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| Bloc Party. |
I went through The National's 'Fake Empire' a few weeks ago, because it was really instrumental to me in that particular period I was going through. Another tune that was equally so was Bloc Party's 'This Modern Love', off their gorgeous 2005 debut, Silent Alarm.
This is such a beautiful song, so I thought I wanted to share it with you. I think it's about eventually being defeated by love, about slowly realizing that a particular thing just isn't gonna work out. We all know that love comes in many different tempi, and rarely are two lovers equally matched. I think that's what's going on here - the narrator just wants to be together, even if it just means drinking coffee and watching meaningless stuff on the telly ("do you wanna come over and kill some time"), so he's bitterly blaming the other for being scared of romance, and for not letting go (the "what are you holding out for"-stanza). It's sort of a bash at modern love, people's need to be all in control and not be feeling to much and always be planning and thinking ahead and things.
I think what ultimately hits me about this tune is just its honesty. The sincereness of being head over heels and being aware of it.
The above link is the studio version, but there are also a few epic, epic acoustic versions, one from a few years ago, and a legendary Take-Away Show!
To be lost in the forest,
to be cut adrift.
You've been trying to reach me,
you bought me a book.
To be lost in the forest,
to be cut adrift.
I've been paid,
I've been paid.
Don't get offended
if I seem absentminded,
just keep telling me facts
and keep making me smile.
Don't get offended
if I seem absentminded,
I get tongue-tied.
Baby you've got to be more discerning,
I've never known what's good for me.
Baby you've got to be more demanding.
I will be yours.
I'll pay for you anytime.
And you told me you wanted to eat up my sadness.
Well jump on, enjoy, you can gorge away!
And you told me you wanted to eat up my sadness,
jump right!
Baby you've got to be more discerning,
I've never known what's good for me.
And baby you've got to be more demanding,
jump left.
What are you holding out for?
What's always in the way?
Why so damn absentminded?
Why so scared of romance?
This modern love
breaks me.
This modern love
wastes me.
Do you wanna come over and kill some time?
Throw your arms around me.
