5. Your Hot Friend
On the morning of the first day
The scene was bright if not exactly gay
We were amazed you’d made it through this,
Galaxies exploding in that kiss…
But when do you know… does it lie like driven snow?
‘Yes…’ you said, but ‘No…’ you meant…
Your! Hot! Friend! A face like victory
Your! Hot! Friend! A shape made history
Your! Hot! Friend! A way with symmetry
Your! Hot! Friend! Has got the moves
On the morning of the third day
Upper management began to fray
Our people out there getting restless
The latest thing was causing some distress
For the graphs do clearly show, something new begun to glow…
‘Oh…’ you fear… ‘Don’t forget – that I’m here…’
Your! Hot! Friend! A face like victory
Your! Hot! Friend! A shape made history
Your! Hot! Friend! A way with symmetry
Your! Hot! Friend! Has got the moves
Once we felt all that we did was cool…
Passing notes on those rumours heard after school
Look up at night and the stars will spell out who
But beware the voice that calls from just out of view…
Repeat chorus
6. First Impressionists
When I think of all we’ve done and how the scene is drawn
I couldn’t do this all alone, so where did you come from?
We were going blank and it was only morning
Not exactly sad… but the colour’s a little boring
Did you think that I would actually remember
The things we said that morning in July?
But what do you know, now that we glow,
The picture’s as clear as the sky…
The first impression that we get
The closer you are, no, no not quite yet…
The first impressions are never set
But blurring your eyes, defocus and then…
We were on the brink, and it was only dawning
Not the bed you’d think, but wishing and hoping…
Our tonic, something fake for all the sadness,
Your weakness for coincidence was cool
Could it be a new religion or just madness?
But I was hoping to become your happy fool
The first impression that we get
The closer you are, no, no not quite yet…
The first impressions are never set
But blurring your eyes, defocus and then…
When I think of everything we’ve done, and how the scene is drawn
We can’t do anything all alone, so where did you come from?
7. New Zounds
These are the new zounds,2 bright multicolours,
Better than others that you might have seen,
Theirs is a new sound, skittles that knock down,
Dazzling dance crown, now this crowd can dream
New zounds… yeah!
So these are the new zounds, proud exclamations,
Decidedly spacious in their heads’ repartee,
But I noticed your get-go, from the moment the first note,
Moved us to dancing, this ballet for free
You must wander, inside wonder, if to muster, something good
Don’t try harder, it’s no bother, to be all you should
The accent’s not right, but just for tonight,
We’ll bathe in their light, and make it our own…
The sounds kinda grating, but you don’t leave love waiting…
We dance here persuaded, by the lights of the town
New zounds… yeah!
You must wander, inside wonder, if to muster, something good
Don’t try harder, it’s no bother, to be all you should
You must wander, inside wonder, if to muster, something good
Don’t try harder, it’s no bother, to be all you should
8. Should We Fix It Together?
A single thought through the smoke so black
I wonder if we could still turn back—?
Promise hung in the air like a lonely feather…
As our eyes met across the wiring frayed
The nearest town’s 10 miles away
Tell me do you think, should we fix it together?
For when they write, what our history becomes
Mistakes take their place at the centre
Ignore those instructions and manuals of course
A twist and a shake make it better
We were only s’posed to stay the weekend
But now marooned you’re my only friend
Potential filled the air like descending weather
Is it love at last or just a shame decayed?
Into my mind the truth sashayed
Your smile the tool to a mind somewhat detethered
For when they come, with the plaque circled blue
People think first of the theory
But knowledge so practical and right on cue
Is the stuff you remember as victory
Should… we… fix… it… together…?
It… could… work… forever… yeah!
A single thought, a consuming wish
Could we tie together this thing we’ve stitched,
Thrown together on the road to somewhere better?
9. Loyalty
I will be loyal to this campaign for a beautiful terrorism
I’m so spoilt, you picked me, the keenest face in the queue
Your bidding, so cruel, yet endlessly fascinating
Then emblazoned, in sunshine, the badges with your face anew
Count me on your inner team, to bring about this awful dream…
Loyalty, to the Queen, to your beauty and all between
Liberty, so seldom seen, dead to me, it’s just a dream
I’ll be your foil, in the battle to establish your endless rule
Commitment is total, we’re chattels, like the posters said we should
But no turmoil, will rattle, the folks when bang on queue
This Spring’s new fashion, is action, our hearts no longer made of wood
Count me on your inner team, to bring about this awful dream…
Loyalty, to the Queen, to your beauty and all between
Liberty, so seldom seen, dead to me, it’s just a dream
‘We will mock your victory, all praise endless beauty
Standing here to obey, thoughts we cannot convey…’
Loyalty, to the Queen, to your beauty and all between
Liberty, so seldom seen, dead to me, it’s just a dream
Loyalty, to the Queen, to your beauty and all between
Liberty, so seldom seen, dead to me, it’s just a dream3
10. At The Double
On an afternoon in May… a fear you couldn’t quite allay,
Should you post that letter by the door?
Why does it take so many words to state,
Something people use their eyes to say,
With a smile and nothing more…
Words don’t come that easily but
Were there a job opportunity,
The moon and stars in unity,
I’d be yours at the double.
Should head office have an opening,
For a motivated starter who’s angling,
For a chance to take you cycling,
I’d be yours, no trouble.
If there were a chance you see… to tell you what you mean to me
Well sometimes the words get lost at sea, mumbled or sung so quietly
So the form’s filled out in triplicate,
The font’s award-winning and the colour’s good,
My referee says you really should,
So I’d be yours at the double…
If the museum needs a new dinosaur,
In a notice pinned to the kitchen door,
In that position I’d yell for sure,
‘I’d be yours!’ at the double
If there were a chance you see… to tell you what you mean to me
Well sometimes the words get lost at sea, mumbled or sung so quietly
‘I’d be yours!’ at the double
‘I’d be yours!’ no trouble
11. Three Kings
I’m sure you knew, that summer was in retreat now,
Rebuttoned anew, wistful of view but thinking of
The way that love needs, the breeze for its optimism,
Kicking up leaves, just out of reach, those chances missing
Three kings, while you slept were travelling
Ten miles, in an ageing tiny car
These days, suitors aren’t a mystery
You think, replacin’ make-up on the tray
Three dreams, of loving in the winter time
One theme, ‘Take me far away from here’
For once, avoiding baubles on the tree
To find, something lasts eternally
I’m sure you saw, that postcard that hit the doormat
Handwritten means, stamped for a dream… distracted by—
The radio’s on, could that snap in the air be your heartbeat?
Sleigh bells all wrong, but those Christmas songs
Always leave you smiling
Three kings, while you slept were travelling
Ten miles, in an ageing tiny car
These days, suitors aren’t a mystery
You think, replacin’ make-up on the tray
Three dreams, of loving in the winter time
One theme, ‘Take me far away from here’
For once, avoiding baubles on the tree
To find, something lasts eternally
12. Not From Above
Not from above!
It’s become rather clear just as we’d all feared right at the start
That light in the sky’s not enough, but the face we saw, was yours
True, the rumours compelled, but the newspapers sold us a pup
At the top of the hills it was cold, and that henge an unspeaking clock
Pious words can get mumbled (and)
True… the story’s always taller than trees
True… we only wanted something to believe in
If truth is beauty, be someone we can see…
Not from above!
Couldn’t see near or far, the ravine claimed our car, but we looked
’Cos we’d heard that your name was a star, to be gazed and loved upon
Well, no tablets of stone were on sale at the summit’s gift shop
But our mission was suddenly clear, your name would reign from here
Not from… a leaflet from the seminary
Not from… a hope for the extraordinary
Not from… documents imaginary
Not from… any thought that we would marry
Not from… wisdom partly planetary
Not from… overconfident vocabulary
Not from… an order from the military
Not from… the fear of being solitary
Not from above!
Felt as sure as we had about anything we’d ever done
And your face in the dark was the light, a sight as bright as the sun…
The terror was firmer when love was the thunder we felt
And that thought was a smile, a word, and by firelight we melt…
Pious words can get mumbled (and)
True… the story’s always taller than trees
True… we only wanted something to believe in
If truth is beauty, be someone we can see…
True… biased hearts often stumble
’Cos the truth is somewhat harder to read
And true, I only wanted someone to believe in
So if truth is beauty be someone we can see…
Not from above…
Not from above…
Not from above…
* * *
Peacock Island or ‘Pfaueninsel’ lies in the river Havel in Berlin, with a ‘love castle’ built by Friedrich II for his mistress Wilhelmine Enke. True to the torrid, the castle burned down, but they’ve built wooden film-set style replacements, which doesn’t have to be a metaphor. ↵
‘Zounds’ – an archaic term expressing surprise or indignation: ‘“Zounds!” cried the Admiral, “the picnic is quite overcome by bees!”’ ↵
‘Loyalty’, it would be fair to say, is a pretty awkward title for a song, but there are #reasons. It was written for an exhibition by the excellent Greek artist Stefanos Rokos and ‘Loyalty’ was a musical reimagining of his painting, Loyal to the Campaign for a Beautiful Terrorism. Reproduced with kind permission, facing page. ↵
Credits
All songs by Alexander Mayor
Produced by Myles Clarke and Jonathan Hucks at Grand Cru, London, in 2017
Alexander Mayor ~ singing, guitars, bass, programming
Mike Monaghan ~ drums and percussion, trumpets
Joe Thompson ~ piano on ‘First Impressionists’, ‘Should We Fix It Together’, ‘At the Double’ and ‘Not From Above’
James Hill ~ double bass
Clare Younis ~ backing vocals
Samantha Whates ~ backing vocals
Amy May ~ violins and arranging on ‘Peacock Island’
Garo Nahoulakian ~ guitar solo on ‘Your Hot Friend’
Members of Chaps Choir ~ singing on ‘Not From… Above’
Chris Bailey ~ additional drum mixing
Thanks…
Alexander’s Festival Hall has always been less ‘a band’ and more a reasonably sized venue in which to assemble an ever-changing troupe of the lovely and talented. And so sincerest thanks are due to all the above players and the following top people for brilliance in countless instrumental ways:
Mike Smith, Joe Smith, Simon Hughes, William Mayor, Dominic Stichbury, Alice Mayor, Angela ‘Piney Gir’ Penhaligon, Samantha Whates, Thomas Venker, Sarah Szczesny, Chris Thow, Robert Mesure, Stefanos Rokos, Julius Beltrame, Travis Elborough, some of the many voices of Chaps Choir, and my parents Ann and Peter Mayor for moral support, much encouragement and some lovely stringed instruments.
www.alexandersfestivalhall.org
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Not From Above! Page 11
