L'inizio di un nuovo decennio, di una nuova pagina, un album di raccordo tra presente e passato e, soprattutto, l'ultimo grande successo commerciale per gli Erasure, "Chorus", datato 1991. Grazie al formidabile senso della melodia di un mago dell'elettronica come Vince Clarke ed alla vocalità fresca e briosa nonché all'innegabile carisma del frontman Andy Bell questo duo si è affermato come una delle più interessanti e notevoli realtà del pop nella seconda metà degli anni '80 e questo disco ne rappresenta sicuramente una delle sue espressioni più complete e caratterizzanti. È infatti con "Chorus" che avviene il passaggio dal synth pop leggero e frizzante che aveva fatto la loro fortuna alle sonorità più raffinate e riflessive dei lavori di metà anni '90.
"Chorus" può essere considerato come l'ultimo capitolo di una trilogia comprendente anche i precedenti "The Innocents" e "Wild!" per quanto riguarda il riscontro commerciale, ma de facto rappresenta l'inizio di un percorso evolutivo che arriverà al suo compimento con "I Say I Say I Say" e soprattutto "Erasure". Non manca una buona dose di brio e leggerezza espressa in episodi come la titletrack, che rende onore al suo esemplificativo titolo, la divertente "Love To Hate You" che cita l'epico evergreen "I Will Survive" e soprattutto "Breath Of Life", fantastica con il suo incedere ipnotico ed incalzante, ma già in questi brani si nota alla perfezione il cambiamento stilistico, un approccio più sobrio, più improntato ad un pop elettronico maturo, nel cantato di Andy così come nei suoni, che puntano decisamente più sull'eleganza che sui colori sgargianti come in passato, e di questo si ha una luminosa dimostrazione con episodi come "Waiting For The Day" e "Joan", caratterizzati da splendide melodie calde ed avvolgenti. "Chorus" inoltre indica la nuova direzione stilistica che sarà intrapresa dagli Erasure con "I Say I Say I Say", ovvero ballate elettroniche di grande spessore e raffinatezza in cui Andy Bell riesce a dare il meglio di sé come paroliere oltre che come cantante, basti pesare all'evocativa, dolce e malinconica "Am I Right", l'atmosfera estatica e contemplativa di "Siren Song", il fascino sottile e riflessivo di "Turns The Love To Anger" e "Perfect Stranger", echi di new-age visionaria nella splendida chiusura "Home", a mio parere l'apice qualitativo dell'opera.
"Chorus" è un album semplicemente splendido, impeccabile ed inappuntabile: dieci canzoni, nessun punto morto, nessuna incongruenza; melodie perfette, ottimi testi ed una fluidità sonora veramente notevole; fin dall'inizio della loro carriera gli Erasure, nel loro essere canzonettari, lo sono sempre stati con competenza e classe da vendere, e con questo disco si riscontra un'evoluzione positiva e propositiva; il definitivo salto di qualità. Ispirato, convincente e bilanciato alla perfezione, "Chorus" consacra definitivamente Andy Bell e Vince Clarke tra i più grandi nomi della storia del Pop, con pieno merito.
Elenco tracce testi e samples
01 Chorus (04:26)
Go ahead with your dreamin'
For what it's worth
Or you'll be stricken bound
Kickin' up dirt
For when it's dark
You never know what the night it may bring
Go ahead with your schemin'
And shop at home
You'll find treasure
While cookin' up bones
But the knife is sharp
You'd better watch that you don't cut your hands
2x
And they covered up the sun
Until the birds had flown away
And the fishes in the sea
Had gone to sleep
Go ahead with your dreamin'
For what it's worth
Or you'll be stricken bound
Kickin' up dirt
For when it's dark
You never know what the night it may bring
Go ahead with schemin'
And shop at home
You'll find treasure
While cookin' up bones
But the knife is sharp
You'd better watch that you don't cut your hands
2x
And they covered up the sun
Until the birds had flown away
And the fishes in the sea
Had gone to sleep
Holy Moses our hearts are screaming
Souls are lifting only dreaming
We'll be waiting some are praying
For a time when no one's cheatin'
The sunlight rising over the horizon
Just a distant memory the dawn chorus
Birds singing bells ringing
In our hearts in our minds...
2x
And they covered up the sun
Until the birds had flown away
And the fishes in the sea
Had gone to sleep
02 Waiting for the Day (03:49)
It was only for a fight
That I asked you to come in
But you brought me tumbling down
And the walls came caving in
Won't you help me dry my tears
Help me roll away the years
Then perhaps I will forgive you
And the hurt will disappear
But in a fit of blind arrogance
You stood up and walked away
If you'd given me half a chance
I'll be waiting for the day
For the day that you come back to me
Come on back to me
You come back to me
So forget the long goodbye
You never really tried
Threw the keys down on the table
You've got your sense of pride
Then you had to tell the world
Your story must be heard
Slammed the door behind you
Without a single word
But in a fit of blind arrogance
You stood up and walked away
The day that you come back to me
Come on back to me
You come back to me
Come back to me
You come back to me
No I never had a single thought in my head
No I never had a single thought
Oh for the day that you come back to me
Come on back to me
You come back to me
Come on back to me
You could be my life long friend
You could be the light of dawn
You could keep me close at hand
You could keep me safe and warm
I will be your fantasy
If you come and stay with me
I will try to give you all
Waiting for the night to fall
You could be the light of day
You could be my life long friend
You could keep me close at hand
Waiting for the day to end
I will be your fantasy
If you come and stay with me
I will try to give my all
Waiting for the night to fall
03 Joan (03:50)
Power generation
You live up your life and it feels like fire
Suspended in animation
A trick of the light and it drives you higher
Blind vision blind faith
You really can be sold
If you dare to disagree
It's just not within the scheme of things
To give up your life so easily
That's not the way you're meant to be
What a waste of time and energy
It's just not within the scheme of things(live your life)
To give up your life so easily, easily(I'll be there)
Psychic celebration
Look up in the stars and see Venus rising
Rapture, fascination
You live for the night and your own desire
Blind vision blind faith
You really can't rely
On what they tell you for effect
It's not just within the scheme of things(live your life)
To give up your life so easily
That's not the way you're meant to be(I do care)
What a waste of time and energy
It's just not within the scheme of things(live your life)
To give up your life so easily
That's not the way you're meant to be(I'll be there)
What a waste of time and energy, energy
04 Breath of Life (04:06)
Never had a point of view
Cause my mind was always someone else's mind
I never had to tell a lie
Cause I left the choices up to them
Don't know why but I did
Oh I want life
Life wants me
To breath in it's love
Take me I'm yours
Now I'm comin' up for air
I'm gonna live my time
For the rest of my life
Then I'll be comin' back for more
I never had to call the tune
'Cause I always drifted with the tide of the moon
(Ah la luna, my love, my love, my love)
I would go out every night
Looking for someone to treat me right
Not a chance (chance) not a hope (hope) in this world (world)
Oh I want life
Life wants me
To breath in it's love
Take me I'm yours
Now I'm comin' up for air
I'm gonna live my time
For the rest of my life
Then I'll be comin' back for more
Take me I'm yours
Now I'm comin' up for air
I'm gonna live my time
For the rest of my life
Then I'll be comin' back for more
(More)
Take me I'm yours
Now i'm comin' up for air
I'm gonna live my time
For the rest of my life
Then I'll be coming back for more (more)
(oh yeah) (More)
05 Am I Right? (04:19)
Wanderin' through the back roads
And the rain comes rushin' down
To resolve your love
For this man in his twenties
Am I Right? Am I wrong? Or am I just dreaming?
Climbing up the backstairs
There's a chill wind in the air
I wrap up from the cold
Pull the blind in the window
Who was here? Was it you? Or am I just dreaming?
Look at all the lonely people
Walking miles around the town
I can see the old cathedral
But I have to play it down
Boats along the river
Setting up their sails
And life carries on as normal
Although you're not around
Waiting as the bus stop
Laughing off the rain
Shaking their umbrellas
'Till it starts again
Flowers in the water
Floating off downstream
Paper in the gutter
Blowing in the breeze
Am I Right? Am I wrong? Or am I just dreaming?
Look at all the lonely people
Walking miles around the town
I can see the old cathedral
But I have to play it down
Boats along the river
Setting up their sails
And life carries on as normal
Although you're not around
Waiting as the bus stop
Laughing off the rain
Shaking their umbrellas
'Till it starts again
Flowers in the water
Floating off downstream
Paper in the gutter
Blowing in the breeze
Am I Right? Am I wrong? Or am I just dreaming?
Wanderin' through the back roads
And the rain comes rushin' down
To resolve your love
For this man in his twenties
Am I Right? Am I wrong? Or am I just dreaming?
06 Love to Hate You (03:55)
I'm crazy flowing over with ideas
A thousand ways to woo a lover so sincere?
Love and hate what a beautiful combination
Sending shivers up and down my spine
For every Casanova that appears
My sense of hesitation disappears
Love and hate what a beautiful combination
Sending shivers up and down my spine
And the lovers that you sent for me
Didn't come with any satisfaction guarantee
So I return them to the sender
And the note attached will read
How I love to hate you
I love to hate you
I love to hate you
I love to hate you
Oh you really still expect me to believe
Every single letter I receive
Sorry you what a shameful situation
Sending shivers up and down my spine
Oh I like to read murder mystery
I like to know the killer isn't me
Love and hate what a beautiful combination
Sending shivers make me quiver
Feel it sliver up and down my spine
09 Perfect Stranger (04:04)
Hell I gave up my time
For a no good affair
You'd think I'd learned by now
To be taken in
By a perfect stranger
Would that I had the know how
Still more fool me
For kidding myself
That's the way it should be
Maybe I should grow up
Would I feel confined to the same space
Or would I feel that I talked myself into a corner
So long you're no friend of mine
You're false and unkind
You're indestructible
No place I'd rather be
Than in the ring with you
We'd go twenty rounds
Still more fool me
For killing myself
That's the way it should be
Maybe I should grow up
Would I feel confined to the same space
Or would I feel that I talked myself into a corner
I see the sky move above me
But I just can't take control
What a sweet sensation
Love sweet sweet love
Oh I feel so bad
10 Home (04:14)
I ain't never going home
'Cause I'm having a good time
I ain't never going home
'Cause my time is come
I'll wait for the winter
To lie at my door
White stretches out before me
Leads me to the hall
White circles play within my mind
Ices over and freezes life
Time will come, time will come, time will fall
Bringing the world to its feet
Bringing the world to its feet
I ain't never turning back
'Cause I've come this far
And I'm lost within my tracks
I will follow the north star
I'll wait till the springtime
Is breathing at my door
The wilderness before me
Heeds the lions roar
White circles play within my mind
Ices over and freezes life
Time will come, time will come, time will fall
Bringing the world to its feet
Bringing the world to her hands and her knees
I'll wait till the winter
Is lying at my door
Time stretches out before me
A stone's throw from the door
White circles play within my mind
Ices over and freezes life
Time will come, time will come, time will fall
Bringing the world to its feet
Bringing the world to her hands and her feet
Bringing the world to its feet
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