Fugit Amor

You've got me where you wanna
In fact it's safe to say I am a goner
I'm hanging on by my finger-tips
I'm tongue-tied but you can read my lips

The pied piper's at the butterfly ball
Charming me up and pinning me down. Life's ephemeral
So let's flutter and get to grips
Your brain-fried but you can move those hips

I love you like no other
Like lovers do and like a brother
Tender moments and laughing fits
You want the stories with the juicy bits

La, la, la .... (lots of La, La, La's ....)

Spin me like a Catherine wheel, a propeller
I serenade all night a  cappella
I'm sorry if I give you the shits
I aim to please you, and I love those tits ...

Your smile's fading, your eyes are slits
And did I mention that I love those tits ?

Fugit Amor

Watch  the video clip on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WZolhD8v40

Video-Link

Once Upon A Time In America (Ennio Morricone Tribute) - Click for VIDEO LINK !

What can you do when just not inspired ? Karaoke of course :-) I know ...

Lucille (Michel Jonasz Cover)

Watch the video clip on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW2ON1nJQkQ

Are Friends Electric - Gary Numan Cover (music; Mark Kay, vocals; JM George)

Instrumental cover : Mark Kay (2014) - https://soundcloud.com/markaymufc
Vocal cover : Jean-Michel George (2014)

Sidenote : This is the loooooong version !  A mere 2'15" intro from Mark if you please :-) At first I suggested that it might be shortened, but he wasn't having any of that !!! ... and he was dead right :-)

Lyrics :

I'm not in love
So don't forget it
It's just a silly phase I'm going through
And just because
I call you up
Don't get me wrong, don't think you've got it made
I'm not in love, no no, it's because.. 

I like to see you
But then again
That doesn't mean you mean that much to me
So if I called you
Don't make a fuss
Don't tell your friends about the two of us
I'm not in love, no no, it's because.. 

I keep your picture
Upon the wall
It hides a nasty stain that's lying there 
So don't you ask me
To give it back 
I know you know it doesn't mean that much to me
I'm not in love, no no, it's because.. 

Ooh you'll wait a long time for me
Ooh you'll wait a long time
Ooh you'll wait a long time for me
Ooh you'll wait a long time 

I'm not in love
So don't forget it
It's just a silly phase I'm going through
And just because I call you up
Don't get me wrong, don't think you've got it      made
I'm not in love

I'm not in Love - 10cc cover (music; Mark Kay, vocals; JM George)

Avec son aimable autorisation voici une adaptation d'une chanson de Gérard Delassus (paroles de Marie Delassus) dont je suis tombé amoureux cet été. Je parle de la chanson, pas de Gérard ! Vous pouvez entendre la version originale (et bien d'autre pépites) sur la page SoundCloud de Gérard ici :
https://soundcloud.com/g-rard-delassus/les-gens-qui-passent

Paroles :

Dans les grands ciels très lents
Traînant, gris, bleus et blancs
Entre reflets de Loire
Et secrets des forêts 
Il m'arrive souvent
De voir passer le temps

C'est l'orage qui gronde...
Et l'éclair qui réveille
Une vitre là-bas,
Message sous la treille
Des hommes d'autrefois
Qui dormaient sous ce toit

C'est un chien qui aboie... 
Et très loin, tout là-bas,
Loin dans la nuit des temps,
Répond un chien errant
Qui suivait l'inconnu
Passant dans cette rue.

Une musique au loin...
Les fêtes et le vin,
Vendanges et moissons,
L'amour sur tous les tons
Faisait chanter les gens,
J'entends encore leurs chants.

C'est la cloche qui sonne
Au soleil de l'été,
D'un été oublié.
La foule endimanchée
S'en va se joindre aux ombres
Sous le grand porche sombre.

Et c'est la pluie qui tombe
Et le ciel qui se plombe...
J'entends les eaux qui montent,
Le pays qui s'enfonce,
Les hommes qu'elle tue,
La Loire des grandes crues.

C'est le glas qui s'égrenne...
Tant de joies, tant de peines...
Clameurs, gémissements,
Et rires des enfants...
Ils sont passés par là.
Ils ne reviendront pas

Dans les grands ciels très lents
Traînant, gris, bleus et blancs
Entre reflets de Loire
Et secrets des forêts
Il m'arrive souvent
De voir passer le temps

Refrain :
J'entends des fois
Passer des gens
Passés déjà
Depuis longtemps

Les gens qui passent (adaptation d'une chanson de Gérard Delassus)

Pierrou asked me a couple of weeks ago if I would like to partake in a collab along with some very talented singers on this Pink Floyd classic, to which I  obviously responded with a big "YES" !! The original cover can be found on his page here : https://soundcloud.com/pierrou/another-brick-in-the-wall-cover-by-soundcloud-fellows

I was so impressed with Pierrou's guitars that I asked him if I could use his instrumental track in order to do an "extended" version, incorporating "The happiest days of our lives" as it features on the album "The Wall"

Another Brick in the Wall - Pink Floyd Cover (in collaboration with Pierrou Tissan)

Lyrics : 

He deals the cards as a meditation
And those he plays never suspect
He doesn't play for the money he wins
He don't play for respect

He deals the cards to find the answer
The sacred geometry of chance
The hidden law of a probable outcome
The numbers lead a dance

I know that the spades are the swords of a soldier
I know that the clubs are weapons of war
I know that diamonds mean money for this art
But that's not the shape of my heart

He may play the Jack of diamonds
He may lay the Queen of spades
He may conceal a King in his hand
While the memory of it fades

I know that the spades are the swords of a soldier
I know that the clubs are weapons of war
I know that diamonds mean money for this art
But that's not the shape of my heart
That's not the shape, the shape of my heart

And if I told you that I loved you
You'd maybe think there's something wrong
I'm not a man of too many faces
The mask I wear is one

But those who speak know nothing
And find out to their cost
Like those who curse their luck in too many places
And those who fear a loss

I know that the spades are the swords of a soldier
I know that the clubs are weapons of war
I know that diamonds mean money for this art
But that's not the shape of my heart
That's not the shape of my heart
That's not the shape, the shape of my heart

Shape of my Heart - Sting cover

Music cover : Janny (Caustic Cheese) : https://soundcloud.com/januschb
Vocal cover : Jean-Michel George

Lyrics :

I'll protect you from the hooded claw
Keep the vampires from your door

Feels like fire
I'm so in love with you
Dreams are like angels
They keep bad at bay-bad at bay
Love is the light
Scaring darkness away-yeah

I'm so in love with you
Purge the soul
Make love your goal

The power of love
A force from above
Cleaning my soul
Flame on burn desire
Love with tongues of fire
Purge the soul
Make love your goal

I'll protect you from the hooded claw
Keep the vampires from your door
When the chips are down I'll be around
With my undying, death-defying
Love for you

Envy will hurt itself
Let yourself be beautiful
Sparkling love, flowers
And pearls and pretty girls
Love is like an energy
Rushin' rushin' inside of me

The power of love
A force from above
Cleaning my soul
Flame on burn desire
Love with tongues of fire
Purge the soul
Make love your goal

This time we go sublime
Lovers entwine-divine divine
Love is danger, love is pleasure
Love is pure-the only treasure

I'm so in love with you
Purge the soul
Make love your goal

The power of love
A force from above
Cleaning my soul
The power of love
A force from above
A sky-scraping dove

Flame on burn desire
Love with tongues of fire
Purge the soul
Make love your goal

I'll protect you from the hooded claw
Keep the vampires from your door

The Power of Love - Frankie goes to Hollywood Cover (Music by Caustic Cheese)

Instrumental cover : Janny (Caustic Cheese) : https://soundcloud.com/januschb
Additional guitars by Emanuel Wallin : https://soundcloud.com/emanuel-wallin
Vocals ; Jean-Michel George

Lyrics :

Guess what's happening now?
Hey hey, whoa, oh
Hey hey
Well now

Relax don't do it
When you want to go to it
Relax don't do it
When you want to come
Relax don't do it
When you want to suck it to it
Relax don't do it
When you want to come
When you want to come

Relax don't do it
When you want to to go to it
Relax don't do it
When you want to come
Relax don't do it
When you want to suck to it
Relax don't do it
When you want to come
Come oh oh oh

But shoot it in the right direction
Make making it your intention-ooh yeah
Live those dreams
Scheme those schemes
Got to hit me
Hit me
Hit me with your laser beams
Ow ow ow ow, laser beams

Relax, don't do it
Relax
When you want to come 

Relax don't do it
When you want to go to it
Relax don't do it
When you want to come

Relax don't do it
When you want to suck to it
Relax don't do it (love)
When you want to come
When you want to come
When you want to come

Come-huh

Relax don't do it 
When you want to go to it
Relax don't do it
Relax don't do it 
When you want to suck to it
Relax don't do it

Relax - Frankie goes to Hollywood Cover (Music by Caustic Cheese)

This is a cover of David Bowie's 1983 hit "China Girl" that Paul did a great instrumental version of and asked me a couple of weeks ago  if I'd be interested in singing along to ... I was :-) 

Instrumental cover : Paul Racle, AKA "Paaploviante" : https://soundcloud.com/paul-racle
Vocal cover : Jean-Michel George

Lyrics :

I could escape this feeling 
with my China girl
I feel a wreck 
without my little China girl
I hear her heart beating
loud as thunder
Saw the stars crashing 

I'm a mess
without my little China girl 
Wake up in the morning where's my little China girl
I hear her heart beating 
loud as thunder
Saw the stars crashing down

I feel a-tragic 
like I'm Marlon Brando
When I look at my China girl
I could pretend that nothing really meant too much
When I look at my China girl

I stumble into town just like a sacred cow
Visions of swastikas in my head
Plans for everyone
It's in the white of my eyes

My little China girl
You shouldn't mess with me
I'll ruin everything you are
I'll give you television
I'll give you eyes of blue
I'll give you a man who wants to rule the world

And when I get excited
My little China girl says
"Oh baby just you shut your mouth"
She says : "sh-sh-shhh"

China Girl - David Bowie Cover (Paploviante Collaboration)

A Taste of India

Instrumental cover : Mark Kay (2015) - https://soundcloud.com/markaymufc
Vocal cover : Jean-Michel George (2015)

Far too high for me really, but still a joy to cover ... My voice now feels rather like it did in 98 when France had just won the football world cup :-))) Mark did a really great job on the music though, as always ! 

Mothers Talk - Tears for Fears Cover (music; Mark Kay, vocals; JM George)

Describe my track ??  Hmmm ... That's a tricky one :-/ How about  "Orchestral Spaghetti" ? A bit long and a bit of a Western thing going on in the middle :) 

Better with headphones and "al dente" ...

The Tragedy and Comedy of Life

I was really happy to collaborate with Anne on this beautiful song of hers. She brought along her guitar and gorgeous, ultra-precise voice. I just threw in the other bits and pieces and hoped for the best ... Oh, and if you're wondering, it's also Anne doing that pitch-perfect whistling halfway through :-) A very talented lady ... On a side-note I find that she has a delightful way of pronouncing certain words that I initially mistook for a Scottish accent (though I can place Friebourg on a map ...). I hope that doesn't get me into an international riot with either Germany or Scotland ... or both :-/

Original song, lyrics, acoustic guitar and lead vocals : Anne_Lee (https://soundcloud.com/anne_lee-1)
Musical arrangement & backing vocals : JM George

Lyrics :

When night is falling and the shadows come too deep
Oh I try so hard, so hard to understand
When night is falling there's lying in my arms
A tiny me so small and innocent
Oh so small - So small and innocent
Look so small - So small and innocent

And it's all about rage
And it's all about fear
How do I leave this cage ?
How do I escape from here ?

Oh so small - So small and innocent
Look so small - So small and innocent
Innocent

When night is falling and the shadows come too deep
Oh I try so hard, so hard to understand
When night is falling there's lying in my arms
A tiny me so small and innocent

Tiny Me (arrangement of an original song by Anne_Lee)

Link to the film : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlBJp47WT7A

...

Back in February I was contacted by Pallav Baruah a young film director and graduate from the National Institute of Design, India, who asked me to score the music for his upcoming short fiction film. I was delighted :-) 

He supplied the script, some important guidelines and musical references as well as a rough cut of the film to which I synchronized the full soundtrack two months later. 

I have just received a copy of the final cut and am happy to share it with you here . The whole project proved to be a very successful collaboration as well as a highly valuable and rewarding experience for me. I look forward to working with Pallav again in the near future.

IMPORTANT : 

The soundtrack that I have posted here has been edited to remove the blanks and dialogue, but of course listening to the music without watching the film for which it has been created would be if not pointless at least a crying shame ... I therefore strongly advise using the YouTube link above or below for a more interesting and "immersive" experience.

I hope you have the time to discover and comment on this. 

Cheers ! 
Jean-Michel

...

Link to the film : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlBJp47WT7A

A Taste of India - Full soundtrack for a 2015 film by Pallav Baruah (please read track details)

This beautiful song which has been churning around in my head on and off for decades was composed by Philippe Sarde (with lyrics by Jean-Loup Dabadie) in 1970 along with the rest of his score for Claude Sautet's "Les choses de la vie". Romy Schneider and Michel Piccoli who starred in the film also lent their voices to this song, which I believe was the first and last time the former ever did so. Some might argue that it was a wise decision :-/  

I was delighted that Anne agreed to take on the role of Romy in order to sing on my instrumental cover of "La chanson d'Hélène" whilst I filled in for Michel :-) As luck would have it she shares a similar subtle German accent and airiness in the voice, but with the added bonus of being simply incapable of singing flat :-) I think she did a brilliant job ...

I've added a link to some footage of the original live recording for the nostalgic at heart (that's my middle name) :

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xff7w5_romy-schneider-chante-les-choses-de-la-vie-archive-ina_music

Lead vocals : Anne (https://soundcloud.com/anne_lee-1)
Instrumental cover and spoken voice : JM George

Lyrics : 

Ce soir nous sommes septembre 
Et j'ai fermé ma chambre 
Le soleil n'y entrera plus 
Tu ne m'aimes plus 

Là-haut un oiseau passe
Comme une dédicace 
Dans le ciel 

Je t'aimais tant Hélène 
Il faut se quitter 
Les avions partiront sans nous 
Je ne sais plus t'aimer Hélène 

Avant dans la maison j'aimais quand nous vivions 
Comme dans un dessin d'enfant 
Tu ne m'aimes plus 

Je regarde le soir tomber dans les miroirs 
C'est ma vie 

C'est mieux ainsi Hélène 
C'était l'amour sans amitié
Il va falloir changer de mémoire 
Je ne t'écrirai plus Hélène
 
L'histoire n'est plus à suivre et j'ai fermé le livre 
Le soleil n'y entrera plus 
Tu ne m'aimes plus

La Chanson d'Helene - P Sarde / JL Dabadie (feat. Anne_Lee)

Simply too beautiful a song not to cover ... 

Lyrics :

Rows and flows of angel hair 
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere, 
I've looked at clouds that way.

But now they only block the sun, 
They rain and they snow on everyone
So many things I would have done, 
But clouds got in my way.

I've looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down and still somehow
It's cloud illusions I recall
I really don't know clouds at all

Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels, 
The dizzy dancing way that you feel
As every fairy tale comes real, 
I've looked at love that way.

But now it's just another show, 
You leave 'em laughing when you go
And if you care, don't let them know, 
Don't give yourself away.

I've looked at love from both sides now 
From give and take but still somehow
It's love's illusions I recall
I really don't know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud, 
To say "I love you" right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds, 
I've looked at life that way.

But now old friends are acting strange, 
They shake their heads, they say I've changed
Well something's lost, but something's gained 
In living every day.

I've looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all

I've looked at life from both sides now 
From up and down, and still somehow 
It's life's illusions I recall 
I really don't know life at all

It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life
I really don't know life at all

Both sides now - Joni Mitchell cover

I am very happy to share with you this collaboration that my good friend and talented musician Charles Chambaz asked me to partake in ... I also have to thank him for his patience as it took me over a month to come up with my part of the deal ... 38 days in fact, which at the generally accepted top speed of 0,013 m/s is roughly how long it takes a snail to run (or rather crawl) a marathon. Hardly relevant to sirens or the Odyssey, I know ... but Charles happens to be a maths teacher so I though it was a nice touch :-) So Charles, how many marathons could that snail slog through during Odysseus's journey ? Yep, that's right; a staggering 96 ! By which time our snail would probably be running out of puff (a bit) ... On a side-note that would be a very long slime trail ... but don't get me started on gastropod mucus :-/

You will find many other beautiful instrumental tracks of Charles here : https://soundcloud.com/papillonmusical

Lyrics :

Let me ride your siren's voice
(Unbind me from the mast)
Gliding vowels and words of choice
(No highway cowboys)
Trickling from your honey lips
(L'e dans l'o du coeur)
Perfect R's that roll like hips
(Notes unsung)
Howling winds and whispered oaths
Sailing to your milky shores
As seamen must
In a final thrust
Like the sweetest sun-kissed peach
My D-day landing beach ...

Sirens of the Odyssey (music by Charles Chambaz)

What better kind of song to cover when you have a sore throat ?! :-)

Lyrics :

Don't got a lot of time
Don't give a damn
Don't tell me what to do
I am the man
If there's a god up there
Something above
God shine your light down here
Shine on the love
Love of the loveless

Don't have too many friends
Never felt at home
Always been my own man
Pretty much alone
I know how to get through
And when push comes to shove
I got something that you need
I got the love
Love of the loveless

All around you people walking
Empty hearts and voices talking
Looking for and finding
Nothing

Don't get a lot of time
Don't really care
Not selling anything
Buyer beware
If there's a god up there
Something above
God shine your light down here
Shine on the love
Love of the loveless

Don't got a lot of time
Don't give a damn
Don't tell me what to do
I am the man
Love of the loveless 

Love of the Loveless (Eels Cover)

22 minutes ??? Yes, I know :-) So for the brave only, here's an  attempt to distill a life-story which took quite a few weeks to put into words and music, and almost as long before I finally decided to publish it here today.

Lyrics :

You caught my eye
As sirens should
Your gaze I understand
Was locked in a sea of emerald green
And in mine an angel stood

(Shipping forecast)

...
German Bight
South West 6 to Gale 8 
Becoming cyclonic storm 10
To hurricane force 12 for a time
Rough or very rough
Becoming high, occasionally very high
...

I've a shoulder you can lean on
And another you can claw
Depending on your changing moods
The time of day, the floor
And in between there's a blade too many
That I can't withdraw

The knife's there to remind me
Of the promise of Murphy's Law
A once upon a time-bomb
The wicked wolf at my door
The twistiest tale of a ton of bricks
On a house of straw

My thoughts are with you always
Like a thread of light
The soothing sound of whistling
In the dead of night

Where do we go from here ?
Tell me what shall we do
Finding an anagram always lies in the clue

Answer me loud and clear
Tell me when, tell me who
Solving the anagram always leads me to you

(Adapted from "Sous le ciel de Paris", by Jean Dréjac / Hubert Giraud)

...
Sous le ciel de Paris s'envole une chanson
Elle est née d'aujourd'hui dans le coeur d'un garçon
Sous le ciel de Paris marchent les amoureux
Leur bonheur se construit sur un air fait pour eux

Près de Notre-Dame
Parfois couve un drame
Oui mais à Paname
Tout peut s'arranger

Sous le ciel de Paris coule un fleuve joyeux
Il endort dans la nuit les clochards et les gueux
Sous le ciel de Paris les oiseaux du Bon Dieu
Viennent du monde entier pour bavarder un peu
...

Trouble always comes in threes
Shadows cast by lethal trees
Dirty hands and tainted seas
Decisions on a major scale
Songs ... So many songs
In a minor key

You pulled me in
I knew you would
Laid bare the naked truth
That rocked an ephemeral dream
Your boat of troubled youth

Where do we go from here ?
Where do we go from here ?

You'll be the O of Odyssey
My journey home
The wiles of an open sea
Where sirens roam

I'll be the I of Iron in
Your Eiffel Tower
Watching over the blackest forest
For my only flower

I'll be the I of Ivory
To fill your dusk
With the spirals of reverie
Like a narwhal tusk

You'll be an ode to life, eau de vie
My open bar

I'll be the I of Irony
The voice you trust
However vile the path has been
Through love and lust

You'll be my opus symphony
On the ocean bed 
The finger to my parting lips
When all is said

You'll be my opal stone, Eau de Cologne
My Polar Star

Spirals of Reverie

I heard this track on Anne's page five months ago, and as much as I like a detuned piano ;) just couldn't resist offering that we record another version of it ... There was something about the vocal melody - and a soaring high note in particular - that simply made my jaw drop off, and the song has stuck with me ever since ... 

So true to the comment that I left there that day, here is that alternate version. I'm really not sure that I've done Anne a favor in taking her beautiful song along this more upbeat & EDM route, but what I do know is that her voice continues to amaze me and can cut through any mix like a knife :-)

I hope you'll take the time to listen to her original piano/vox version here : https://soundcloud.com/anne_lee-1/dont-follow-me

Vocals and composition : Anne ... https://soundcloud.com/anne_lee-1
Musical adaptation : Jean-Michel George
Lyrics :

Another night that I can't sleep
I turn my head - see you lying next to me
but who's the one I'm looking at?
Fear is waiting (there goes that jaw-dropper ;) ...) quietly at my door
I'm falling, I'm sinking,
I'm sinking, I'm falling
my body washed to the shore

I'm watching me from far above
don't follow me when I'm trippin' through the night
are you tired as me?
Too tired to fight?

Seconds of quiet slipping through my fingers 
it's just a blink of an eye
and then you're gone 
too far to touch, too far to speak
my hands too small to reach you
suddenly I feel like a thief
do I better run away?

I wish you'd break the silence sometimes
don't follow me...

Don't Follow Me (adaptation of an original song by Anne_Lee)

I'm happy to post here this cover of "Jump they say",  brilliantly orchestrated and brought to life by "Phil & friends" :-) It's from David Bowie's 1993 "Black tie, white noise" album. To be honest I'd never heard this song before, but I took to it immediately and thoroughly enjoyed doing my bit :-) 

Thanks again Phil for the opportunity, and a big hand to Rick and Lisa for their top notch contributions :)

Initiative, guitars, synths and other sonic oddities : https://soundcloud.com/Phil-McWalter
Backing vocals: https://soundcloud.com/Faerytale https://soundcloud.com/Phil-McWalter
Drums/Percussion: https://soundcloud.com/Rick-4-1
Trumpet: James Morrison
Cheap David Bowie impressions : https://soundcloud.com/jean-michel-george

The original post can be found here : https://soundcloud.com/phil-mcwalter/jump-they-say-ft-jean-michel-george-faerytale-rick-medlock-phil-mcwalter

Lyrics :

When comes the shaking man
A nation in his eyes
Striped with blood and emblazed tattoo
Streaking cathedral spire
They say
They say
They say

He has no brain
They say
He has no mood
They say
He was born again
They say
Look at him climb
They say 'jump'
They say 'jump'

They say
He has two gods
They say
He has no fear
They say
He has no eyes
They say
He has no mouth

They say hey that's really something
They feel he should get some time
I say he should watch his ass
My friend don't listen to the crowd they say 'jump'
They say 'jump'
Watchout!
Watchout!
They say hey that's really something
They feel he should get some time
I say he should watch his ass
My friend don't listen to the crowd say 'jump'
Got to believe somebody
They say 'jump'
Got to believe somebody
They say 'jump'
Got to believe 
They say 'jump'
Got to believe somebody
Jump!

Jump They Say - David Bowie Cover (in collaboration with Phil McWalter, Faerytale & Rick Medlock)

A few weeks ago I stumbled across a short piece by "For Love of the Invisible" which you can find here : https://soundcloud.com/arsivall/elysian-for-love-of-the-invisible 

I was captivated by the ethereal ambiance of the track in which FLOTI gives a stunning demonstration of both her head voice and chest voice ... The latter had me immediately thinking of Maggie Reilly (not quite sure how successful that singer is/was as a solo artist, but Mike Oldfield fans of the first hour will know who I'm talking about ...). Also for some reason the music conjured up images from the film "Chariots of Fire" ... 

My only gripe was that it was far too good to last just two minutes :-) So I asked FLOTI if she woud mind me adding to it, and this is what happened :-) ... Kind of a road-trip from the UK (where the "Chariots of Fire" was shot) through to Syria, China and finally Australia. 

FLOTI was very happy with it, so I hope you'll find something to like about it too :-)

"Cheers ... Thanks for coming" :-)

Elysian (adaptation of a track by "For Love of the Invisible")

I discovered Eva's amazing work last year and have been fortunate enough to work with her already on my "Jigsaw Girl" track a few months ago. So I was delighted that she agreed to give another of my tracks a complete face-lift :-) I wrote this original piece three years ago, but wasn't altogether happy with it, not only because of my mediocre piano playing, but because the entire middle section never really clicked with me ...

So ... Eva has totally rewritten that middle section with what I can only call a stroke of genius :-) She also rearranged and performed the entire piece in a way that leaves me gobsmacked ... It puts "awe" right back into the word awesome ... 

Drama, melancholy, romance, alternating rhythms and moods, a little touch of jazz, a bigger touch of classical, a huge touch of class ... It's all in there with her delightfully eclectic ideas and interpretation ... It's a real treat for me to hear this taken to a whole new level ! UN GRAND MERCI EVA !!!!

Please visit Eva's page here (Skwarek2000) : https://soundcloud.com/skwarek2000

In Hindsight (piano adaptation & performance by Eva Mazurek)

I decided to give my acoustic guitar one last chance ...  Or should that be the other way around ?? Anyway, this track has evolved over the past few weeks from a two minute ballad to one of those slightly lopsided patchwork songs :-/ Different flavours, different colours, different times of the day and night. 

The title evolved in strange ways too as you may have noticed ... Still, for me it all makes perfect sense :-))

Lyrics :

Somewhere in a long lost town
With nothing to see and not much to do (not much)
Except wait for you

And somewhere in that long lost town
I'm looking for you
And I'm dancing in my head after all that we've been through
And there she stood ...

La la la-la-la la
La la la-la-la la
And you're beautiful

And so now that long lost town
Is second to none
After all that we have done

And somehow in this long lost town
I'm still there with you
And that's how it shall be from now on
And she said ...

La-la la-la-la la
La-la la-la-la la

Now sleep ... Sleep
What secret place do you roam to
When those kaleidoscope eyes close ?
What haunted dream makes your teeth grind
Until your body finds peace ?

La la la-la-la la
La la la-la-la la

Lazy rays and shadows fill the room
And flirt and shimmer with your golden skin
Muffled steps and voices echo from the streets below
As the city hive awakens

I can kiss your honey lips
And run my fingers through your hair

La la la-la-la la
Good morning dear
La la la-la-la la
 
Edeka Schtroumfette I love you
Give me your side-look smile n° 2
Coffee wafting up two flights to greet you
It's a new day and the sun is up

El Miguelete tolls out the hour
Reminding us to run the shower
But that will give me ample time to greet you
To a new day

Edeka Schtroumfette - My small blue thing

Yes, that's a pretty far-fetched title for this collection of three covers : 

"Chère Amie" - Originally sung by Marc Lavoine and Francoise Hardy
"Moon-River" taken from the film "Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Blake Edwards - Originally sung by Audrey Hepburn
"Diabolo Menthe" taken from the film "Diabolo Menthe" by Diane Kurys : Originally sung by Yves Simon

Note to those who are blessed or cursed with absolute pitch : You might experience mild headache, nausea or the comforting effect of finger-nails screeching down a blackboard, owing to the fact that two of the covers had been recorded in F# and the other one in F, so I fine-tuned each of them either a quarter-tone up or a quarter-tone down so as to put them all into the right (wrong) key :-) ... Sorry about that !

Lyrics :

(Chère amie) :

Je pense à vous souvent
Je continue quand même
D'aimer les bateaux blancs
Que le désir entraîne
Je manque de vous souvent
Mais je m'en vais quand même
Laisser voler le vent
Qui souffle sur la peine

REFRAIN
Chère amie, je vous envoie ces quelques mots
Pour vous dire qu'il ne fait pas beau
Et que j'ai mal, seul, depuis que je vous ai perdue
Je vous écris ces quelques fleurs
Avec mon coeur à l'intérieur
Je vous fais toutes mes excuses

Je rêve à vous souvent
Je me souviens de tout
Je me réveille à temps
Mais je vous vois partout
Je vous attends souvent
J'invente un rendez-vous
Vous n'avez plus le temps
Plus une minute à vous

REFRAIN
Chère amie, je vous envoie ces quelques mots
Pour vous dire qu'il ne fait pas beau
Et que j'ai mal, seul, depuis que je vous ai perdue
Je vous écris ces quelques fleurs
Avec mon coeur à l'intérieur
Je vous fais toutes mes excuses

...

(Moon River) :

Moon River, wider than a mile
I'm crossing you in style some day
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker
Wherever you're going I'm going your way

Two drifters off to see the world 
There's such a lot of world to see
We're after the same rainbow's end
Waiting 'round the bend 
My huckleberry friend 
Moon River and me

...

(Diabolo Menthe) :

Dans tes classeurs de lycée 
Y a tes rêves et tes secrets 
Tous ces mots que tu n'dis jamais 
Des mots d'amour et de tendresse 
Des mots de femme 
Que tu caches et qu'on condamne 
Que tu caches petite Anne

Dans tes classeurs de lycée 
Y a du sang et y a des pleurs 
Les premières blessures de ton cœur 
Les premières blessures 
Les premières déchirures 
Qui font des bleus à ton âme 
Qui font des bleus petite Anne

Dans les cafés du lycée 
Faut que tu bluffes, que tu mentes 
Autour des diabolos menthe 
Quand tu racontes les nuits 
Du dernier été 
De tous ces premiers amants 
Que tu n'as eus qu'en rêvant

Dans tes classeurs de lycée 
Y a tes rêves et tes secrets 
Tous ces mots que tu n'dis jamais 
Des mots d'amour et de tendresse 
Des mots de femme 
Que tu caches et qu'on condamne 
Que tu caches petite Anne

Cherry Moon Friends & Mint River Devils (a medley sung in duet with Anne_Lee)

Adaptation of an original song by Elspeth Anne (https://soundcloud.com/elspeth-anne)
Vocals : Anne_Lee (https://soundcloud.com/anne_lee-1)
Musical arrangement / Backing vocals : Jean-Michel George

Lyrics :

Your eyelashes stick to my ribs
Clinging on while I'm asleep
Salty rain pours down. It makes a flood
You sing songs into my mouth

We waded out into the sea
The water rose above our knees
We swam out, out of our depth
And sank down where the fishes nest

Your eyelashes are like little ribs
Holding your heart in their crib
Salty rain pours down. It makes the sea
On the ocean floor you sing to me

I will always be closer than you think (x 6)
I will always (x 2)

Your eyelashes are like little ribs
Holding your heart in their crib
Salty rain pours down. It makes the sea
On the ocean floor you sing to me

I will always be closer than you think (x 6)
I will always (x 2)
Be closer than you think (x 4)
Be closer
Be closer than you think
Be closer
Be closer than you think

Don't scare the Fish Girls (adaptation of an original song by Elspeth Anne, featuring Anne_Lee)

Dear Soundclouders, 

I have long since given up trying to give my music a conventional structure, let alone style ... I'm also losing track of time, hence another 7 minute "Oriental stew" ... On the bright side you really don't have to listen to this at all :) 

Oh, and about the title ... Well, you'll have to at least wade  through to the middle section to make any sense of that :)

Just a slice of my everyday life ...

The Michel Thomas Groove

Je ne peux plus dire je t'aime 
Ne me demande pas pourquoi 
Je ne ressens ni joie ni peine 
Quand tes yeux se posent sur moi 
Si la solitude te pèse 
Quand tu viens à passer par là 
Et qu'un ami t'a oubliée 
Tu peux toujours compter sur moi

Je ne peux plus dire je t'aime
Sans donner ma langue à couper 
Trop de serpents sous les caresses 
Trop d'amours à couteaux tirés 
Si dure que soit la solitude 
Elle te ramène à ton destin 
La loi du grand amour est rude 
Pour qui s'est trompé de chemin

Je ne peux plus dire je t'aime - Jacques Higelin (18 oct 1940 - 6 avril 2018)

Just a piano, double-bass, saxophone and drums. Oh, and who let that little chinese guy in with the erhu ??

Midnight Jazz

Spanish Jazz

No cats were harmed during the making of this track.

Lyrics :

You were sweet seventeen
Dressed in black and torn jeans in a smoke-packed sedan
My Cortina dream ... but I couldn’t afford
The spiky-haired girl inside

Sick with diesel and swell
In a dodgy Chanel ... Just tuppence a bag
And one for your thoughts sees the other one drop
While we're chewing the rag, we're chewing the rag

Crossing over to France
In what looks at first glance like a Jag, but it ain’t
It’s only a Rover aboard “Pride of Dover”
With a walnut dash, chrome and beige paint

You tore your dress ? What dress ? Huh ...
I wouldn't worry about that now
Just get in the car
... I said get in the car

Her : I feel all the time like a cat on a hot tin roof
Him : Then jump off the roof Maggie. Jump off it ... Do it. Jump !
Her : Jump where ? Into what ?
Him : Take a lover ...

Où est la morale ?
Où est le tact ?

Cortina Debris

Nice teeth ...

Initially the sole purpose of this cover was to try out my new Sennheiser MK-4 mic on something "fresh" for my own amusement, but then I though "Hell, I may as well share this !".

I must point out that the instrumental track has nothing to do with me (couldn't be bothered to be honest). So, yes, technically this is really just plain old karaoke ... Sorry !

Hope I don't upset any BJ fans out there ...

Just the way you are - Billy Joel cover (please check song description)

Life on Mars - David Bowie Cover

Windmills of Your Mind
(Michel Legrand - Theme from the film "The Thomas Crown Affair" - Original version sung by Noel Harrison)

Round
 
Like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning
On an ever spinning reel
Like a snowball down a mountain
Or a carnival balloon
Like a carousel that's turning
Running rings around the moon

Like a clock whose hands are sweeping
Past the minutes of it's face
And the world is like an apple
Whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind !

Like a tunnel that you follow
To a tunnel of it's own
Down a hollow to a cavern
Where the sun has never shone,
Like a door that keeps revolving
In a half forgotten dream,
Or the ripples from a pebble
Someone tosses in a stream

Like a clock whose hands are sweeping
Past the minutes of it's face
And the world is like an apple
Whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind !

Keys that jingle in your pocket
Words that jangle in your head
Why did summer go so quickly ?
Was it something that you said ?
Lovers walk along the shore
And leave their footprints in the sand

Was the sound of distant drumming
Just the fingers of your hand ?
Pictures hanging in a hallway
And the fragment of this song
Half remembered names and faces
But to whom do they belong ?

When you knew
That it was over
You were suddenly aware
That the autumn leaves were turning
To the color
Of her hair !

Like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning
On an ever spinning reel
As the images unwind
Like the circles
That you find
In the windmills of your mind

Windmills of your Mind

Anglo-French composer / songwriter / singer / smiler, also contains lanolin. Happy to provide music, lyrics, vocals, drinks ... Thanks for popping in :-)

Jean-Michel GEORGE

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