Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From

 

Raymond McGinley, Teenage Fanclub

Trust Me #22

After blogging on Norman Blake's Did I Say in January and Gerard Love's Don't Look Back in February, it is the turn of Raymond McGinley to feature in my Trust Me series.

And trust me, Raymond's Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From is a beautiful song that could melt the coldest of hearts.

One of the things I love and appreciate about Raymond's songwriting is his heart on sleeve honesty and directness. His songs regularly start with him confessing directly to the listener. Check back through his Fanclub songs to see how many start with I ...

This time McGinley starts as if he is singing to someone with the beautiful lines your sadness don't lie, your feelings can't hide, initially just him with his acoustic guitar, pouring his heart out. It takes until the bridge to the chorus for Raymond to directly talk about his feelings with the staggering lyric I, I disappear when you're not here, in my life. 

Into the chorus and Raymond has realised that he is in a much better place when he is with his love; when I'm on my own I'm lost in space, my freedoms a delusion, your love is the place where I come from.

In under 90 seconds McGinley has told us so much! Listening back to this song so many times over the course of a week to prepare for this blog has led to me having a new found appreciation for the song and the author. It is absolutely outstanding songwriting and the way it is delivered with real feeling in the vocals, playing and production leads to a song that is spine tinglingly good.

Listen to the little crack in Raymond's voice in away as he sings I can't slip away .... goosebumps. And listen to Norman's beautiful harmonies. Stunning.

After the delivery of the chorus, there is a second verse that leads to a glorious instrumental with the band crashing beautifully together as Raymond coaxes stunning sounds from his electric guitar.

The instrumental lifts the song into a final double run of the chorus where Raymond and Norman's voices gel effortlessly together, while little flourishes of impeccable guitar playing continue throughout and the song just flows with ease. McGinley has a real knack for finding a hook / refrain and running with it. 

Live, this is a long term fan favourite and set staple. A favourite not only because of the genius songwriting, feel and delivery, but for Norman playing his glockenspiel to huge cheers. You can check a couple of examples in the videos from Benicassim 2004 and the bands Electric Ballroom show from 2018.

Read on for some comments from the Teenage Fanclub Fanclub on the song.

Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From album version

Benicassim 2004 

Electric Ballroom 2018 

You can find a playlist of songs in my Trust Me series by searching for Everything Flows Trust Me on Spotify, or CLICK HERE

The Teenage Fanclub Fanclub on Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From

Kevin Robertson

To be lost in a void when you're without the love of your life, then the joy when together. True melancholy. On the face of it, it seems a straightforward song, but it's never easy to find that true emotion in both the music and the lyrics. Raymond and the lads get it spot on here.

Gerry Weir

That bit live when Norman goes for the glock and you know it's coming. That bit!

A well known fact, but in Nick Hornby's book 31 Songs, the only artist with two entries is our beloved Fannies, this being one of them.

Paul Quinn

A  *****  song.

Valterri Virtanen

It's my favourite of all of their songs. Special mention to the electric guitar playing during the last chorus.

Frank Livingston

A genius song.

Glyn Trevor

Masterpiece ...

Matt Moir

Always the xylophone.

Lauren Bacall

The absence of an intro to this song reveals a tiny touch that I always really like with Raymond's songs. Right at the beginning, in the silence just before Raymond sings Your sadness don't lie , there is a tiny audible intake of breath.

The inclusion of this sound on the record suits the song's initial simplicity. It's just Raymond strumming along on his guitar as he sings. At the beginning, it could be an acoustic song, but it isn't, so then everything else happens.

A live favourite and rightly so, but I always feel slightly sorry for Raymond being upstaged by a glock.

Your sadness don't lie

Your feelings can't hide

You always know why

But your reasons are sly

You never deny

What you feel inside

I, I disappear, when you're not here

In my life

I can't slip away when I see your face

I lose my confusion

Your love is the place where I come from

When I'm on my own I'm lost in space

My freedoms a delusion

Your love is the place where I come from

My sadness don't lie

My feelings can't hide

I just can't deny

What I feel inside

I can't slip away when I see your face

I lose my confusion

Your love is the place where I come from

When I'm on my own I'm lost in space

My freedoms a delusion

Your love is the place where I come from

I can't slip away when I see your face

I lose my confusion

Your love is the place where I come from

When I'm on my own I'm lost in space

My freedoms a delusion

Your love is the place where I come from

Written by Raymond McGinley