Music Banter - View Single Post - Badlittlekitten's top 50 indie/alternative tracks of this century so far.

Badlittlekitten · 12-14-2010, 01:11 PM

44
Regina Spektor - Samson
Songs
2002

I'm sure us music fans have heard of those supposed songs that, when we hear it for the first time, regardless of age, race, gender, length of nose - it stops you dead in your tracks and you drop what you're doing and just listen, and then become consumed within the magic that is unravelling before your ears. Those songs are just myths aren't they? Well for arguments against, I present Exhibit A, 'Samson'. New York via Russia's Spektor struck gold with this mournful gem. This is the original version, just her, a piano and a single take, and it packs much more powerful mojo than the version on Begin To Hope, which added orchestral sheen but lost the intimacy. The song obviously references the Bible's Samson and Delilah story, but around this Regina writes about ageing and the disappointment of falling out of love, and its devastating. The key line in this song is "You are my sweetest downfall" which express with regret, that all our addictions, even love, can turn you into a weeping mess. In fact Regina is such a weeping mess she no longer sees the point in the romantic tradition of gazing at the stars, as after all, "They're just old light". But it's not the lyrics that are the most gut wrenching thing here, 'Samson' contains some of the most heartbreaking piano melodies I've ever heard. The way the notes stalk around the words "your hair was long when we first met", before the rhythm slows down slightly and Reg hits a gorgeous minor seventh chord that seems to stop time. The whole song is built around a chord sequence that is so beautific and spot on it should be illegal. Then of course we have Reggie's vocals. The reason this is by far and away her best track is because it lacks the self consciously kooky vocal warbling of much of her other early music, and isn't as . . . well, dull as her recent stuff. Unless you're made up of old car mechanic tools, the way she sings "I loved you first" will make you crumble like polystyrene. People I've played this to have often mistaken it for a lost Bjork song, and the biggest compliment I can give it is that its up there with 'Venus As A Boy' in terms of vocal chord magic.

There was a time when this song would have been much higher up this list, and maybe it deserves to be. Unfortunately it hasn't held up to repeated listens over the years. So I'm sorry my sweet Reggie, you'll have to make do with 44, but it was good while it lasted and I hope you've been able to move on.

12-14-2010, 01:11 PM	#12 (permalink)
Badlittlekitten And then there was music Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Near Wild Heaven Posts: 287	44 Regina Spektor - Samson Songs 2002 I'm sure us music fans have heard of those supposed songs that, when we hear it for the first time, regardless of age, race, gender, length of nose - it stops you dead in your tracks and you drop what you're doing and just listen, and then become consumed within the magic that is unravelling before your ears. Those songs are just myths aren't they? Well for arguments against, I present Exhibit A, 'Samson'. New York via Russia's Spektor struck gold with this mournful gem. This is the original version, just her, a piano and a single take, and it packs much more powerful mojo than the version on Begin To Hope, which added orchestral sheen but lost the intimacy. The song obviously references the Bible's Samson and Delilah story, but around this Regina writes about ageing and the disappointment of falling out of love, and its devastating. The key line in this song is "You are my sweetest downfall" which express with regret, that all our addictions, even love, can turn you into a weeping mess. In fact Regina is such a weeping mess she no longer sees the point in the romantic tradition of gazing at the stars, as after all, "They're just old light". But it's not the lyrics that are the most gut wrenching thing here, 'Samson' contains some of the most heartbreaking piano melodies I've ever heard. The way the notes stalk around the words "your hair was long when we first met", before the rhythm slows down slightly and Reg hits a gorgeous minor seventh chord that seems to stop time. The whole song is built around a chord sequence that is so beautific and spot on it should be illegal. Then of course we have Reggie's vocals. The reason this is by far and away her best track is because it lacks the self consciously kooky vocal warbling of much of her other early music, and isn't as . . . well, dull as her recent stuff. Unless you're made up of old car mechanic tools, the way she sings "I loved you first" will make you crumble like polystyrene. People I've played this to have often mistaken it for a lost Bjork song, and the biggest compliment I can give it is that its up there with 'Venus As A Boy' in terms of vocal chord magic. There was a time when this song would have been much higher up this list, and maybe it deserves to be. Unfortunately it hasn't held up to repeated listens over the years. So I'm sorry my sweet Reggie, you'll have to make do with 44, but it was good while it lasted and I hope you've been able to move on. __________________ 'Said do you feel it? Do you feel it when you TOUCH ME?. THERE'S A FIRE! THERE'S A FIRE!' The Stooges. Dirt. https://soundcloud.com/bad-little-kittens My Top 100 LPs My Top 52 Indie Tracks Of The 21st Century (incomplete)