lyrics

Central Street Revisited

Central Street Revisited
| cjlevinson

Central Street Revisited

Just a day, just an ordinary day
Just trying to get by
Just a boy, just an ordinary boy
But he was looking to the sky
~ Ordinary Day, Vanessa Carlton

I took this photo about a year ago during a day trip to Sydney. It’s of one of my favourite spots for street photography in the Sydney CBD, Central Street, a little avenue opposite the Event cinemas on George Street.

I’ve taken several photos there over the years, including this one which is one of my favourites. It’s a great little spot to go back to as the scene is always changing and there’s always something new and interesting to photograph.

I was quite happy with how this one turned out. It’s very simple but captures a slice of ordinary life that I find really interesting and I like the tones and textures as well.

The area looked very different the last time I was down as well with all the construction going on at the moment. I’ll have to get a couple of photos of that too.

Photo © CJ Levinson 2017

Sunset Over the Hills

Sunset Over the Hills
| cjlevinson

Sunset Over the Hills

Seven worlds will collide
Whenever I’m by your side
Dust from a distant sun
Will shower over everyone
~ Distant Sun, Crowded House

I took this a few weeks ago while walking by the lake in Belmont. It was a beautiful sunset and I loved the way the sky was lighting up just behind the hills. It came out quite well… I do love a nice silhouette! 🙂

Photo © CJ Levinson 2018

The I Am Blues

| cjlevinson

Just a quick note. Some of you may remember a poem I wrote a few years ago called I Am. Apparently it’s just been turned into a song.

I didn’t know anything about it and only recently stumbled across it via Google; I had licensed it under a creative commons licence and it looks like someone liked it enough to turn it into a kind of song/audio reading on ccMixter.

It’s actually two samples; an a cappella reading of the poem by Togora and then a remix with music added by Syenta. I think it’s excellent, particularly for what was probably just a quick project, and I really like the bluesy feel to it; suits the poem perfectly.

I’ve embedded it below if anyone wants to listen and the original poem is available here. My thanks to Togora and Syenta for their work; I’m honoured that they liked my poem enough to reinterpret it. Makes me want to write a proper song. 😉

I love a good mondegreen

| cjlevinson

It’s no secret that I’m a music junkie. I love listening to something new, particularly while I’m writing. If there’s one thing I hate, though, it’s discovering a new artist and then finding out that everyone has heard them first. I’m not sure why it happens but I’ve discovered some of my favourite artists that way.

That’s why I was thrilled when I heard Feist’s 1234; I had the feeling it might be big, and then Apple used it in their iPod commercials. But it’s kind of ironic because, much as I love the song, I didn’t realise until a few days ago that I had actually misheard the lyric all this time. It was fairly minor; I thought Oh, you’re changing your heart was Oh, changing is hard. But I still feel a bit silly. Good thing I didn’t try to sing it in front of anyone. 😉

It can be embarrassing when you mix up lyrics, but a good mondegreen can be a lot of fun as well. The name comes from a line in The Bonnie Earl o’ Moray which was misheard as “they have slain the Earl of Murray, and Lady Mondegreen” (“laid him on the green”) and many people swear that they sound better than the original.

So I thought after my mistake with Feist that it’d be fun to post some of my favourite mondegreens. The list is a mix of a couple I’ve misheard myself and others which are common. I wonder if you have any favourites?

  • Purple Haze
    Jimi Hendrix
    Original lyric: ‘Scuse me while I kiss the sky
    Misheard as: ‘Scuse me while I kiss this guy
    (Hendrix used to sing it at some of his concerts, adding to the confusion)

  • (Build Me Up) Buttercup
    The Foundations
    Original lyric: Build me up, Buttercup
    Misheard as: Fill me up, Buttercup

  • Advance Australia Fair
    Original lyric: Australia’s Sons let us rejoice for we are young and free
    Misheard as: Australia, Sunset Ostriches for we are young and free
    (The line ended up being changed to “Australians all let us rejoice”)

  • Truly Madly Deeply
    SavageGarden
    Original lyric: I want to lay like this forever until the sky falls down on me
    Misheard as: I want to lay like this forever until this guy falls down on me
    (One of mine. Major embarrassment)

  • Tiny Dancer
    Elton John
    Original lyric: Hold me closer tiny dancer,
    Count the headlights on the highway
    Misheard as: Hold me closer, Tony Danza,
    Count the head lice on the highway

  • Bad Moon Rising
    Creedence Clearwater Revival
    Original lyric: There’s a bad moon on the rise
    Misheard as: There’s a bathroom on the right

  • Bohemian Rhapsody
    Queen
    Original lyric: Mama mia, Mama mia, let me go
    Misheard as: Mama mia, Mama mia, Mexico
    (Another of mine. Does anyone really understand Bohemian Rhapsody?)

  • Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
    The Beatles
    Original lyric: The girl with kaleidoscope eyes
    Misheard as: The girl with colitis goes by

  • Radio Nowhere
    Bruce Springsteen
    Original lyric: Is there anybody alive out there?
    Misheard as: Is there anybody in love out there?
    (One of mine again. It actually gives the song a different meaning)

  • Tangled up in Blue
    Bob Dylan
     Original lyric: We split up on a dark, sad night
    Misheard as: We split on the docks that night

  • Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
    Original lyric: All of the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names
    Misheard as: Olive the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names
    (Inspired a children’s book and TV show Olive, the Other Reindeer)