Years ago, I heard the Elvis Costello version of My Funny Valentine for the first time. It was sent to me by this pianist, because we had the same passion for music. He was a huge Beatles fan, and so was I, and we used to chat about music all the time. He explained the story behind the song to me, and I have always remembered it. It’s strange the things I remember clearly.
Now, I’m not sure if this is actually true, but I believed it at the time. I’ve tried searching on the song, but have never found a reference that this pianist told me. But then, I have no reason to doubt him, because he really knew his music. So. The song itself? The background to the song was about a blind, fat, gay man, who had never experienced love before. So he wrote a letter he wished a lover would write to him one day. And the letter itself was the lyrics of the song. The Elvis Costello version was perfect, for the precise reason that it wasn't perfect. It had the haunting guitar in the background, and Elvis singing in that broken voice off key, this heart breaking lonely piece. Quite haunting.
Now, I’m not sure if this is actually true, but I believed it at the time. I’ve tried searching on the song, but have never found a reference that this pianist told me. But then, I have no reason to doubt him, because he really knew his music. So. The song itself? The background to the song was about a blind, fat, gay man, who had never experienced love before. So he wrote a letter he wished a lover would write to him one day. And the letter itself was the lyrics of the song. The Elvis Costello version was perfect, for the precise reason that it wasn't perfect. It had the haunting guitar in the background, and Elvis singing in that broken voice off key, this heart breaking lonely piece. Quite haunting.
No comments:
Post a Comment