McLean - 'Finally In Love'
Apparently, even though we all use words to talk to each other, all of the time; even though texting and MSN and Facebook and Twitter and social media all rely on words; even though reading and writing are still as central to our everyday lives as they have ever been, we're all doing it wrong.
There's a new organisation, called The Queen's English Society, which is devoted to working out if we're allowed to continue saying OMG or, like, LIKE, in our sentences. And if we are not, well they're going to...actually I'm not sure what they are going to do, but whatever it is, it will definitely contain more grammars than a day centre for the elderly.
McLean's latest, while it is a fine thing, runs the risk of appearing in the minutes of a future QES meeting, and may even provoke a wrathful response. It might be a pretty song with a marshmellow-soft chorus and some of those chunter-synths that everyone seems to like using nowadays, and it might express the triumph of love over cynicism in quite a charming and witty way, but does that make it RIGHT? Does it make it CORRECT? It does not.
(. It's spacey.)
Look, I even managed to find a report for the Society which has been sent back FROM THE FUTURE* so we can all see what the problems are. Here's a sample:
"Having spent a most pleasant few minutes in the company of this stirring musical presentation, I have some concerns. Speficially, What does Mr McLean mean by "den there was you"? What is he attempted to convey when he says "den there was all of dese feelings"?
Leaving aside momentarily the horrendous mispronunciation of the beautiful words in our mother tongue, there is also the not inconsiderable error of saying "was" instead of "were" in the latter sentence. This is exactly the kind of wilful horror that the Queen's English Society exists to stamp out.
And the less said about "and I want to feel this good for the rest of my life", the better. Except to say it should be "and I want to feel as good as this, for the rest of my life".
[Transcript interrupted by bickering at this point. It resumes some minutes later.]
I mean yes, clearly he is attempting to express a strong emotion, and he is doing it using the mode of language and delivery which would be very familiar to his audience. It is, in one sense, absolutely right that he does so. But in another, more important sense, it is entirely wrong.
I notice he makes some effort towards listing the five vowels throughout the song - for which he should be commended - but he only seems to be able to manage the A and the O. This is a searing inditement of current educational standards. Where is the glorious E? Why, in a popular song which is devoted to matters of the heart, does he have such trouble bringing U and I together?
Forgive me, that is a little bit of lexicography humour. Do you remember I used it after our last slide-show presentation of hand-made signs which mis-use the apostrophe? As I recall, the atmosphere was already very jolly, and this only added to the levity of the situation."
So, like, there we have it?
Download: 14th June
±«Óãtv Music page
(Fraser McAlpine)
"The song's story is one many can relate to, which will probably make it a big hit."
"'Finally In Love' is a slick R&B ballad with lyrics as sentimental as the ending of a Richard Curtis film."
* By which I mean MADE UP IN MY HEAD.
Comment number 1.
At 11th Jun 2010, OddOne wrote:Another highly polished, smooth and silk production from McLean I see. That's interesting that is... After his breakthrough Top 10 single 'My Name' (which I couldn't help laugh at because at the time I was playing Bill Sykes in a musical production of 'Oliver!', and that was my solo song. A very different vibe...) McLean was left with the decision to either do something different; show so versatility y'know? Or he could just do more of the same.
Three guesses which he finally chose to do...
As with 'My Name', (and also his début single 'Broken') the lyrics are a very smoochy-smoochy, affectionate affair with plenty of wobbling synths and a typical R&B beat. Slightly dreary, but it's sure to bode well with many people as it's something many can to relate to.
You've got to hand it to the guy, he's very good at producing these 'unlucky-in-love' R&B ballads. Unfortunately for McLean 'unlucky-in-love' R&B ballads aren't my cup of tea.
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Comment number 2.
At 11th Jun 2010, OddOne wrote:EDIT: I has a solo song called 'My Name' in 'Oliver!' which was completely different. It had a very menacing sound and certainly wasn't smoochy-smoochy... :L
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Comment number 3.
At 11th Jun 2010, CurtainJerker wrote:The irony of writing about "a searing inditement of current educational standards" would be hilariously ironic if this were a real report by the Queen's English Society, since the word is actually spelt "indictment".
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Comment number 4.
At 11th Jun 2010, CurtainJerker wrote:The irony would be hilariously ironic? Oops. You get my point though.
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Comment number 5.
At 11th Jun 2010, spirit wrote:Yeah , another smooth song from McLean , with a lilting , memorable chorus that will follow My Name into the top 40.
A lot of people are gonna love this .
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Comment number 6.
At 11th Jun 2010, spirit wrote:Hey , Curtains , lovin the irony , but would love you even more ,you handsome Scottish hunk , if you went on Jedward and gave us a review of the DELAYS gig you went to recently .
Were you really "Lost in a Melody " ?
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Comment number 7.
At 12th Jun 2010, thranjax wrote:Care for a biscuit?
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