[peel] Re: Friday Rock Show v Festive Fifty

[Martin Wheatley]

At 15:31 23/10/2005, you wrote:
 >
 >--- thebarguest <thebarguest@...> wrote:
 >
 >> "O Superman" from 1981/2 is over 8 mins long.
 >> By the American female singer Laurie Anderson.
 >> Surprisingly for such an avant-garde, minimalist
 >> song, it got to number 2 in the main UK chart as
 >> well as the FF.
 >>
 >> Teddy Lester
 >
 >I was listening to it the other week with a pal who
 >didn't know it. We were astounded to think that it was
 >nearly a Number One. Still sounds weird after all
 >these years. Also, check out the following lyrics
 >
 >Well, you don't know me,
 >but I know you.
 >And I've got a message to give to you.
 >Here come the planes.
 >So you better get ready. Ready to go. You can come
 >as you are, but pay as you go. Pay as you go.
 >
 >And I said: OK. Who is this really? And the voice
 >said:
 >This is the hand, the hand that takes. This is the
 >hand, the hand that takes.
 >This is the hand, the hand that takes.
 >Here come the planes.
 >They're American planes. Made in America.
 >Smoking or non-smoking?
 >And the voice said: Neither snow nor rain nor gloom
 >of night shall stay these couriers from the swift
 >completion of their appointed rounds.
 >
 >'Cause when love is gone, there's always justice.
 >And when justice is gone, there's always force.
 >
 >- sounds like an eerie premonition of 9/ll...
 >
 >pb

If you go to

http://www.archive.org/audio/audio-details-db.php?collection=other_minds&collectionid=LaurieAndersonOTG

you can hear Laurie Anderson talking about the songs origins at great length!

martinw