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CdeB Mailing List Review
Copyright (c) 1996, Astrid Nolde-Gallasch
All rights reserved
Far Beyond These Castle Walls
Chris de Burgh
1975
A&M Records
To say it in advance, this is an album I haven't been
listening to regulary. In fact, I have restarted to listen to it and analyzing it, because
Willem and Donna (two mailing list members) wanted me to write a review. Thankfully, they
did. A whole week I have been listening to it over and over, reading the lyrics and
thinking about their meanings - and, though this album is so much different to Chris's
later work, I really love it now and many thoughts have come up to my mind, that I want to
share with you.
First - the title. There must be a deeper meaning behind it.
For me, the castle is an analogy to human living itself ("my home is my
castle"), and each and every song on this album is about subconscious human
characteristics and fears. Fears that you don't see when you get to know somebody casually
- you have to look far beyond their surface.
The music often reminds me of "The Rocky Horror Picture
Show". Sometimes Chris yells or talks in his songs just like Tim Curry does. But
maybe that is just the style of the 70's.
Now on to the songs:
Hold on
Hold on is (in my opinion) the only song on this album which is in the musical style of
Chris's later work. The music is powerful and brilliant, a very good opener for an album.
The story tells us of two lovers who have separated for any stupid reason and who are
obviously too proud to make the first step towards each other again. He decides to wait,
to hold on until she comes back to him. But when you listen to the words, you know
instantly that this doesn't bring him any closer. He is too unsure about his situation,
regard the words "somehow - sometimes - somewhere - someday". You want to shout
out "go to her - tell her what you feel, for it will be your only chance". Well
- he doesn't listen, too late.
The Key
What strikes you first, when you listen to this song, is the strange instrumentation. The
sound of the harpsichord at the intro makes you feel to have stepped back into the Middle
Ages. In my inner eye I can see immediately a castle (maybe also because of the title of
the album) and some people dressed in an ancient fashion. The lyrics of the song are about
people (sinner, stranger and gambler) who have forgotten about the most important thing in
life - they are so stuck in their current situation that they have thrown away the key to
develop and enter the next stage of whatever. I am not quite sure from what point of view
Chris is singing this song - must be someone who has reached the next step.
Windy Night
A very effective song about the fear of death and the comfort you need (and get) when you
are dying. The intro really makes me shiver. You can feel that death is coming along with
the wind. You see that really scary image of the wounded soldier who will soon be dying.
And then the angel comes and gives him all the comfort that he needs - and finally helps
him to the other world. This song is really moving - at the end he makes the connection to
his own (and the listener's) death: "So if you need help, on a windy night, be sure
to leave a candle burning so a friend can see the light; there may be a stranger come
looking for you, and it may be an angel of the Lord come to bring you better news."
and he carries on with the refrain ending on "A windy night - This windy night - My
windy night" - very effective!
Sin City
A song about a red light district - and people who are associated with it. The lyrics are
from the view of a pimp, who offers prostitution to coming strangers. A very strange song
- the music really reminds me a lot of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". It's
like a warning for people, who only want to walk on the funny side of life and never take
anything for serious: "There's no sense in walking on the wrong side, you gotta live
before you die, anything that takes your fancy, you can have for free, wine, women and
dancing, but you've got to sell your soul to me - 'cos once you are in, you'll never get
out from Sin City."
New Moon
A song about men and their widespread fear of deep-emotional relationships. In this song a
man is telling about his lovers. The girl is always looking for a deep relationship -
while he only wants sex. When she starts talking about the future and their prospective
wedding - he gets totally scared of losing his freedom. But instead of showing his fear
and talking about it - he talks stupid, makes her cry, sends her packing and looks out for
the next girl. Well, what can you say - typical male. (I know that this sounds provocative
- but that was my intention. ;-)) The music is brilliant - the refrain is really hard to
get out of your head, and it's surely one of my favourites on this album.
Watching the World
A funny song - you have the impression that the singer is drugged. I can see the image of
two long-haired guys in the 70's, sitting in the grass of a river bank, drinking, smoking,
and just not caring about anything that happens in their environment. They seem to have
fun. The music is also really funny, I get in a very good mood when I listen to it - can't
get it out of my head: "Ram bam bi doo". But somehow I wondered why this guy in
the song acts like he is caring about nothing - by reading the lyrics again, I found out
that he has just lost a love and that he is really disappointed about it. But he wouldn't
admit that - instead he acts cool to cover up, how much he is hurting. I think most of us
know this state of mind - once your feelings are really hurt, you decide not to get hurt a
second time and you build a wall around yourself to let nobody know what your real
feelings are.
Lonesome Cowboy
The story of the longing for something better, not really knowing what better is and if
better exists at all. It is wrapped up into a scene of the Wild West - a cowboy is about
to leave his land and his horses to go to the city far away. But he quickly gets bad
company and is killed in short time. The music fits with the words - country style. It
ends up with the words "now if you think the grass is greener on the far side of the
hill, all you cowboys: take it easy, there's no grass there at all."
Satin Green Shutters
A very tender and sweet love song. In this song the man really loves his girl, his only
fear is to lose her. And he decides not to hide his feelings or build walls around
himself, but to tell her about his love and his dreams and to let her know about his deep
feelings. Somehow this is the resolution of all the problems and fears in the other songs
of this album. Maybe the words are a little too soppy and there is too much use of
"lovely" in it - but that is part of the intention.
Turning Round
When you first hear this song, it seems to make absolutely no sense. But when you analyse
the structure of the lyrics, you find an intelligent word game. The song consists of six
verses, each beginning with a rhyme: Flying - lying - crying - dying - sighing - trying.
The second line of each verse ends with one of these words also. To find the word game,
all you have to do is follow the chain of words: The first verse begins with Flying and
ends with trying. Trying is the beginning of the 6th verse which ends with lying ... If
you follow this path you will find the following structure: Verse 1 - 6 - 2 - 5 - 3 - 4 -
1 (continuing), which is like an endless spiral turning round - sort of the endless spiral
of a human dream: A long dream of mankind was to fly - so at every time there are men who
try - when they can't handle it, they lie - when they still can't do it, they begin to
sigh - because they'll never do it, they start to cry - and finally they die - and that is
when they really begin to fly. A cycle of human emotions. Well - maybe I am totally wrong
with my interpretation, but that's just the way I see it.
Goodnight
Goodnight is a clever finishing song - it tells about the singer himself, who cannot sleep
because all the stories he has sung about are still spinning around in his head. And
really - the words of the second verse are a composition of all other songs, i.e.:
"The key is turning round." Goodnight is reflecting the stories that were told
and is putting them together so that the album makes up one book of stories that belong
together. This last song is a bit like a goodnight-story from parents to their children:
"So - now that I have told you so many stories, it's time to sleep. Goodnight."
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