Re: Smurf, playing his guitar refrain...

[chrisw@wwa.com (Chris Williams)]

Erika Putnins wrote:
>Nickie Curtis (sjianuzi@mailbox.syr.edu) wrote:
>: I've been listening to this line for over a year now...
>: am I missing something?
>: Why is it in such an emotional peice...
>: Maybe someone can give an in  depth explanation of 
>: the song "Moments of Pleasure"
>
>I don't think KaTe is speaking about a smurf in Moments Of Pleasure - I'm 
>pretty sure she's saying a kind of slurred version of "it's murph", who 
>was, I assume, a guitarist.  If you slur "it's" and "murph" together, it 
>certainly sounds like she's saying "smurf".

   She is singing "Smurf". It was a nickname for Alan Murphy, the 
guitarist. He died of AIDS shortly after recording _Rocket Man_.

   Teddy was a nickname for one of her engineers (sorry, but I forget
his name). Bill was for Bill Duffield the lighting designer for
_The Tour of Life_ who died of a fall from the rigging during
rehearsals.

>I agree with you, though... Moments of Pleasure is an extremely emotional 
>song - one of my favourites by KaTe (on a related note, is anyone 
>*really* touched by All the Love?  I thought this was a beautiful song... 
>but I digress...).  I always thought (or maybe I read it here) that 
>Moments of Pleasure was a song about those KaTe has loved and have died.  
>She's really opening herself up in this song... it gets to me every time...

  _Moments of Pleasure_ *is* a deeply personal song, but the lyrics
are a riddle wrapped in an enigma (to borrow a phrase). It's right
up there _Under the Ivy_.

  _All the Love_ tears me up...expressing the pain of loss without
any resolution. Its one of the saddest songs she has ever written.
I can't listen to it sometimes. Its interesting to contrast it
with _The Ninth Wave_ song cycle, and how the latter manages to
move through some of the same emotional waters, and find resolution.

  I find it impossible to experience _The Ninth Wave_ without being
moved.

>This hasn't exactly been an 'indepth' explanation of the song... sorry...

  A truely in-depth exploration is impossible. Kate has not seen fit
to share too much about it. Lacking her input, all we are able to do
is trade theories and jaw about them. Which of course is the purpose
of the newsgroup. 

>*Erika, de-lurking for the moment.

  No need to lurk. Feel free to post.

-- 
Chris Williams of
Chris'n'Vickie of Chicago
chrisw@miso.wwa.com (his)
vickie@miso.wwa.com (hers)