Tuesday 14 October 2008

Killer Opening Songs (Massive Attack - Safe From Harm)

The other day Killer Opening Songs was walking around Holborn, central London, looking for a pair of long Lycra trousers to wear whilst cycling (it's getting a bit nippy in the morning these days, although it does warm up in the afternoon) when it saw a song stumbling out of a pub (or cafe, it could not tell). It was an old melody, but my God, had it not scrubbed up well despite the years! On recognising it K.O.S. put its arm around its neck and invited it to accompany it to the bike shop.

There are songs that tumble into our lives serendipitously; they arrive unbidden and unsolicited. We might have the aptitude to make them appear as if by magic every now and then through our constant exposure to music, but the fortuitous encounter never fails to surprise the listener. And when they do arrive, we take a long walk with them, just as we would do with an old friend.

'Safe from Harm' is one of those melodies. The Killer Opening Song from Massive Attack's debut album, 'Blue Lines' (1991), this is a track that combines understated beats with very deftly musical arrangements to convey the despair and loneliness of a generation bearing the brunt of the Thatcher years. Words like 'Midnight ronkers/City slickers/Gunmen and maniacs/All will feature on the freakshow/And I can't do nothing 'bout that, no/But if you hurt what's mine/I'll sure as hell retaliate' express the dog-eat-dog society Britain had become by then. Shara Nelson's melancholy voice renders the song a soulful plea for understanding (You can free the world you can free my mind/Just as long as my baby's safe from harm tonight) whilst 3D's rapping brings a powerful dose of reality and paranoia to the track (I was lookin' back to see if you were lookin' back at me/To see me lookin' back at you).

Although other artists like Tricky and Portishead established Bristol as a hotbed of creativity, it was Massive Attack with 'Blue Lines' that provided the blueprint for what later became know as trip-hop' and 'Safe from Harm' was the Killer Opening Song that started it all. Enjoy.





Copyright 2008

16 comments:

  1. This album is essentially a fusion of great musical styles, que sE yo… Electronica, fusion, global, hip hop, r n' b, soul, world beat… This is an excellent piece of work.
    Suena riquisimo bro! Nos vemos, tony.

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  2. Gracias, bro. Nos pillamos.

    Saludos desde Londres.

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  3. It is intriguing how a song can just stumble across our path and stay with us the rest of the day or week. Sometimes I will have a song intently in my mind...not humming or singing it at all...and then WT will start to hum it. He then asks where in the world that song came from and I just smile.

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  4. Thanks for your comment, willow. Musical serendipity is one of my favourite moments.

    Greetings from London.

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  5. Hermano que bueno esta eso. Me encanta como escribes, siempre me secuestra tu mente.

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  6. Gracias, yoli. Es un placer siempre tenerte por aca.

    Saludos desde Londres.

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  7. Strange music... I don't know before...

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  8. Thanks, webradio for popping by. Trip-hop is a mix of styles, as generacionasere mentioned before. It arrived on the back of the house music that was so popular at the end of the 80s (smiley faces, remember?). The beats here are a bit slower and so is the tempo.

    Greetings from London.

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  9. Lycra biking trousers sounds a good idea. I pulled a pair of lycra trousers over my biking shorts today and it was bulky. I’d never be brave enough to bike around London.

    The lead singer has a wonderful voice, but the music sounds kind of 70’s to me.

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  10. Hi, Sarah, London is probably one of the least bike-friendly cities I've been to. It always surprises me how even in Cuba people are able to just get on their bikes and go, whereas in London there's always the eternal conundrum of cars vs bikes.

    It does certainly have an old sound, whether it is 70s or 80s, I don't know and you're right, the female singer is amazing.

    Greetings from London.

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  11. I love portishead but I had never heard of this artist. Thanks for the introduction. I'm looping this song on my ipod as I write.

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  12. i love what you had to say about the way certain songs enter our lives. i can certainly relate to that.

    i know i've heard this particular song somewhere along the way. good sound.

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  13. Yo asocio songs con people... casi que cada persona tiene sus notas musicales... o yo me las imagino así ;-)
    Saludos, Cuban!

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  14. Thanks to all of you for your kind comments.

    Yes, shine, portishead play a lot on my stereo.

    fly, Massive's msuic has been usd in TV commercials, but I can't remember which one.

    agu, yo también asocio canciones con gente. Y sobre eso tengo un una columna preparada.

    Greetings from London.

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  15. Cubaninlondon, how about Dead Can Dance? I know is another story, but they strike like a sunshine to me whenever I listen them. The best concert I had attended it!

    Hug from NY.

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  16. I have got Dead Can Dance in my scrobbler, funny enough, don eu and yes, it's appropriate for this forum, so...

    Note to self: check scrobbler on Sunday :-)

    Greetings from London.

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