Pop anthology of “Paris 1919” by John Cale | EUROtoday

1973 veröffentlichte John Cale den Song „Paris 1919“ auf seinem gleichnamigen Album. Dabei handelte es sich um die dritte Sammlung von Musikstücken, für die er allein verantwortlich war. Der Text des Liedes gibt keine klare Auskunft, auf welches Ereignis der Titel anspielt. Aber wenn Cale den Vers „the continent’s just fallen in disgrace“ („Der Kontinent ist gerade in Ungnade gefallen“) singt, dann bezieht sich die Zeile auf das Ende des Ersten Weltkriegs und die Pariser Friedenskonferenz 1919. Der daraus resultierende Versailler Vertrag trug zum Unheil des Zweiten Weltkriegs bei, so dass der Titel „Paris 1919“ einen ambivalenten Eindruck hinterlässt.

Außerdem taucht der Name „William Rogers“ im Text auf, der in der Amtszeit von Richard Nixon zwischen 1969 bis 1973 Außenminister der USA war. Damals fanden in Paris die Friedensverhandlung zur Beendigung des Krieges in Vietnam statt, bei denen auch Rogers eine Rolle spielte.

Auf dem Cover des Albums sitzt John Cale im weißen Anzug in einem Lehnstuhl. Nachdenklich schaut er in die Kamera, mit seiner linken Hand stützt er sein Gesicht leicht ab. Er wirkt wie ein Intellektueller in Paris nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg. In dieser Haltung drückt sich vermutlich seine Sympathie mit der „Lost Generation“ aus, also dem „verlorenen Jahrgang“ von Amerikanern, die am Krieg teilgenommen und sich später in der französischen Hauptstadt angesiedelt haben wie Ernest Hemingway oder F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Cale is pictured alone on the quilt, which underlines his position as composer, lyricist and singer of the songs. By referring to Paris, Cale locations himself within the custom of the chanson. At the identical time, he refers back to the American variant of this writer's music, to the singer-songwriter who grew to become notably common within the Sixties. His relationship with Leonard Cohen, from whom he took the track “Hallelujah”, additionally belongs on this context.

Cale, who was born in Wales in 1942, studied music in London earlier than shifting to New York in 1963. In the USA he met composers reminiscent of John Cage, Terry Riley and La Monte Young, whose minimalist types of expression he introduced into rock music. These lowered enjoying types may also be discovered within the track “Paris 1919”. The chords are performed in eighth notes virtually all through the whole piece. The secret is C main, so the sound is evident, vibrant and easy.

This cheerful character of the sound contrasts with the aforementioned historic references within the lyrics. Two years beforehand, Cale had launched the album “Church of Anthrax” with Terry Riley. The American consultant of minimal music launched the piece “In C” in 1964, the place he experimented with the important thing of C main and eighth notes. But these constantly performed chords in eighth notes may also be heard within the track “I'm waiting for the Man”, which Cale launched with the band The Velvet Underground in 1967 and was written by Lou Reed.

Cale's transition from classical composition to rock music is especially evident within the constant use of verse and refrain, which is clear in “Paris 1919”. The track is an efficient 4 minutes lengthy; about midway by there’s a free passage with piano, woodwinds and fowl calls. But Cale composed the track succinctly; the verses create a dramatic rigidity that’s launched within the recurring verses, loosely primarily based on the saying “Don't bore us, get to the chorus” by Berry Gordy, which Cale quoted in an interview.

In his autobiography, Cale factors out the distinction between the cheerful character of the music and the problematic historic background of the lyrics. He writes of the 1973 album: “'Paris 1919' was an example of the nicest ways of saying something really ugly.” In this context, he speaks of the track as having a “lilting refrain”; he means the warbled phrases “la la la” that may be heard within the recurring verses. This in flip alludes to the Irish and Scottish custom of singing, through which the syllables are linked in a melodious and rhythmic approach.

Three variations of “Paris 1919” stay within the reminiscence. Of course the primary model on the 1973 album, through which piano, strings and wind devices could be heard. The particular person devices are typically barely distinguishable from each other. The piano and violins play the chords in eighth notes and sound related. The distinctive melody within the bass is first performed by the cellos, however then taken over by the brass, in all probability the horns. Cale should have initially composed the track on the piano after which later chosen the devices that would exchange and complement the piano.

The live performance recording on the album “Fragments of a Rainy Season” from 1992 is spectacular. Here Cale performs the track solely on the piano, hammers the chords into the keys, and sings the track quicker than on the 1973 recording. In the recording of the live performance within the “Rockpalast” collection on October 14, 1984 within the Grugahalle in Essen, he seems with a band. In addition to the piano, you may also hear electrical guitar, bass and drums. The track modifications its character – the pop track turns into rock music.

In his autobiography, John Cale sees parallels to Lou Reed, who musically handled Berlin within the early Seventies, referring, amongst different issues, to the Wall that was in-built 1961. In a 2010 interview, the Welsh musician stated that he wrote “Paris 1919” in the course of the Cold War. He noticed the Treaty of Versailles of 1919 as a place to begin for this historic improvement. The references to Lou Reed additionally come up from the same themes within the songs “Berlin” from 1972 and “Paris 1919”. In each circumstances, love relationships play a job. Cale avoids making clear statements in his track. The particular person verses are stuffed with allusions, however collectively they don’t create a context that may be damaged down. The line “You're a ghost” within the refrain might additionally allude to the which means of the textual content, which, like “Geist”, eludes strict definition.