'Sparkling Day' by Elvis

[the_platypus]

Tom Waits is a vocal genius, pure and simple. EC's not. The imbalance between the two is so extreme - the one uses his voice as his single greatest asset, the other, at times, as an instrument of self-sabotage - it's not even funny. Sorry.

I forgive you, man.

[cwr]

Costello and Waits as singers are apples and oranges. (Or more like Apples and really weird hobo mutant oranges.)

I don't think it's fair to say that Waits is a genius singer and Costello isn't. Take Costello's ten best vocal performances and I'll bet most of them are in styles that Waits probably wouldn't attempt, or if he did it would turn into a more typically Waits-ian vocal. (I say this as someone who adores Waits' singing; I just don't think he has a million different singing styles in his bag of tricks.)

Back to the dislike of multi-tracking-- anytime I ever express how great Elvis is at it, there are usually a few immediately dissenting voices who declare that they hate multi-tracked vocals and they're glad he's mostly stopped doing them. But I never get the sense that those same people really fundamentally dislike the vocals on the first 15 or so Costello albums-- I've never seen ANYBODY post about how they wish that Costello wouldn't have sung harmonies with himself on Get Happy!! or Trust or This Year's Model or Armed Forces...

Is there anybody out there among the anti-self-harmony people who really wishes that Costello could go back and replace all those multi-tracked self-harmonies on those records with other singers, and that Costello's voice always stood alone, as it has more often than not in recent years?

[jardine]

I don't hate it at all. it just has a weird effect that is not the same as harmonizing between two different voices. i get it, that it has a certain vigor and power when he self-harmonizes, and I quite like it. but when i hear it, it has a different impact knowing and hearing that it is not two people harmonizing together and finding their way between each other.

i, in fact, love his self-harmonizing, but there is something...what?, electronic about it? manufactured not made.? and as a fan of, say, revolver and sgt. pepper's, i have nothing at all against this. but still, w. sgt. pepper's, i love getting glimpses of "the band" playing together underneath the studio constructions, overdubs and so on.

two different pleasures. but self-harmonizing makes experiencing the "performance" of the song more difficult.

[the_platypus]

For my money, the two albums featuring the best EC vocals in the last decade are

North
The Delivery Man


Take that as you will.

[A rope leash]

Mr. Platypus:

I do not accept that.

River in Reverse and National Ransom would be my picks.

As for Elvis' problems with "power belting", why isn't his performance on Sparkling Day more like his performance on God Give Me Strength? I know he's older, but...

[the_platypus]

I don't think Elvis has problems with power-belting. I think some of his fans do.

[verbal gymnastics]

There is never going to be a definitive answer as to whether or not Elvis is a great singer or what his best album is. It's all subjective.

However if board members need a definitive no nonsense answer about such matters then I will provide the answer. And my decision will be final because I am a legend on this site

I've only listened to Sparkling Day a couple of times and I just can't get into it. Yet.

[Neil.]

Well, I know it's going to sound like sacrilege, but I cannot STAND Tom Waits's singing style.

He's a brilliant songwriter, but that put-on drunken hobo act, which is not his natural voice, is incredibly irritating - it's as though a down-and-out character from a musical is making album after album. It's so affected, I just don't know how people can stand it.

What am I missing?

[the_platypus]

Well, I know it's going to sound like sacrilege, but I cannot STAND Tom Waits's singing style.

He's a brilliant songwriter, but that put-on drunken hobo act, which is not his natural voice, is incredibly irritating - it's as though a down-and-out character from a musical is making album after album. It's so affected, I just don't know how people can stand it.

What am I missing?

So much!

[Poor Deportee]

Well, I know it's going to sound like sacrilege, but I cannot STAND Tom Waits's singing style.

He's a brilliant songwriter, but that put-on drunken hobo act, which is not his natural voice, is incredibly irritating - it's as though a down-and-out character from a musical is making album after album. It's so affected, I just don't know how people can stand it.

What am I missing?

It sounds as though you are missing every album Waits has made since 1980s Swordfishtrombones.

He no longer does the 'drunken hobo' act much, having more or less conceded that it was a caricature. Of course, his work is still anything but confessional and still veers heavily toward storytelling - he just uses an infinitely more varied sonic and lyrical palette than he did over the 1970s. Try Rain Dogs and see how that grabs you.

Having said that, his voice is never going to be everybody's up of tea. But I feel that it's unsurpassed as an expressive instrument for the kinds of songs he now does.

[johnfoyle]

The cd sleeve has Elvis lyric , so this is the official version of same.

Elvis does , however, sing different words in the recording in one line -

I think that I've been looking down so long you see

is sung

Seems that I've been looking down so long you see


Oh, it was such a sparkling day
That I should be singing its praises
Just to catch my senses as they slip away
But my sentences and phrases
Are about as worthless as wonder can be

And there are words that I could say
Perhaps I lack the sense of occasion
I think that I've been looking down so long you see
That it seemed like up to me
I should be ashamed I'm sure you would agree

Chorus

So don't go calling out to Jude or Anthony
Maybe I was lost, I'm a hopeless case
So that every night I listen carefully
But there was no message from
me, no message from me

Sparkling day, sparkling day
Things I never said, some things you never heard
Sparkling day, sparkling day
Now I wait in vain to see
That there was no message from me

I sat beneath the evening stars
Long enough to hear my lover whisper
Though the night kept offering a deeper hue
One of every blue persuasion, What in heaven was I to do


Chorus

So don't go calling out for Jude or Anthony
Maybe I was lost, I'm a hopeless case
But then every night I listen carefully
But there was no message from me , no message from me

Sparkling day, sparkling day
Things I never said , some things you never heard
Sparkling day, sparkling day
Now I wait in vain to see
That there was no message from me

When love is constant and content
You always fear some lingering temptation
Silhouettes escaping underneath locked doors
I'm astonished and amazed
Perhaps my message was erased.

Chorus

So don't go calling out for Jude or Anthony
Maybe I was lost , I'm a hopeless case
But then every night I listen carefully
But there was no message from
me , no message from me

Sparkling day, sparkling day
Things I never said , some things you never heard
Sparkling day, sparkling day
Now I wait in vain to see
That there was no message from me


The cd edition has four cues from Rachel Portman's score as additional tracks. Heard seperate from the cloying, sophorific context of the film they are very good , up there with John Barry at his best. 'Wedding Chorus' and 'We Had Today' are stunning.

[Kevin Davis]

I've always liked Costello's self-harmonizing. Like Waits and Dylan, he has a distinct timbre to his voice that can make it difficult for harmony singers to lock in with him; he either overpowers them or they sound like they're just singing an independent melody on a different sonic wavelength, production-wise. But unlike Waits and Dylan, Costello's grip on formal technique puts him in a much better position to use harmony to enhance, not obscure, his timbre. I think his best uses of self-harmony--one that springs to mind immediately is the acoustic "Miss Macbeth" from the Spike bonus disc--are a wonder to behold indeed.

[johnfoyle]

But there was no message from
me , no message from me

In case anyone's wondering the text is broken that way. I thought it was because of the layout of the booklet , the text next to photos etc. There is , however , room for full lines so it must be intentional.

[sheeptotheslaughter]

Taken off the radio 2 playlist. No big chart comeback.

[Otis Westinghouse]

Gosh I can't be paying attention. I just heard mention of 'One Day was a disappointment, but the best thing about it was the Elvis Costello song.' Elvis Costello song? I had no idea!

[jardine]

wow. one day has earned 21 million internationally in three weeks. very bad showing. release sparkling day as a cd single and i'll still buy it, however...(as long as i don't have to see the movie)

[The imposter]

The lyric "Seems I've been looking down so long you see That it seemed like up to me"
has been bugging me for ages. First time I heard the song, the line was annoyingly familiar but I was unable to place it.

Think I've just found it...

The Doors song written by Jim Morrison "Been Down So Long" contains the line "Well, Ive been down so Goddamn long That it looks like up to me". Further research reveals that "Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me" is a novel by Richard Fariña.

I have a similar feeling about "the days dragged by like cigarettes" from "Forgive Her Anything" but still can't place it ???

[Otis Westinghouse]

... and Richard Fariña was a friend of Thomas Pynchon's, who writes the intro to the edition available now. It's all connected, y'see?

Can't help you with the cigarettes one.

[The imposter]

Interesting! Must see the film or read the book(s). Oops i'm quoting again!

[And No Coffee Table]

OSCARS: Original Song Contenders Pared To 39
By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Monday December 19, 2011 @ 2:05pm PST

Beverly Hills, CA – Thirty-nine songs from eligible feature-length motion pictures are in contention for nominations in the Original Song category for the 84th Academy Awards®, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today. The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed below in alphabetical order by film and song title:

“The World I Knew” from “African Cats”
“Lay Your Head Down” from “Albert Nobbs”
“Star Spangled Man” from “Captain America: The First Avenger”
“Collision of Worlds” from “Cars 2″
“Dakkanaga Dugu Dugu” from “DAM999″
“DAM999 Theme Song” from “DAM999″
“Mujhe Chod Ke” from “DAM999″
“Rainbird” from “Dirty Girl”
“Keep On Walking” from “The First Grader”
“Where the River Goes” from “Footloose”
“Hello Hello” from “Gnomeo & Juliet”
“Love Builds a Garden” from “Gnomeo & Juliet”
“Bridge of Light” from “Happy Feet Two”
“The Mighty Sven” from “Happy Feet Two”
“Never Be Daunted” from “happythankyoumoreplease”
“Hell and Back” from “Hell and Back Again”
“The Living Proof” from “The Help”
“Coeur Volant” from “Hugo”
“It’s How We Play” from “I Don’t Know How She Does It”
“When the Heart Dies” from “In the Land of Blood and Honey”
“Ja Nao Estar” from “José and Pilar”
“The Keeper” from “Machine Gun Preacher”
“Life’s a Happy Song” from “The Muppets”
“Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets”
“Pictures in My Head” from “The Muppets”
“Summer Song” from “The Music Never Stopped”
“Imaginary Friends” from “Olive”
“Sparkling Day” from “One Day”
“Taking You with Me” from “Our Idiot Brother”
“The Greatest Song I Ever Heard” from “POM Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold”
“Hot Wings” from “Rio”
“Let Me Take You to Rio” from “Rio”
“Real in Rio” from “Rio”
“Shelter” from “Take Shelter”
“Gathering Stories” from “We Bought a Zoo”
“Pop” from “White Irish Drinkers”
“Think You Can Wait” from “Win Win”
“The Backson Song” from “Winnie the Pooh”
“So Long” from “Winnie the Pooh”

On Thursday, January 5, the Academy will screen clips featuring each song, in random order, for voting members of the Music Branch in Los Angeles. Following the screenings, members will determine the nominees by an averaged point system of voting. If no song receives an average score of 8.25 or more, there will be no nominees in the category. If only one song achieves that score, it and the song receiving the next highest score shall be the two nominees. If two or more songs (up to five) achieve that score, they shall be the nominees. A DVD copy of the song clips will be made available to those branch members who are unable to attend the screening and who request it for home viewing. A mail-in ballot will be provided.

Under Academy rules, a maximum of two songs may be nominated from any one film. If more than two songs from a film achieve a score of 8.25 or more, the two songs with the highest scores will be the nominees.

To be eligible, a song must consist of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the film. A clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition of both lyric and melody must be used in the body of the film or as the first music cue in the end credits.

The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 24, 2012, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar® presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

[Neil.]

This is fascinating. So the people voting for the songs don't even bother to listen to the whole songs? They just get shown a load of clips! Not good.

[johnfoyle]

The full version of this is now on youTube-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6aOTWny ... r_embedded

[docinwestchester]

Still really like it. Still think it would be a good live song; maybe a "joanna" piece with Steve. Too bad the movie tanked. It made a few 10 worst movies of the year lists.

[jardine]

you know, i still like it too, but, really, it seems far too long now given the small strength of the song's melody/arrangement etc. eleanor rigby was around 2:05. This song is now around 4:40 and i find it is too thin a song for this length. I stopped listening before the end.

I've felt the same way about many McCartney post-Beatle songs. they got a bit thinner and over twice as long at the same time.

[Jack of All Parades]

Sat through this the other evening with the family as I was willing to give Anne Hathaway a view having liked other performances by her and Lone Scherfig's An Education really held my interest but this one failed to stay with me on many levels-- just a treaclely mess- and the song at the end neatly tied up this over sweet confection- uninspired and feh lyrics, overwrought in their vocal presentation and over the top production, just like the movie. I could have done without either.