From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V16 #657 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Tuesday, January 15 2013 Volume 16 : Number 657 To unsubscribe: e-mail ecto-digest-request@smoe.org and put the word unsubscribe in the message body. Today's Subjects: ----------------- Today's your birthday, friend... [Mike Matthews ] Recent changes to the Ectophiles' Guide ["The Ectophiles' Guide" Subject: Today's your birthday, friend... i*i*i*i*i*i i*i*i*i*i*i *************** *****HAPPY********* **************BIRTHDAY********* *************************************************** *************************************************************************** ****************** Troy J. Shadbolt (tjshadb@voyuz.net) ******************* *************************************************************************** -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Troy J. Shadbolt Thu January 14 1971 Capricorn Chris Sampson Wed January 15 1964 Void where prohibited Alex Bertran Fri January 15 1971 Capricorn Denis G Parslow Fri January 17 1964 ...of the Saint Ross Alford Thu January 17 1957 Positive Sarah Morayati Tue January 17 1989 Capricorn Nancy Whitney Mon January 19 1959 slippery when wet Sarah Noelle Pratt Ferguson Tue January 20 1970 Seanympf-Aquarius David Beery Tue January 20 1976 drum Terry Partis Sun January 22 1933 Rocker Steve Hughes Thu January 24 1963 Aquarius Sarah McLachlan Sun January 28 1968 Aquarius Ilka Heber Mon February 01 1965 Mermaid Bob Lovejoy Sun February 02 1947 Aquarius Diane Burke Sat February 02 1963 slow children Timothy S. Devine Tue February 03 1970 Aquarius Stephen Thomas Fri February 04 1966 Aquarius Doug Burks Tue February 14 1956 Blank - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2013 04:18:27 -0800 From: "The Ectophiles' Guide" Subject: Recent changes to the Ectophiles' Guide Latest changes to the Ectophiles' Guide 13 January 2013 New genre, instrumental, as we now have a critical mass in that area New Guide entries added for: * Accolade * Adena Atkins * Auburn * David Byrne & St. Vincent * Cadallaca (mini-entry) * Dymaxion Vehicle * Karney * Zoe Keating * Sweet Davis * Vajra Changes made to the entries for: * Joy Askew (new release) * Kevin Bartlett (new release) * Tracy Bonham (new release) * Juliana Hatfield (six releases added) * Norah Jones (new release) * Aimee Mann (new release) * Beth Orton (new release) * Mary Lydia Ryan (new release) * Jill Tracy (two new releases) * The XX (new release) - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- You are receiving this email because you have asked to be notified of updates to the Ectophiles' Guide to Good Music at http://www.ectoguide.org/. If you are no longer interested in receiving these notifications, please unsubscribe yourself using the form at http://www.ectoguide.org/guide.cgi?newsubscribe&action=unsubscribe ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2013 20:33:54 -0800 From: Sue Trowbridge Subject: Re: Florence and the Machine - Spectrum - what are those allusions? I am really, really terrible at interpreting lyrics -- or finding allusions in literature, for that matter (going from high school, where I was basically just tested on reading comprehension, to college, where I had to come up with my own thoughts and analysis on what I had read, was extremely difficult for me). But when I do become intrigued by a lyric, I usually check out http://www.songmeanings.net/ . There is a thread for "Spectrum" - http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858884749/ - though some of the theories are, predictably, nutty. (The analysis of one of my favorite songs, LCD Soundsystem's "Something Great," were actually quite interesting: http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858643073/ ) - --Sue On Mon, Jan 14, 2013 at 7:58 PM, Paul Blair wrote: > Wow, no discussion at all? Am I off base in thinking that these lyrics are > alluding to something? Maybe it's some movie I didn't see... ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2013 22:58:58 -0500 From: Paul Blair Subject: Re: Florence and the Machine - Spectrum - what are those allusions? Wow, no discussion at all? Am I off base in thinking that these lyrics are alluding to something? Maybe it's some movie I didn't see... On Sun, Jan 6, 2013 at 3:39 PM, Paul Blair wrote: > I've been hearing Florence and the Machine's "Spectrum" a lot lately, and > the more I hear it, the more I am puzzled by the lyrics. It seems clear to > me that it's alluding to something fairly specific, but I can't figure out > what. Maybe ecto can help? > > From what I can tell, the song is sung from the point of view of the > leader of some group, that came to some cold place, where they were afraid. > At that time their skins were colorless, but the people to whom the song is > being sung "let the spectrum in." Now this group is colorful and powerful, > and will return to "drag bodies from their graves." > > Here are the lyrics - speculations below. > > ----------------------------------- > > Spectrum > Florence and the Machine > > When we first came here > We were cold and we were clear > With no colors on our skin > We were light and paper-thin > > And when we first came here > We were cold and we were clear > With no colors on our skin > 'Till you let the spectrum in > > Say my name > And every color illuminates > We are shining > And we will never be afraid again > > And when we come for you > We dressed up all in blue > With the ocean in our arms > Kissing eyes and kissing palms > > When it's time to pray > We dressed up all in gray > With metal on our tongues > And silver in our lungs > > Say my name > And every color illuminates > We are shining > And we'll never be afraid again > > And when we come back we'll be dressed in black > And you'll scream our names aloud > And we won't eat and we won't sleep > We'll drag bodies from their graves > > So say my name > And every color illuminates > And we are shining > And we'll never be afraid again... > > ----------------------------------- > > Among other allusions are "paper-thin," "ocean in our arms," "kissing > eyes," "kissing palms," "metal on our tongues", "silver in our lungs," and > "drag bodies from their graves." Saying the name of the leader of the group > also has some sort of significance, and causes the new power of the group > to reveal itself. The way the lyrics are written also suggests that the > name is widely recognizable, and if we can identify it, everything else > will fall into place. (The song might be, say, about fallen angels and the > name be Lucifer, but I don't see how that would fit the specifics of the > rest of the song. At one point I even thought the name might be Voldemort > and the group be the Death Eaters, but I don't recall any of the above > allusions being mentioned in Harry Potter, and I don't think the Death > Eaters started out clear and paper thin.) > > Since the song seems to be about a downtrodden group that is now standing > proud, and since it alludes to colors on the skin, I first thought it had > to do with racial minorities. But the fact that the group initially had no > colors on their skin seems to belie that, and the specific allusions later > in the song don't seem to bear any relationship to race. For a similar > reason, the LGBT rainbow flag didn't seem to fit--particularly the > reference to coming back and dragging bodies from their graves. > > One strange thing about the song is that even though it talks about the > colors of the spectrum, the only spectral color mentioned is blue. (The > other colors are gray, silver, and black.) All the colors mentioned are > colors that the members of the group are dressed in, but maybe not the > colors of their skin. > > Another thought I had was that the song might have to do with body art, or > with some group characterized by body art ("metal on our tongues" could > have to do with piercings, say). I don't know enough about that culture, > though, to put it all together. > > AC/DC is Back in Black, and their fans might scream their names aloud, and > even dragging bodies from their graves might fit with that, but I'm not > sure that has anything do with the beginning of the song. > > "Metal on our tongues" suggests the coin that is placed on the tongues of > the dead as payment to Charon to ferry them over the river Styx. I don't > know of anything that has to do with the dead having silvery voices, > though. Do shades ever return? Would they drag bodies from their graves? > And why would they be "shining"? > > Lyra Belacqua from Phillip Pullman's *His Dark Materials* is Lyra > Silvertongue, but again I can't place any of the other allusions. > > Then maybe the group isn't people at all, but, say, animals. Butterflies > might be paper-thin, and blue butterflies might live near the ocean, and > moths show up in gray and black. But I can't see the rest of it. Similarly > with birds (say a silver-throated tanager?). > > "Kissing eyes and kissing palms" sounds like some sort of ritual, > something Masonic, say. But again I don't know enough about that. > > Well, ecto, how about it? ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:22:11 -0500 From: "Michael Quinn" Subject: FW: Florence and the Machine - Spectrum - what are those allusions? Definitely puts me in mind of a religious cult or perhaps a revolutionary political movement. "We" came to "You" "colorless" (Open-minded/A clean slate/naive/idealistic). "You' gave us answers, made us happy, and comforted (The colors and shining imagery) but at some point we began to grow disillusioned (The grey) and though we still tried to cling to the comforting beliefs you had given us, we eventually realized you were totally hypocritical and had betrayed our trust (the part about dragging bodies from their graves; discovering evil where one thought only goodness existed). Maybe the last verse is a reference to those who are so brainwashed they can't accept the truth even when faced with such compelling evidence? At least that is my (probably totally incorrect) interpretation. Very good lyrics though. Mike - -----Original Message----- From: owner-ecto@smoe.org [mailto:owner-ecto@smoe.org] On Behalf Of Paul Blair Sent: January-14-13 10:59 PM To: Ecto Subject: Re: Florence and the Machine - Spectrum - what are those allusions? Wow, no discussion at all? Am I off base in thinking that these lyrics are alluding to something? Maybe it's some movie I didn't see... On Sun, Jan 6, 2013 at 3:39 PM, Paul Blair wrote: > I've been hearing Florence and the Machine's "Spectrum" a lot lately, and > the more I hear it, the more I am puzzled by the lyrics. It seems clear to > me that it's alluding to something fairly specific, but I can't figure out > what. Maybe ecto can help? > > From what I can tell, the song is sung from the point of view of the > leader of some group, that came to some cold place, where they were afraid. > At that time their skins were colorless, but the people to whom the song is > being sung "let the spectrum in." Now this group is colorful and powerful, > and will return to "drag bodies from their graves." > > Here are the lyrics - speculations below. > > ----------------------------------- > > Spectrum > Florence and the Machine > > When we first came here > We were cold and we were clear > With no colors on our skin > We were light and paper-thin > > And when we first came here > We were cold and we were clear > With no colors on our skin > 'Till you let the spectrum in > > Say my name > And every color illuminates > We are shining > And we will never be afraid again > > And when we come for you > We dressed up all in blue > With the ocean in our arms > Kissing eyes and kissing palms > > When it's time to pray > We dressed up all in gray > With metal on our tongues > And silver in our lungs > > Say my name > And every color illuminates > We are shining > And we'll never be afraid again > > And when we come back we'll be dressed in black > And you'll scream our names aloud > And we won't eat and we won't sleep > We'll drag bodies from their graves > > So say my name > And every color illuminates > And we are shining > And we'll never be afraid again... > > ----------------------------------- > > Among other allusions are "paper-thin," "ocean in our arms," "kissing > eyes," "kissing palms," "metal on our tongues", "silver in our lungs," and > "drag bodies from their graves." Saying the name of the leader of the group > also has some sort of significance, and causes the new power of the group > to reveal itself. The way the lyrics are written also suggests that the > name is widely recognizable, and if we can identify it, everything else > will fall into place. (The song might be, say, about fallen angels and the > name be Lucifer, but I don't see how that would fit the specifics of the > rest of the song. At one point I even thought the name might be Voldemort > and the group be the Death Eaters, but I don't recall any of the above > allusions being mentioned in Harry Potter, and I don't think the Death > Eaters started out clear and paper thin.) > > Since the song seems to be about a downtrodden group that is now standing > proud, and since it alludes to colors on the skin, I first thought it had > to do with racial minorities. But the fact that the group initially had no > colors on their skin seems to belie that, and the specific allusions later > in the song don't seem to bear any relationship to race. For a similar > reason, the LGBT rainbow flag didn't seem to fit--particularly the > reference to coming back and dragging bodies from their graves. > > One strange thing about the song is that even though it talks about the > colors of the spectrum, the only spectral color mentioned is blue. (The > other colors are gray, silver, and black.) All the colors mentioned are > colors that the members of the group are dressed in, but maybe not the > colors of their skin. > > Another thought I had was that the song might have to do with body art, or > with some group characterized by body art ("metal on our tongues" could > have to do with piercings, say). I don't know enough about that culture, > though, to put it all together. > > AC/DC is Back in Black, and their fans might scream their names aloud, and > even dragging bodies from their graves might fit with that, but I'm not > sure that has anything do with the beginning of the song. > > "Metal on our tongues" suggests the coin that is placed on the tongues of > the dead as payment to Charon to ferry them over the river Styx. I don't > know of anything that has to do with the dead having silvery voices, > though. Do shades ever return? Would they drag bodies from their graves? > And why would they be "shining"? > > Lyra Belacqua from Phillip Pullman's *His Dark Materials* is Lyra > Silvertongue, but again I can't place any of the other allusions. > > Then maybe the group isn't people at all, but, say, animals. Butterflies > might be paper-thin, and blue butterflies might live near the ocean, and > moths show up in gray and black. But I can't see the rest of it. Similarly > with birds (say a silver-throated tanager?). > > "Kissing eyes and kissing palms" sounds like some sort of ritual, > something Masonic, say. But again I don't know enough about that. > > Well, ecto, how about it? ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V16 #657 ***************************