One of the best songs of the 80s, Tempted was also one of the few Squeeze songs to feature the band’s then-keyboardist Paul Carrack on vocals. The song was originally recorded with Glenn Tilbrook as the lead singer but when producer Elvis Costello heard Carrack singing a slowed-down version of the song, he suggested that it should be re-recorded with Carrack. Tilbrook admitted that, though his ego was “bruised initially,” the song became a hit with Carrack’s vocals.
The video is typical of the early 80s, with the emphasis being put on the band performing as opposed to any sort of visual gimmickry.
Bette Davis was born 108 years ago today. Today’s song of the day just feels right.
Her hair is Harlow gold Her lips a sweet surprise Her hands are never cold She’s got Bette Davis eyes
She’ll turn her music on you You won’t have to think twice She’s pure as New York snow She got Bette Davis eyes
And she’ll tease you, she’ll unease you All the better just to please you She’s precocious, and she knows just what it Takes to make a pro blush She got Greta Garbo’s standoff sighs, she’s got Bette Davis eyes
She’ll let you take her home It whets her appetite She’ll lay you on a throne She got Bette Davis eyes
She’ll take a tumble on you Roll you like you were dice Until you come out blue She’s got Bette Davis eyes
She’ll expose you, when she snows you Offer feed with the crumbs she throws you She’s ferocious and she knows just what it Takes to make a pro blush All the boys think she’s a spy, she’s got Bette Davis eyes
She’ll tease you, she’ll unease you All the better just to please you She’s precocious, and she knows just what it Takes to make a pro blush All the boys think she’s a spy, she’s got Bette Davis eyes
She’ll tease you She’ll unease you Just to please you She’s got Bette Davis eyes
She’ll expose you When she snows you ‘Cause she knows you, she’s got Bette Davis Eyes
There’s several reasons I love this scene but mostly it just comes down to the fact that it captures the explosive energy that comes from watching a live performance. Larry Marshall (who plays Simon Zealotes) has one of the most fascinating faces that I’ve ever seen in film and when he sings, he sings as if the fate of the entire world depends on it. That said, I’ve never been sold on Ted Neely’s performance as Jesus but Carl Anderson burns with charisma in the role of Judas.
Mostly, however, I just love the choreography and watching the dancers. I guess that’s not that surprising considering just how important dance was (and still is, even if I’m now just dancing for fun) in my life but, to be honest, I’m probably one of the most hyper critical people out there when it comes to dance in film, regarding both the the way that it’s often choreographed and usually filmed. But this scene is probably about as close to perfect in both regards as I’ve ever seen. It goes beyond the fact that the dancers obviously have a lot of energy and enthusiasm and that they all look good while dancing. The great thing about the choreography in this scene is that it all feels so spontaneous. There’s less emphasis on technical perfection and more emphasis on capturing emotion and thought through movement. What I love is that the number is choreographed to make it appear as if not all of the dancers in this scene are on the exact same beat. Some of them appear to come in a second or two late, which is something that would have made a lot of my former teachers and choreographers scream and curse because, far too often, people become so obsessed with technical perfection that they forget that passion is just as important as perfect technique. (I’m biased, of course, because I’ve always been more passionate than perfect.) The dancers in this scene have a lot of passion and it’s thrilling to watch.
Today’s music video of the day comes to us from Hrdza, a band from Slovakia. It’s an adaptation of an old folk song and it’s a nicely energetic and fun little video. I have to admit that as I was watching it, I saw a lot that reminded me of my own family. It’s kind of nice that I can relate a song and a music video from Slovakia to my own big American-Italian-Spanish-Irish family. Some things are universal!
Through the Shattered Lens 