Bülent Ortaçgil - "Benimle Oynar misin". "Would you still play with me?" Ortaçgil asks. He sings delicately enough that the answer might be yes. I once imagined Bülent Ortaçgil and Nick Drake together in Istanbul, but this is clearly a song from well before any imaginary meeting. From before Bülent had figured out he was really any good at anything. From the days when Bülent would meet a pretty girl and she would say "So what do you do?" and he would not think he really ought to say "I am a musician"; and instead he'd say, "Well, I work in an office."
What if I were the water, or the flame,I can't decide if song is a hope or a celebration - can't make out if it's a maybe or a hurray. [buy]
or the sun on the blue,
what if I don't talk,
like a stone
would you still play with me?
Say Hi - "Northwestern Girls". Eric Elbogen wisely truncated his band name from its original Say Hi To Your Mom. The new name is less stupid, more timid. Perhaps one day his brother-in-heart will rename himself to Casiotone For. In the meantime, forget all that. Listen to "Northwestern Girls". I wonder if you need to be a boy to recognize what Elbogen is singing about - the hazy & cherry line between want and not-want, between lust and lust lost. A song about figuring out which it is: if you are happy and patient, or souring as slow as that kiss. Tied in knots - no, in braids, in the braided braids of all those girls you've fallen for.
[buy The Wishes and the Glitch on CD or LP and get a free download, like, lickety-split]
Posted by Sean at February 19, 2008 2:14 AMI think its a "happy to be maybe" song
and the other a "maybe I'll say hi" song
they're both maybe's. maybe?
Posted by Harrison Willis at February 19, 2008 3:41 AMSweet- one of my all time favourites in the StG canon was that other Bulent Ortacgil tune.
Posted by Robert P at February 19, 2008 4:40 AMI ordered Benimle Oynar Misin after Suna Abla (now my favorite song ever) was on here, and this is my second favorite on the CD. I wish I could find reasonable translations of the songs online, since I'm now in the situation where I have no clue what my favorite songs mean. Do you know of any? More importantly, do you know where I can buy more Bülent CDS?
Posted by Linka at February 19, 2008 9:00 AMIs anyone else having trouble hearing the rest of the Say Hi song? It only goes through 1:39 for me.
Posted by Sean at February 19, 2008 4:01 PMThat section in the middle where the piano plays it's little soli is so perfectly sweet and delicate. Gives me shivers! Concerning the lyrics, I'm kinda in the same situation as Linka up there. I like your approach to interpreting them though.
Posted by Dylan at February 20, 2008 12:42 AMi whisk slackers.
Posted by chris at February 20, 2008 7:53 PMThis is so sweet. My first language was Turkish, but after moving here at 3 years old, I basically forgot how to speak it and can understand only the most basic words (kids words, like toys, playing, colors, sun, etc). All those words are in this song and it touched me in really special childhood memories place. Thanks!
Posted by neille at February 21, 2008 3:59 PMPS - definitely a "maybe" song!
Posted by neille at February 21, 2008 4:00 PMI just re-found Suna Abla in my playlist about a week ago and have been listening to it almost non-stop since. Imagine my surprise when trying to look up the lyrics I was led back here only to discover another great song by him. Thanks!
Posted by jenn at March 27, 2008 1:43 PM
and it will begin playing. All songs are also available to download: just right-click the link and choose 'Save as...'
