The Holy or the Broken

I got this book free in a neighbour swap library, glad I did to be honest. It takes some effort to write 235 pages about a nice tune with mysterious lyrics, and it takes even bigger effort to read those 235 pages about the said song.

This ditty was actually played in a dental waiting room while I waited earlier this month by a male / female duet. I had no idea who they were but can say hand on heart I was very happy to have got the call to have my mouth looked into to just get away from the tune.

At various times in these pages, the author mentions that there were calls for a moratorium on its use, even by the songwriter himself. It got used so often that at one time one writer wrote in disgust it had become “...... cheap emotional shorthand for overwhelming spiritual feelings.” The writer of that went on to say that it had become “.......so common that it had been drained of its power to move” Amen to that, I say.

I like the Shrek films version by the Velvet Underground bloke, but then I would because I consider him a genius. The fella who died in the river I caught live back in the day and do not even recall him doing the track, in fact the only three things I recall from that gig was him yelling obscenities at his mixing desk for it all being too loud, him doing a rip-roaring version of a song that starts with “And right now... right now... right now it's time to... kick out the jams, mother———!” and a couple of young lasses next to me talking about how the chap we were seeing was doomed to an early death. How was that for prescient vision!

As to the composer (who I might add was lucky enough to have had his picture taken on a Greek Island with Charmian Clift in the 60's) as a homage to him, I dug out his album released on February 2, 1988 and had a play and can say that this would have been a far more interesting subject to write a book about.

Recommended to the couple that named their daughter after the song, but who as she got older called herself Lulu.