BEING HERE ALONE TONIGHT WITH YOU
I have always admired the song HOLD ME TIGHT by the Beatles. I always thought it sounded like a sound from outer space, not really like the Beatles at all, and, even though it was from the '60's, it seemed more comfortable in the 50's that way, the way in which, in the '50's, so much was from outer space – not just Gamma Rays and Incredible Shrinking Men and Ray Harryhausen* and such but some of our best songs-like this one, and of course, I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU. Now what is particularly interesting about HOLD ME TIGHT, though** is that it is almost impossible to distinguish what instruments are playing. Yes, they are all playing–but what are they? Certainly, there must be a guitar or two, a bass, some drums, some hand clapping, but they all wash together underneath a single voice like a giant wave of something music. Outer space something music, which I bet made people in 1964 nostalgic for 1957, although I doubt that ever happened then–1964 was too much fun. And when I say 'wave' – I really mean it. It's aquatic and oceanic and salty and all of that all at once. And when Paul McCartney, or whoever the person or thing is that sounds like him sings "Don't know / what it means to hold you tight" I believe him completely, although I would like to try to know what it means. Still, I think that the wave is so amazingly big that holding you tight must feel like drowning, in an ocean, somewhere in outer space.
* Some people believe that God gives you a choice of what you want to be when you grow up and some people think that this never ever happens. I do remember the story of one man, though, who said to God: "I can't decide–I want to either be hairy or I want to be a house." This really didn't make any sense but God was all powerful*** and made the best of it and then voilà–suddenly there he is: a full grown man with the great name of Ray Harryhausen and he is thinking about a dinosaur drawn to a lone lighthouse by its foghorn and how it would make a great movie, and it did, thanks to him, mostly.
** It's interesting that my two favorite songs from Outer Space were written and performed by animals: flamingos and beetles, well, Beatles, which I guess technically isn't an animal or many animals. Also interesting is that the third song that comes to mind wasn't written and performed by animals, but it was sung by Eric Burton, who I think was in the Animals, before he was, I believe, in War, which is kind of a stretch from Animals, but still, it was a lovely song, called SPILL THE WINE. Some woman sings something in it way in the background, very mysterious and sounding somewhat other planety.
***Still is
* Some people believe that God gives you a choice of what you want to be when you grow up and some people think that this never ever happens. I do remember the story of one man, though, who said to God: "I can't decide–I want to either be hairy or I want to be a house." This really didn't make any sense but God was all powerful*** and made the best of it and then voilà–suddenly there he is: a full grown man with the great name of Ray Harryhausen and he is thinking about a dinosaur drawn to a lone lighthouse by its foghorn and how it would make a great movie, and it did, thanks to him, mostly.
** It's interesting that my two favorite songs from Outer Space were written and performed by animals: flamingos and beetles, well, Beatles, which I guess technically isn't an animal or many animals. Also interesting is that the third song that comes to mind wasn't written and performed by animals, but it was sung by Eric Burton, who I think was in the Animals, before he was, I believe, in War, which is kind of a stretch from Animals, but still, it was a lovely song, called SPILL THE WINE. Some woman sings something in it way in the background, very mysterious and sounding somewhat other planety.
***Still is
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