Volume 4 of the Playlist is another installment of “general”
Shaun and Lea songs… but if you contrast and compare it with the “general” songs
from Volume 1, it’s a pretty cool testament to the variety of material
generated when multiple like-minded folks come together from different corners
of the world!
Take a look/listen…
Songwriter: Tom Higgenson
Submitted by: CosmicLightning113
Endorsed by: Angelica
Comments from CosmicLightning113: "I'm the author of a Shea FanFic on AO3 called 'It's What You Do To Me,' which as the title implies takes inspiration from the song 'Hey There Delilah' by the Plain White Ts. Not only do I just like this song, but I feel it fits very well to Shaun and Lea's situation. The lyrics and melody tell a very bittersweet story about two people who are loyal to each other despite being separated by life and circumstances…the heartbreak of not being able to be together, but still hanging onto that love because of this glimmer of hope that it can still be realized one day.
“'Hey There Delilah' is romantic, but not very sexual, which I think is really important for Shea since their relationship goes much deeper than just physical attraction. The chorus 'It's What You Do To Me' is an allegory for the crux of Shaun and Lea's relationship, that they make each other more. They love each other because of what they do to each other, make one another the best versions of themselves, and by the time they've said and done everything they wanted to each other 'the world will never ever be the same.' It's a little overdramatic, but Shaun and Lea both are. ;)"
Comment from Me: All I have to add is… CosmicLighting113, please feel free to include a link to your fanfic (or other directions to access it) in the comments!
Wait, I do have something else: It gets trickier when lyrics
seem very specific… referencing a proper name (that isn’t “Lea”) here; also
both this track and “I Like Me Better” (from Volume 1 of the Playlist)
referenced New York City. But the simple fact that “Hey There…” made it to the
top of Billboard Hot 100 back in 2007 is a testament to its mass appeal.
SAMPLE LYRIC:
Our friends would all make fun of us
and we'll just laugh along because we know
That none of them have felt this way
Delilah I can promise you
That by the time we get through
The world will never ever be the same
And you're to blame
--
SONG: “Power of Love” by Huey Lewis & The
News
(Popularized in the Back to the Future films)
Submitted by: Tony
Comments from Tony: "It’s a great up-tempo love song
that serves Shea well…in it, the singer describes the emotional highs and lows,
and the inherent fears and joys that come with love. The second verse goes:
First time you feel it might make you sad
Next time you feel it might make you mad
But you'll be glad, baby, when you've found
That's the power that makes the world go 'round
It’s strong and it’s sudden, it can be cruel sometimes
But it might just save your life
That’s the power of love!
"Lea and Shaun have DEFINITELY enjoyed the great highs, endured the lows, and are overcoming the fears. And we all get to share in the great joy for these two as we head into Season 4!"
--
SONG: “Perpetuum Mobile” by Penguin Cafe Orchestra
Composer: Simon Jeffes
Submitted by: Andreas
Comment from Me: Here is the second (so far) instrumental contribution to the Playlist! I’ll let Andreas explain…
"The piece opens with wind section solemn and slow, then a
"I like to think that the solemn wind section is representing Shaun and his new life in San Jose with strict routines and hard work at the start of season 1, and Lea as the sassy piano that knocks on his door and instantly they resonate with each other.
"Over time, they learn to communicate better, as the melody unfolds and gets more and more animated, they grow on each other – they make each other more.
"I also like 'Perpetuum Mobile' for Shea because it has no 'grand gestures' in it but flows in a measured pace, just as Shea has been a slow burn with small gestures. (Who would ever have thought that the hanging of TP and alphabetized canned good could carry a deeper meaning through 2 entire seasons?!?)"
SONG: “I Love” by Official Higeotoko dism, or Official髭男dism
Songwriter: Satoshi Fujiwara
Submitted by: Faghost
Comments from Faghost: “This is a Japanese rock song. If you turn on the CC, you'll see the translated lyrics. I just think that the meaning of the song really fits how Shaun and Lea think/feel about each other.
(using the translation provided in the CC subtitles)
I wouldn’t have even noticed
These vivid colors if I was alone
You feigned ignorance, said it’s normal
So let me finish what I started saying to you—“I Love…”
-- really speaks from Lea's perspective of Shaun. Like Shaun was okay, he didn't understand love before, but he somehow always knew he loves Lea… but Lea, she needs Shaun and things or people around her to really snap it into her self-esteem that she does love Shaun and can love Shaun and will always continue to love Shaun.. because the fact is they changed each other's world, for the better, for the more.”
Comment from Me: I’m just thrilled to have a non-English language song on the Playlist! (And of course, I’m open to hearing more if any readers have them!)
SONG: “At the Beginning” by Donna Lewis & Richard Marx
Songwriter: Richard Marx, Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens
Submitted by: Kelli, but it was really Amy Danko’s idea…
SAMPLE LYRIC:
Never dreaming, what we'd have to go through
Now here we are, I'm suddenly standing
At the beginning with you
(Marx's part) No one told me I was going to find you
Unexpected, what you did to my heart
When I lost hope, you were there to remind me
This is the start
Remember, this project is a work in progress… if you’ve
got a #Shea-suitable song (or songs) to suggest, check out this post to find out how to do it!
4 comments:
What a treat, getting to listen to such a mixture of songs. It also goes to show there's not just one "type" of Shea fan; we come from all over with so many contributing styles!
One thing I sometimes do in my head when I hear the Plain White T's song is make a slight parody of it, so that it comes out "Hey There Dilallo". Nice song, and I agree with the fitting lyrics!
Faghost gave us a very cool Japanese-spoken song. It's also great when we can mix these uptempo love songs with the ballads, to show that a great love song can either be reverent, uplifting, and/or downright fun!
Andreas, thanks for the Instrumental! I think you summed up the feelings about communication perfectly. In the course of 4 and a half minutes, we're able to appreciate each aspect of the ensemble - and then the combination of it! Just as we've been able to do with Shaun and Lea over the course of three seasons: enjoy their individual contributions to the show - as well as what they bring as a unit.
And Amy/Kelli, you took the artists responsible for two of my favorite Pop love songs ("Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx, and "I Love You Always Forever" by Donna Lewis) and gave us this wonderful duet. It's been a while since I've heard it, but I do remember listening to Casey's Countdown (Casey Kasem's Adult Contemporary spinoff of AT40), where this song did very well. And like you both said, this song really serves the word "encompass" just as perfectly as the Season 3 finale did!
Thanks once again to all - for helping to keep this off-season rolling!!
Thank you, Kelli. All those hours of my adolescence spent with the radio, surfing stations to listen to everything from the then-current Top 40 and Alternative hits to oldies (which to me are songs from the 1950s and '60s) and The Great American Songbook have paid off. I still listen to a lot of music.
Tony, I always enjoy reading your comments. You have such incredible insights into Shea. And may I say that "Hey There Dilallo" is a clever play on words.
I've never actually seen Anastasia, but "At the Beginning" has always been one of my most favorite pop duets. And I'm a Richard Marx fan from the beginning of his career, which coincided with my preteen years, and I also love "Right Here Waiting."
I love that we're such a diverse group of fans united in our love for Shea, and we each bring our own viewpoints and songs that make us think of them to the virtual table here.
I’ve got another song to propose that holds a deeply personal connotation to me since the late 90’s.
Mark Williams & Tara Morice – “Time After Time”
https://youtu.be/RcN0b7J_PfE
It’s part of the soundtrack of the quirky Australian movie „Strictly Ballroom“, in which the hotshot ballroom dancer Scott struggles to establish his personal style that does not conform to ballroom rules.
Meeting the introvert Fran, Scott learns to tame his cockiness while Fran leaves her comfort zone for the first time. For becoming dancing partners and ultimately lovers, they have to confront not only their own shortcomings, but overbearing parents, ignorant friends and the dancing federation, all who try to separate them.
While the plot seems very different, the motives and themes used to tell the story are very similar to what we have come to love with #Shea, although applied in a different mix, up to the point where the couples express their special bond in an act of music, here with ballroom dancing, there with karaoke.
The lyrics of "Time After Time" speak of the inner struggle of two very different characters, that have way to adjust to each other (for which dancing is a good metaphor just as singing a [karaoke] duet).
In the context of #Shea, I like to think that especially episodes 316/317 or the arc of becoming roommates resonate with verses like:
Im walking too far ahead/
You're calling to me, I can't hear/
What you've said/
Then you say, "go slow"/
And I fall behind/
The second hand unwinds/
More generally the lyrics describe a “delicate dance” of alternating distance and proximity without ever letting go completely – just as Shaun and Lea danced around each other since season 1.
I might add that fellow commenter CosmicLightning113 used this song in his fanfic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23490952/chapters/56325607
YES! Hey There Delilah got mentioned finally. You make a good point that songs which use proper names or refer to specific concepts/locations can be difficult to apply universally, that's a fair criticism. Still, I like the song enough that I was willing to make an exception.
Tony, "Hey There Dilallo" xD That's great. I also sometimes listen to it as simply "Hey there DeiLEA" since the word "Lilah" does sound phonetically similar to Lea, though that one's a bit more of a stretch and the ""Dei" doesn't make much sense otherwise.
Here's the link to my FanFiction: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23490952
It's also on FanFiction.com by the same name if you can't/don't use Ao3.
Andreas has been so kindly helping me write out plot details and acting as a creative consultant. He deserves credit for how it came out just as much as I do. However I should put out the version of Time After Time I intended to use was the original Cyndi Lauper version, though I suppose Mark Williams & Tara Morice work too.
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