I Surrender - pap or sublime

[Simonp]

Be honest, what did you think when this single came out after such a long time waiting for it. I was listening to it in the car home from work and while i don't mind it now, I recall the first time I played it thinking...

what a disappointment.

[camphorvan]

Love it. Took me a couple of listens in 1999 to get it; cello and flute I really like in it and the whole resigned but positive atmosphere of the song. Some intentional mixed metaphors in there, which grate on me a bit but on the whole it's one I come back to. As a choice for a first single from the album...hmm..

C

[VaporTrail]

Love it

[Chet]

i was very dissappointed aswell...
compared to the true instant love the first time i heard Red guitar, Blackwater, Let the Happiness In etc...

[sisterlondon]

I love this song. One of my faves by David, btw!

[natsume]

Instant like, quickly turned to love. I had been listening to a lot of 60s free jazz at the time, so the flute work drew me in immediately, and I simply love the rhythm and groove of the basic tracks of the percussion, keyboards, and guitars. Still love the song.

Now the lyrics, that's another story. But I have never cared so much about David's lyrics. Sometimes they inspire, sometimes they confuse or confound, sometimes they just frankly seem wrong. To me, my opinion, they are not as high on my list as melody, song construction, production values, instrumentation, color, evocation of mood, etc. And, oh yes, THE VOICE.

[Tarka]

One of my faves too - its on my chilled out playlist that helps unwind and me drift off to sleep every night, and frankly I can't think of anything much better that going to sleep with DS - except perhaps SJ....

[baht habit]

The first time I heard the track was right before the release of Dead Bees On A Cake and the radio station 88.5 WXPN in Philadelphia PA played it. I had spent the previous year listening incessantly to the laid back grooves of Massive Attack as they were my latest obsession at the time.
So when I heard I Surrender, I thought to myself 'ah, Sylvian's discovered "trip-hop"'. And I thought it was excellent. Yet when I bought the disc and gave it more listens, I wasn't quite as impressed with the song. I will always have a positive opinion of the track, but I feel that a relative lack of dynamics hurts the track and there is no lift to the song. Also, the lyrics seem a little too monotonous to me.

[godisinthesilences]

Love it

I second, third and fourth that! At first I took it as a regular ol' love song, but after more work I realized it was something completely different. LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[camphorvan]

Here's a first. I agree with Baht; the one criticism I'd have of it (ok two including the lyrics) is the lack of development throughout the song - a few drum fills wouldn't have hurt at least...

C

[heartofdavid]

At first hearing I was disappointed, I have to admit. It lacked the dynamics and tension of a tune like Let The Happiness In. I thought it was too laid back musically, although I liked the lyrics. It has grown on me, as has DBOAC.

[Poisoned_Apathy]

I love it. One of my favourites too.

It helped me to get into Dead Bees a little faster. I discovered David's albums almost all at the same time, so i don't have that first impression tha leaves you an album you've been waiting for years when it comes to his music (at least, until 2003). I think that would probably helped me to get into his music so quickly, since I didn't have any reference (except for Japan music), or preconceived ideas about how his music should be.

[Despair]

I first heard the single edit of this, back in 99, and i absolutely adored it.
Because it was on Four and a half minutes long, i was pleasantly suprised to get the full 10 minutes of the album track.
Its a lovely track.
Didnt he perform this with his eyes closed throughout, during the E&N shows ??

And i love the `out of tune` trumpet right at the end.

As a choice for first single from `Dead Bees`, im wondering what the other options coulda been ??
Bear in mind im not a fan of Godman, or Midnight Sun, so i was happy for I SURRENDER to be the lead single.

[baht habit]

Here's a first. I agree with Baht; the one criticism I'd have of it (ok two including the lyrics) is the lack of development throughout the song - a few drum fills wouldn't have hurt at least...

C

I think that is incorrect, camphorvan. I could be wrong, yet I believe we also share an extremely high regard for The First Day / Fripp Era which is rare amongst this board - and I think if we had more discussions rather than the ad hominem attacks of the past, we would find that we agree on many things. You opted to prematurely and incorrectly assess and judge me just because of my mention of experience performing big band jazz and that with classical orchestras. Yet what you do not know is that I have also had the good fortune to perform other styles of music that I enjoy equally - be it punk, funk, rock, folk, thrash, country, latin, avant garde jazz, blues or straight pop - I love drumming and I am often told I do it well.
But my point is that I hope to always be as musically well rounded as possible and I'd like to think that we probably find much common ground in our musical opinions and preferences. My musical horizons are vast, as I am sure are yours, so it wouldn't seem out of the question to agree on plenty.

[tallulahtaurus]

I find the lyrics to be quite beautiful and the laid back nature of the music didn't bother me because I prefer such minimal music. I wouldn't say it's my favourite on the album but the first time I heard it I was a little obsessed with it it is such a beautiful expression of love because it is so believably total.

I couldn't dislike it if I tried.

I especially love the line.

"I've travelled all this way for your embrace, enraptured by the recognition on your face"

*sigh*

It's just sweetness.

Also, intriguingly it is the most listened to Sylvian song of the past 7 days according to lastfm http://www.last.fm/music/David+Sylvian , which surprised me because it's usually "Orpheus". I really wouldn't have thought "I Surrender" would have be that well known, although I guess as that was a single too...

Anyway it must be doing something right, or wrong - depending on what your view of the average lastfm listener is.

LOL