Post by Slinger on May 29, 2021 12:22:53 GMT
I love "story songs," i.e. songs that tell a story. I know that sounds obvious, but it's important to differentiate them from traditional moon-June love songs, or throwaway pop nonsense. I, rather snobbishly, think of them as songs for intelligent people. Some songs lean heavily on melody to get them by, other songs rely on their lyrics. This chap has the knack of blending the two. His voice can be a bit Marmite, I know, but nobody could perform his songs better. That's my incredibly biased opinion, anyway.
Al Stewart, he of "Year Of The Cat," fame, is one of the greatest proponents of a sub-genre of story songs, the historical story song. Al can sing you a history lesson that you will actually, hopefully, enjoy. You'll come away emotionally, historically, and personally enriched.
He once said, “I thought, 'there’s probably room in the world for one historical folk rock singer' and no one else wanted the job,” Since then, he says, he has written about 100 such songs, and “one of the great things about it is that you never run out of material.”
For my choice, "Roads to Moscow" Al read between 40 and 50 books. He read the memoirs of the generals on both sides. "You have to read books by people who were actually there,” he remarked
OK, that's the pitch and before the song, here are the lyrics. You can follow them as the song plays Welcome to a Russian soldier’s perspective, of Nazi Germany’s ultimately unsuccessful invasion of the Soviet Union.
It recounts how the Red Army was initially pushed back across Ukraine and Russia to the outskirts of Moscow, where the German offensive foundered. As winter takes its toll on the attackers, the tide turns and the Soviets battle their way to Berlin.
But the song’s hero is briefly captured and on his return to Russia, as happened in reality to many thousands of ex-prisoners of war, is arrested by the NKVD secret police and sent to a Siberian prison camp with no hope of freedom.
Enjoy the history lesson. At least, I hope you do.
Al Stewart, he of "Year Of The Cat," fame, is one of the greatest proponents of a sub-genre of story songs, the historical story song. Al can sing you a history lesson that you will actually, hopefully, enjoy. You'll come away emotionally, historically, and personally enriched.
He once said, “I thought, 'there’s probably room in the world for one historical folk rock singer' and no one else wanted the job,” Since then, he says, he has written about 100 such songs, and “one of the great things about it is that you never run out of material.”
For my choice, "Roads to Moscow" Al read between 40 and 50 books. He read the memoirs of the generals on both sides. "You have to read books by people who were actually there,” he remarked
OK, that's the pitch and before the song, here are the lyrics. You can follow them as the song plays Welcome to a Russian soldier’s perspective, of Nazi Germany’s ultimately unsuccessful invasion of the Soviet Union.
It recounts how the Red Army was initially pushed back across Ukraine and Russia to the outskirts of Moscow, where the German offensive foundered. As winter takes its toll on the attackers, the tide turns and the Soviets battle their way to Berlin.
But the song’s hero is briefly captured and on his return to Russia, as happened in reality to many thousands of ex-prisoners of war, is arrested by the NKVD secret police and sent to a Siberian prison camp with no hope of freedom.
Enjoy the history lesson. At least, I hope you do.
Roads To Moscow.
They crossed over the border the hour before dawn
moving in lines through the day
Most of our planes were destroyed on the ground where they lay
Waiting for orders we held in the wood
Word from the front never came
By evening the sound of the gunfire was miles away
Ah, softly we move through the shadows, slip away through the trees
Crossing their lines in the mists in the fields on our hands and our knees
And all that I ever
Was able to see
The fire in the air, glowing red
Silhouetting the smoke on the breeze
All summer they drove us back through the Ukraine
Smolensk and Viasma soon fell
By Autumn we stood with our backs to the town of Orel
Closer and closer to Moscow they come
Riding the wind like a bell
General Guderian stands at the crest of the hill
Winter brought with her the rains, oceans of mud filled the roads
Gluing the tracks of their tanks to the ground, while the sky filled with snow
And all that I ever
Was able to see
The fire in the air, glowing red
Silhouetting the snow on the breeze
(Ah, Ah, Ah) [x4]
(Ah, Ah, Ah) [all thru bridge]
In the footsteps of Napoleon, the shadow figures stagger through the winter
Falling back before the gates of Moscow, standing in the wings like an avenger
And far away behind their lines, the partisans are stirring in the forest
Coming unexpectedly upon their outposts, growing like a promise
You'll never know, you'll never know, which way to turn, which way to look you'll never see us
As we're stealing through the blackness of the night you'll never know, you'll never hear us
And the evening sings in a voice of amber, the dawn is surely coming
The morning road leads to Stalingrad, and the sky is softly humming
Two broken tigers on fire in the night
Flicker their souls to the wind
We wait in the lines for the final approach to begin
It's been almost four years that I've carried a gun
At home, it will almost be spring
The flames of the tigers are lighting the road to Berlin
Ah quickly we move through the ruins that bow to the ground
The old men and children they send out to face us, they can't slow us down
And all that I ever
Was able to see
The eyes of the city are opening
Now it's the end of the dream
(Ah. Ah, Ah) [x4]
(Ah, Ah, Ah) [thru this section]
I'm coming home, I'm coming home, now you can taste it in the wind the war is over
And I listen to the clicking of the train wheels as we roll across the border
And now they ask me of the time that I was caught behind their lines and taken prisoner
They only held me for a day, a lucky break I say
They turn and listen closer
I'll never know, I'll never know, why I was taken from the line and all the others
to board a special train and journey deep into the heart of holy Russia
And it's cold and damp in the transit camp and the air is still and sullen
and the pale sun of October whispers the snow will soon be coming
And I wonder when, I'll be home again and the morning answers never
And the evening sighs and the steely, Russian skies go on,
forever...
They crossed over the border the hour before dawn
moving in lines through the day
Most of our planes were destroyed on the ground where they lay
Waiting for orders we held in the wood
Word from the front never came
By evening the sound of the gunfire was miles away
Ah, softly we move through the shadows, slip away through the trees
Crossing their lines in the mists in the fields on our hands and our knees
And all that I ever
Was able to see
The fire in the air, glowing red
Silhouetting the smoke on the breeze
All summer they drove us back through the Ukraine
Smolensk and Viasma soon fell
By Autumn we stood with our backs to the town of Orel
Closer and closer to Moscow they come
Riding the wind like a bell
General Guderian stands at the crest of the hill
Winter brought with her the rains, oceans of mud filled the roads
Gluing the tracks of their tanks to the ground, while the sky filled with snow
And all that I ever
Was able to see
The fire in the air, glowing red
Silhouetting the snow on the breeze
(Ah, Ah, Ah) [x4]
(Ah, Ah, Ah) [all thru bridge]
In the footsteps of Napoleon, the shadow figures stagger through the winter
Falling back before the gates of Moscow, standing in the wings like an avenger
And far away behind their lines, the partisans are stirring in the forest
Coming unexpectedly upon their outposts, growing like a promise
You'll never know, you'll never know, which way to turn, which way to look you'll never see us
As we're stealing through the blackness of the night you'll never know, you'll never hear us
And the evening sings in a voice of amber, the dawn is surely coming
The morning road leads to Stalingrad, and the sky is softly humming
Two broken tigers on fire in the night
Flicker their souls to the wind
We wait in the lines for the final approach to begin
It's been almost four years that I've carried a gun
At home, it will almost be spring
The flames of the tigers are lighting the road to Berlin
Ah quickly we move through the ruins that bow to the ground
The old men and children they send out to face us, they can't slow us down
And all that I ever
Was able to see
The eyes of the city are opening
Now it's the end of the dream
(Ah. Ah, Ah) [x4]
(Ah, Ah, Ah) [thru this section]
I'm coming home, I'm coming home, now you can taste it in the wind the war is over
And I listen to the clicking of the train wheels as we roll across the border
And now they ask me of the time that I was caught behind their lines and taken prisoner
They only held me for a day, a lucky break I say
They turn and listen closer
I'll never know, I'll never know, why I was taken from the line and all the others
to board a special train and journey deep into the heart of holy Russia
And it's cold and damp in the transit camp and the air is still and sullen
and the pale sun of October whispers the snow will soon be coming
And I wonder when, I'll be home again and the morning answers never
And the evening sighs and the steely, Russian skies go on,
forever...
