By Nicko
An All-Night A-List
There’s a bright light
Spiralling ‘round
Tonight.
– My Friend the Chocolate Cake
A lighthouse is for warning. To keep mariners real or metaphorical safe by showing them the way not to go. A guiding light is for showing someone the way to go. But it’s really the same difference. A beacon sits in the middle. Don’t come here or do come here. Or letting someone know something is happening in the olden days.
But it’s all points or beams of light. Not really to illuminate but to pinpoint. And although I did feel all at sea in the choices at times, many great songs dashed on the rocks, here are some a few.
Clear White Light Part 2 – Lindisfarne (ShivSidecar)
A clear, white, white light is what you want in a lighthouse or guiding light. Fun fact: there was no Part 1 available until many years later when a demo was released in Alan Hull’s name.
Lighthouse Keeper – My Friend The Chocolate Cake (barbryn)
Aussie poppy swirl on one of many ‘let me be your lighthouse’ songs out there. For stormy times when there is no visibility when you can’t see beyond the first wave. She/He can be his lighthouse keeper too. A bit of an earworm for me this one.
The Beacon – Two Door Cinema Club (BanazirGalbasi)
The beacon that is calling me
The light that never dies.
Swim until you can stand. He’s coming home.
Over At The Frankenstein Place – Richard O'Brien, Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick (@tincanman2010)
Guiding light and a light in the window as a beacon here. And soon to be lost innocence. For a bit of fun, but it’s well-crafted stuff. From the movie, but not the movie scene in the rain.
Hook Head – Irish Lights (Traktor Albarost)
A shorty. Irish Lights have done a lot of songs about lighthouses. A hundred or so apparently. They need repping. Hook Head is Traktor’s favourite Irish lighthouse and the real lighthouse of the week.
Lighthouse (feat. Dice Raw) - The Roots (Loud Atlas)
And no one’s in the lighthouse
You’re face down in the ocean
And no one’s in the lighthouse.
Metaphorical but different from most. From an ‘existential concept album’ featuring the short tragic life of a character named Redford Stevens, named for a Sufjan Stevens song. A young black kid who goes down the wrong road. He narrates all the raps in effect.
In this track, things are dark, Redford contemplates suicide, feeling there is no one who cares and no one to light the way. The hook by Dice Raw is my favourite bit.
Light Of Fire – Prince Far I (Uncleben)
Jah leads Moses et al with a cloud by day and a light of fire by night. Working Exodus 13:21 on this one. Dreadly. For a long time it was The Fashioneers on the A, but Far I being a bit tougher swung it late.
Guiding Light – Television (George Boyland)
This one I expected, and it was the first nom. I’ve had this album since school mumble, mumble years ago. Would also work in a ‘Rose’ or ‘Yesterday’ week.
Good Blood Mexico City – Elbow (ParaMhor)
Follow your lodestar
Starry eyes.
Our lodestar song of the week. Slightly shoehorned, but I like it and the abrupt ending.
To The Lighthouse – Olivia Chaney (severin)
And I can see the lighthouse
Is where you want to be
With its beacon of danger
Ancient mystery.
New one about her sister who moved from the city to a shore and (I think) a lighthouse. There is metaphor in the gales and storms. Beautifully clear and emotive. The words repay multiple listens. Really should be more prominent.
Lighthouse – The Waifs (George Boyland)
The lighthouse can light the way, but that is all. It’s up to you to steer your own ship. One of my faves by The Waifs. Better lyrics than many lighthouse metaphor songs.
Gravitate To Me – The The (Nilpferd)
I am the lighthouse
I am the sea
I am the air that you breathe
Gravitate to me.
The harmonica continues. Breathily mixing metaphors here. No matter, there is a lighthouse and a tasty Johnny Marr contribution.
Etoile Polaire – Philip Glass (TatankaYotanka)
A shorty. One of your North Star songs, used to orient or guide in the Northern Hemisphere. Representing stars, the original guiding lights.
Everlasting Light – The Black Keys (Shoegazer)
This nom was the one following the Glass one above. So I let fate be my guiding light and left them as such. Nothing in common except everlasting light - stars are everlasting lights on a human timescale and so is the lovelight from the Keys. Just enough specific guiding to get it up, notwithstanding the shepherding. Love the build to the end, boys.
Lentísimo Halo – Juana Molina (Nilpferd)
Ignis fatuus or will-o'-the-wisps are ghost lights appearing and disappearing close to the ground. Different causes prosaically, but a huge folklore and mythology across the world. Often drawing people to them, leading them astray. That’s enough shoehorn for me. They can appear to chase too, including the Australian variant, the Min-Min Light.
Molina’s halo is the luz mala or ‘evil light’. In Argentinian folklore it can mark dead animal bones or treasure with the luz mala being the ghost of the owner to drive those away. Maybe drawn to it, but you shouldn’t mess with the light.
Lighthouse – Hawkwind (BanazirGalbasi)
Lighthouse and guiding star here. In fact, a lighthouse guiding star which is beaming to the cosmos. Take a fix and light the lasers in your heart.
The All-Night A-List Playlist:
Clear White Light Part 2 – Lindisfarne (ShivSidecar)
Lighthouse Keeper – My Friend The Chocolate Cake (barbyn)
The Beacon – Two Door Cinema Club (BanazirGalbasi)
Over At The Frankenstein Place – Richard O'Brien, Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick (@tincanman2010)
Hook Head – Irish Lights (Traktor Albarost)
Lighthouse (feat. Dice Raw) - The Roots (Loud Atlas)
Light Of Fire – Prince Far I (Uncleben)
Guiding Light – Television (George Boyland)
Good Blood Mexico City – Elbow (ParaMhor)
To The Lighthouse – Olivia Chaney (severin)
Lighthouse – The Waifs (George Boyland)
Gravitate To Me – The The (Nilpferd)
Etoile Polaire – Philip Glass (TatankaYotanka)
Everlasting Light – The Black Keys (Shoegazer)
Lentísimo Halo – Juana Molina (Nilpferd)
Lighthouse – Hawkwind (BanazirGalbasi)
The Beacon B-List:
Eddystone Light – The Seekers (severin)
The old sea shanty. A bit racy for Judith and the buoys boys what with the human/mermaid sex and all. Nearly in the A for a joke.
Look For The Light – Meryl Streep and Ashley Park (Shashvat Shukla)
Her love is a lighthouse, so look for the light. It swells show tune-style with Ashley, but for me it’s better when it’s just Meryl. She really is some performer.
The Light On The Shore – Karine Polwart (Suzi)
He’s leaving. She isn’t happy but the draw of the light is working. Pipped for the A by the stunning Olivia Chaney song.
Lighthouse – Kris Delmhorst (Fred Erickson)
Kris is living in a lighthouse now. She’s looking out for him/her and will shine the light to guide him/her to her.
Lighthouse (Song For Two Mothers) – Archie Roach (@tincanman2010)
Archie’s moving song to the two ‘mothers’ of a black child called Louis St John who was murdered. His birth mother and his foster mother. Archie had two mothers too, being part of the Stolen Generation.
Marie Christine – Gordon Lightfoot (@tincanman2010)
Marie is a talking ship. Captain and crew don’t know where the lighthouse is. The captain desperately asks his ‘wretched lot’ if they have seen the lighthouse. Oh, the drama. But one can imagine the real panic on the old sailing ships near rocks but no light they think should be there.
Sea Of Heartbreak – Don Gibson (Shoegazer)
Love it. Don’s lost on the sea of heartbreak and wants to get back to shore. Harbour lights are mentioned. Shoey made a strong case that in this context they were beacons but not quite enough and I couldn’t fit on the A. Other harbour light songs nommed. This the closest.
Grace Darling – Strawbs (Noodsy)
This one has big production and presumably is playing on a real Grace Darling, who assisted her lighthouse keeper father in the rescue from the wrecked ship Forfarshire in 1838. Although it’s about a darling called Grace, not a biography of the heroic Grace Darling. It’s zedded or a good shot at the A for a real person reference.
Guiding Light – The Fashioneers (TatankaYotana)
I and I see a star
A calling star.
More than one reggae guiding light song out there. Typically, Jah is the light. A couple nommed. Here a light to follow to leave Babylon for Zion. Trod on! Just pipped by Prince Far I for the A.
(Be My) Lighthouse – Bim Sherman (Uncleben)
Bim runs the gamut of lighthouse clichés here. Put another way, he covers all the benefits of having a lighthouse to guide. It’s the On U Sound production that carries it along. Hard to believe, but I couldn’t find a spot on the A.
灯台 [Lighthouse] – Bialystocks (ajostu)
Lamp light beam of light, slowly turns, shining out in all directions
Over and over
All alone, standing firm, always there
Over and over
Those who leave like the waves of the sea
In the depths of night encountered.
Japanese, interesting sound. Lyrics courtesy of ajostu say it all about lighthouses. Just couldn’t fit it on the A.
El Faro de Lisboa – Revolver (Maki)
A sad story of a couple parted for 50 years, but who still write, and who both keep the letters in suitcases. They finally agree to meet up, his suitcase is stolen, then he dies on the way. The thief reads the letters and tries to deliver them, but she has also died. The thief then scatters the letters at the Lisbon lighthouse so they can be together.
Shining Symbol – Roy Ayers (pejepeine)
From the Coffy soundtrack. Plenty of cool, even great, blaxploitation soundtrack music was made. But not enough light in the shine here for the A.
The House Of Blue Lights – Freddie Slack and Ella Mae Morse (@tincanman2010)
Swing it, Daddyo! Fred and Ella negotiate where they are going dancing. A blue light outside can be a beacon that calling hep cat rug cutters.
Lightworks – Atlas Sound (vanwolf2)
Everywhere I look, there is a light and it will guide the way he says. Sounds a bit confusing to me!
The Tower – No Means No (happyclapper)
Bruising. Malignant red beacon. Scary.
Pharology – Amiina (severin)
Sev noted these Icelandic pharophiles played gigs in lighthouses. Live videos on YT. But not lighthouse songs, apart from this one. From Pharos, where the big lighthouse was. This one is a very long instrumental. Suitable for some gruff wickie to while away the time.
Beacon B-List Playlist:
Eddystone Light – The Seekers (severin)
Look For The Light – Meryl Streep and Ashley Park (Shashvat Shukla)
The Light On The Shore – Karine Polwart (Suzi)
Lighthouse – Kris Delmhorst (Fred Erickson)
Lighthouse (Song For Two Mothers) – Archie Roach (@tincanman2010)
Marie Christine – Gordon Lightfoot (@tincanman2010)
Sea Of Heartbreak – Don Gibson (Shoegazer)
Grace Darling – The Strawbs (Noodsy)
Guiding Light – The Fashioneers (TatankaYotana)
(Be My) Lighthouse – Bim Sherman (Uncleben)
灯台 [Lighthouse] – Bialystocks (ajostu)
El Faro de Lisboa – Revolver (Maki)
Shining Symbol – Roy Ayers (pejepeine)
The House Of Blue Lights – Freddie Slack and Ella Mae Morse (@tincanman2010)
Lightworks – Atlas Sound (vanwolf2)
The Tower – No Means No (happyclapper)
Pharology – Amiina (severin)
The Guiding Guest Guru G-List Playlist:
Solitary Lament – Mary Finsterer
A short and quiet tune, only evocative of the lighthouse tale, under a grey watery sky. From the soundtrack of the movie South Solitary. About an unlikely love story set at a lighthouse on a rock off Australia. Unlikely, but inevitable – it's a movie after all.
O Farol (Da Cruz De Sal) - Paulo Bragança
My soul is in a lighthouse
My eyes fixed at the sea
And beyond, in the sun, your look
Bitter taste of salt
Bitter fatal white
And beyond, in the sun, our look
I'm a broken trace
A halved rhombus
In the forgotten sea.
Portuguese lighthouse of the salt cross. From a comp. Modern fado, I guess. Pejepeine might advise. Lyrics something like the above, and a bit oblique.
Let Your Light Shine On Me – Blind Willie Johnson
Old gospel tune. May be familiar. Willie brought it to secular ears. It was done by many of the usual suspects in the 60s folk boom and there are gospel choir versions. The Seekers was nommed for a version but not one of their best. Possibly bad form on my part to guru pick another version.
My Guiding Star – Horace Andy
There are numerous reggae guiding star songs. A couple listed. But you can never have too many and this one from 1973 gave rise to many more tunes on the Guiding Star riddim. And this guiding star isn’t Jah as per usual.
Notable version by Tappa Zukie, sampling Horace. Check it out if keen, but not if you don’t want to hear the ‘N’ word. Let Jah be your guiding star on that.
Into The Light – Mark Korven
From The Lighthouse soundtrack. It’s moody. It's played on his own instrument, the Apprehension Engine.
These playlists were inspired by readers' song nominations in response to last week's topic: Beckoning beacons: songs about lighthouses and guiding lights. The next topic will launch on Thursday after 1pm UK time.
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