Thursday, October 01, 2009

The Ironies Abound

From 1973, and his quite wonderful first solo album, please enjoy "Going for a Song," Procol Harum organist Matthew Fisher's melodically charming and hilarious kiss-off to his ex-bandmates (and to a certain hit record he would later sue to gain authorship of).





It's not that I dislike the words
Though I must admit there are better words around
But every time I hear that tune
It really brings me down....

And then the organ lick from "A Whiter Shade of Pale" comes in. Never fails to crack me up...

9 comments:

steve simels said...

Note to self: Adenoidally sung self-referential odes by second tier Brit rockers not as exciting to readers as assumed.
:-)

Unknown said...

Wow, winner for whiniest song ever

Kid Charlemagne said...

Bitter, much?

David said...

Doesn't Lennon's "How Do You Sleep" qualify as a (superior) kiss-off song? And I could never fully fathom how "Solsbury Hill" was a kiss-off. I guess "Back on the Chain Gang" belongs in the category of wistful goodbyes to former bandmates...

steve simels said...

Solsbury Hill was a resignation speech, not a kiss-off. I was just being snarky.

And see, I think this isn't at all bitter -- I think it's bemused and very very funny in a not-so-drily ironic way.

dSmith said...

Do you have any idea who did the cover? Was it Hipgnosis?

steve simels said...

dSmith:

I don't. But I have a friend who's an expert on all things Procol, who may actually own the thing, and I'll check....

Anonymous said...

Album Cover Design: Acy Lehman

Photography: David Bailey

ROTP(lumber)

dSmith said...

Thank you.