Songs in Catalan II

Here's the second part of the post! :)

Blaumut - "Pa amb oli i sal"

This is a more recent song, one I used to hate last year when I lived in Catalonia. Distance has made me appreciate it, and now I really like it, especially the lyrics! :)

"Pa amb oli i sal" Fes una foto del terrat, que des d'aquí es pot veure Mart. La roba estesa, el meu agost,  un camp d'espigues i cargols. Esperarem que passi el fred i sota l'arbre parlarem de tot. Un bioritme elemental, un mar d'antenes i animals. (chorus) Els astronautes volen baix, els núvols passen com qui no diu res. Amb les butxaques a les mans,  caminarem les passes d'altres peus. Esmorzarem pa amb oli i sal, ho vestirem amb unes copes de vi. Deixant de banda la ciutat, la tarda és llarga, i potser més,  molt més, la nit. Un altre lloc, un altre temps, on parlarem amb altres déus. El meu secret subtitulat,  camins d'arròs, camins de blat. Esperarem que baixi el sol, i sota l'arbre parlarem del temps. Un bioritme elemental, un tros de vida artificial. (chorus)

"Bread with (olive) oil and salt" Take a photograph from the roof deck, because you can see Mars from here. Hanging clothes, my August, a field of cereal ears and snails. We'll wait until the cold is gone and under the tree we'll talk about everything. An elemental biorhythm, a sea of antennae and animals. (chorus) The astronauts fly low, the clouds pass by offhandedly. Pockets in hands, we'll walk other feet's steps. We'll breakfast on bread with oil and salt, we'll dress it up with glasses of wine. Leaving the city aside, the afternoon is long, and maybe  the night more, much more so. Some other place, some other time, where we'll talk to other gods. My subtitled secret, paths of rice, paths of wheat. We'll wait until the sun comes down, and under the tree we'll talk about the weather. An elemental biorhythm, a piece of artificial life. (chorus)

Antònia Font - "Alegria"

This is the only one of all the songs here that is in a different dialect of Catalan than my own, so apologies if the translation is a bit wobbly! In case you're curious, I speak a variety called "central Catalan", and this song is in Balearic Catalan: here, have a look. Again, I love this song because of the lyrics, you'll see what I mean.

"Alegria" Cau es sol de s'horabaixa dins s'horitzó damunt sa mar arrissada es avions. Cau es sol de s'horabaixa vermell i calent, me sala i m'arengada sa pell. Es penya-segat i una pluja suau de pols estel·lar. Cau es sol de s'horabaixa i plàcidament, sa gent de dutxa i omple es carrers. Cau es sol de s'horabaixa dins es meu cor, tothom s'estima i jo estim tothom. Falla sa corrent ses fireres no vendran cacauets. I alegria, ses velles se xapen de riure, es dies s'acaben i es fars il·luminen ses góndoles entre ses cases. I alegria, ses òrbites en sincronia, i es ovnis se pinyen i deixen un cràter per sempre dins sa meva vida. I alegria. Cau es sol de s'horabaixa dins s'horitzó damunt sa mar arrissada es avions. Cau es sol de s'horabaixa vermell i calent, me sala i m'arengada sa pell. Es municipals, és evident, fan aparcar bé sa gent. I alegria, ses velles se xapen de riure, es dies s'acaben i es fars il·luminen ses góndoles entre ses cases. I alegria, ses òrbites en sincronia, i es ovnis se pinyen i deixen un cràter per sempre dins sa meva vida. I alegria, ses velles se xapen de riure, es dies s'acaben i es fars il·luminen ses góndoles entre ses cases.

"Happiness" The evening sun goes down into the horizon, over the choppy sea, the planes. The evening sun goes down, red and hot, it salts and sardinizes my skin. (*1) The cliff and a soft rain of stardust. The evening sun goes down, and placidly, people shower and fill up the streets. The evening sun goes down inside my heart, everyone loves one another and I love everyone. There's a power cut, the fair stall ladies won't sell any peanuts. (*2) And happiness, the old women are in stitches, the days are ending and the lighthouses shed light on the gondolas in between the houses. And happiness, orbits in synchrony, and UFOs crash and leave a crater forever in my life. And happiness. The evening sun goes down into the horizon, over the choppy sea, the planes. The evening sun goes down red and hot, it salts and sardinizes my skin. The municipal (police), it's obvious, make people park properly. And happiness, the old women are in stitches, the days are ending and the lighthouses shed light on the gondolas in between the houses. And happiness, orbits in synchrony, the UFOs crash and leave a crater  forever in my life. And happiness, the old women are in stitches, the days are ending and the lighthouses light the gondolas in between the houses.

Translation notes

1 - I obviously invented the word "sardinize", haha, but just because the songwriter invented the Catalan equivalent too! A more elaborate explanation would be "The sea turns my skin into that of a sardine preserved in salt" ('arengada'). 

2 - The relationship between the power cut and not selling any peanuts might be a mystery for non Catalan speakers (unless you think it's because it's dark and people can't see the stalls). I rather think it's because those peanuts are "garrapinyades". This is a traditional Catalan way of preparing any kind of nuts (with a crusty coat of browned sugar), and it's typically sold from fair stalls. These fair stalls usually prepare the nuts on site with a special (electric) machine, which is why they won't be able to sell any if there's no electricity.

"Quan somrius"

This is a song recorded for a record called "Altres cançons de Nadal" (other Christmas songs), and several Catalan musicians have a part in it. It's one of my favourite Christmas songs ever (though be warned for cheesiness, as in all Christmas songs.)

"Quan somrius" Ara que la nit s'ha fet més llarga, ara que les fulles ballen danses al racó, ara que els carrers estan de festa, avui la fred duu tants records... Ara que sobren les paraules, ara que el vent bufa tan fort, avui que no em fa falta veure't ni tan sols parlar, per saber que estàs al meu costat. (chorus) És Nadal al meu cor, quan somrius content de veure'm, quan la nit es fa més freda, quan t'abraces al meu cos. I les llums de colors  m'il·luminen nit i dia les encens amb el somriure quan em parles amb el cor. És el buit que deixes quan t'aixeques, és el buit que es fa a casa quan no hi ha ningú. Són petits detalls tot el que em queda, com queda al jersei un cabell llarg. Vas dir que mai més tornaries, el temps pacient ha anat passant. Qui havia de dir que avui estaries esperant que ens trobéssim junts al teu costat? (modified chorus) És Nadal al teu cor, quan somric content de veure't, quan la nit es fa més neta, quan m'abraço al teu cos. I les llums de colors  m'il·luminen nit i dia les encèn el teu somriure quan et parlo amb el cor.

"When you smile" Now that nights are longer, now that leaves dance in the corner, now that streets are decorated for a party, today that the cold brings back many memories... Now that words are unnecessary, now that the wind blows with so much strength, today that I don't need to see you or even talk, to know that you are by my side. (chorus) It's Christmas in my heart, when you smile, happy to see me, when nights become colder, when you cuddle up to me. And the colourful lights shed light on me night and day you light them up with your smile when you talk to me with your heart. It's the emptiness you leave when you wake up, it's the emptiness that takes the house when there's no one there. It's just little details all I have left, like a long hair on a jumper. You said you'd never come back, time has gone by patiently. Who would've said that today, you'd be waiting for us to meet by your side? (modified chorus) It's Christmas in your heart, when I smile happy to see you, when nights become fresher, when I cuddle up to you. And the colourful lights shed light on me night and day, your smile lights them up when I talk to you with my heart.

I hope you liked the songs, the music and the translations, and that you go on to listen to some music in Catalan. Again, if you have any recommendations, both in Catalan or in any other language, they'll be more than welcome! :)

Songs in Catalan I

After my post about Catalan literature, it dawned on me that probably most of you don't know very much about Catalan music... So here are some songs in Catalan that I like, and a translation of the lyrics! :) Of course, this is a personal selection, and I don't mean to offend anyone by leaving their own or their favourite songs out. Also, all of these are all very mainstream pop/rock songs, so if you have any recommendations, go ahead! :)

Sau - "Boig per tu"

This is a rock ballad that has become a classic love song for Catalan speakers. It became even more of a hit after the singer (Carles Sabater) died from a heart attack, aged 36, right after a concert. The song has recently become the center of a minor "polemic" because Shakira has recorded a cover of it, in Catalan. Some people said things like "she shouldn't be singing in Catalan, she's appropriating our culture!", I think she has done a pretty good job of her cover but, as they say, haters gonna hate.

"Boig per tu" En la terra humida escric "Nena, estic boig per tu". Em passo els dies esperant la nit. Com et puc estimar si de mi estàs tan lluny? Servil i acabat, boig per tu. (chorus) Sé molt bé que des d'aquest bar jo no puc arribar on ets tu. Però dins la meva copa veig reflexada la teva llum. Me la beuré. Servil i acabat, boig per tu. Quan no hi siguis al matí les llàgrimes es perdran entre la pluja  que caurà avui. Em quedaré atrapat, ebri d'aquesta llum. Servil i acabat, boig per tu. (chorus) x 2

"Crazy about you" In the wet sand I write "Baby, I'm crazy about you". I spend my days waiting for the night. How can I love you if you're so far away from me? Servile and done with, crazy about you. (chorus) I know very well that from this bar I cannot get to where you are. But inside of my glass I see a reflection of your light. I'll drink it. Servile and done with, crazy about you. When you're not there in the morning, my tears will be lost in the rain that will fall down today. I'll become trapped, drunk on this light. Servile and done with, crazy about you. (chorus) x 2

Sopa de Cabra - "L'Empordà"

This one is, again, a classic of Catalan rock ("rock català", very popular in the 90s). I was obsessed over this band when I was a teenager, and though this is probably not my favourite song by them, it's their most popular. I think most Catalan people have drunkenly sung this at least once... haha. I chose this video because it's full of pictures of the shire in Catalonia the song is named after. (Sorry about the cheesy square transitions between photographs, though) This is a live recording, you can hear the audience singing along and the singer at the beginning of the video saying "Teniu ganes de seguir cantant, o què?" (Do you fancy singing some more, or what?). The audience obviously answers "Sí!" (Yes). :)

"L'Empordà" Nascut entre Blanes i Cadaqués, molt tocat per la tramuntana. D'una sola cosa en pots estar segur, quant més vell més tocat de l'ala. (chorus) Sempre deia que a la matinada es mataria, però cap al migdia anava ben torrat. Somriu i diu que no té pressa, "Ningú m'espera allà dalt, i anar a l'infern no m'interessa, és molt més bonic l'Empordà". I varen passar ampolles i anys, i en Siset encara aguantava. Dormint la mona a la vora del Ter, però ell mai no s'hi tirava. (chorus) x2 "I quan veig la llum de l'alba se'm treuen les ganes de marxar. Potser que avui no em suïcidi, potser ho deixi fins demà." Fins demà... Fins demà...

"The 'Empordà'" (*1) Born in between Blanes and Cadaqués (*2) very much "touched" by the North wind. (*3) You can be sure of only one thing, the older the crazier. (chorus) He always said he'd kill himself in the small hours, but by midday he was out of his face drunk. He smiles and says there's no hurry: "No one is waiting for me up there, and going to Hell doesn't appeal to me, the Empordà is much more beautiful". Bottles and years went by, and Siset still hung in there. (*4) Sleeping it off by the river Ter, (*5) but never throwing himself in it. (chorus) x 2 "And when I see the light of dawn I don't fancy going away anymore. Maybe I shouldn't kill myself today, I'll put it off until tomorrow." Until tomorrow... Until tomorrow...

Translation notes:

1 - The 'Empordà' is a shire in North-East Catalonia, currently divided in two: l'Alt i el Baix Empordà (High and Low Empordà)
2 - Blanes and Cadaqués are two towns in the coastline, they broadly encompass the Empordà coastline.
3 - "Touched" in Catalan has the same nuances as in English: if someone is defined as "touched", that means they are crazy.
4 - "Siset" is an endearing nickname for someone called "Narcís" (lit. Narcissus), a very traditional and old-fashioned Catalan first name.
5 - The river Ter has its spring at the Pyrenees, it goes through Girona and ends at the Mediterranean sea at L'Estartit, in the Low Empordà.

Dani Flaco - "Que tinguem sort"

This is a cover version of a song by Lluís Llach, a very famous Catalan singer-songwriter. I chose Dani Flaco's cover because I just like it better!

"Que tinguem sort" Si em dius adéu, vull que el dia sigui net i clar. Que cap ocell trenqui l'harmonia del seu cant. Que tinguis sort, i que trobis el que t'ha mancat  amb mi. Si em dius "et vull", que el sol faci el dia molt més llarg. I així robar temps al temps d'un rellotge aturat. Que tinguem sort, que trobem tot el que ens va mancar  ahir. (chorus) I així pren, i així pren, tot el fruit que et pugui donar. El camí que poc a poc  escrius per demà. Que demà, que demà, mancarà el fruit a cada pas. Per això malgrat la boira cal caminar. Si véns amb mi, no demanis un camí planer. Ni estels d'argent, ni un demà ple de promeses, sols un poc de sort i que la vida ens doni un camí ben llarg. (chorus) x2

"May we be lucky" If you say goodbye to me, I want the day to be neat and clear. May no bird break the harmony of its singing. May you be lucky, and may you find what you've lacked with me. If you say "I want you", may the sun make the day much longer. So we can steal time from a stopped clock's time. May we be lucky, and may we find all we lacked yesterday. (chorus) So take, so take all the fruit it can give you. The path you, little by little, write for tomorrow. Because tomorrow, because tomorrow, the fruit will be lacking at every step. That's why, fog and all, we must keep walking. If you come with me, don't ask for a smooth path. Nor for silver stars, or a tomorrow full of promises, just a bit of luck and may life give us a very long path. (chorus) x 2

I wanted to include some more songs, but the post is getting too long, so more of this tomorrow! :)

Sounds and words

Sorry about not having written in a while! :( Let’s go straight to the good stuff: I’ve been to a couple of literary/musical events in the last month, let me tell you about them! :)

Rally & Broad

Venue: Tron Theatre

Price: £5

Date: 28^th May

I knew about this event because one of my classmates was performing at it. Knowing her, I expected this to be amazing, but it surpassed my expectations! The hosts were excellent (a bit too enthusiastic and shouty for my taste, but that’s because I’m a bore, haha), and the performers even more so! The Rally&Broad people are hosting another event at the Tron this Wednesday 25th June, you can read about them here.

Katy Hastie’s reading was a great mix of sexist stereotype smashing, howling laughter, nostalgia, word ritual and macabre humour. I’m sure everyone in the room remembers the piece for which she had to invite over a male friend to read bits of “advice” from an old magazine for teen girls, while she shouted, from the back of the stage, a reactionary sexist’s guide to understanding women / getting sex from them. The last thing she read was a short story about a “game” her family plays at funerals… Hearing about new ways to show love is always welcome. Death, love and playfulness all together. Human condition right there, guys. :)

Alan Bisset performed an extract from his new play. He played all the characters (from Scottish folk tales) masterfully, to the point that he felt like a total stranger when I walked up to him after the show to talk to him. We hadn’t seen the least bit of him during the performance. I still think he should record that bit and upload it on YouTube… it’d make him a worldwide star. Also, it’s a really clever way of looking at the “Better Together” campaign’s arguments: there was no need for counter-arguments. [Note: about the independence debate, check this out]

Katherine Leyton is a poet from Toronto. Her poems felt like colourful pebbles: rounded, polished, smoothly creased, beautiful little things you can hold in your palm. Actually, that idea might be stolen from one of her poems, and that’s why I associate it with them. If so, please tell me! :) I think she didn’t get all the applause she deserved (because she didn’t say “thanks” at the end / make a pause / indicate, or maybe her indications were too subtle for us…). So, in order to make up for it, please receive a written HUGE ROUND OF APPLAUSE from me!!! She also founded the How Pedestrian project.

The last appearance of the night was a different kind of writer. Shambles Miller is a singer-songwriter (or is it singer/songwriter?) from Glasgow. His songs are honest, unpretentious, hilarious, witty, sweet, playful, sensitive and full of pop culture references. Here, see for yourselves:

I bought “How to Be a Ghost” from him. It’s a comic book he wrote and his friend Neil Slorance illustrated. Again, it’s cute, intelligent and funny, and it even has a feel-good message/advice (slightly cheesy for me, but that’s because I don’t have a heart, and that doesn’t make it any less true). Plus it features the best ghost dog you’ve ever seen. What else can you ask for? :) You can check out Neil's stuff here.

New Writing Showcase

Venue: Cottiers

Price: Free

Date: 12^th June

This event was part of the West End Festival, which I have to say I haven’t made the most of. Again, I knew about this thanks to Katy! I trust her taste, you see. Again, I had a great night! To start with, the theatre at Cottiers (church reconverted into pub/venue) is a beautiful place (stained glass windows and all, mind you). Katy was playing "compère" (I don’t know how this is different from host, but that’s the word they used). The performers were members of the creative writing programme at the University of Glasgow, they were all very different, but all of them were great! The first performer was Agata Maslowska, who played the guitar and sang two songs, one of them from Poland, and the other one of her own. Her voice, the guitar, the stained glass windows… You should have been there! After this lovely opening, there came the readings: Alice Seville, Molly Vogel, Jordan Mulligan, TC, Rose Ruane, Martin Cathcart Froden and Jonathan Walker all wowed us! My memory when it comes to coupling poem/author is not very good, so by way of general comment: you should see them live. I’m sure their poems look great on the printed page and they also sound great in your head, but the way they read them… So much passion and talent! I'm looking forward to hearing/reading more about them! :) You can take a look at the Facebook event here.

Shambles Miller + Reverieme

Venue: 13^th Note

Price: £1

Date: 17^th June

The venue was a basement, it had no windows, it was incredibly hot for Glasgow. But there was cake, smiley faces and great music (and happy dogs). None of my friends came to this concert with me (thankssss guuuyssss…^^’), but I had a great time and ended up making new friends! :D

I’ve already talked about Shambles Miller in this post, so I’ll make this short. Highlight: he broke one of the strings on his guitar mid-song and had to use someone else’s. Also, he doesn’t seem to be content with all of the good stuff people like me say about his music (fair enough), and his new song “Worriers” makes it clear that he can do thoughtfulness too (which everyone already knew, but then again, I understand his discomfort with being labelled as a “comedy musician”). As a mark of respect for both his funny and his serious stuff, here’s “Worriers” (around 13:30, but you should listen to the whole thing!):

The main act of the night was indie pop band Reverieme (Airdrie). I am SO glad I went to see them live. I am going to go on and follow them around like a crazed fan from now on. I kept swinging my head to the music and closing my eyes, and the people around me must have thought I was high, but I was just taken away by the beauty of their music. The lead singer’s voice is mesmerizing, as are the lyrics and the tunes. Their lyrics remind me a little of REM's lyrics: fragmentary, eloquent and suggestive. I can’t recommend them enough. Only “bad” thing: they kept making self-deprecating jokes which were absolutely out of place given their awesomeness! :) Here you have a couple of their songs:

 The blog won't let me post the YouTube video for "Get to Know Me", but you can watch it here.

I hope not to have overwhelmed you with so much good stuff! If you have any recommendations, or if you didn't know about the people I've written about here and are glad you do know them now, please tell me in the comments section! :) I'm away to London on Wednesday and until Saturday, so that'll probably be the next thing I write about!

Morvern Callar

Title: Morvern Callar

Author: Alan Warner
Publisher: Vintage

Year: 1995 (I read the second edition, published 1996)

During the last semester, one of my lecturers asked the class whether we had read Alan Warner’s novel Morvern Callar (1995). After our heads made a negative gesture, he said something like: “What are you doing studying in Scotland and not having read it? Get out of my class and read it now!”. He also explained most of the plot, but still I wanted to read it, he had made it sound worth it.

It definitely is. It’s gripping, macabre, funny, poetic, sexual, unpretentious, moving and, first and foremost, wildly alive. Most of these definitions also apply to the novel’s protagonist, Morvern. Her unprejudiced, wild, truthful, shameless, casual and often lyrical take on the world around her is one of the most attractive aspects of Warner’s book.

Language and slang are also in the list of the book’s appealing qualities. Warner builds personal voices that you would recognise should you encounter them again (and you can, as Morvern appears in other Warner novels). Music is a constant presence throughout the book. Someone has even gone as far as to try to build up a Spotify playlist out of all the songs mentioned! I've also found out that there was a film made out of the novel in 2002.

Publishers and literary agents are said to believe that a good opening sentence/paragraph is what makes a lot of readers decide whether or not to buy a book (along with other factors such as the author’s fame, the critical reception, the cover, the blurb, etc). Well, Warner’s first paragraph decidedly makes you want to read on, if only because of the gorey scene described:

“He’d cut His throat with the knife. He’d near chopped off His hands with the meat cleaver. He couldnt object so I lit a Silk Cut. A sort of wave of something was going across me. There was fright but I’d daydreamed how I’d be.” (1)

Morvern’s life takes a drastic turn after her unnamed boyfriend’s suicide on the first page, and the novel goes on to show us more about it. One of the first things one notices is the appalling village life. The only palliatives at hand are alcohol/drugs, sex and laughter. Morvern herself puts her possibilities very eloquently as “working in a supermarket; waking up on cold mornings knowing it’s thirty-nine years to go till pension.” (161)

Her fosterdad, Red Hanna, is also a working-class philosopher: “The hidden fact of our world is that theres no point in having desire unless youve money. […] Yet what good is all the money in the world to me now when all I want to do is stare out the bungalow window at the mountains? Money would destroy what I’ve learned to accept over the years. In plain language, I’m fifty-five: a wasted life.” (45)

But His death gives Morvern a chance at something different from the limiting village life: “The massive pale lips of a girl seemed to turn up to the night sky ready for kissing and you could see the light from the screen flicker on the leaves. I turned facing the sea. You heard a drip come offof my hair. I closed my eyes there in the quietness just breathing in and breathing in. I hadnt slept for three days so I could know every minute of that happiness that I never even dared dream I had the right.” (210) 

Have you read Morvern Callar or seen the film? If the answer's a "no", go ahead and do it! :)