Ellie Goulding - 'The Writer'
I love it when a song deliberately tries to throw you off the rhythmic scent when it starts. If you've ever heard 'Cecilia' by Simon and Garfunkel, or 'Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey' by the Beatles (both highly recommended, if you have not) you might be familiar with the rising sense of tension that comes from KNOWING you're hearing it wrong - that you can't quite anticipate when the singing will start, and what rhythm you're supposed to be clapping along to. Then there's the desperate hope that you can sort it out in your head quickly, because as soon as the singers do arrive, you'll be all wrong-footed, hot-faced and foolish.
It's like a very short crossword puzzle which resets itself every time the song starts.
This has that very same kind of introduction. The way the piano strikes up over the sparkling seabed of synths, the way everything reverberates and pulses, well it's an effort of will to remember to count in threes instead of fours, so that when Ellie starts singing it all makes sense.
Granted, it might just be me that has this problem.
(. Lighthouse owners, don't you wish YOU had your very own pop star?)
It's important to realise that the girl narrating this song is not being treated well. This is not about someone who has the ambition to be a writer or an artist (or for that matter, a painting or the subject of a poem) and she's begging her boyfriend to help her reinvent herself.
No, this is the sorry tale of someone who is so desperate to gain the love and affection of the man in her life she effectively wants him to erase her personality, all her wants and likes and character, to make her into the person he would want to pay attention to. It might even feel like the right thing to do, such is the destructive power of bad love.
Put into that context, Ellie's frail wailing in the chorus and calm, disappointed verses gather up the resentment, hope, frustration and self-doubt and channel them into a thing of total beauty, all the while recognising that the person who has created it - the girl in the song - has done so knowing the one person she's doing it for doesn't really care. She's painted her masterpiece on the wall and he's going to wallpaper over it, as soon as he's had a nap. Heartbreaking, eh?
One final thing about songs from the olden days. Anyone who has ever been swept up in the glorious sparkling lovely smashing adjective adjective work of the Sundays (ask your dad) will recognise some of this song's three-legged lurch, particularly 'My Finest Hour'. Anyone who has not is recommended to give them a go as soon as is humanly possibly.
Oh and then go and find the person you love most and give them a hug, just for being them.
Download: Out now
±«Óãtv Music page
(Fraser McAlpine)
"The chorus of The Writer would sound fantastic when placed in the weepy moments of an American teen drama."
"Ellie has a interesting way of phrasing and singing, which comes across heavily in [this] acoustic version."
"I just want to marry her now and buy a second, third, fourth album!"
Comment number 1.
At 4th Aug 2010, OddOne wrote:Finally! I thought she'd never release it!
4 stars.
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Comment number 2.
At 4th Aug 2010, spirit wrote:"The Writer" is one of Ellie's best songs , and boasts a chorus that is pure gold , dripped in a lilting melody.
Absolute magic .
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Comment number 3.
At 4th Aug 2010, spirit wrote:Ironically , I remember her current boyfriend playing it on the radio months ago , and saying how brilliant it was .
He was not wrong.
He has good taste on many levels . :)
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Comment number 4.
At 6th Aug 2010, flatknees wrote:current boyfriend being?? who do i need to destroy? really good track with an epic chorus.. still think 'your biggest mistake' is better though..
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Comment number 5.
At 6th Aug 2010, MusicistheDoor wrote:Love seeing my blog listed here! Thanks a lot! And yes, I do love her! Would love to see it listed too in the ChartBlog Links though.
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Comment number 6.
At 7th Aug 2010, spirit wrote:This is your mission Flatknees .
You have 24 hours to name Ellie's current squeeze !
Your time starts now . . .
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Comment number 7.
At 7th Aug 2010, flatknees wrote:frankmusik?
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Comment number 8.
At 7th Aug 2010, kutox wrote:A certain newspaper (not sure if I'm allowed to mention certain ones here?) revealed Ellie's current relationship in the middle of June, saying they had been 'secretly dating for months'. The following week, Ellie spoke about it openly for the first time with the same newspaper.
flatknees, you shouldn't need us to tell you who it is. You have the internet at your disposal - use it!
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Comment number 9.
At 10th Aug 2010, kutox wrote:I kinda like this song, although Ellie's voice is a bit irritating in parts - like in the chorus when she sings 'why don't you be the errrtesss'
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Comment number 10.
At 12th Aug 2010, U14429597 wrote:GREG JAMES!
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Comment number 11.
At 12th Aug 2010, spirit wrote:Well done Adam !
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Comment number 12.
At 12th Aug 2010, OddOne wrote::O!
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Comment number 13.
At 12th Aug 2010, RandomEnigma wrote:I love this track! It's so beautiful, almost brings a tear to my eye until I remember I'm not a sentimental person.
Apparently Ellie's planning on recording a folk album for her sophomore outing. I so hope she does. I appreciate the folky Guns And Horses and The Writer over the electro of Starry Eyed and Under The Sheets by far.
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Comment number 14.
At 15th Aug 2010, U14429597 wrote:Speaking of sophomore albums... When is the Ting Ting's due? I've been missing their super catchy punkiness for some time...
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Comment number 15.
At 15th Aug 2010, OddOne wrote:Their new single 'Hands' has been announced already, and it sounds amazing! It's out October 11th! Actually cannot wait; there's very little info on the album though, only that it is to be called 'Kunst'.
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Comment number 16.
At 15th Aug 2010, RandomEnigma wrote:Actually, it's going to be called Massage Kunst which isn't a rude word but is actually German for Massage Art.
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Comment number 17.
At 15th Aug 2010, Haducon2 wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 18.
At 15th Aug 2010, Haducon2 wrote:Erm, what was wrong with my comment? Are the moderators against the german language?
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Comment number 19.
At 15th Aug 2010, Haducon2 wrote:Oops, went back through the house rules, must have missed the one about comments HAVING to be in english.
It was only a sentence, the rest was in english...
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