The Cure, "The Drowning Man" and Gormenghast

Going to end my literary inspired pop with one of the best bands to use literature in their lyrics: The Cure.  

While The Cure are well- known for quoting Camus in their “Killing an Arab”... Robert Smith's lyrics are often literarily inspired: "Adonais," "Charlotte Sometimes," "Bird Mad Girl," "Bananafishbones," "How Beautiful You Are," "Looking Glass Girl"… and so much more (I could do a blog post JUST on his literary inspirations... )

But the subject of today’s post is the haunting song, "The Drowning Man," from the 1981 LP Faith (a personal favorite) and is inspired by the death of Fuchsia of Gormenghast. 

The Gormenghast Novels by Mervyn Peake take place in the remote kingdom of Gormenghast and focus on the intrigues that unfold within the huge, isolated Castle Gormenghast and its environs.  The three novels--Titus Groan (1949), Gormenghast (1950), and Titus Alone (1959)--follow the main character, Titus Groan, from birth to manhood and chronicle his role as the reluctant ruler of Gormenghast.  Titus's closest relative is his half-sister, Fuchsia, who has an erratic nature and is given to melancholy since the death of their father. But she's warm and lovely character who, sadly, never realizes her full potential in life.

In Gormenghast, Fuchsia learns that the man she loves--the villainous Steerpike--is not what he claims to be, and is in fact a villainous social climber who killed her father. Contemplating the disillusionments of life, Fuchsia stands at a window casement above rising floodwaters and muses upon life and death. She thinks about suicide and what it may (and may not) solve. At that moment, a knock is heard at the door, and, startled, she loses her footing and falls. In her fall, she strikes her head and hits the waters below unconscious, thereby drowning. Titus, who loves his sister deeply and is his only remaining family, is shattered by her death.

She stands twelve feet above the flood
She stares
Alone
Across the water

The loneliness grows and slowly

Fills her frozen body

Sliding downwards

One by one her senses die

The memories fade

And leave her eyes

Still seeing worlds that never were

And one by one the bright birds leave her ...

Starting at the violent sound

She tries to turn

But final

Noiseless

Slips and strikes her soft dark head

The water bows

Receives her

And drowns her at its ease

Drowns her at its ease

I would have left the world all bleeding

Could I only help you love

The fleeting shapes

So many years ago

So young and beautiful and brave

Everything was true

It couldn't be a story

I wish it was all true

I wish it couldn't be a story

The words all left me

Lifeless

Hoping

Breathing like the drowning man

Oh Fuschia

You leave me

Breathing like the drowning man

Breathing like the drowning man

Much of the lyrics here are taken directly from the novel… as Robert Smith has a beautiful way of finding the poetry in the prose. Here is the excerpt with the corresponding lines highlighted:

"She walked unsteadily on the window. Her thought had taken her into a realm of possibility so vast, awe-inspiring, final and noiseless that her knee felt weak and she glanced over her shoulder although she knew herself to be alone in her room with the door locked against the world.


When she reached the window she stared out across the water, but nothing that she saw affected her thought or made any kind of visual impression on her.


All she knew was that she felt weak, that she was not reading about all this in a tragic book but that it was true. It was true that she was standing at a window and that she had thought of killing herself. She clutched her hands togheter over her heart and fleeting memory of how a young man had suddenly appeared at another window many years ago and had left a rose behind him on her table, passed through her mind and was gone.


It was all true. It wasn't any story. But she could still pretend. She would pretend that she was the sort of person who would not only think of killing herself so that the pain in her heart should be gone for ever, but be the kind of person who would know how to do it, and be brave enough. And as she pondered, she slid moment by moment even deeper into a world of make-believe, as though she were once more the imaginative girl of many years ago, aloft in her secret life. She had become somebody else. She was someone who was young and beautiful and brave as a lioness. What would such a person do? Why, such a person would stand upon the window sill above this water. And…she…would…and as the child in her was playing the oldest game in the world, her body, following the course of her imagination, had climbed to the sill of the window where it stood with its back to the room.


For how long she would have stood there had she not been jerked back into a sudden consciousness of the world - by the sound of someone knocking upon the door of her room, it is impossible to know, but starting at the sound and finding herself dangerously balanced upon a narrow sill above the deep water, she trembled uncontrollably, and in trying to turn without sufficient thought or care, she slipped and clutching at the face of the wall at her side found nothing to grasp, so that she fell, striking her dark head on the sill as she passed, and was already unconscious before the water received her, and drowned her at its ease."

"The Endless Night" of The Doors and William Blake

Many think that The Doors, took their name from Aldous Huxley's book The Doors of Perception (1954) detailing the author's experiences when taking mescaline. However, Huxley's book-- and the band's name-- is largely inspired by William Blake's poem  The Marriage of Heaven in Hell, where the poet laments the spiritual blindness of humans:

If the doors of perception were cleansed,
Everything would appear to man as it is: infinite.
For man has closed himself up,
Till he sees all things thro' narrow chinks of his cavern.

While it's probably that Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek had read Huxley's book-- it's very likely that they were familiar with Blake (overall, I think The Door's are a rather literary band). This is especially clear since Morrison quotes Blake in "End of the Night" on their debut, self-titled LP (1967).

Here's a great demo-version of the song, recorded in 1965:

Take the highway to the end of the night 
End of the night, end of the night 
Take a journey to the bright midnight 
End of the night, end of the night 


Realms of bliss, realms of light 
Some are born to sweet delight 
Some are born to sweet delight 
Some are born to the endless night 
End of the night, end of the night 
End of the night, end of the night 


Realms of bliss, realms of light 
Some are born to sweet delight 
Some are born to sweet delight 
Some are born to the endless night 
End of the night, end of the night 
End of the night, end of the night

The final lines are from Blake's poem "Auguries of Innocence." The poem contains a series of paradoxes which speak of innocence juxtaposed with evil and corruption, the most famous being the opening lines:

To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.

However, Morrison's lyrics quote of the final lines of Blake's poem:

Every night and every morn
Some to misery are born.
Every morn and every night
Some are born to sweet delight.
Some are born to sweet delight,
Some are born to endless night.
We are led to believe a lie
When we see not through the eye
Which was born in a night to perish in a night,
When the soul slept in beams of light.
God appears, and God is light
To those poor souls who dwell in night,
But does a human form display
To those who dwell in realms of day. 

Like Morrison, Blake's concern in his poetry, largely, revolves around the relation between reality and perception. He sees that, as a result of the Fall, as a result of the imperfections which have become part of human nature, our perception of reality is inaccurate. Can we fix our perceptions? Can we learn to see things as they really are? In addition to being a poet and a painter, Blake is concerned with what is fundamentally a philosophical question: to what extent can humans have clear and unhindered access to reality? To what extent can I escape my own bias and prejudice to see things as they really are?

And, I think, Blake's answer is found in the final lines where, "We are led to believe a lie/ When we see though through the eye..." Or, as the title of one of his short writings exclaims, "There is No Natural Religion."

John Cale- Macbeth

Today's literary inspired pop-song comes from John Cale's brilliant Paris 1916 (1973 ) album. Famous for being Welsh and a founding member of the Velvet Underground, Cale has collaborated with the best of them: John Cage, Brian Eno, Patti Smith, The Stooges, Siouxsie and the Bansheees...

Paris 1916 is one my desert album picks (thanks to JD for introducing me to it years back), and it's because the album itself is to literary. On it, Cale references Thomas' "Child's Christmas in Wales," he has a song called Graham Greene, and then there's "Macbeth"

Welcome home Macbeth
It’s been a long long time
And everyone knows you’re here
It’s easy to see they care


Banquo’s been and gone
He’s seen it all before
He took it and then he did walk it
He shook it and then he did rock it


And you know it’s true
You never saw things quite that way
She knew it all
And made you see things all her way
Somebody knows for sure
It’s gotta be me or it’s gotta be you
Come on along and tell me it’s alright
It’s alright by me


Alas for poor Macbeth
He found a shallow grave
But better than a painful death
And quicker than his dying breath

I started teaching my online Shakespeare course this week. I find teaching online a challenge, since so much of my teaching-persona is in the classroom, being improvisational. Teaching Shakespeare online is a special challenge, because you really lose a lot without the real-face-interface. But, I am dedicated to making Shakespeare available and accessible to everyone, and online is a way to do that.

It's also interesting teaching to an entirely different demographic than say, conventional, large state-school undergraduates. This class is through a community college and I have 20 students: 19 of them female, and one male. Most live rurally, are married, and have several children. And I they are finding it more mind-blowingly-difficult to accept men playing female characters on Shakespeare's stage than my 20 year-old students. There are going to be new challenges here.

literary pop: Wuthering Heights

I've decided that the next few entries are going to be about literary-inspired pop music.

First up, Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights." Bush magically renders the narrative into a single song, capturing the all-encompassing passion between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw that eventually destroys them, and all those connected with them.

Here is a live performance, from 1978

Bush herself seems captivated by the tale-- am expressive imp moving through the motions of the Healthcliff and Cathy's haunting relationship.

What I especially enjoy about the song is that she focuses on the "Ghost at the Window" scene of Chapter 3--  which I think is the most chilling. I remember reading it for the first time and being scared. I think I wrote a paper about it somewhere.

....I heard distinctly the gusty wind, and the driving of the snow; I heard, also, the fir bough repeat its teasing sound, and ascribed it to the right cause: but it annoyed me so much, that I resolved to silence it, if possible; and, I thought, I rose and endeavoured to unhasp the casement. The hook was soldered into the staple: a circumstance observed by me when awake, but forgotten. 'I must stop it, nevertheless!' I muttered, knocking my knuckles through the glass, and stretching an arm out to seize the importunate branch; instead of which, my fingers closed on the fingers of a little, ice-cold hand! The intense horror of nightmare came over me: I tried to draw back my arm, but the hand clung to it, and a most melancholy voice sobbed, 'Let me in - let me in!' 'Who are you?' I asked, struggling, meanwhile, to disengage myself. 'Catherine Linton,' it replied, shiveringly (why did I think of Linton? I had read Earnshaw twenty times for Linton) - 'I'm come home: I'd lost my way on the moor!' As it spoke, I discerned, obscurely, a child's face looking through the window. Terror made me cruel; and, finding it useless to attempt shaking the creature off, I pulled its wrist on to the broken pane, and rubbed it to and fro till the blood ran down and soaked the bedclothes: still it wailed, 'Let me in!' and maintained its tenacious gripe, almost maddening me with fear. 'How can I!' I said at length. 'Let me go, if you want me to let you in!' The fingers relaxed, I snatched mine through the hole, hurriedly piled the books up in a pyramid against it, and stopped my ears to exclude the lamentable prayer. I seemed to keep them closed above a quarter of an hour; yet, the instant I listened again, there was the doleful cry moaning on! 'Begone!' I shouted. 'I'll never let you in, not if you beg for twenty years.' 'It is twenty years,' mourned the voice: 'twenty years. I've been a waif for twenty years!' Thereat began a feeble scratching outside, and the pile of books moved as if thrust forward. I tried to jump up; but could not stir a limb; and so yelled aloud, in a frenzy of fright (Chapter 3, Wuthering Heights)

Here's a link to just that scene from the 1992 film . It's worth watching!

Rick James... and Neil Young?

The Mynah Birds were a Canadian R&B band based in Toronto, Ontario in the 1960s. Although the band never released an album, it is famous as one of the earliest efforts of a number of musicians who went on to be successful-- namely the vocalist Rick James, Neil Young and Bruce Palmer (who went on to form Buffalo Springfield), as well as Goldy McJohn and Nick St. Nicholas (who went on to become Steppenwolf).

Although Mynah Birds signed a deal with Motown, Rick James was arrested (for having deserted the US Navy) and all recordings were shelved by the record company. Not until 2006, with Motown's release of "The Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 6" was this track ever heard.

It's amazing to listen to the youth of James' voice on this track... and it sounds like he's attempting an early Mick Jagger swagger sound... which is ironic considering that Jagger was obsessed with Muddy Waters.

eric burdon

Eric Burdon was lead vocalist for The Animals-- a foundational band in the "British Invasion." Burdon (and the Animals) seem like the typical brit-pop outfit: classy mod dress, mop-ish hair, pointy shoes... but Burdon's deep, powerful vocals deviates from the usual light and airy voice of The Beatles and The Dave Clark Five.

I find him strangely sexy, in his rough and tumble manner and bad-boy-esque demeanor. Th suit doesn't suit him, he's been in street fights, he smokes unfiltered, and drinks his whiskey straight-up. Perhaps it's because of his guttural, growling voice... but Eric Burdon seemed a little out of place in the Brit Invasion scene.

The early videos of Burdon and the Animals betray this, I think-- the songs have basis in American soul and blues... tinged with British sensibilities of love and romance... and yet... mounts of women's heads on hunting lodge walls, sprawled mauled women in chaise lounges surrounded by fog and smashed tv sets reveals a slightly bent demeanor...

We Gotta Get Out of This Place-- one of my favorite tunes, especially because it's often a theme-song of mine.



It's My LIfe



Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (live at Wembley)-- what i always consider to be the anthem of the 20th century man.



Later, Burdon went solo for a bit... performing without The Animals... here, his soul influences are apparent-- the boy can WAIL.

Hold On I'm Commin'



In the early 70s Burdon joined the jam-band "War" and started experimenting with more psychedelic sounds.

I remember this video as a kid, my dad being a big fan of Eric Burdon and War.. and we'd have endless conversations over what, exactly, the song meant.... who knows, but there is a jam-flute, and bongos...

Spill the Wine

the sitar in 1967 pop music

Listening to some of the great pop songs of the mid-60s, you cannot help but notice the prevalence of the sitar on most tracks. And chances are good that if you hear a sitar in a western pop-song... it's from 1967, when the sitar fad exploded due to George Harrison and Shawn Phillips.

George Harrison is the first musician to be recognized for introducing the sitar into popular music, using the instrument on Norweigian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" on Rubber Soul (1965).

Harrison went on to play the sitar on Revolver (1966) and to write various sitar tracks on that album, most notably "Love To You," and my favorite, "Tomorrow Never Knows" which can be considered the first psychedelic rock song (beyond the sitar, there's the reverse guitar, crazy drumming, and of course, famously, a Leslie Speaker cabinet for John's vocals).

Here's a great clip detailing the making of the song



These songs not only mark the emergence of the sitar in pop music, but, for Harrison, they represent some of his finest contributions to the Beatles' catalogue. It's clear at this point that he is exploring his interest and training with the sitar. However, taking the lyrics into consideration, it's obvious that Harrison is also exploring his own experiences with eastern philosophy-- especially heard on his later composition, "Within Without You" on Sgt. Pepper's (1967).

After George Harrison, my other favorite pop-sitar player is Shawn Phillips. Phillips played with Donovan throughout the 60s and here he is playing on "Three King Fishers" (another personal favorite, from "Sunshine Superman", 1966).

The clip is from Pete Seeger's show "Rainbow Quest." Stay until the end to see a really sweet interview between Seeger and Phillips.



Harrison and Donovan are a large part of why the sitar starts appearing in pop music-- for both it was their time spent in India exploring eastern religion. For Harrison, it was his training with Ravi Shankar:



In 1967, there is an explosion of the sitar in rock n' roll and pop. Here are some my favorite highlights:

The sitar is used by Brian Jones on "Paint it Black".

Here's a clip from the show Ready, Steady, Go! in 1967



Jones also plays the sitar on "Street Fighting Man" (1968).

Lemon Pipers "Green Tambourine" (1967) features an electric sitar-- although not seen here, on this hilariously bad video



Kinks "Fancy" from the LP "Face to Face" has an GREAT sitar, and it's an amazing song (unfortunately, not a very good video):



Often overlooked, one of the most extensive users of the sitar were Mike Heron and Robin Williamson of The Incredible String Band (a personal favorite), who combined folk, psychadelia with eastern influences in their music. This video is fantastic quality... with some crazy sitar playing!

"Iron Stone" from the LP "The Chelsea Sessions" (1967)



While each of these songs use the sitar to effect an eastern, psychedelic, groovy sort of atmosphere, the sitar begins to expand beyond such denotations. For examples, check out the Cowsills "The Rain the Park and Other Things" (1967)-- although not prominent, you can hear the sitar starting at 1:45



(Damn, I need to do an entire blog on the Cowsills.... that's a story).

And, you can hear it on the beginning of Stevie Wonder's 1970 hit "Signed Sealed Delivered"....



Yes, that's a sitar you're groovin' to...!