On the record, Oct. 1
By Casey Gillis on Oct. 01, 2008
By Bradford Brady and John Maron
Q: In the news stories that reported the death of Pink Floyd’s Richard Wright, many of them stated that he sang on a few Pink Floyd songs. I was not aware of any Pink Floyd songs that were not sung by David Gilmour or Roger Waters. Which songs did he sing?
A: Richard Wright was a founding member of Pink Floyd. He played keyboards for the band and also wrote or co-wrote many classics like “Time”, “Us and Them”, “The Great Gig in the Sky”, and “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”. He shared vocal duties with Gilmour on two of their most famous songs, “Time” and “Us and Them”. His lead vocal can be heard during the chorus of “Time” (“tired of lying in the sunshine, staying home to watch the rain”). Wright performed with Pink Floyd during their famous reunion show at the Live 8 concert in July 2005 and was reportedly working on a solo project when he was diagnosed with cancer. Wright died September 15 at the age of 65.
Q: Peter Gabriel had a song back in the 80’s that has a chorus that has always puzzled me. It sounds like, “She’s so funky now.” Can you tell me what he’s saying?
A: The answer lies in knowing the title of the song to which you are referring, “Games Without Frontiers,” which is found on his third eponymous album. Widely known as Peter Gabriel 3, the album is generally regarded by critics as Gabriel’s best album despite the fact that it did not contain big hit songs. By no means a “happy” record, in fact it is downright bleak and chilling at times (listen to the album’s opening song, “Intruder,” to see what we mean), his lyrics and melodies seem perfectly matched. The song makes heavy use of synthesizers. The line you have been puzzling over, sung by the British singer Kate Bush, is actually the song’s title rendered into French: jeux sans frontières. A much overlooked element that makes this album so good is the personnel Gabriel enlisted to help record it. First, the album is produced by Steve Lilywhite, who would later produce each of U2’s first three albums, Boy (1980), October (1981), and War (1983). Sharing drumming responsibilities with Jerry Marotta is Gabriel’s old bandmate, Phil Collins, while ex-King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp and Paul Weller, frontman for the Jam, and Dave Gregory of XTC each appear on guitars.
Q: What is the song in the new iPod Nano Chromatic commercial? It starts out with what sounds like “I tried to do headstands for you”.
A: Apple and their iPod and iTunes commercials are quickly becoming the way many music fans find out about up-and-coming acts. Recent ads have boosted the careers of Feist and Yael Naim and now the same thing may happen to the Brooklyn-based band, Chairlift. Originally formed in Boulder, Colorado in 2006, the trio moved to New York in 2007. Their ’80s-influenced synth-pop has created quite a following in New York and led to their song “Bruises” being featured in the new iPod Nano ads. Their first full-length album, Does You Inspire You, was released a few weeks ago.
What’s the name of that song? Where are they now? What does that lyric mean? Send questions to
or visit http://www.musicontherecord.com. Brady and Maron are freelance music writers based in Raleigh, N.C.
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