I've just discovered that the disco groove that You're In My Eyes is built on, is actually sampled from another artist/record. I feel a bit stupid for only realising this now. I know when they played the song live at the pre-Xmas shows, the part in question was being relayed throught a DAT machine or similar on a loop but I just presumed that it had been written and recorded in the studio by various means of technological wizardry which proved impossible to replicate live. Instead, it comes from some US electronica outfit called Glass Candy.
Dont get me wrong - Jarvis has written a brilliant chorus and chorus-coda to the song. And the lyrics suit the music perfectly but I just feel a bit disappointed, I guess, now knowing that it wasnt all solely his/his band's creation.
You see, on hearing the song live in Manchester, I felt something that only music written by Jarvis has consistently evoked in me. Introducing the song, Jarvis briefly described the story of it - there was no mention of eye-floaters but he did speak of a man in a disco, dancing, when suddenly his ex-wife/girlfriend from years before, appears, then disappears again as soon as he stops, so he realises that he'll have to dance for the rest of his life. This immediately piqued my, and I think the whole audience's, interest.
As soon as that subtly disco, slightly off-kilter pop sound that Pulp always excelled in, dropped, and the lyrics kicked-in with Jarvis monologue-ing in his dead-pan, breathless way complete with wistful, reflective and nostalgic-driven phrases like ''memories of days gone by'', ''provincial discos on a Thursday night''l , ''worst part of a decade'', everything just chimed with me. It was like hearing FEELING CALLED LOVE or Ansaphone for the first time (or even Disco 2000 for the first time as a Pulp fan when I was old enough to listen carefully to the lyrics). That feeling - YES. BLOODY HELL! Hes nailing it! Everything that Id want to say in a pop song set to this music if I had the talent. You don't, or I certainly don't, get those feelings all that often. And Pulp provided more of them for me than any other artist. Which is why I spend so much time arsing about on here I suppose. Those moments when you feel you ''get'' a song, completely, immediately, provide such a rush. When you've not even heard all the song but you know it can only get even better. And further plays bear-out its brilliance even if they dont quite produce that same heady feeling that the virginal listen(ing) did. But hey, even the best drugs struggle to do that.
Now though, it turns out that the sound of DiscoSong has just been lifted from someone else. So instead of crediting Jarvis with inventiveness and originality (cos lets face it, the sample is the most interesting bit of music on the album), I can only applaud him on his knowledge of obscure Blondie influenced dance-pop-electronic groups.
You're In My Eyes is ten times the track Rolling Down The Hills (the song the sample comes from) is - the disco groove is the only interesting thing on the original whereas Jarvis has crafted a chorus that fits it perfectly. But the fact remains that one of the best songs he's ever written, actually wasnt completely written by him. The music that underpins the whole track was nicked/borrowed (with 0.5% of the lps royalties going to the writers or whatever) from elsewhere.
And maybe that shouldnt matter but I just feel a bit stupid, waxing lyrical about the intro to the song for the last few months and then discovering its a sample! None of the few, thus far admittedly, reviews of the album seem to have picked-up on this so maybe Im not the only one! It's still a fantastic song but a bit of the gloss has been taken off it. Probably me being too precious but you dont become the highest poster (by some distance) forum member of an odd, long seperated group by not being a bit anal!
And don't let my slightly tainted feelings, of this epic beauty of a song, put you off.
-- Edited by Eamonn on Monday 11th of May 2009 01:51:04 AM
Interesting to hear your thoughts on this, Eamonn.
I must be honest though, I have never shared your enthusiasm for this song. I think it's a long leap of wishful thinking to equate it to Feeling Called Love or even Seductive Barry. Whereas those were essential tracks, Discosong sticks out like a sore thumb on this record, and I think it's one of the album's low points. (I prefer Angela)
I'm surprised you didn't recognize it as a sample. My first thought when I heard the song was "I wonder what this sample is from?". I do agree that the sample is the best part of the song though, although it's a little too "Confessions from the Dancefloor" for me. The overall structure of the song is kind of turgid to me, and Jarvis' vocals are pushed too far forward in the mix to make the song a good dance track.
-- Edited by Fuss Free on Monday 11th of May 2009 02:38:32 AM
I like it, but I think the sample is kind of unimaginative. I prefer a song like "My Legendary Girlfriend," where Pulp are giving disco a try, not entirely pulling it off, and creating something new and exciting in the process.
But "This is Hardcore" is brilliant and that has a sample! I don't think the sample is the problem per se with "Discosong." The problem is with the rather uninspired playing by the band.
Eamonn, you do think "This is Hardcore" is A+++++, don't you?;)
Good points well made Mike and FF even if neither of you are great admirers of the song.
Mike - your synopsis of My Legendary Girlfriend is perfect. I've missed your song-reviews on your website. And, yes, This Is Hardcore is probably the song that makes me proudest to be a Pulp fan. The 'Bolero on the Moon Rocks' sample is far less intrinsic to TIH song as a whole than the one employed on Discosong but I take your point.
Eamonn wrote:Dont get me wrong - Jarvis has written a brilliant chorus and chorus-coda to the song. And the lyrics suit the music perfectly but I just feel a bit disappointed, I guess, now knowing that it wasnt all solely his/his band's creation.
I agree! I have always thought that Jarvis are / should be some kind of "original" that of course writes his on lyrics and also comes up with the music. Is that to much to ask for? If he samples something it alright if he does it and make it original. What's next.. cover albums? Or is it just pure laziness? I'm really really hoping it's the laziness that has taken over and that someone can wake him up (if he don't do it himself)
But besides that..haha it's a good song. ( funny that I don't have a problem with him borrowing some WWL-feeling on slush but borrowing from others... oh no.)
Eamonn wrote:Dont get me wrong - Jarvis has written a brilliant chorus and chorus-coda to the song. And the lyrics suit the music perfectly but I just feel a bit disappointed, I guess, now knowing that it wasnt all solely his/his band's creation.
I agree! I have always thought that Jarvis are / should be some kind of "original" that of course writes his on lyrics and also comes up with the music. Is that to much to ask for? If he samples something it alright if he does it and make it original. What's next.. cover albums? Or is it just pure laziness? I'm really really hoping it's the laziness that has taken over and that someone can wake him up (if he don't do it himself)
But besides that..haha it's a good song. ( funny that I don't have a problem with him borrowing some WWL-feeling on slush but borrowing from others... oh no.)
I don't really understand what you're going on about- Jarvis never used to write both the music and lyrics: he'd write all of the lyrics, but the music was always a full band effort.
I don't think it's lazy to sample something- it takes a lot of skill to successfully build a song around a sample, and by using a sample you can often get better perspective on the music than if you were using something you'd written yourself.
By using a sample, you're purposefully limiting yourself by using something which can't really be changed, giving yourself a foundation on which to build the rest of the song. The songwriting process when using samples is totally different. Not easier, just different.
PLUS as has already been said, TIH is built upon a sample, and is, in my opinion, the finest Pulp song.
I don't really understand what you're going on about- Jarvis never used to write both the music and lyrics: he'd write all of the lyrics, but the music was always a full band effort.
I don't think it's lazy to sample something- it takes a lot of skill to successfully build a song around a sample, and by using a sample you can often get better perspective on the music than if you were using something you'd written yourself.
By using a sample, you're purposefully limiting yourself by using something which can't really be changed, giving yourself a foundation on which to build the rest of the song. The songwriting process when using samples is totally different. Not easier, just different.
PLUS as has already been said, TIH is built upon a sample, and is, in my opinion, the finest Pulp song.
Yes.. but the lyric is always..pretty much "jarvis" in a way..? I'ts original and when some one like tony Christine sings "born to cry" or something.. it's not the same feeling to it.
I suppose it's because the sample and the original are.. pretty much the same song. Of course you can sample something and make it "your own". But It's not a bad tune, not at all.
