Sing Me A Story by Ann Evans
The most fantastic
stories aren't always found in books or on film. Sometimes the most
incredible fantasies are written in the words of a song and performed
in the most awesome and dramatic way.
One of my favourite
CD's to listen to as I'm driving, is Catch the Rainbow – the
anthology by the brilliant (in my opinion) rock band, Rainbow.
And the song that
sends shivers down my spine, is the all time classic, Stargazer.
It's written by Ritchie Blackmore and Ronnie James Dio, both of whom
seem to have an affinity with the Medieval period with its swords and
sorcery.
And this song –
described by some far more knowledgeable than me on musical matters
as neo-classical, tells the strange tale of a Wizard who entrapped
his workforce for years, forcing them to build a tower to the stars.
It was the wizard's desire to reach the stars, but when he finally
climbed the tower, he fell to his death. His slaves were in shock to
see the wizard was mortal and without him to rule over them any
longer, were at a loss as to what they should do. The following song
on the album, Light in the Black, is the next chapter in the
tale.
With the powerful
voice of Ronnie James Dio singing at his very best, the brilliant
Ritchie Blackmore on guitar, Tony Carey on keyboard, Jimmy Bain on
Bass and Cozy Powell on drums – and accompanied by the Munich
Philharmonic Orchestra the whole performance is absolutely awesome.
Just look at some of
the words:
High noon, Oh,
I'd sell my soul for water.
Nine years worth
of breaking my back.
There's no sun in
the shadow of the wizard.
See how he
glides, why he's lighter than air.
Oh I see his
face!
Where is your
star?
Is it far, is it
far, is it far?
When do we leave?
I believe, yes, I
believe.
In the heat and
the rain
With whips and
chains
To see him fly
So many die.
We build a tower
of stone
With our flesh
and bone
Just to see him
fly
But don't know
why
Now where do we
go?
All eyes see the
figure of the wizard
As he climbs to the top of the world
No sound, as he falls instead of rising
Time standing still, then there's blood on the sand
Oh I see his face!
Where was your star?
Was it far, was it far
When did we leave?
We believed, we believed, we believed
As he climbs to the top of the world
No sound, as he falls instead of rising
Time standing still, then there's blood on the sand
Oh I see his face!
Where was your star?
Was it far, was it far
When did we leave?
We believed, we believed, we believed
What a story!
And
it's great music to write by, particularly if you're working on
something dramatic.
Of course, sometimes
the stories put to music aren't fantasies at all, but true events such as Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water. Here's
their story of that fateful day back on 4th
December 1971.
We all came out
to Montreux
On the Lake Geneva shoreline
To make records with a mobile
We didn't have much time
Frank Zappa and the Mothers
Were at the best place around
But some stupid with a flare gun
Burned the place to the ground
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky
They burned down the gambling house
It died with an awful sound
Funky Claude was running in and out
Pulling kids out the ground
When it all was over
We had to find another place
But Swiss time was running out
It seemed that we would lose the race
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky
We ended up at the grand hotel
It was empty cold and bare
But with the Rolling Stones truck thing just outside
Making our music there
With a few red lights and a few old beds
We make a place to sweat
No matter what we get out of this
I know we'll never forget
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky
To make records with a mobile
We didn't have much time
Frank Zappa and the Mothers
Were at the best place around
But some stupid with a flare gun
Burned the place to the ground
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky
They burned down the gambling house
It died with an awful sound
Funky Claude was running in and out
Pulling kids out the ground
When it all was over
We had to find another place
But Swiss time was running out
It seemed that we would lose the race
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky
We ended up at the grand hotel
It was empty cold and bare
But with the Rolling Stones truck thing just outside
Making our music there
With a few red lights and a few old beds
We make a place to sweat
No matter what we get out of this
I know we'll never forget
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky
I have my own little
story related to this in a way. I was on a press trip to Switzerland
with my photographer friend Rob who also happens to be a massive Deep
Purple fan, and a singer in his own right. (Talented, yes I know!)
Anyway, as part of the press trip we were on a boat trip on Lake
Geneva. There was a huge fireworks display taking place on the
shoreline and as the colourful smoke drifted over the lake, he burst
into song with everyone on deck joining in – it was a real
rip-roaring rendition of “Smoke of the water, fire in the sky….”
If you haven't
listened to these songs for a while, click over to Utube and listen
to a couple of great stories set to music.
What songs inspire
you to write?
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Comments
I can rave about how amazing Stargazer is for longer than the song actually lasts (which, as you know, is a LONG time). Those early mystical tracks with hints of myths and legends are endless sources of inspiration, even so many years later.
Special mentions must also go to Man on the Silver Mountain, Temple of the King, Gates of Babylon, Lady of the Lake, Sixteenth Century Greensleeves... oh, too many.
Bruce Dickinson (of Iron Maiden) said of the album Rainbow Rising, 'If you play this LP then goblins will come out of your speakers.'