Posted in: Rock by scotsbhoy on December 21st, 2008 | 0 Comments
Where I come from, completely summed up in the self-titled album by Glasvegas.
Flowers & Football Tops – Just a brilliant song. Very haunting, especially when you know the background. Singer James Allen wrote this song after a 15 year old boy, Kris Donald, was kidnapped and brutally murdered in a racist attack in Glasgow. Flowers are, of course, a universal sign of grief. But generally in Scotland, and more particularly in the west of the country, Glasgow Celtic & Rangers tops will be tied to trees or lamp posts at the site of tragedies. Everyone in Scotland was shocked by this murder, but the fact that the victim was white and the killers Asian, just seemed to shock everyone even more. Scotland, like most other places, has a large Asian community and in all honesty, when I first heard the news, I expected the races of victim and killers to be the opposite of what they were. I think everybody did. They incorporate the football theme brilliantly by chanting the “You Are My Sunshine” song at the end, which most football fans in Scotland sing but rearrange the lyrics for their own team.
Best Line “no sweeping exits, no Hollywood ending, flowers and football tops don’t mean a thing”
Geraldine – We, like most other western countries, have a massive drug problem. We all know the problems this brings, i.e broken homes, crime, prostitution. This song is written from the perspective of a community worker, trying to reach to someone and let them know they are not alone and urging them not to give up. This song incorporates the true spirit of Scottish people, always willing to reach out and help, usually to people who are un-ready or unwilling to accept it. Yet we have people who never give up on them, and this song captures the essence of that perfectly.
Best Line “when you say that I’m no good and you feel like walking, I need to make sure you know it’s just the prescription talking’
It’s My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry – I think is song is pretty universal. Anyone who has ever gone out with a jealous partner, or indeed been jealous themselves, will understand this song. The fantastic, self-loathing lyrics sum up being in this predicament with brilliant ease. The realisation that his own insecurities and wandering eye are the cause of all his problems makes this song sound like a suicide note.
