Recently in "eliotE"
Sometimes, I like to think that a good song can be sung by anyone.
A fine example of this can be found in the Nouvelle Vague project, which saw new bossa nova life being breathed into such new wave classics as I Just Can't Get Enough and Guns of Brixton (and whose leader Marc Collin has recently turned his sights on 80s film music with Hollywood, Mon Amour).
When I'm writing lyrics, however, I often find myself writing with a particular voice, a particular personality, in mind. The thing is, you can never be sure that the song in question will appeal to the person you're writing for - or that he or she will be able to do anything with it, even if it does.
That's why some songs (such as A Dollar You Found In The Street) end up in limbo, waiting, gathering dust.
Still, like any parent, you never give up hope that your song-children will find a place in the world.
Last night, for instance, I got a text message from eliotE telling me that she and her band have finally come up with a melody for Crayon.
So, you see, it's never too late.
On Sunday, eliotE & the Ritournelles played a "brunch concert" to a packed-out Bellevilloise... and, much to the delight of the little lady in question, eliotE dedicated a rollicking version of "Pour Les Enfants Qui Ont Peur de l'Orage" to my five-year-old daughter, who spent most of the concert dancing away right in front of the stage.
It was certainly enough to warm the cockles of my little heart.
Eliote & the Ritournelles
l'Eclipse Café
13, avenue de Saint Ouen
75017 Paris
Friday, May 2nd from 8.30pm
I'll be there - and it will be the first time I've ever heard any of my lyrics sung live.
The Blogothèque is, at least in France, the first port of call on the web for anyone who cares about discovering new music. They are also the people behind the Takeaway Shows project, which has seen groups such as Arcade Fire and Herman Düne play live in some (extremely) unusual locations.
How exciting, then, to discover an article there on eliotE and the Ritournelles! Great things are surely just around the corner.
Earlier this week, I attended the first "Soirée à emporter".
Arriving at the ungodly hour of half past eight, I thought I would have been in plenty of time, but as it turned out the queue was already halfway round the block and I didn't make it through the doors of the Flèche d'Or until just before midnight.
Once inside, I said hello to EliotE, I drank a beer, and then ...
And then...
For once, words fail me. Take a look for yourself at why it might have been worth queuing for three hours to see first Zach Condon, the man behind Beruit, and then the brassy Balkan brilliance that followed.
EliotE: "Lo-fille + Jazz Riot Grrrl"
EliotE mostly writes her own lyrics in English. I help out with the odd phrase here and there - some of them very odd indeed, in keeping with her idiosyncratic style.
However, she does have two songs where the lyrics are wholly mine. For Floppy Fringe, she asked me to write a text which she could then set to music. For Going Places, I was supposed to help her with a lyric she'd already written, but my "help" ended up seeing me rewrite the whole thing!
I'm smudie, a Scot living in Paris.
As a lyricist, I write both for and in collaboration with several local artists who sing in English. Some of the people who have sung my lyrics include Nadj, OrangeColumbo, EliotE & the Ritournelles, and Electric Factory.
I'm always on the lookout for interesting new projects. Send me an email if you think we could work together.
Here are some of my lyrics:
- Nadj
- OrangeColumbo
- EliotE & the Ritournelles
- Hog Killin' Time
- Electric Factory
- "Songs in search of a singer"
All smudie's lyrics
Email: smudie@gmail.com
I write with:
Nadj
OrangeColumbo
eliotE & the Ritournelles
Hog Killin' Time
Electric Factory
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