Everything But The Girl - RodneyOlsen.net

What are the songs that make up the soundtrack of your life?

This is the first of what I hope to be a regular series of posts about some of the music that I love and the part it has played in my life.

I’d encourage you to get involved too. Let me know about some of the songs that are etched in your mind. What are the tunes that bring back a flood of memories every time their opening notes start cranking out on your stereo? Are there songs you love for their music and others that speak deeply through their lyrics?

The song I want to highlight this time around is Come on Home by Everything But The Girl.

Back in the late 80s I was watching a music video show on TV when I saw the video for this song. It was the first time I’d seen or heard anything of Everything But The Girl. While the song itself doesn’t really speak about any situation with which I could really identify, the sound of the orchestra and Tracey Thorn’s vocals had me from hello.

Since then I’ve collected quite a number of EBTG CDs and many of their songs have meant a lot to me at different times. I’ll probably feature some more of their music in coming weeks because they truly are amazing. I very easily get caught up in the lyrics of the music I listen to and Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt, who make up EBTG, have written some great ones over the years.

If you’re not familiar with them you can check out this video.

The album that Come on Home came from, Baby the Stars Shine Bright, also played a significant role in my most significant relationship. I won’t say any more than that but here are the lyrics to the song that caught my heart and well and truly earned its place in the soundtrack of my life.

Come on Home

Baby come home, I miss the sound of the door
Your step on the stair’s not there to wake me no more
And every day’s like Christmas Day without you
It’s cold and there’s nothing to do

And it’s mighty quiet here now that you’re gone
I’ve been behaving myself for too long
‘Cause I don’t like sleeping
or painting the town on my own
So please come on home

Baby, what’s keeping you all this time
You’re wasting your days out there in the sunshine
And who can I turn to if you believe still
That England don’t love you and she never will

For it’s mighty quiet here now that you’re gone
And I’ve been behaving myself for too long
I don’t like sleeping
Or watching TV on my own
So please come on home

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I was listening to an old CD by English duo Everything But The Girl a few days ago and one of their songs got me thinking again.

Lonesome for a Place I Know talks about the connection we have to our home lands. We can often see the faults in our own countries or cities and see the benefits of other places but there’s still something that calls us back to the place we know.

I love the second verse of the song that talks about being born outside of place and time. If that were the case would we still choose to live where we do? Do we live where we do because it’s our choice or because we’re tied by birth or something else? If those ties didn’t exist, where would we choose to do life?

Lonesome for a Place I Know

So here we are in Italy
With a sun hat and a dictionary.
The air is warm, the sky is bright,
Your arms are brown you’re sleeping well at night.
So why does England call?
The hedgerows and the townhalls.
After all, there’ll soon be nothing left at all.

If we were born outside of place and time,
To make our choice, well this would be mine.
To live and die under a sun that shines.
But something pulls, something I can’t define
Tells me England calls, whatever she’s done wrong.
Always calls, “This is where you belong.”
And I’m lonesome for a place I know.

Oh but Florence you tempt me (here) to stay,
Amidst your hills to while my years away.
But your roots in soil lie, mine in paving stone.
And I hate what it’s become, but in my bones
I’m lonesome for a place I know.
Why does England call?

I must say that Australia, and in particular Perth, is a fairly good choice all round. I haven’t travelled as much as I’d like but I have been overseas and through much of Australia and I would still choose Perth over anything I’ve seen.

Having said that, I need to question if that’s the ties of being born here or if I’d still choose Perth if I was born somewhere else. I guess I’ll never really know.

What about you? Have you chosen to live somewhere other than your homeland? Does your homeland still call? Can you feel truly at home in either place?

Have you lived in the same place for most of your life? Would you move if you had the opportunity?

What does ‘home’ really mean for you?

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Tag - Everything But The Girl