2 For The Road

The world's most popular song. Have i skewed the stats now?

Summertime, well not quite :)

Written by Radha Thomas with a little help from Ramjee / Aman who know way more chords than her :)
Performed by Radha Thomas and Aman Mahajan

 - - -

A CASE OF THE BANGALORE BLUES
Radha Thomas, July 2012

I’m all alone 
All my welcomes worn 
I feel so sad ‘cos I’m oh so far from my home

I can’t get up and go 
Cos I ain’t got the dough 
I’m stuck here in the sleet and rain and the snow

I dream of purple trees 
Gardens filled with bees

I’m down with an awful case of the Bangalore Blues

I can smell the rain 
Playing dirty tricks on my brain 
I wish it was near so I could just hop on a train

But that city’s too far 
I can’t get there by car 
So all that’s left to do is go find me a bar

But one day soon I’ll fly 
I’ll take to the sky

But right now I’m filled with a case of the Bangalore Blues

My friends they all said 
That travelling’s bad for my head 
Be careful there girl or you could wind up being dead

Back then I didn’t care 
I knew I wouldn’t scare 
I was so damn sure about all my pizzazz and my flair

I was filled with confidence 
And new experience

But I got stuck with a case of the Bangalore 
I fell down with a case of the Bangalore 
I was stumped by a case of the Bangalore Blues

A Case of the Bangalore Blues

This is a song I wrote a few weeks ago. And Aman and Ramjee helped me refine it.
Here is Aman and me playing it. 

- - -

TUMBLE
Radha Thomas, June 2012

I tumble out of bed 
I reach or you 
I stumble on an 
empty glass or two 
Tonight, 
I’m tangled, 
I toss and I turn 
(I begin to) wonder 
If I will ever, ever learn

I fumble with the lights, 
oh what a fool 
I’m humbled by the way you make the rules 
You say, 
You’ll call me when you’re back in town 
(And you say that I) 
Should smile, 
and wipe away that frown

You mumble that you want to take it slow 
And then I grumble cos you say its time to go 
Oh every time, 
that I find happiness 
Why does it always end up such great big mess?

And every guy I’m sure is right for me 
Why does he find a reason to turn and flee?

And every man whose claimed 
that he would stay 
Forever true to me 
How come he’s gone away?

I crumble into pieces when you leave 
My heart is jumbled, 
I can’t find reprieve 
One day 
Will somebody knock on my door? 
(Walk into my soul) and stay that way for evermore

That last rumble left me breathless, I can say 
And then I bumbled, cos you turned and walked away (3)

Tumble

That brew 
Radha Thomas – June, 2012
 
That man over there
Why’s he staring at me?
Is there a blot on my face he can see
Her blood dripping fingers
Are pointing at me
Does she think that I’m someone else 
Or am I me

What did you put in that brew, That split my head into two (2)

Now that I’m wandering
Far from my haunt
Every one points 
As they jeer and they taunt

They stop, They stare
I try, Not to care
They glare, I’m aware
So I pull out my hair

Have I lost
My mind
How I wish I was blind
How can I find
Just a someone who is kind

What did you put in that brew, That split my head into two (2)

They look at me 
Oh so curiously
I’m naked, I’m shy, yes
But they don’t know why

They’ve got me in chains now I fear for my life
I thought there were ten 
Now I see sixty five
They’re armed and they’re wild
Oh they’ve pulled out their knives
I struggle, I scream 
But they stand fast and smile 

What did you put in that brew, That split my head into two (2)

Images float 
And then fade from my brain
I try to hold on 
No, I can’t go insane

Just take a sip now
You said and you smiled
I didn’t argue
Was so beguiled
But I didn’t know 
All you wanted to see 
Was an out of control
Crazy version of me 

What did you put in that brew, That split my head into two (2)

They’ve brought out their tasers and guns
Taken aim
If u wanted to tame me
Couldn’t you be humane


That Brew

Leaf Motif  
Music: Aman Mahajan
Lyrics: Radha Thomas
 
It’s seven o’clock that time again
I’m trying to see through pouring rain
Just when I thought I saw you there
‘Twas a leaf in the wind…

I think I can hear a roaring train
I’m trying to wipe the windowpane
Maybe I’ll clear away the grime
Find it’s more than a leaf…

I listen 
For just anything
A bang, a thump
That doorbell ring
In the silence of  
This darkened night
I wait, for you

All of that hope, it’s all in vain
Willing you back that’s just insane
Like a leaf in a storm

Trash on the street get’s blown around
Brimming with tears, I’ve run aground
I thought that I felt a hand in mine
But it was only a leaf…

I’m right on the edge, so tightly wound
I jump every time I hear a sound
Just when I thought I heard you there
T’was a leaf in the breeze

I thought, I heard 
Somebody speak
I think I hear
A car door creak
In the maelstrom of 
This fearful night
I wait, for you

There’s nothing here that I have found
There’s nothing here that’s more profound
Than a leaf in the wind


Leafmotif

LOVE ON THE DANCE FLOOR, Music & Lyrics, Radha Thomas

 
Taps her feet as she waits for the band to begin
One, two, three, four they count and then she steps in
Tempo's strong and it speaks to the heart of the crowd
Haunting, fantastic it’s also so very loud

The music was fast
Once in a while it was slow
And he played his guitar
Only for her, 
but how would she know?

She shines like a light
She’s like a bird in flight
And he hopes things go right
And she doesn’t vanish into the night



His eyes trail her hair
Openly, he doesn’t care
He’s building castles in the air
For this maiden so fair

His love grows strong
As he plays song after song
And as the evening grows long
He hopes that she’ll soon belong

To him, when the sun comes pouring right through the door
So they’d be together for ever and ever more

She feels his gaze on her, she sways right under his nose
She shivers and quivers way down to her very toes
The music takes hold and she follows wherever it goes
And where it will end there’s no telling, nobody who knows

She twirls and she whirls 
She’s light as a leaf on the floor
With the wind in her curls
Every one wants just a little bit more

Does music enhance
Love, oh will there be romance
And will he take a chance
With her, at the end of this dance

His eyes meet her eyes
As the temperatures rise
There’s no hint of surprise
There’s just no compromise

You beautiful miss
Why can’t you fill me with bliss
Would I be remiss
If I ask for a kiss

She smiles at him in a way that he can be sure 
That he’ll have her hand in his after the last encore
 





Love On The Dance Floor

Connections
Music: Aman Mahajan
Lyrics: Radha Thomas

 
Something in the wind the trees
The falling leaves
Something in the changing seasons makes me wonder

Something in a flash of light
That tears the night
When I hear the silence first
And then the thunder

Dewdrops glow
In the early morn
And I’m singing a lonely song at dawn
All the while that I am lost
I wonder why
My love you have tossed
In this burning and churning sad sea of love

Take me back
Don’t want to be alone
Don’t want to be the one that’s left there crying

Can’t you see, 
That we were meant to be
Always and forever one 
There’s no denying

Something in a blazing fire
Stokes my desire
Something in the burning flame that drags me under

Something in the waves that roar
As they crash the shore
Casting all my thoughts, my hopes and dreams asunder 

Moonlit nights
Bring me no delight
And I’m trying so hard 
To make it right
Why do I 
Always seem to cry
I wonder why
My love you have tossed
In this burning and churning sad sea of love

Take me back
Don’t want to be alone
Don’t want to be the one that’s left there crying

Ending
Can’t you see 
That we were meant to be
Always and forever one 
Ever and forever one
Now and forever one
There’s no denying 




Connections

She has had three distinct careers: As a musician, a writer and as the former Executive VP and editor at Explocity.com. 

In 2020 Thomas’s jazz ensemble is considered one of the topmost jazz bands in India (Rated #1 on Reverbnation Charts) and they have also been appointed by The Indian Council for Cultural Relations as the Indian government’s world-wide ambassador of jazz.

She is by far one of the country’s most beloved vocalists, with a wide career spanning many years.

The album Bangalore Blues is her latest venture with Berkeley-alumnus, piano player Aman Mahajan with whom she has worked for the past 10 years. According to Thomas, “It all started as a Google search. I was looking for a piano player and found Aman just two streets away. A match made in musical heaven.” The pair met in 2011 and have been working steadily ever since, composing and playing music across India and Europe. All songs on the Bangalore Blues have been composed and performed by Thomas and Mahajan, with Thomas having written all lyrics.

BEFORE BANGALORE BLUES

Their first album “I Only Have Eyes For You,” was released in 2013 and this was followed by many live gigs and touring. Their video Watermelon Man from the album is a quirky and unusual take on the song with Thomas singing the song plus all the instrument parts except the piano.

Ron McClure, bassist for the famous American band, Blood, Sweat & Tears: “Provocative! Contempo to the max! You may have a hit on your hands?! Wow! (The album) sounds so good! Really inventive stuff, with a lot of expression.”

Lucky Ali, Indian pop star: “Eyes’ is stylish and cool… That’s what it’s about. It comes across as I listen to the tracks.”

Steve Gorn, New York based crossover jazz flautist: “Radha – ‘Eyes’ is great! Loved your voice and the arrangements.”

NEXT UP

VOCALESE
Thomas is working on releasing another album called ‘Vocalese’ where she has written words to the trumpet solos of some beloved Chet Baker tunes. This is just a sample. https://soundcloud.com/unkensemble/sets/vocalese/s-H3r4H

FROM WHEN TO NOW

Radha Thomas began headlining as a singer while still in her teens in a rock and roll band called Human Bondage, which was India’s most popular band in the 70s. She soon developed a strong taste for jazz, which is her favourite kind of music. She also began combining the tonal complexities of jazz with the rhythmic nuances of Indian classical music.

Thomas (who was Radha Shottam then) represented India at European jazz festivals and made her way to New York, the home of jazz, where she lived and performed for almost 20 years with such musicians as Michael Brecker, John Scofield, John Faddis, Alex Blake, Buddy Williams, Harvey Mason, Anthony Jackson, John Abercrombie, Ryo Kawasaki, Joe Farrell and many others in some of NYC’s most famous jazz clubs including Sweet Basil, The Bottom Line, Alice Tully Hall and more.

The album “Mirror of my Mind” showcased her talents in the USA for the first time in 1979. You can listen to the album here.

Her Indian classical vocal training came first from Kumar Gandharva in New Delhi at the Gandharva Maha Vidyalaya, and subsequently with Ustad Farid Ud Din Dagar of the famed Dagar Brothers in the dying art of Drupad singing.

She has performed at many jazz festivals around the world and in India including in 2015, 2016 at EuropaFest in Romania, the South Asia Performing Arts Festival in New York, and prior to that, Jazz Yatra, Bengaluru Habba, Indigo Fest, Isai Fest and other popular and prominent festivals in India and abroad. In addition to performing at jazz clubs all over India.

She also hosted a weekly jazz show on Radio Indigo in Bangalore.