By ajostu
While the sense of touch is more distributed than the other senses, it is in the fingers that we have our most precise and sensitised way of interacting with the world.
There was a period of time a few years ago where I had an inordinate, irrational fear of having my fingers damaged. It’s long passed, but the memory remains. I think back to my great-aunt, afflicted by arthritis later in life, and how that impeded her great joy of gardening. Or Keith Jarrett, for whom a stroke has removed control of the fingers in one hand, robbing him of his full range or creativity. (He can still play with amazing feel with just the five digits).
In a more abstract, historical (and positive!) way, I think of Helen Keller, blind and deaf, who learned to communicate with the world through the touch of finger on her palm. (In the spirit of “people who lived much later than you think” and “I was today years old when I learned,” Keller was born in 1880 and died in 1968).
And, of course fingers are how humans communicate with machines, whether mechanical or computational. Which leads us inexorably what used to be called the “mobile phone”, then “mobile,” and now, more menacingly, “device”. Drugs are normally inhaled, ingested or injected, but nowadays touch has become the vector of addiction. To quote Richard Osman (though I don’t know if he invented the phrase) “scrolling is smoking”. So maybe the time has come to withdraw our digits from the means of our electronic servitude. Pull that finger!
The A-List:
“Digital fun in the sun!” The digit in this question is the Thumb, here utilised by The Creatures in the context of modern just-in-time one-to-one transportation logistics- otherwise known as hitchhiking. There’s a weird sense of dissasociation in the song that really resonated for me.
“Magic fingers in my hair.” Ah, yes, surely a relaxing ballad about the joys of interpersonal digital contact. Instead, for Silver Apples, the romantic-ish lyrics of Lovefingers contrast with the distorted and ring-modulated oscillators of their musical homebrew electronics.
Vibration White Finger is a direct medical description: a quick search will show images of fingers leached of all life, often way beyond the first knuckle. A legacy of lack of due care or foresight in designing industrial equipment, the affliction left behind a legion of workers, brought to life here by Jackie Leven; injured, abandoned and unable earn a livelihood.
The theme of corporate callousness continues in Fingers in the Factories, in which Birmingham band Editors implore us to give the dark satanic mills a miss and “come on out tonight, come and see the sight of the ones you love.”
Black Francis has more than a nom-de-plume. He also has Seven Fingers. I wonder if he plays an eight-string guitar?
Sometimes it seems a song fits the bill more due to vibe than literal interpretation. Flippin’ Tha Bird refers to that colloquially communicative form of human digital expression. I was bemused when I visited the US to see it prudishly pixellated on TV. London singer Ruby is clearly irritated with the world for some reason, or at least was back in ’95. Nowadays, who knows?
Showing much more poise is Phyllis Dillon. As Nicko says about I Wear His Ring: “She says it shows her love for him. That makes it different from a bit of blokey ownership of the woman in the many male versions.”
To paraphrase pejepeine: never sing Thumbelina to a girlfriend much shorter than you are. Slightly oblique life lessons such as that can only be promulgated having been learned the hard way. Originally, Danny Kaye sang it to a gaggle of rapt children. Would a bit of clotch and felt tip market on a thumb charm the kids today?
Snarky critics might complain of ABBA that if there really were a Maudlin University then Bjorn and Benny would have gotten top marks. But with such rich arranging and vocal harmonies, it’s only the hardest of hearts that would miss the depth of feeling in Slipping Through My Fingers.
Another “vibe”song came from Thomas Lang with Fingers & Thumbs, which features a particular slice of 80s sound I’m quite partial to. Some might see bits of Spandau Ballet or Paul Young in there, for me the song also had a touch of the David Sylvians. It strikes me that there are only a few songs in the A-list that directly refers to the act of touching someone or holding someone’s hand. The metaphor is ascendent this week.
Speaking of metaphor, or at very least playing with words, we continue with On The Fingers Of One Thumb. The sense of melancholy also continues from Cult With No Name.
I really have no idea what exactly is going on in Carolyn’s Fingers. As Vikingchild points out there are “actually lyrics in this one”. I even went to one of those websites which says what the words are, and I can’t see any relationship between what I read and what I hear. But as one of Cocteau Twins most gorgeous songs – and there’s a lot of competition – this one was a shoo-in.
There are implications of touch in Fingers Of Love – hands and itches specifically – but I’m sure I read somewhere that this Crowded House song came about when Neil Finn saw streams of light from a sunset breaking through the clouds. But then, Neil’s never been afraid of an ambiguous lyric.
Lucy Dacus is more direct in Thumbs Again. (The “again” because it’s an alternate version of the song). I can’t help but wonder if someone saw Bladerunner on late-night TV.
And finally we return to hitchhiking, with Pearl Jam and Thumbing My Way. Our protagonist is in a melancholy place, and sometimes, it’s not the journey, it’s the destination.
The A-List Playlist:
The Creatures - Thumb (Vikingchild)
Silver Apples - Lovefingers (TarquinSpodd)
Jackie Leven - Vibration White Finger (TatankaYotanka)
Editors - Fingers in the Factories (Bobby Legwarmer)
Black Francis - Seven Fingers (happyclapper)
Ruby - Flippin' Tha Bird (TatankaYotanka)
Phyllis Dillon - I Wear His Ring (Nicko)
Danny Kaye - Thumbelina (pejepeine)
ABBA - Slipping Through My Fingers (severin)
Thomas Lang - Fingers & Thumbs (Maki)
Cult With No Name - On the Fingers of One Thumb (TatankaYotanka)
Cocteau Twins - Carolyn's Finger (Vikingchild)
Crowded House - Fingers of Love (UncleBen)
Lucy Dacus - Thumbs Again (TarquinSpodd)
Pearl Jam - Thumbing My Way (UncleBen)
The B-List Playlist:
Once again I’ve followed the mindset of “A- list for the mind, B-list for the car.” Lots of enjoyably flashy instrumentals from the digitally dextrous were suggested this week, and I’ve interspersed those throughout.
Dorothy Ashby - The Moving Finger (Nicko)
Hiatus Kaiyote - Fingerprints (Fred Erickson)
The Eleventh House with Larry Coryell - Birdfingers (UncleBen)
The Choice Four - The Finger Pointers (pejepeine)
Donna Summer - Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger) (SweetHomeAlabama)
Airto - Dedos (pejepeine)
Frank Zappa - Friendly Little Finger (BanazirGalbasi)
John Lee Hooker - Snap Them Fingers Boogie (Nicko)
Wes Montgomery - The Thumb (Fred Erickson)
Clarion Fracture Zone - Your Touch On My Skin (Nicko)
Maurice Ravel: Ma mère l'Oye: II. Petit Poucet; Jean Martinon, Chicago Symphony Orchestra (BanazirGalbasi)
Guru’s Wildcard Picks:
Any pianist worth their salt has had to deal with technical exercises- Hanon, Czerny- where the aim is to built up finger strength and independence by playing rapid, repetitive patterns on the keyboard. Claude Debussy had a few digs at this, and in Pour les cinq doights he starts with the typical tedious five-finger sequence (“d’apres Monsieur Cerny”, where the “Monsieur” seems to be packing some serious snide) before ascending into dreamlike whimsy. Mitsuko Uchida’s recording is regarded as the benchmark for this work.
The first ever song on the first ever EP from Taiwanese band Elephant Gym is Finger, and it’s arguably their signature track. To my great delight, I got to see them live twice last year- in Sydney and Kaohsiung.
It’s an Americanism I wouldn’t normally use, but I think Yubikirigenman can best be translated as Pinky Swear, the act of two people interlinking their little fingers and making a promise. It’s an earlyish song by Japanese band RADWIMPS, who would go on to find broader domestic and international acclaim due to working with film director Makoto Shinkai. (with films such as Your Name).
Claude Debussy - "1:Pour les cinq doights (d'apres Monsieur Czerny)", (from Douze Etudes performed by Mitsuko Uchida)
Elephant Gym - Finger
RADWIMPS - Yubikirigenman ("Pinky Swear")
These playlists were inspired by readers' song nominations in response to last week's topic: Digital music: songs about fingers and thumbs. The next topic will launch on Thursday after 1pm UK time.
New to comment? It is quick and easy. You just need to login to Disqus once. All is explained in About/FAQs ...
Fancy a turn behind the pumps at The Song Bar? Care to choose a playlist from songs nominated and write something about it? Then feel free to contact The Song Bar here, or try the usual email address. Also please follow us social media: Song Bar X, Song Bar Facebook. Song Bar YouTube, and Song Bar Instagram. Please subscribe, follow and share.