Tag Archives: music

Begin Again (Lyrics) – Taylor Swift

As part of the promotion leading up to the release of her new album RED, Taylor Swift will be releasing a new song weekly to iTunes. This is the first of them and it’s called “Begin Again.”

It’s about the first date you go to after a messy break up.

Took a deep breath in the mirror
He didn’t like it when I wore high heels, but I do
Turned the lock and put my headphones on
He always said he didn’t get this song but I do, I do

Walked in expecting you’d be late
But you got here early
And you stand and wave
And I walk to you
You pulled my chair out and helped me
And you don’t know how nice that is
But I do

And you throw your head back laughing like a little kid
I think it’s strange that you think I’m funny ‘cause he never did
I’ve been spending the last 8 months thinking all love ever does
Is break and burn and end
But on a Wednesday in a cafe I watched it begin again

You said you never met one girl
Who has as many James Taylor records as you
But I do
We tell stories and you don’t know why I’m coming off a little shy
But I do

But you throw your head back laughing like a little kid
I think it’s strange that you think I’m funny ‘cause he never did
I’ve been spending the last 8 months thinking all love ever does
Is break and burn and end
But on a Wednesday in a cafe I watched it begin again

And we walk down the block to my car
And I almost brought him up
But you start to talk about the movies
That your family watches every single Christmas
And I wanna talk about that
For the first time, what’s past is past

‘Cause you throw your head back laughing like a little kid
I think it’s strange that you think I’m funny ‘cause he never did
I’ve been spending the last 8 months thinking all love ever does
Is break and burn and end
Then on a Wednesday in a cafe I watched it begin again
Then on a Wednesday in a cafe I watched it begin again

Nancy Ajram’s New Song For Kids: Ya Banat

Nancy Ajram has released a song off her upcoming album for kids, Super Nancy.

The song is Egyptian and called “Ya Banat.” The theme is apparently part of what Ajram was trying to go for with her second album for kids: an empowerment for little girls.

Good intentions and me being obviously not the target audience aside, I’m not sure what I feel about the song. While the first verse is something that I got my mom to hear (I’ve been asking for a baby sister for such a long time now), the overall song feels lacking. It could be that it’s way too short or that I’m tired of Lebanese singers singing one Egyptian song after the other.

Does the miserable state of music in this part of the world really need another album for kids from one of its biggest stars? I’m not entirely convinced with that. But hey, at least it’s not candy-coated sex for kids.

Interesting observation: my Australian cousin thought the album promo billboards, which are plastered all over Lebanon’s highways, were ads for a dollhouse.

Listen to “Ya Banat” here – with annoying “Arabica” voice overs and all.

The album will be released on Thursday.

Ronan (Lyrics) – Taylor Swift

Ronan is the new Taylor Swift song that was debuted at the “Stand Up For Cancer” event. It is inspired by a blogpost that Maya Thompson, the mother of 4 year old Ronan Thompson, wrote after her son passed away last year after struggling with neuroblastoma.

This is her blog (click here). All proceeds from the sales of this single will go to cancer research so you can get the single off iTunes here.

I remember your barefeet down the hallway,
I remember your little laugh
Race cars on the kitchen floor
plastic dinosaurs
I love you to the moon and back

I remember your blue eyes
looking into mine
like we had our own secret club
I remember you dancing before bedtime
then jumping on me waking me up
I can still feel you hold my hand
little man, and even the moment I knew
you fought it hard like an army guy

Remember I leaned in and whispered to you
come on baby with me, we’re gonna fly away from here
you were my best four years

I remember the drive home when the blind hope turned to crying and screaming why
flowers pile up in the worst way
no one knows what to say about a beautiful boy who died
and it’s about to be Halloween you could be anything you wanted if you were still here
I remember the last day when I kissed your face and whispered in your ear

Come on baby with me, we’re gonna fly away from here
out of this curtained room and this hospital gray will just disappear
come on baby with me, we’re gonna fly away from here
you were my best four years

What if I’m standing in your closet trying to talk to you
What if I kept the hand-me-downs you won’t grow into
And what if I really thought some miracle would see us through
What if the miracle was even getting one moment with you

Come on baby with me, we’re gonna fly away from here
Come on baby with me, we’re gonna fly away from here
You were my best four years

I remember your barefeet down the hallway
I love you to the moon and back.

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together – Taylor Swift (Lyrics)

My review of the song can be found here.

[Verse 1:]

I remember when we broke up the first time,

Saying this is it, I’ve had enough

Cause like we hadn’t seen each other in a month

when you said you needed space, what?

Then you come around again and say baby

I miss you and I swear i’m gonna change, trust me

Remember how that lasted for a day

I say I hate you, we break up, you call me, I love you

[Chorus:] 

Oh Woo-Oh

We called it off again last night

But oh woo-oh, this time I’m telling you, I’m telling you

We are never ever ever getting back together

We are never ever ever getting back together

You go talk to your friends, talk to my friends, talk to me

But we are never ever ever ever getting back together

Like, ever.

[Verse 2:] 

I’m really gonna miss you picking fights

And me falling for it, screaming that I’m right

And you would hide away and find your peace of mind

with some indie record that’s much cooler than mine

[Chorus:] 

Oh, oh, you called me up again tonight

But oh woo-oh-oh, this time I’m telling you, I’m telling you

We are never ever ever getting back together

We are never ever ever getting back together

You go talk to your friends, talk to my friends, talk to me

But we are never ever ever ever getting back together.

[Bridge:] 

I used to think that we were forever ever

And I used to say never say never

Then he calls me up and he’s like

“I still love you,” and I’m like

this is exhausting, you know, we are never getting back together – like ever.

 [Chorus:]

We are never ever ever getting back together

We are never ever ever getting back together

You go talk to your friends, talk to my friends, talk to me

But we are never ever ever ever getting back together.

[Outro:] 

Oh Woo-oh oh

You go talk to your friends, talk to my friends, talk to me

But we are never ever ever ever getting back together.

The Notre Dame de Paris Concert in Lebanon

Tickets ready, car parked, we went ahead to Biel last night for the Lebanon stop of the Notre Dame de Paris concert. The ordeal to get tickets had caused any enthusiasm we had to get sucked out of us. But man how wrong were we not to be beyond excited for this concert.

Even though it was said the concert would start at 9:00 pm, it started 40 minutes later. I guess they must have accounted for Lebanese people who can’t be on time even if their life depended on it. At 9:40 some people were still trickling in. The seats were a little crammed. Perhaps it’s the venue but a few seats less per row would have made things much more comfortable, despite it being less financially-pleasing.

I had purchased the $100 tickets and thought I had overpaid. The concert proved to me that I had actually underpaid. The orchestra took its place. The conductor struck with the motion to play and Bruno Pelletier came from the crowds to give a brilliant rendition of “Le Temps des Cathedrales.”

And that was the start of two hour long goosebumps. Garou had a rough start in the first act but he brought it back in the second. Patrick Fiori, Julie Zenatti, Helene Segara, Luck Mervil and Daniel Lavoie all gave flawless performances of every single song they sang. They basically showed how a two hour vocal show can be done without a hitch, bringing some crowds to their feet with every note they hit.

I’m not a regular concert-goer because there are very few artists which are brought to Lebanon that I would pay to watch so saying this is the best concert I’ve ever attended wouldn’t be a fair comparison. However, a friend of mine who has attended way more concerts than me said this is by far the best concert she went to.

It’s not very difficult to see why. Each performer had his group of fans rooting for him. Some had even brought out a huge banner for Julie Zenatti which they put up when she sang “La Monture.” She looked at them and smiled halfway through the song.

As the performers left the stage, the crowds started shouting for an encore of the play’s most famous song “Belle.” And that’s what happened. The crowds rushed to the stage. Phones in the air, people singing the lyrics to the song as Garou, Patrick Fiori and Daniel Lavoie gave it their all, before being joined with the rest of the cast to deliver the song’s last chorus.

If you didn’t attend Notre Dame de Paris, let me tell you something: you missed out on a concert that will not be matched any time soon. And I’ve never been more thankful I know French.

PS: I would like to thank my iPhone 4S for filming 11GB worth of videos and pictures and the battery for lasting the entirety of the concert and then some. :p

Let me know in a comment if there’s any particular performance you want me to upload.