Song of the Day: "Girl Lying on a Beach" by The Go-Betweens · Jun 17, 06:58 PM by Don
After making “Lying in the Sun” by PJ Harvey yesterday’s (first) Song o’ the Day, I couldn’t resist making this Go-Betweens song today’s pick…
mp3: The Go-Betweens – Girl Lying on a Beach :: from the “Caroline and I” single (2003)
Despite sharing a beach theme and minimal instrumentation, the songs are quite different. Robert Forster’s song is sweet and nostalgic, a clear counterpoint to the lusty, slow-burning now of Harvey’s song.
Well I came across a photo
Of a girl lying on a beach
She was looking into the camera
It was taken in Crete
Well her father was a sailor
And her mother very rich
They only had one child
Girl lying on a beach
Well they sent her to the best schools
And she came out relatively free
Her hair touched her shoulders
The year she came across me
Well I met her through her father
I was diving for coins
He said he had a daughter
Who scared off the local boys
Well I’d see her on the promenade
Or lying on the beach
She’d wave if she saw me
Passing in the streets
I was just drifting
Like a piece of wood
She had a career plan
That had started with her birth
Then she leans over my shoulder
Takes the photo out of my hand
Says I was 18
Lying in the sand
Well I come through a breakup
I come through a flood
I come through the playground
Find a little love
Then she gives me back the photo
Of a girl lying on the beach
I put it into the folder
Put it back up out of reach
The painting above is by Kazuya Akimoto. There’s not a lot of info about Akimoto out there, but you can check out his (or her?) online “museum” here.
Below is a performance of “Girl Lying on a Beach” from last summer’s The Four Ages of Robert Forster concert series in Queensland, Australia.
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Songs in the MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 format are offered for a limited time only. Songs that are no longer downloadable can be streamed at the Timedoor page at Hype Machine. Dead mp3 links take you to the top of page one. Support your favorite artists by buying their music at your local independent record store (mine is Atomic Records) or eMusic. And read about ‘em at TrouserPress.com.
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