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

I Am I Said

The third in the Trust Me series, no musings or description from me. Just the song and the lyrics.
Trust me and check out I Am, I Said by Neil Diamond.

Kudos to my sister Carla J Easton who played this song on her LP Radio show recently - a belter! Check out the new online station HERE

L.A.'s fine, the sun shines most the time

And the feeling is 'lay back'

Palm trees grow and rents are low

But you know I keep thinkin' about making my way back

Well I'm New York City born and raised

But nowadays

I'm lost between two shores

L.A.'s fine but it ain't home

New York's home

But it ain't mine no more

I am ... I said

To no-one there

And no-one heard at all

Not even the chair

I am ... I cried

I am ... said I

And I am lost and I can't even say why

Leavin' me lonely still

Did you ever read about a frog

Who dreamed of bein' a king

And then became one

Well except for the names

And a few other changes

If you talk about me

The story is the same one

But I got an emptiness deep inside

And I've tried

But it won't let me go

And I'm not a man who likes to swear

But I never cared

For the sound of being alone

I am ... I said

To no-one there

And no-one heard at all

Not even the chair

I am ... I cried

I am ... said I

And I am lost and I can't

Even say why

I am ... I said

I am ... I cried

I am

Previous - Trust Me
1. Something On Your Mind by Karen Dalton
2. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells

You’ll Never Walk Alone

Cover of the month #12

You’ll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers

Last week, after an incredible 27-years of fight, determination and patience, justice was delivered to the families of the 96 Liverpool supporters that sadly lost their lives at Hillsborough in 1989. The truth eventually came out, breaking through ridiculous lies, deception and cover ups.

I was moved to tears as the families came out and sang You’ll Never Walk Alone in front of the court - They never walked alone, they remained united and they had the backing and support of Liverpool, the club, the city, players and management (past and present) and fellow supporters from teams all around the world.

I was moved again when there was a mass vigil in the centre of Liverpool and everyone came together to sing You’ll Never Walk Alone.

You’ll Never Walk Alone is my cover version of the month.

Yeah this is a cover, I imagine many people must think of this as a Gerry Marsden/Gerry and the Pacemakers original. This remarkable song, that has taken on a hymnal like quality for supporters of Liverpool and Celtic, was originally a show tune in Carousel, a 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical.

In 1963 the Liverpool beat combo Gerry and the Pacemakers released the song as a single, taking it all the way to number 1 for 4-weeks. Gerry Marsden himself has said that DJ’s at Anfield used to play the top 10 culminating in You’ll Never Walk Alone, but when it dropped out the top ten fans just kept singing it.

The song is just timeless, Gerry’s vocals, the beautiful melody, the swelling strings as Gerry sings;

walk on through the wind

walk on through the rain

though your dreams be tossed and blown

The chorus is incredible, soulful and soaring and it comes back immediately, the double impact is sensational, just as the first chorus slows, the strings and Gerry come back in to lift the song to even higher heights; capable of moving listeners to punch the sky, be moved to tears, or both and much, much more. The dramatic pause in the final line, almost like a break in Marsden’s voice just adds to the overall effect.

The lyrics are simple, yet you can’t get much more meaningful and soulful. Sometimes four words are better than three - with hope in your heart and you’ll never walk alone.

I’ve spoken about the impact of the double chorus, but even a single chorus has an extra edge to it thanks to the clever way walk on is repeated and then the same simple trick is used with you’ll never walk alone. So simple, so effective.

Walk on, walk on

With hope in your heart

And you’ll never walk alone

You’ll never walk alone

The song is over in only 2 minutes and 48 seconds, under 3-minutes of beautiful celtic soul.

Many others have also recorded versions of You’ll Never Walk Alone, including Elvis, Johnny Cash, Sinatra, Aretha Franklin and Kevin Rowland. I, for one, don’t think anything can top the Pacemakers version, although I don’t blame other artists for wanting to try their hand at such a beautiful song.

This is the original from Carousel;

The full lyrics to You’ll Never Walk Alone;

When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high

And don’t be afraid of the dark

At the end of the storm, there’s a golden sky

And the sweet, silver song of a lark

Walk on through the wind

Walk on through the rain

Though your dreams be tossed and blown

Walk on, walk on

With hope in your heart

And you’ll never walk alone

You’ll never walk alone

Walk on, walk on

With hope in your heart

And you’ll never walk alone

You’ll never walk alone

Previous covers of the month

1. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' 

2. Going Back To My Roots

3. Nirvana play The Vaselines

4. Slip Inside This House

5. Top 10 covers by Teenage Fanclub

6. Only Love Can Break Your Heart

7. Time For Livin' 
8. Sound and Vision 
9. All Along The Watchtower
10. I Am The Walrus 
11. Guiding Star