When I was younger and used to go football matches we often used to sing 'What a Waste of Money', to the tune in this blogpost's title.
I received an email from Classic FM this morning, to be filed under 'You couldn't make it up'
Songs Without Words is the latest stunning album form Classic FM. Featuring 12 great songs played in a classical style, this is truly an album of beautiful music as you've never heard before.
Songs include Fields of Gold, Closest Thing to Crazy, With or Without You, Yellow and You Raise Me Up.
Maybe I'm being obtuse, but who in their right mind would waste their money on dross like this? Played in the classical style - what on earth does this actually mean? Super-syrupy-schmaltzy strings? God preserve us. And what is the point of songs without words*? If I wanted to listen to Fields of Gold, I've got Eva Cassidy and Sting. I've got U2 singing With or Without You. I actually wouldn't mind hearing it performed in the Baroque Style (with words, of course). Once.
Clearly there is a market for this crap or else Classic For Morons wouldn't go to the bother of creating, packaging and promoting it. I can only assume that it's aimed at Musical Snobs - the sort of people who think that rock and pop is too common for the likes of them, and get the vapours at all that horse-scaring passion in art music. It's a bit of an insult to the writers to say 'actually, we can do it better without your stupid words'.
Full tracklisting below. I don't claim to know all of them but the ones I do know strike me as being particularly strong on words, indeed 'Something Inside So Strong' is one of my most favourite songs of all time, and I remember hearing some DJ say it had won the Grammy for the Best Song Musically and Lyrically, and thinking that never had an award been so well titled and so aptly awarded. Considering it is an anthem against apartheid in particular and oppression and bigotry in general, it is, in my opinion, worse than insulting to deprive it of its words. I would go so far as to say it's an act of unthinking racism, pandering to small-minded bigotry, and anybody who buys this is not only a fool and a snob but probably a racist bigot, too.
| 1. Yellow |
| 2. My Heart Will Go On |
| 3. The Closest Thing To Crazy |
| 4. You Raise Me Up |
| 5. Fields Of Gold |
| 6. Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word |
| 7. Somewhere Only We Know |
| 8. Save The Best For Last |
| 9. With Or Without You |
| 10. Something Inside So Strong |
| 11. Right Here Waiting |
| 12. Life On Mars |
* yes, I know there are several works called 'Songs without words' but that's how they were written
