Paul Simon - Surprise
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Paul SimonEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
CD Release Date: 2006-05-09
Music Label: WEA/Reprise
Soundtracks:
- How Can You Live In the Northeast
- Everything About It Is A Love Song
- Outrageous
- Sure Don't Feel Like Love
- Wartime Prayers
- Beautiful
- I Don't Believe
- Another Galaxy
- Once Upon A Time There Was An Ocean
- That's Me
- Father And Daughter
Free Music Notes for Surprise
Free Music Review: Outstanding!!
Hit: 5 Stars
I waited until I had this album for a couple months and listened to it over and over before doing this review. This music is sublime!! There arn't too many albums I listen to en bloc, even those by Paul Simon, but this one is different. Every song on it is compelling to me. I totally get the theme and the lyrics in these songs....but those who are younger than 40 might not. This whole album is a reverie about the big questions a person starts asking seriously as they become older. Every song, almost, says something about this. How Can You Live In The Northeast is pretty clear in it's meaning, but Simon bumps it to another level when he asks, "If the answer is infinite light, why do we sleep in the dark?"
Everything About It Is A Love Song is about life, living, regrets, death, life after death...and especially that our existence is a love song......that our being here at all on this Earth is a gift....like God singing us all a love song.....beautiful.
Outrageous is a blast. It's a b*tch song...complaining about stuff while still acknowledging that there are blessing in life...and especially, when the world has discounted you and passed you by, at least God will still love you. This song really is funny, and it alone is a good reason to buy the album. "I'm tired, tired. 900 sit-ups a day. I'm painting my hair the color of mud, mud OK?! I'm tired, tired. Anyone care what I say? NO!! Painting my hair the color of mud."
Sure Don't Feel Like Love is more complex. First of all, I love the line, "Who's that conscience sticking to the sole of my shoe?" The way he sings 'shoe' is also like saying SHOO, as though he is trying to get rid of something that refuses to go away. This is again a very personal song. About being forced to come to terms with our own failures and mistakes. "Yay" feels like love, "Boo" doesn't. But our internal judge, our conscience, IS loving, even if it doesn't feel like it. And there is in this song a clear-cut acceptance of blame for the split up with Artie in Aug 1993. "I was wrong, and I could be wrong again."
Wartime Prayers is clearly about just what it says. But there is also "You cannot walk with the holy if you're just a halfway decent man." Walking with the holy is what Simon is talking about in these songs, and in a few of the songs on You're the One. Added six months later: I love the line," then we cry, and try to muscle through, and rearrange our stuff, but when it's more than we can bear, we wrap ourselves in prayer" This so totally true, the rearranging our stuff. And I love the visual of wrapping ourselves in prayer.
Beautiful takes a break from this theme,or at least turns away from errors, regrets, forgiveness, redemption, etc, that are part of the life of an adult and focuses on the innocence of childhood. There is, however, a little message about ethnic differences, and how unimportant they are. All children and babies are beautiful, no matter where they come from. And they are our salvation.
I Don't Believe is about rote belief and rituals versus those which come from deep inside. Acts of kindness as breadcrumbs which will serve the purpose of getting us out of the dark (ulterior motives) versus acts of kindness just done to be kind like raindrops coming down--this kind of act releases the spirit "with a whoop and a shout".
Another Galaxy is a story. Clear cut. Not too much deep except "There is a time when leaving home is the lesser crime." and eyes being blinded by tears, but the heart being able to see the way to the better life. Added six months later: this is one of my very favorites on the album. The music is gorgeous and complex. I love the visual about the island pillow.
Once Upon A Time There Was An Ocean is partly about losing parents, but also about being tired of life as we know it and wanting to get on with the next part, i.e. life after this earthly life. "And when will I cash in my lottery ticket, and bury my past with my burdens and strife? I want to shake every limb in the garden of Eden, and make every lover the love of my life."
That's Me the stages of life like looking at a photo album. Added six months later: Listen to the part about first love. The style changes here to the music he wrote during his England phase when he was living with Kathy. And the vocal background is exactly how Artie would have sung it back then.
Father and Daughter is a little different--it was written for The Wild Thornberries movie. This song is WYSIWYG. And Simon's son Adrian sings the back up. Paul Simon, even though he is in his 60's, still does have young kids with his 3rd wife Edie Brickell. This song sort of lightened it up for me. A good ending to the CD.
One more thing: I love the collaboration with Brian Eno. Simon has always made complex music. This is just made complex in a new way for him. I find it a welcome break from the 'world music' thing: all the drums, percussion, percussion rhythms. This is wonderfully different. It adds a whole new dimension to Simon's music. Although I have to add that I will always love just Simon on an acoustic guitar.
Added six months later: this gets better and better. My favorite Paul Simon CD by far. You are doing yourself a great disservice if you fail to get this. [...]
Surprise Poster
Among the most popular artists and greatest songwriters of our time, Paul Simon returns with his first album in six years?and the album titled Surprise is exactly that. First, three songs were co-written with electronic music guru Brian Eno; second, the other songs are straightforward, wonderfully American pop. Surprise is a pleasant surprise for Simon fans.Folk Music CDs
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