Today is my wife’s birthday, so I’m celebrating the occasion by featuring an artist she has recently discovered.
It’s rare that my wife seeks out music on her own… she generally listens to the same albums (or singles, more often) that she has listened to for years. Or she’ll pick up on something I’ve been listening to and adopt it as her own (Miranda Lambert, for example).
But once in awhile she’ll actually buy an album on her own. Such was the case with Ellie Goulding, an English singer-songwriter with a distinctly Bjork-ian flavor.
In a refreshing reversal of the normal state of events, I am not a fan of Goulding. I’m so used to my wife dissing the music I enjoy that I find it oddly exhilarating to be on the other side for once. I find Goulding’s wispy voice distracting and her songs tinny and lifeless.
I do like today’s SOTD, but not as much as I love the 39-year-old woman I married despite her lack of appreciation for Elvis Costello and Bob Dylan. So happy birthday, dear. Enjoy!
Losing it all on my own
I had a heart then
But the queen has been overthrown
And I’m not sleeping now
The dark is too hard to beat
And I’m not keeping up
The strength I need to push me
You show the lights that stop me turn to stone
You shine them when I’m alone
And so I tell myself that I’ll be strong
And dreaming when they’re gone
Cuz they’re calling, calling, calling me home
Calling, calling, calling home
You show the lights that stop me turn to stone
You shine them when I’m alone
Noises, I play within my head
Touch my own skin
And hope they’ll still be there
And I think back to when
My brother and my sister slept
In another place
The only time I feel safe
You show the lights that stop me turn to stone
You shine them when I’m alone
And so I tell myself that I’ll be strong
And dreaming when they’re gone
Cuz they’re calling, calling, calling me home
Calling, calling, calling home
You show the lights that stop me turn to stone
You shine them when I’m alone
Lights, lights (x14)
You show the lights that stop me turn to stone
You shine them when I’m alone
And so I tell myself that I’ll be strong
And dreaming when they’re gone
Cuz they’re calling, calling, calling me home
Calling, calling, calling home
You show the lights that stop me turn to stone
You shine them when I’m alone
Home, home
(Lights, lights, lights)…
Meet Me In Montauk 
First, a very happy birthday to that lovely wife of yours! Second, I like her newest discovery (and so does Daniel). This music is light (appropriate, I guess) and bouncy and a lot of fun to listen to. I imagine it’s even more fun to dance to, though I’m not past the sipping coffee stage of my morning. 🙂
What most intrigues me about your post is the notion that Alex and I share the trait of being content to listen to music we’ve loved for years or “inherit” new musical discoveries rather than feeling a need to go out and pursue our own new finds. Not sure why that is, but it might have something to do with our common resource – someone who devotes himself to creating a daily SOTD blog – and is relentless (in a good way? 😉 about pursuing music.
Regardless, this is a good find, Alex! So maybe you need to be a more consistent contributor to this blog!! 🙂 Happy Birthday!
Thank you, my dear. It’s a great album to run to also.
I believe if Alex had her way, the blog would be a steady diet of Foo Fighters and southern rock. With the occasional Bjork-ish Brit thrown in for good measure.
A very nice birthday tribute, and I echo the birthday wishes to Alex.
I actually find this to be a pleasant song and it seems to have a Bjork feel without what I find to be the off-putting artsiness of Bjork.
First, a very happy birthday to Alex! This song has a nice beat and I agree with Amy that it’s a good song to dance to. I’m sorry I can’t compare it to Bjork because I have no idea what she sounds like. (she is a she isn’t she? )