Recensire quest'opera è una delle cose più difficili per un critico musicale. Però io non lo sono, quindi dovrebbe essere più facile per me. Sta di fatto che non ci troviamo davanti ad un ciddi" di canzoni più o meno belle. Ci troviamo davanti a 69 frammenti di canzoni d'amore. L'idea originale del leader dei Magnetic Fields (ovvero Steohin Merritt) comprendeva ben 100 canzoni. Troppo utopica come idea. E così il numero si ridusse a 69: numero quanto mai emblematico ed esplicitativo sull'argomento appunto che verrà trattato.
69 canzoni quindi, 3 compact disc, 23 canzoni per ogni disco.
Prima dell' ascolto più ci pensi e più ti rendi conto di quanto sia enorme ed ambizioso produrre così tanta musica e di come in effetti in teoria sia impossibile mantenere alto il livello dell'opera. Come è possibile creare 69 momenti musicali, se non eccelsi tutti, ma almeno sopra la sufficienza?
E poi ti fai coraggio e decidi che si tratta pur sempre di un opera pop. Nulla di più semplice. E quindi inserisci il disco numero 1, lo ascolti tutto d'un fiato. E così fai anche con il secondo disco e con il terzo. La sensazione che si ha è quella di stupore. Dici "questa canzone è bellissima. Credo sia il punto più alto ed ispirato dell'intera opera" ma puntualmente per una sessantina di volte circa devi ricrederti e non sai proprio quali tracce eleggere a miglior canzoni di una così ampia cosa. E infatti ho deciso di non nominarne neanche una per rispetto delle altre 68. Si passa come nulla, come se nulla fosse tra canzoncine pop in stile 60' a esperimenti da synth-pop a canzoncine acustiche a ritmi quasi reagge o dance anni 80' a richiami di Cohen o Van Morrison, a canzoncine di 30 secondi a canzoni di 5 minuti, dalla voce maschile pesante come un macigno sulla luna di Merritt alla voce dei vari ospiti che affollano l'opera. Questo per quasi 3 ore di fila. Impossibile non innamorarsi di una canzone. Ognuna delle 69 rimarrà nostra o comunque si legherà ad una nostra esperienza o un nostro sentimento o semplicemente l'adoreremo. E allora capisci che non è di pop da classifica che si parla qui. Questo è il pop visto come opera d'arte (sia nelle musiche sia nei testi magnifici). Come originariamente era. E qui c'è tutto. C'è tutto quello che è stato detto in questo genere e in questo tema da 40 anni a questa parte. Un opera magnifica di un genio, qual'è Merritt. Un vero e proprio capolavoro nella storia della musica. Forse l'ultimo vero grande capolavoro. Forse è il cofanetto che contiene tutti i migliori dischi della storia. Forse questi dischi potranno disorientarvi o confondervi o illudervi o farvi innamorare. Sta di fatto che in questo disco ci siamo tutti noi. Questa è Popular Art.
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
01 Absolutely Cuckoo (01:34)
Don't fall in love with me yet
We only recently met
True I'm in love with you, but
You might decide I'm a nut
Give me a week or two to
Go absolutley cuckoo
Then when you see your error,
Then you can flee in terror
Like everybody else does
I only tell you this cause
I'm easy to get rid of
But not if you fall in love
Know now that I'm on the make
And if you make a mistake
My heart will certainly break
I'll have to jump in a lake
And all my friends will blame you
There's no telling what they'll do
It's only fair to tell you
I'm absolutely cuckoo
Don't fall in love with me yet
We only recently met
True I'm in love with you, but
You might decide I'm a nut
Give me a week or two to
Go absolutley cuckoo
Then when you see your error,
Then you can flee in terror
Like everybody else does
I only tell you this cause
I'm easy to get rid of
But not if you fall in love
Know now that I'm on the make
And if you make a mistake
My heart will certainly break
I'll have to jump in a lake
And all my friends will blame you
There's no telling what they'll do
It's only fair to tell you
I'm absolutely cuckoo
It's only fair to tell you
I'm absolutely cuckoo
03 All My Little Words (02:46)
You are a splendid butterfly
It is your wings that make you beautiful
And I could make you fly away
But I could never make you stay
You said you were in love with me
Both of us know that that's impossible
And I could make you rue the day
But I could never make you stay
Not for all the tea in China
Not if I could sing like a bird
Not for all North Carolina
Not for all my little words
Not if I could write for you
The sweetest song you ever heard
It doesn't matter what I'll do
Not for all my little words
Now that you've made me want to die
You tell me that you're unboyfriendable
And I could make you pay and pay
But I could never make you stay
04 A Chicken With Its Head Cut Off (02:41)
Eligible, not too stupid
Intelligiable, and cute as cupid
Knowledgeable, but not always right
Salvageable, and free for the night
Well my heart's runnin' round like a chicken with its head cut off
All around the barn yard falling in and out of love
Poor thing's blind as a bat
Gettin' up, fallin' down, gettin' up
Who'd fall in love with a chicken with its head cut off?
Woah Nelly
My wife doesn't understand me
Many dozens, hope to land me
I'm for free love
And I'm in free fall
This could be love
Or nothing at all
But my heart's runnin' round like a chicken with its head cut off
All around the barn yard falling in and out of love
Poor thing's blind as a bat
Gettin' up, fallin' down, gettin' up
Who'd fall in love with a chicken with its head cut off?
We don't have to be stars exploding in the night
Or electric eels under the covers
We don't have to be
Anything quite so unreal
Lets just be lovers
Well my heart's runnin' round like a chicken with it's head cut off
All around the barn yard falling in and out of love
Poor thing's blind as a bat
Gettin' up, fallin' down, gettin' up
Who'd fall in love with a chicken with its head cut off?
It ain't pretty
05 Reno Dakota (01:05)
Reno Dakota there's not an iota of kindness in you
You know you enthrall me and yet you don't call me
It's making me blue Pantone 292 Reno Dakota I'm
reaching my quota of tears for the year Alas and
alack you just don't call me back You have just
disappeared It makes me drink beer I know you're
a recluse You know that's no excuse Reno that's
just a ruse Do not play fast and loose with my heart
Reno Dakota I'm no Nino Rota I don't know the score
Have I annoyed you or is there a boy who
Well he's just a whore I've had him before
It makes me drink more
08 The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side (03:43)
Andy would bicycle across town in the rain to bring you
candy and John would buy the gown for you to wear to the
prom with Tom the astronomer who'd name a star for you
(C): But I'm the luckiest guy on the Lower East Side
cause I've got wheels and you want to go for a ride
Harry is the one I think you'll marry but it's Chris
that you kissed after school I'm a fool, there's no doubt
but when the sun comes out and only when the sun
comes out... (C) The day is beautiful and so are you
My car is ugly but then I'm ugly too I know you'd
never give me a second glance but when the weather's
nice all the other guys don't stand a chance
I know Professor Blumen makes you feel like a woman
but when the wind is in your hair you laugh like a little girl
So you share secrets with Lou but we've got secrets too
Well, one: I only keep this heap for you
cause I'm the ugliest guy on the Lower East Side
but I've got wheels and you want to go for a ride
Want to go for a ride?
14 How Fucking Romantic (00:58)
how fucking romantic
all the stars are out
twinkling twinkling twinkling
and fluttering about
what a tacky sunset
what a vulgar moon
play another charming
rogers and hart tune
how fucking romantic
must we really waltz?
drag another cliche
howling from the vaults
love you obviously
like you really care
even though you treat me
like a dancing bear
toss your bear a goldfish
as it cycles by
don't forget to feed your
bear or it'll die
18 Boa Constrictor (00:58)
I spend my evenings alone talking to your picture, babe Love is
wrapped around my heart like a boa constrictor, babe My mother
should have murdered me What jury would convict her, babe for
love is wrapped around my heart like a boa constrictor, babe
20 My Sentimental Melody (03:07)
I'm a hopeless romantic
You're a terrible flirt
Cool and unfazed,
you're always amazed
when someone gets hurt
I live on the blue planet
that I saw in your eyes
but now I can't stay
knowing it's made
of beautiful lies
but my sentimental melody
like a long-lost lullabye
will ring in your ears
down through the years
bringing a tear to your eye
Goodbye
Love can kill people, can't it
Well it still might kill me
Each drop of rain
is a glass of champagne
It's sweet and it's free
When I drink I don't panic
When I drink I don't die
When I'm far gone
it's all just a song
just beautiful lies...
but my sentimental melody
like a long-lost lullabye
will ring in your ears
down through the years
bringing a tear to your eye
Goodbye
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