Friday, October 21, 2011

Belle and Sebastian

A band that I love is Belle and Sebastian. They are a Glasgow-based indie rock band. The lyrics, more sinister than the sweet melodies, are beautifully put together. One thing that I like to look out for while listening to some of my favorite Belle and Sebastian songs are the names that come up. A lot of songs from this group include narratives of boys and girls and their troubles and feelings.Here are a few songs that include names that have a lovely feeling when part of the song...as if they are characters in some novel. It makes names like Hilary and Judy and make them sound pretty smart.Here are a few names from songs I've heard (it's hard to find all of their songs, and I've yet to hear their new album Write About Love in full)

Judy( from Judy and The Dreams of Horses)
Judy wrote the saddest song
She showed it to a boy in school today
Judy, where did you go wrong?
You used to make me smile when I was down
Judy was a teenage rebel
She did it with a boy when she was young
She gave herself to books and learning
She gave herself to being number one

Anthony( From if You're Feeling Sinister)
Anthony walked to his death
Because he thought he'd never feel this way again
If he goes back to the house then things would go from bad to worse
What could he do?
He wants to remember things exactly as he left them on that funny day
And if there is something else beyond, he isn't scared because
It's bound to be less boring than today
It's bound to be less boring than tomorrow

Hilary( From if You're Feeling Sinister)
Hilary went to the Catholic Church
Because she wanted information
The vicar, or whatever, took her to one side and gave her confirmation
Saint Theresa's calling her, the church up on the hill is looking lovely
But it doesn't interest, the only things she wants to know is
How and why and when and where to go
How and why and when and where to follow
How and why and when and where to go
How and why and when and where to follow

Belle and Sebastian (Nice twin names, though fans of the french show might find it too obvious. Never mind the story in the song)
Everyone thought it was a shame
For Belle and the boy Sebastian
Belle was okay but, oh, Sebastian
Went too far again
Crashed his car in the rain

Tara and Sara (too matchy for twin names, but this part of the song I'm not Living in The Real World is too good to pass by)
Thinking about happiness
Thinking about Tara
Thinking about sorrow
Thinking about Sara
Sorrow and Sara are the very same word

Jane(from the song Lazy Line Painter Jane)
Lazy Jane, all the time
Painting lines
You are sleeping at bus stops
Wondering how you got your name
And what you're going to do about it

You will have a boy tonight

You will have a boy tonight
On the last bus out of town
On the last bus out of town
You will have a boy tonight
Maybe you will have a girl tonight
And you hope that she will see
And you hope that she will see 


I'd implore you to listen to many other songs from this wonderful band. While it might not inspire names all the time, and the songs are often sad, there is a subtle beauty about them. Some people like names like Lucy and Jude for their Beatles collection alone. I feel that way about this band: they can make me like a name.

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