh)
My sweet sixteen, I'll never regret
I wanna know, can you tell me?
Id really love to stay...
Take me to the river,
Drop me in the water,
Take me to the river,
Dip me in the water,
Love me, squeeze me,
Love me, tease me,
till i can't, till i can't, till i can't, till i can't.....
I don't know why, I love ya like I do,
All the trouble, you put me through,
sixteen candles, blowing on the wall,
And here I am, the biggest fool of all
I wanna know, can you tell me?
Id really love to stay...
Take me to the river,
Drop me in the water, (come on, come on, come on)
Dip me in the water, (oh yeah, you got to take me)
Drop me in the river, (in the river, come on)
Dip me in the water, (now take me in the water, yeah)
Drop me in the river, (you got to drop me in the river, come on, come on)
Push me in the water, (push me in the water now, come on)
Drop me in the river,
03 A Whiter Shade of Pale (05:16)
We skipped the light Fandango
Turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
I was feeling kind of seasick
But the crowd called out for more
The room was humming harder
As the ceiling flew away
When we called out for another drink
The waiter brought a tray
And so it was that later
As the Miller told his tale
And then a face at first just ghostly
Turned a whiter shade of pale
She said there is no reason
And the truth is plain to see
But I wandered through my playing cards
And would not let her be
One of sixteen vestal virgins
Who were leaving for the coast
And although my eyes were open
They might just as well've been closed
And so it was that later
As the Miller told his tale
And then a face at first just ghostly
Turned a whiter shade of pale
And so it was that later
As the Miller told his tale
And then a face at first just ghostly
Turned a whiter shade of pale
04 Don't Let It Bring You Down (03:38)
Old man lying by the side of the road
With the lorries rolling by
Blue moon's sinkin from the weight of the load
And the buildings scrape the sky
Cold wind nippin down the valley at dawn
And the morning paper flies
Dead man lying by the side of the road
With the daylight in his eyes
Don't let it bring you down,
It's only castles burning
Find someone who's turning
And you will come around
Blind man running through the light of the night
With an answer in his hands
Come on down to the river of sight
And you can really understand
Red lights flashing through the window in the rain
Can you hear the sirens moan
White cain lying in the gutter in the lane
And you're walking home alone
Don't let it bring you down
It's only castles burning
Find someone who's turning
And you will come around
Dont let it bring you down
It's only castles burning
Find someone who's turning
And you will come around
Old man lying by the side of the road
With the lorries rolling by
Blue moon's sinkin from the weight of the load
And the buildings scrape the sky
Cold wind nippin down the valley at dawn
And the morning paper flies
Dead man lying by the side of the road
With the daylight in his eyes
Dont let it bring you down
It's only castles burning
Find someone who's turning
And you will come around
And you will come around
Dont let it bring you down
It's only castles burning
Find some one who`s turning
And you will come around
06 I Can't Get Next to You (03:08)
I can turn the grey sky blue
And I can make it rain
Whenever I want it to
And I can build a castle
From a single grain of sand
And I can make a ship sail
On dry land
But my life is incomplete
And I'm so blue
'Cause I can't get next to you
I can't get next to you,babe
I can't get next to you
I can't get next to you,babe
I can't get next to you
I can fly
Like a bird in the sky
I can buy anything
That money can buy
I can turn a river into a raging fire
I can live forever if I so desire
But I don't want it all these things I can do
'Cause I can't get next to you
I can't get next to you,babe
I can't get next to you
I can't get next to you,babe
I can't get next to you
I can turn back the hands of time
You better believe I can
I can make the season change
Just by the wave of my hand
I can change anything from one to two
The thing I wanna do the most I'm unable to do
I'm an unhappy woman with all the powers I possess
'Cause man you're the key to my happiness
'Cause I can't get to next to you
Ooh you're blowin' my mind
'Cause I can't get next to you
Can't you see these tears I'm cryin'
I can't get next to you
Oh it's you that I need
I gotta get next to you
Can't you see these tears I'm cryin'
Can't get next to you
I,I,I,I,I,I
Can't get next to you
I,I,I,I,I,I
Can't get next to you
07 Downtown Lights (06:44)
Sometimes I walk away
When all I really wanna do
Is love and hold you right
There is just one thing I can say
Nobody loves you this way
It's all right,can't you see
The downtown lights
In love we're all the same
We're walking down an empty street
And with nobody calling on me
Empty street,empty night
The downtown lights
How do I know you feel it
How do I know you feel it
How do I know you feel it
How do I know you feel it
It's all right
Tonight and every night
Let's go walking down this empty street
Let's walk in the cool evening night
Wrong or right,be t my side
The downtown lights
It will be all right
It will be all right
The downtown lights
How do I know you feel it
How do I know you feel it
How do I know you feel it
How do I know you feel it
It's all right
Neons and cigarettes
The rented rose and rented cars
The crowded streets,the empty bars
Chimneytops,the trumpets
The golden lights,the loving prayers
Colored shoes,the empty trains
I'm tired of cring on the stairs
The downtown lights
09 Waiting in Vain (05:40)
From the very first time I rest my eyes on you, boy,
My heart said follow through
But I know now that I'm way down on your line
But the waiting feeling's fine.
So don't treat me like a puppet on a string
'Cause I know how to do my thing.
Don't talk to me as if you think I'm dumb,
I wanna know when you're gonna come.
See, I don't wanna wait in vain for your love,
I don't wanna wait in vain for your love,
I don't wanna wait in vain for your love,
I don't wanna wait in vain for your love,
'Cause summer is here, I'm still waiting there,
Winter is here and I'm still waiting there.
Like I said, it's been three years since I'm knocking on your door
And I still can knock some more.
Ooh boy, ooh boy, is it crazy love? I wanna know now
For I to knock some more. You see...
In life I know there is lots of grief
But your love is my relief.
Tears in my eyes burn, tears in my eyes burn
While I'm waiting, while I'm waiting for my turn.
See, I don't wanna wait in vain for your love,
I don't wanna wait in vain for your love,
I don't wanna wait in vain for your love,
I don't wanna wait in vain for your love,..
'Cause summer is here, I'm still waiting there,
Winter is here and I'm still waiting there.
No I no I, I don't wanna wait in vain
No I no I, I dont wanna wait in vain
No no no I, no I, I dont wanna wait in vain
Its your love that I waitng on
Its my love that your waitng for
Its your love that I waitng on
Its my love that your waitng for
I don't wanna wait in vain for your love
I don't wanna wait in vain for your love
I don't wanna wait in vain for your love
I don't wanna wait in vain for your love
10 Something So Right (03:56)
You've got the cool water
When the fever runs high
And you've got the look of love
Right in your eyes
And I was in a crazy motion
Till you calmed me down
It took a little time
But you calmed me down
Some people never say the words
"I love you"
It's not their style to be so bold
Some people never say the words
"I love you"
But like a child
They're longing to be told
They've got a wall in China
It's a thousand miles long
To keep out the foreigners
They made it strong
And I've got a wall around me
That you can't even see
It took a little time
To get next to me
If something goes wrong
I'm the first to admit it
The first to admit it
But the last one to know
If something goes right
Well, it's likely to lose me
It's apt to confuse me
Because it's such an unusual sight
Oh I can't get used to something so right
Something so right
Some people never say the words
"I love you"
It's not their style to be so bold
Some people never say the words
"I love you"
But like a child
I'm longing to be told
They've got a wall in China
And I've got a wall around me
It took a little time
To get next to me
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