I think I was about eleven or twelve when I bought myself, with my own pocket money, my first vinyl album. Yes, back then the delivery mechanism for music was the LP - or the single - in black round vinyl disks.
I actually went with my brother - the two of us - to shop. Alone. For the first time in our lives. I had no idea back then that the title song of the album that I had bought would be one of the most classic of all the one time classic songs. Unfortunately so.
The year was somewhere in the early eighties. The group was Human League. The song was Lebanon (Top3 in UK charts the first week of release despite boycotting from UK radio at the time and with no MTV to broadcast; this tells you something about the song)
Great song, gloomy topic, still relevant, geography slightly different. All great art is always relevant. Unfortunately in this case, this is a great work of art that I would have loved to put in some old drawer and never listen to again. I have bought many LPs, and CDs later on. I think the lyrics of this songs are the ones that I will never forget. Unfortunately!
7 comments:
great story
"...and who will have won when the soldiers have gone.."
A very powerful post, Zeta!!!!
Thank you
Musicobsession, welcome to my blog and thank you for your comment.
Are you sure it was boycotted by UK radio stations? I was living in Sheffield then, Phil Oakley's home town, and I don't remember a ban. But it's nowhere near as good as Don't You Want Me and Open Your Heart!
Hi Elwyn. Yes, I remember clearly that there was an unofficial ban. Obviously at Phil's home town they would still play it, and this was Wales which was probably more tolerant. I am positive that DJs at the radio stations were not playing it, boycotting it. Not officially but unofficially. 12 year olds remember these things about their idols.
I agree that 'Don't you want me' is one of my favorite songs of all time, but The Lebanon's lyrics are extremely powerful nearly 30 years later due to their relevance in what is happening in the area.
Nobody wins in war. Nobody. That's the sad truth.
BTW, you will also be surprised to find out, that despite the UK's progressiveness, George Michael's 'I want your sex' was banned.
yes, the BBC used to make a ass of itself every so often by banning songs - e.g. Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, the Sex Pistols' version of God Save the Queen and sometimes songs touching on UK-Irish issues (like Paul McCartney's Give Ireland Back to the Irish). Compared with these, the lyrics of The Lebanon seem fairly uncontroversial - after much thought, Phil concludes that war is a bad thing and we should all love each other.
We are talking about a walking musical encyclopedia hehe :-)))
Post a Comment