Gli UB40 (Unemployemenet Benefit Form 40, scheda da compilare per avere dindini in caso di disoccupazione nel Regno Unito della fine dei ’70) sono stati un gruppo pop/reggae di cui so veramente poco. E quello che so l’ho scoperto ieri. Nel 1989 hanno dato alle stampe il loro secondo album con cover, "Labour Of Love II", di cui posso dire qualcosa in più.
Non che lo abbia analizzato a dovere, o che mi sia impegnato nella ricerca di informazioni particolareggiate. Quando si parla di un pop così essenziale, a base di percussioni poco articolate, synth, e una voce da ragazzo di strada prestata alla musica di successo, mi dà fastidio provare a scovare buoni intenti e meraviglie che in fondo non ci sono. Perché (anche) questa è musica fatta ad hoc per essere colonna sonora di momenti specifici dell’adolescenza. Te ne rendi conto quando ti trovi al tramonto in un bar di spiaggia seduto davanti a quelli che furono i tuoi compagni di classe, in un circolo di sguardi da chiodificare la pelle. Te li ricordi tutti più piccoli, seduti bene o male nelle stesse posizioni. Il contorno è identico, tranne qualche mano di vernice in più. Cambiano le storie. Ma a quel punto chissenefrega. Perché la musica (nello specifico proprio questo album) aiuta a cancellare i sovrapensieri e portare tutti sulla stessa linea d’onda, mentre l’acqua poco lontana crepita sul bagnasciuga. La gente che hai di fronte parla, e pure tanto, ma ci metti poco a ricordare quei due che si penetrano con gli occhi e che ora sono sposati con persone diverse. Limonavano duro pregni di amore quando una serata estiva di quindici anni prima, per la festa di chiusura della scuola, si ascoltava il brano “Wedding Day”. Riesci rintracciare lo sguardo indiscreto di quell’altro sempre puntato sulla parte superiore del bikini della pin-up del gruppo che, nonostante gli anni in più, ballonzola proprio come quando si danzava “Groovin’”, quella stessa sera, in cui molti hanno visto girare i primi cannoni della loro vita. Ci sono sguardi d’intesa e brindisi sullo scorrere delle note del cd che ho portato proprio io per disgelare i contatti. La musica innocente e semplice (gran merito, se pensiamo a cosa abbia detto Bruno Munari – ad esempio – riguardo alla semplicità) di un gruppo i cui componenti agli inizi non sapevano neanche suonare e pian piano hanno appreso le basi, dopo lunghe sessioni in giro per piccolo studi della città natale. Birmingham.
La poca perizia musicale si manifesta in canzoni senza grandi pretese, imperniate su poche note, ma dirette a quella parte di materia grigia che incamera le informazioni da non dare in pasto all’oblio. Un reggae (ammetto anche che non mi piace per niente il genere nelle sue manifestazioni più serie e piene di senso) da quattro spicci che però è riuscito a vendere milioni di copie e a piazzare due singoli (da questo album) nella top ten del Billboard Hot 100 dell’epoca: “Here I Am (Come And Take Me)” – brano del gospel man Al Green – e “The Way You Do The Things You Do” – pezzo dei The Tempations, band di ballerini e vocalisti di colore in auge nei ’60 -. Insomma, bianchi alla ricerca della magia afro del nero, che hanno colto nel segno sia quando hanno interpretato brani altrui, sia quando ne hanno scritti di proprio pugno.
Non mi sentirei di consigliare questo disco a nessuno se non che a quei pochi che ne hanno vissuto vicende che oggi definiremmo ambient dell’epoca, o a quelli che pensano che due cubetti di ghiaccio nella memoria possano portare a galla bivacchi intensi di quella parte di vita in crescendo, quando ti senti Dio e hai forza per trainare le sorti di una trentina di persone in giro per il luogo di nascita e per il mondo, tra gite e partenze in piccoli gruppi.
Anche io ho uno sguardo incrociato, di quelli che bruciano il pelo. Anche oggi me ne fregherei del naso che non è il massimo in quanto a setto non proprio dolce. Ma quegli occhi che sanno di salvagente e quella vivacità che avrei sposato senza pensarci mi portano ad abbassare lo sguardo e seguire la linea della spalla, poi del braccio per finire nella mano. Che ora tiene un’altra mano.
Oh Kingston Town / The place I long to be / If I had the whole world / I would give it away / Just to see / the girls at play / Ooh, ooh, ooh. C’è rimasto poco da sognare, dopo la malinconia di Kingston Town (gran bel pezzo), dal sapore di confettura di more senza zucchero. Basta voli pindarici e si ritorna alla realtà. Ma certa musica del cazzo, qualcosa di buono davvero ancora ce l’ha.
Elenco tracce testi e video
01 Here I Am (Come and Take Me) (04:00)
I can't believe that it's real
The way that you make me feel
A burning deep down inside
A love that I cannot hide
I know it's you and me babe
That makes this world go round
Ah keeping you in love with me baby
Laying all my troubles down
Here I am babe, come and take me
Here I am babe, come on and take me
Take me by the hand, ooh show me
Here I am babe, oooooaaah
It always ends up this way
Me begging you every day
A love that I cannot have
You broke my heart in two halves
Ooh I know it's you and me babe
That makes this world go round
Ah keeping you in love with me baby
Laying all my troubles down
Here I am babe, come and take me
Here I am babe, won't ya come and take me
Take me by the hand, ooh squeeze me
Here I am babe, oooooaaah
Here I am babe, come and take me
Here I am babe, won't ya come and take me
Take me by the hand, ooh show me
show me what you can
Here I am babe, upon to take me
take me by the hand, take me by the hand
ooohhhhh show me, show me what you can
Here I am babe, upon to take me
take me by the hand, take me while it can
Here I am babeeeeee
02 Tears From My Eyes (03:50)
Tears from my eyes keep on falling
cause you are leaving, leaving with another
Things that we've done together
I'll always remember though you're with another, baby.
Tears from my eyes keep on falling
cause you are leaving, leaving with another
Things that we've done together
I'll always remember though you're with another, baby.
I've done everything one man can do, girl
Said every word one man can say
The thing that we had has gone astray, girl
I'm missing you from day to day.
Tears from my eyes keep on falling
cause you are leaving, leaving with another
Things that we've done together
I'll always remember though you're with another, baby.
I've done everything one man can do, girl
Said every word one man can say
The thing that we had has gone astray, girl
I'm missing you from day to day.
Tears from my eyes keep on falling
cause you are leaving, leaving with another
Things that we've done together
I'll always remember though you're with another, baby.
Tears from my eyes keep on falling
cause you are leaving, leaving with another
Things that we've done together
I'll always remember though you're with another, baby.
Tears from my eyes keep on falling
cause you are leaving, leaving with another
Things that we've done together
I'll always remember though you're with another, baby.
03 Groovin' (03:49)
I get my kicks from watching people
Running too and fro
And if you ask them where they`re going
Half of the don`t know
Let the world to think I`m crazy
But they don`t realize
(Chorus)
That I'm just groovin, ooh groovin
Grooving out on life
I'm just groovin and I can't stop moving...
Groovin till I die...
I see a river flowing by me
Heading for the sea
I get a feeling deep inside me
It`s so good to be free
I`ve got sunshine in the daytime
And moonlight every night
That I'm just groovin, ooh groovin
Grooving out on life
I'm just groovin and I can't stop moving...
Groovin till I die...
I see a river flowing by me
Heading for the sea
I get a feeling deep inside me
It`s so good to be free
I`ve got sunshine in the daytime
And moonlight every night
That I'm just groovin,groovin
Grooving out on life
I'm just groovin and I can't stop moving...
Groovin till I die...
04 The Way You Do the Things You Do (03:02)
You've got a smile so bright
You know you could have been a candle
I'm holding you so tight
You know you could have been a handle
The way you swept me off my feet
You know you could have been a broom
And babe, you smell so sweet
You know you could have been some perfume
Well, you could have been anything that you wanted to
I can tell, the way you do the things you do
Alright, the way you do the things you do
As pretty as you are
You know you could have been a flower
If good looks were a minute,
You know you could have been an hour
The way you stole my heart
You know you could have been a crook
And baby you're so smart
You know you could have been a school book
Well, you could have been anything that you wanted to
I can tell, the way you do the things you do
Alright, the way you do the things you do
You make my life so rich
You know you could have been some money
Baby you're so sweet
You know you could have been some honey
Well, you could have been anything that you wanted to
I can tell, the way you do the things you do
Alright, the way you do the things you do
As pretty as you are
You know you could have been a flower
If good looks were a minute,
You know you could have been an hour
The way you stole my heart
You know you could have been a crook
And baby you're so smart
You know you could have been a school book
Well, you could have been anything that you wanted to
I can tell, the way you do the things you do
Alright, the way you do the things you do
The way you do the things you do
Alright, the way you do the things you do
The way you do the things you do
Alright, the way you do the things you do
The way you do the things you do
Alright, the way you do the things you do
You make my life so sweet
Alright, the way you do the things you do
You make my life so sweet
Alright, the way you do the things you do
You make my life so sweet
Alright, the way you do the things you do
05 Kingston Town (03:48)
The night seems to fade, but the moonlight lingers on.
There are wonders for everyone.
The stars shine so bright,
but they're fading after dawn.
There's magic in Kingston Town.
Oh Kingston Town, the place I long to be.
If I had the whole world I would give it away
just to see the girls at play.
When I am king surely I would need a queen.
And a palace and everything, yeah.
And now, I am king and my queen will come at dawn
she'll be waiting in Kingston Town.
(repeat last two refrains till end)
08 Wear You to the Ball (03:31)
I'm gonna wear you to the ball tonight
Put on your best dress tonight
Did you hear what the man said baby
Well be your best 'cause this
gonna be a musical test
So come to school, and I take up the musical rule
Give me soul brothers and give me soul sisters
Come To I and maybe you can make it if you try
So be wise and be changing, put on your best
Because I got your musical key
Rub it baby, I said scrub it, yeah.
Cause I'm tougher than tough
And that ain't no bluff
Maybe it's because I've got the musical stuff
I'm gonna make you the talk of the town
No use wearing a frown
Though those other guys may put you down
I'm gonna let you wear my crown
Though those other guys may put you down
You'll wear my crown
Wow ! Chick-a-bow, chick-a-bow,
chick-a-bow, chick-a-bow wow wow
Give me soul brothers and give me soul sisters
Don't beg for no mercy
Move it up, break it up!
Tell you bout it, it's good
Wow! she's got it, she's got it,
she's got it, she's got it
Though those other guys may put you down
I'm gonna let you wear my crown
And we are going to have a musical ball
So get on the ball and don't stall,
I beg you baby
Wow! Tell you about it, it's good
I'm gonna wear you to the ball tonight
Put on your best dress tonight
That's for sure
Play brand new musical discs from
the flick of my wrist, baby
Wow! Tell you about it, she's got it
She's got it, she's got it Chick-a-bow,
chick-a-bow, chick-a-bow, chick-a-bow wow wow
I'm gonna wear you to the ball tonight
Put on your best dress tonight
I'm gonna make you the talk of the town
No use wearing a frown
09 Homely Girl (03:24)
It must have broke your poor little heart
When the boys used to say,
you looked better in the dark.
But now they'd give all they learnt in school
To be somewhere in the dark with you
The teacher would ask the questions
And you, would always raise your hand
But somehow you never got your turn
And my eyes would fill with water, inside I'd burn
CHORUS
Homely girl, you used to be so lonely
You're a beautiful woman oh homely girl
Homely girl you used to be so lonely
You're a beautiful woman oh homely girl
There was a boy who used to sit beside you
Who'd like to hold that place his whole life through
Oooh you were beautiful to me
You had a heart no one could ever see, oh yes you did
Homely girl, you used to be so lonely
You're a beautiful woman oh homely girl
I was the only one who offered
To carry your books
Took all the stares and laughter
And the dirty looks
Cause I saw then what they see now
They all want to ask you for a date
They don't know how, they don't know how
CHORUS
You used to be so lonely
You're a beautiful woman oh homely girl
You used to be so lonely
You're a beautiful woman oh homely girl
(repeat until faded)
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