I’m capping off Belle and Sebastian week with another song from one of their EPs — this one an extra track on the ‘Books’ EP.
‘Your Cover’s Blown’ is one of the oddest things Belle and Sebastian has ever recorded, and one of the most exciting. It’s a funk jam about a jilted lover hitting the clubs for a little revenge sex and realizing he’s in over his head.
The music is unlike just about everything they’ve done, more ‘Shaft’ than ‘Fox in the Snow.’ Then halfway through it takes a complete left turn and slips into a segment that’s as close to speed metal as this band is ever going to get, before finishing with an expanded take on the chorus.
The lyrics are clever as always, like in these lines near the end where the singer introduces his troublesome girlfriend to his suburban family: “Hey lady, meet my mum and dad / You’re a strange aberration in this land of potted plants and boxlike houses, where the girls like mouses breathe a long sigh of resignation.” And it’s hard to top these lines at the finish: “You had a long conversation with a kid next door who’s a little slow (but in your favour, it shows).”
God, I love these guys.
Do what you want and write a little poem
Leave it for her and live another day
Leave it for her the girl around the way
Write down a list of things you want to do
Leave it in work because you’ve got to live a little
Pick up the girl in someone’s borrowed mini
Take her to dinner, use her boyfriend’s money
Hey lady, put your phone down
Cancel all operations
Tell your friends to cool it
Your cover’s blown I want to see you alone
Cancel all operations
Tell your friends to cool it
Your cover’s blown
Planning a break is such a tricky thing
Because you move to the country, she comes back again
And then you move to the city but she goes abroad
Is she telling you something, is she getting bored?
I’ll make a rough plan to sleep around,
I’m in a rut I need a change,
I’m a lazy rat if I am honest
My bold change of tack will fade out with the summer
I’ve got no appetite and all the girls are bummers
My baby doesn’t look at me
The way I want her to look
She doesn’t comprehend
My baby’s got it going on
She’s got a friend hid in every street in this town
I want to go out but there’s nobody home I’ll go on my own
Thus starts the lonely walking
There’s always too much talking, I should have stayed home
She starts her cool caressing
The kid, she starts undressing in front of me, I should’ve stayed home
The dj’s picking up speed
That’s something I just don’t need
I should’ve stayed home
The gossip’s bearing down on me
The kids are pairing off in front of me
I should’ve stayed home
I should’ve stayed home
I think I’ll go home
Listen lady, put your phone down
Cancel all operations
Tell your friends to cool it
Your cover’s blown, I need to see you alone
Cancel all operations
Tell your friends to cool it
Hey lady, put your phone down
Cancel all operations
Tell your friends to cool it
Your cover’s blown, I need to see you alone
Cancel all operations
Tell your friends to cool it
Hey lady, meet my mum and dad
You’re a strange aberration
In this land of potted plants and boxlike houses
Where the girls like mouses
Breathe a long sigh of resignation
You resign your self to keep on growing
All the seeds you’re sowing
You’re a strange apparition in this land of grammar schools and gala days
The ladies set in their ways
You had a long conversation with a kid next door
Who’s a little slow
But in your favour, it shows
Cancel all operations
Tell your friends to move out to the sticks
Listen lady, leave the phone down
Cancel all operations
Tell your friends there’s more to you than this
Meet Me In Montauk 
Very good song, and it definitely shows another side to them that I like. Of course, calling the bridge anything close to speed metal is a stretch.:) I hear some Squeeze influence in this song, and continue to hear a bit of Kinks as well.
I did say “as close as they’re ever going to get” which means not very close at all! 🙂
I don’t know from The Kinks or speed metal (what the hell is speed metal?), but I know what I like. And this is a very enjoyable song. I agree that it’s nice to hear a different side of a group or artist, especially when their foray into another style is as successful as this one is.
I don’t think I’m getting as much out of their lyrics as Clay seems to. Perhaps it’s the Scottish disconnect again? 😉 Still, I’ve enjoyed the songs you’ve featured this week. That said, I’m looking forward to a non-B&S song tomorrow. Well, actually, I enjoyed the U2 song today, as I’m closing out Belle and Sebastian week a day after it actually ended 😉
[…] Belle and Sebastian is going to be one of those acts that I will never get to see live in concert. Totally an underrated band and surprised on how a committed fanbase they have while reading up on them. Their music on the first half which is the Radio sessions is amazing. I love the first four tracks which is the “Mark Radcliffe Sessions” and it has that British radio feel when a band plays live. You can hear the quality of the session different when you get to the “Evening Session” since its the band playing than just the solo. And the famous John Peel sessions is amazing to hear. With the radio sessions you can hear how much Belle and Sebastian has changed musically and lyrically. Still keeping their indie poppy sound. The second part is mostly a live concert. […]
[…] Belle and Sebastian is going to be one of those acts that I will never get to see live in concert. Totally an underrated band and surprised on how a committed fanbase they have while reading up on them. Their music on the first half which is the Radio sessions is amazing. I love the first four tracks which is the “Mark Radcliffe Sessions” and it has that British radio feel when a band plays live. You can hear the quality of the session different when you get to the “Evening Session” since its the band playing than just the solo. And the famous John Peel sessions is amazing to hear. With the radio sessions you can hear how much Belle and Sebastian has changed musically and lyrically. Still keeping their indie poppy sound. The second part is mostly a live concert. […]