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Monday, May 29, 2017

Marianne Faithfull - "Summer Nights" b/w "The Sha La La Song" 45 rpm Single, Vinyl, 1965 (London)


I have always been attracted to Marianne Faithfull's "Summer Nights."  It's a song about a feeling or a seasonal change.  Her approach is folk but filtered through a London aesthetic that was happening at the time.  The harpsichord is the first instrument one notices, and the chorus of the 'at a cafe' with the hand claps gets me all the time.  It's a beautiful record on many levels.  And so short.  Only one minute and fifty seconds.  It comes and goes, like a strong crush on a girl you see walking down a street.  Also, the pitch and speed march on, it's not a song of reflection, but manic intensity.  The chorus is a relief of the tension.   I have read somewhere that The Smiths used to cover this song as part of their live act, at the beginning of their career.  Now, that I would love to hear.  

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