On his Heavy Concept Album, Neil relates the tale of Our Tune – a parody of a Radio 1 Mainstay of the 1980s where DJ Simon Bates would read letters from listeners detailing various emotional trainwrecks and other awful happenings, before acceding to their request to play something generally trite because it reminds them of whatever. And so, as Neil puts it, “they ended up hating this piece of music as well”.
As a concept, it’s never going to end well. But it’s probable that we’ve all been there at some point or other: A song that was once dear to one’s heart is now almost unlistenable because of a memory gone bittersweet at best, sour at worst. It’s not the song’s fault though, so dig out those old tunes and enjoy them again for what they are, rather than what they once represented… Or – most likely – I’m going to run through a few of my own and finish this entry in a very bad mood indeed.
From "Allroy's Revenge"
First up is She’s My Ex from ALL – a nice, easy “that’ll do” excuse for the recently-dumped to sit and wallow in a strange, smug, self-satisfied state of denial (“Don’t cross her path, she still belongs to me – she’ll be my ex ’till I say when, until I get her back again”) until he realises that the song isn’t really agreeing or sympathising, it’s mocking the subject and the penny finally drops.
A nice, light intro to the general subject matter then, as it’s pretty much designed to be played at the ‘wrong’ time and is completely and handily reusable.
Does this album even have a title? Ah well, it's from this one anyway
Then, you have the really nasty ones – songs that evoke specific, lucid memories and attach themselves like a limpet. Red House Painters’ Grace Cathedral Park is an absolutely perfect example of this for me, and it kills me to listen to it at times. But listen to it I do, as it’s a wonderful song. The memory it brings is strangely such an apparent non-event (all it was is this: was flat-sitting with my girlfriend at the time at her sister’s while she was on holiday, and this CD was there. That’s it…) but it conjures amazingly strong feelings that it surprises me still just how powerful great music can actually be.
from "Ritual de lo Habitual"
It’s not all pining for lost loves and being all wilfully silly about the whole thing though. …Then She Did… reminds me not of a particular person, but of a genuinely carefree time spent with some really odd and brilliant people – all of whom were really good artists which continues to wind me up to this day because I still can’t bloody well draw, much as I would love to have the skill to do so. Gah.
"Who Cares Wins". All of it.
Yes. Of course it’s not all pining for lost loves and being all wilfully silly about the whole thing. Then again, sometimes it is. Mega City 4′s Who Cares Wins album is almost a concept recording of every stage of the breakup of a relationship, such is its journey through decline (Who Cares and Static Interference), desparation for a return to the past (Rose Coloured), anger (Grudge), that weird limbo-ey bit (Me Not You), denial (Mistook) and, because sometimes thes things can have a happy ending after all, the determination to pick oneself up (Storms to Come) and just get on with it (Balance) – and not once does it ever patronise or judge. This LP’s got me through some very weird, scary, lonely times.
From "The Seldom Seen Kid"
And finally, not a song that brings about any specific memories but a song that is about the power of a tune to do so, and so brings this whole debacle full-circle by describing everything I wanted to say in the entire entry above in the most horribly-accurate manner possible. Elbow’s The Bones of You is the perfect description of how a song from way back can sneak up on you and resurrect all manner of feelings.
To be honest, I was very apprehensive about doing this subject for obvious reasons. But I’ve reconnected with some wonderful music that I’d been going out of my way to avoid for far too many years, and in doing so I’d been avoiding certain memories, feelings and people that, strangely enough, I don’t want to avoid any more.
So, if anyone actually reads any of this and has one or two skeletons lurking in your record collections, I suggest you dig them out, meet them head-on and embrace them. And if that’s impossible to do, then associate the music with better, brighter things. After all, they weren’t written and released to be someone else’s ghosts.
I dealt with this years ago
I took a hammer to every memento
But image on image like beads on a rosary
pulled through my head as the music takes hold
and the sickener hits; I can work till I break
but I love the bones of you
That, I will never escape
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