Starlings– the first track on Elbow’s fourth album The Seldom Seen Kid– is all about expectations, or at least subverting them.
The track begins with an intense cacophony before settling into a vaguely Polynesian groove; a sole orchestral stab blasts out as quickly as it disappears once again. It’s...
How dare the Premier ignore my invitations?
He'll have to go
So, too, the bunch he luncheons with
It's second on my list of things to do
At the top is stopping by
Your place of work and acting like
I haven't dreamed of you and I
And marriage in an orange grove
You are the only thing
In any room you're ever in
I'm stubborn, selfish and too old
I sat you down and told you how
The truest love that's ever found is for oneself
You pulled apart my theory
With a weary and disinterested sigh
So yes, I guess I'm asking you
To back a horse that's good for glue and nothing else
But find a man that's truer than
Find a man that needs you more than I
Sit with me a while
And let me listen to you talk about
Your dreams and your obsessions
I'll be quiet and confessional
The violets explode inside me
When I meet your eyes
Then I'm spinning and I'm diving
Like a cloud of starlings
Darling, is this love?
Starlings was written by Craig Potter & Mark Potter & Richard Jupp & Pete Turner & Guy Garvey.
Starlings was produced by Craig Potter & Elbow.