you can has percy bysshe shelley fanmix
I realize that, between now and about this time last year my Nerd Factor has pretty much skyrocketed something ridiculous. I am thanks to cyloncurry strangely obsessed with Battlestar Galactica, spend an inordinate time reading superhero comics, and am minoring in Latin.
That said, I'm about to damn myself further. Here's a fanmix for Percy Bysshe Shelley. Because he was a total loser and I am too. I made the cover art and everything.
NEVER FADE AWAY: A PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY FANMIX
GLASGOW MEGA-SNAKE; mogwai
His life begins in fire & rebellion & chaos.
DON’T KNOW WHEN BUT A DAY IS GONNA COME; bright eyes
He sought guidance sans restriction. He embraced as he pushed away. He was a handful of contradictions. Above all, he hated his father -- for betraying him, and for not being who he needed him to be.
And now I have read some books
and have grown quite brave
If I could just speak up I think I would say
that there is no truth
There is only you and what you make the truth
So I will just sing my song and I’ll pass a hat
Then I’ll leave your town and never look back
No, I don’t look back because the road is clear
and laid out ahead of me
LORD ANTHONY; belle & sebastian
Even the polish of Eton & the prestige of Oxford cannot hide the cruelty of young boys. He was not a popular young man.
When will you realize it doesn’t pay
To be smarter than teachers, smarter than most boys?
“So shut your mouth, start kicking the football”
Bang on the teeth, you are off for a week, boy
You may as well take it in the guts, it can’t get worse
Just take it in the guts, it can’t get worse than this
THE NEW UNDERGROUND; guster
The French Revolution shaped the generation before, and at the same time broke them. Wordsworth, Coleridge, Southey -- disillusioned with radicalism, these men became the conservatives they had despised in their youth. In that void, new radicals arose. Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of them.
Pipe down
Stay under control
It’s getting so absurd
Soon everything will turn
It’s our time
To see the sun
There’ll be a crack
And our day will come
Maybe then we’ll be the ones
You never can be sure
The shot heard ‘round the world
IMAGINE; a perfect circle
The song for every idealist. He believed in an egalitarian society, an atheist society, a socialist society.
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say I’m a dreamer
but I’m not the only one
I hope some day you’ll join us
And the world will live as one
EXIT MUSIC (FOR A FILM); radiohead
The first time he eloped with Harriet Westbrook, the second time with Mary Godwin. Both times in the cold of night; both times as a form of rebellion.
You can laugh
A spineless laugh
We hope your rules and wisdom choke you
Now we are one
In everlasting peace
We hope that you choke that you choke
We hope that you choke that you choke
We hope that you choke that you choke
THE INFERNAL DANCE OF KING KASHCHEI; igor stravinsky
Every night Mephistopheles sang him lullabies. Maybe he invited them in.
ANY OLD ACTRESS; rasputina
For the 1816 suicides.
They saw her break through barriers forty feet high
It was the finest moment in a long life
Young boys would hang her pictures over their bed
They saw her mouth move but they couldn’t hear what she said
CATHEDRALS; jump, little children
His life was exile. At times self-imposed, at times forced upon him. He never truly did seem to find a home; had he not drowned he likely would've wandered Italy until he was worn down, into a ghost -- a whisper of poetry against stone arches.
In the shadows of tall buildings
Of open arches endlessly kneeling
Sonic landscapes echoing vistas
Someone is listening from a safe distance
The line moves slowly into a fading light
A final moment in the dead of night
In the cathedrals of New York and Rome
There is a feeling that you should just go home
And spend a lifetime finding out just where that is
STARLIGHT; muse
The flying ship was always at the corners of Shelley's imagination; the perfect woman was always just out of reach.
Hold you in my arms
I just wanted to hold you in my arms
Far away
This ship is taking me far away
Far away from the memories
Of the people who care if I live or die
I WAS A LOVER; tv on the radio
The later years in Italy became tired. His house became a war zone, and George Gordon, Lord Byron quickly became his one solace. The would talk well into the night, and spend their days together.
Ennui unbridled, let’s talk to kill the time
how many styles did you cycle through
before you were mine?
and it’s been a while since we went wild
and that’s all fine
but we’re sleepwalking through this trial
and it’s really a crime
IT'S ALL OVER BUT THE CRYING; garbage
Mary Shelley got tired as well; he wore her down. They never fully trusted one another again.
It’s all over but the crying
Fade to black I’m sick of trying
Took too much and now I’m done
It’s all over but the crying
Do you really think I’m made of stone baby?
Come on
That we only love the things we own?
Baby you’re wrong
YOU’LL NOT FEEL THE DROWNING; the decemberists
A gently violent death & the swelling of the waves.
Hear you now the captain
Heed his sorrowed cry
Weight upon your eyelids
Is dimes laid on your eyes
PLAY CRACK THE SKY; brand new
It is a song about drowning, but also a song about legacies. A story that echoes out and doubles back and never truly fades away.
They call them rogues
They travel fast and alone
One-hundred-foot faces of God’s good ocean gone wrong
What they call love is risk
‘Cause you always get hit out of nowhere
By some wave and end up on your own
This story’s old but it goes
On and on until we disappear
Of course, let's be honest. With an icon like the one I'm using, it's hard to be entirely serious. Also, with Shelly's life as a whole taken into account, it's also hard to be entirely serious. Thus, I've also added bonus stuff:
NEVER FADE AWAY: B-SIDES & EXTRAS
NUMB; linkin park
The truly sad thing is that this song is hideously accurate when it comes to Shelley and his relationship with his old man. Also, the melodrama of Linkin Park is pretty much spot-on for Mr. Percy Bysshe. I shit you not.
SEX IS NOT THE ENEMY; garbage
Shelley’s beliefs had a strong idea of the concept of free love, and this song does too. Clearly, the two should be paired together. Do disregard that Shelley believed in free love - likely in the sense polyamory - and this song extols the virtues of free sex, which Shelley, in his strangely puritan fashion, abhorred.
CARLOS, MAN OF LOVE; rodney carrington
Every good Shelley fanmix needs a song about George Gordon, Lord Byron. While listening to this song, I think it best to consider Byron’s long list of somewhat questionable lovers.
1816 THE YEAR WITHOUT A SUMMER; rasputina
It mentions Mary Shelley.
DOWNLOAD THE FANMIX HERE AND THE B-SIDES & EXTRAS HERE
Okay, and yeah. This was a bit of a GIP too, but I gave you guys free music. If you don't mind, I would like a comment if you snag. Also, if I have piqued your interest in Shelley, do pick up The Pursuit by Richard Holmes. It is truly monstrous as far as length goes, but it is also truly worth it.
That said, I'm about to damn myself further. Here's a fanmix for Percy Bysshe Shelley. Because he was a total loser and I am too. I made the cover art and everything.
NEVER FADE AWAY: A PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY FANMIX
GLASGOW MEGA-SNAKE; mogwai
His life begins in fire & rebellion & chaos.
DON’T KNOW WHEN BUT A DAY IS GONNA COME; bright eyes
He sought guidance sans restriction. He embraced as he pushed away. He was a handful of contradictions. Above all, he hated his father -- for betraying him, and for not being who he needed him to be.
And now I have read some books
and have grown quite brave
If I could just speak up I think I would say
that there is no truth
There is only you and what you make the truth
So I will just sing my song and I’ll pass a hat
Then I’ll leave your town and never look back
No, I don’t look back because the road is clear
and laid out ahead of me
LORD ANTHONY; belle & sebastian
Even the polish of Eton & the prestige of Oxford cannot hide the cruelty of young boys. He was not a popular young man.
When will you realize it doesn’t pay
To be smarter than teachers, smarter than most boys?
“So shut your mouth, start kicking the football”
Bang on the teeth, you are off for a week, boy
You may as well take it in the guts, it can’t get worse
Just take it in the guts, it can’t get worse than this
THE NEW UNDERGROUND; guster
The French Revolution shaped the generation before, and at the same time broke them. Wordsworth, Coleridge, Southey -- disillusioned with radicalism, these men became the conservatives they had despised in their youth. In that void, new radicals arose. Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of them.
Pipe down
Stay under control
It’s getting so absurd
Soon everything will turn
It’s our time
To see the sun
There’ll be a crack
And our day will come
Maybe then we’ll be the ones
You never can be sure
The shot heard ‘round the world
IMAGINE; a perfect circle
The song for every idealist. He believed in an egalitarian society, an atheist society, a socialist society.
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say I’m a dreamer
but I’m not the only one
I hope some day you’ll join us
And the world will live as one
EXIT MUSIC (FOR A FILM); radiohead
The first time he eloped with Harriet Westbrook, the second time with Mary Godwin. Both times in the cold of night; both times as a form of rebellion.
You can laugh
A spineless laugh
We hope your rules and wisdom choke you
Now we are one
In everlasting peace
We hope that you choke that you choke
We hope that you choke that you choke
We hope that you choke that you choke
THE INFERNAL DANCE OF KING KASHCHEI; igor stravinsky
Every night Mephistopheles sang him lullabies. Maybe he invited them in.
ANY OLD ACTRESS; rasputina
For the 1816 suicides.
They saw her break through barriers forty feet high
It was the finest moment in a long life
Young boys would hang her pictures over their bed
They saw her mouth move but they couldn’t hear what she said
CATHEDRALS; jump, little children
His life was exile. At times self-imposed, at times forced upon him. He never truly did seem to find a home; had he not drowned he likely would've wandered Italy until he was worn down, into a ghost -- a whisper of poetry against stone arches.
In the shadows of tall buildings
Of open arches endlessly kneeling
Sonic landscapes echoing vistas
Someone is listening from a safe distance
The line moves slowly into a fading light
A final moment in the dead of night
In the cathedrals of New York and Rome
There is a feeling that you should just go home
And spend a lifetime finding out just where that is
STARLIGHT; muse
The flying ship was always at the corners of Shelley's imagination; the perfect woman was always just out of reach.
Hold you in my arms
I just wanted to hold you in my arms
Far away
This ship is taking me far away
Far away from the memories
Of the people who care if I live or die
I WAS A LOVER; tv on the radio
The later years in Italy became tired. His house became a war zone, and George Gordon, Lord Byron quickly became his one solace. The would talk well into the night, and spend their days together.
Ennui unbridled, let’s talk to kill the time
how many styles did you cycle through
before you were mine?
and it’s been a while since we went wild
and that’s all fine
but we’re sleepwalking through this trial
and it’s really a crime
IT'S ALL OVER BUT THE CRYING; garbage
Mary Shelley got tired as well; he wore her down. They never fully trusted one another again.
It’s all over but the crying
Fade to black I’m sick of trying
Took too much and now I’m done
It’s all over but the crying
Do you really think I’m made of stone baby?
Come on
That we only love the things we own?
Baby you’re wrong
YOU’LL NOT FEEL THE DROWNING; the decemberists
A gently violent death & the swelling of the waves.
Hear you now the captain
Heed his sorrowed cry
Weight upon your eyelids
Is dimes laid on your eyes
PLAY CRACK THE SKY; brand new
It is a song about drowning, but also a song about legacies. A story that echoes out and doubles back and never truly fades away.
They call them rogues
They travel fast and alone
One-hundred-foot faces of God’s good ocean gone wrong
What they call love is risk
‘Cause you always get hit out of nowhere
By some wave and end up on your own
This story’s old but it goes
On and on until we disappear
Of course, let's be honest. With an icon like the one I'm using, it's hard to be entirely serious. Also, with Shelly's life as a whole taken into account, it's also hard to be entirely serious. Thus, I've also added bonus stuff:
NEVER FADE AWAY: B-SIDES & EXTRAS
NUMB; linkin park
The truly sad thing is that this song is hideously accurate when it comes to Shelley and his relationship with his old man. Also, the melodrama of Linkin Park is pretty much spot-on for Mr. Percy Bysshe. I shit you not.
SEX IS NOT THE ENEMY; garbage
Shelley’s beliefs had a strong idea of the concept of free love, and this song does too. Clearly, the two should be paired together. Do disregard that Shelley believed in free love - likely in the sense polyamory - and this song extols the virtues of free sex, which Shelley, in his strangely puritan fashion, abhorred.
CARLOS, MAN OF LOVE; rodney carrington
Every good Shelley fanmix needs a song about George Gordon, Lord Byron. While listening to this song, I think it best to consider Byron’s long list of somewhat questionable lovers.
1816 THE YEAR WITHOUT A SUMMER; rasputina
It mentions Mary Shelley.
DOWNLOAD THE FANMIX HERE AND THE B-SIDES & EXTRAS HERE
Okay, and yeah. This was a bit of a GIP too, but I gave you guys free music. If you don't mind, I would like a comment if you snag. Also, if I have piqued your interest in Shelley, do pick up The Pursuit by Richard Holmes. It is truly monstrous as far as length goes, but it is also truly worth it.