Oh, You Mean THAT Famous Song

Well, maybe most of you haven’t heard of it, but among rock classics, the one is at the top of the tree, right there with Hotel California and Temple of the King. Back when i was a kid, if you were learning to play the guitar and wanted to sound cool or impress your friends, this is the riff you’d play (there’s actually a scene in Wayne’s World about this).

There’s a lady who’s sure, all that glitters is gold
And she’s buying a stairway to heaven
When she gets there she knows, if the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh and she’s buying a stairway to heaven

Of course, there are those who tell me if you play the song backwards, there are all sorts of sublimial messages about ‘my sweet Satan‘ (I’ve actually heard the backmasked version before) but compared to some of the hardcore rap and death metal these days, it kind of puts our society’s changing morality in perspective.

There’s a sign on the wall but she wants to be sure
‘Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings
In a tree by the brook there’s a songbird who sings
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven

Ooh, it makes me wonder
Ooh, it makes me wonder

Listening to this song a few nights ago reminded me of the times in college when we used to stay up late in the wee hours of the morning listening to Led Zep and playing PC games. One particular I remember us discussing what would have happened had John Bonham not passed on…

There’s a feeling I get when I look to the west
And my spirit is crying for leaving
In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees
And the voices of those who stand looking

Ooh, it makes me wonder
Ooh, it really makes me wonder

The last time I saw either Page or Plant on TV was during the closing ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when he appeared atop the red bus playing “A Whole Lotta Love“, during the promo for the 2012 London Olympics. A few days later i overheard a conversation at the mamak, “hey who was that old man playing guitar for Leona Lewis…?”

And it’s whispered that soon if we all call the tune
Then the piper will lead us to reason and a new day will dawn
For those who stand long and the forests will echo with laughter

If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow don’t be alarmed now
It’s just a spring clean for the May queen
Yes, there are two paths you can go by but in the long run
There’s still time to change the road you’re on

And it makes me wonder

I guess for some folks the song has become bigger than the band, something unthinkable during their prime. I mean, the band was literally the biggest phenomenon on earth, and influencing musicians as diverse as Metallica to The White Stripes to Madonna to Shakira.

Your head is humming and it won’t go in case you don’t know
The piper’s calling you to join him
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow?
And did you know your stairway lies on the whispering wind?

And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold
And if you listen very hard
The truth will come to you at last
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll

And she’s buying a stairway to heaven…

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Some time back in December when i wrote about my 2009 Book of the Year (it was Neil Gaiman’s Graveyard Book), I promised to write about the runner-up book in the following post. But other things got in the way, never got round to doing it.

So before I totally forget about it, here’s my honourable mention for 2009 Book of the Year.

No it STILL isn’t Twilight.

It’s a wonderful graphic novel called Persepolis by Iranian-born French journalist Marjane Satrapi.

When it was first released in the US, there were 2 parts, Book 1 was called ‘Story of a Childhood’ and the sequel was called ‘The Story of Return’. The version I read was in a single compendium.

As a graphic novel, the art is quirky but interesting, it conveys the emotions of the characters very well throughout the book. But the story is what really shines here. It gives a rare peek into the life of the upper class in Iran before and during the Iranian Revolution. In this sense it is a little similar to ‘Kite Runner’ on Afghanistan. Like most good biographies, this is a coming of age story of the writer as she encounters God, adulthood and life beyond the comfort of her ancestral home.

Personally i felt the first half was much stronger than the second, but overall it still manages to enthrall me to finish in one sitting.

Of Tigers and Six Cycles

You know the cliches – the inflation, balik kampung traffic jams have taken the meaning out of CNY celebrations, CNY is only enjoyed by the very young and very old, etc.

But Chinese New Year is still Chinese New Year. Everyone still goes through the motion of travelling across the country (or city, depending on where you’re from), buy the requisite cookies and meats, swap token red packets, endure the family dinners without cringing too much, and the loud gambling (this one is rather enjoyable to most), etc.

I guess we Chinese are creatures of habits. We call it tradition, but above anything else, we go through the motions, and at the same time we try to keep our aging elders happy (or rather not p!ss them off). I’m not being cynical, really. For a change I’m looking forward to this year’s holiday, maybe because its a reprieve to the alternative, i.e. working.

So to all, Happy New Year.

P/s the first day of new year is also my dad’s birthday, he’s completed six cycles of the chinese zodiac. No mean feat for a guy who used to dump 2 packs of seasoning into his maggi mee…

What’s Going On In Lady Gaga’s ‘Bad Romance’ Video?!

Opening shot of the vid

Ever since Bad Romance was released in October I’ve been continually listening to it. I think the song a fantastic piece of pop music. The music video? Its sheer genius. If you’ve only seen it on MTV, its edited shoddily due to heavy censorship.

Yep, that’s the trademark razor shades.

with Lady Gaga, there’s no such thing as TOO MUCH make-up

You can watch the official vid here on Youtube (sorry, embedding isn’t allowed).

I’m a big fan of videos that tell something, either a storyline, a message, or some contextual meaning. So what ON EARTH is Lady Gaga trying to convey in the lengthy video?! Well, after watching it countless times (and annoying my colleagues in the process) and reading some of the hints she has dropped (like here) I’m beginning to see what she’s trying to get across, its actually tied to the what she’s saying in the song.

Rare appearance of Lady Gaga without make-up.

Anime Eyes!

Given the popularity of the singer and this particular single, there’s obviously no shortage of people trying to interpret the meaning of the images – ranging from the mild ones by dream analysis experts to extreme interpretations involving the Illuminati and occultic signs.

Well sometimes its better to just enjoy the song as it is, polar bear fur coat and all. As she says, walk, walk, fashion baby…