Randor's Song of the Week: 05.23.10

"Between the Bars" by Madeleine Peyroux from the album Careless Love. 2004.
    This song should come with a warning label: Do not listen to when utterly depressed. Or perhaps rather it is THE song to feed your ears in that state, as it expresses that overwhelming sadness that pierces your confidence and bends your will to the worst. To me, it sounds like a seductress of failure luring you in with her dominating siren song. She plays with your insecurities and weaknesses until you're giving in to giving up. Hauntingly beautiful in its groveling desperation, the tune digs into your marrow. Lines such as "I'll kiss you again... between the bars" and "do what I say and I'll.. make you okay" promise peace for obeying the gilded temptress. Opening with the taunting description "The things you could do, you won't.. but you might / The potential you'll be, you'll never see / the promises you'll only make," she capitalizes on the doubts and griefs of her prey, slyly arguing that 'you'll never accomplish what you're capable of, but I'll make you feel alright.' The femme fatale leaves out one detail at the end, though: the infamous '...for a price.' Her words, perhaps harsh, may sound comforting in the end, but the intention it seems is to keep her quarry trapped in the darkest depths of the self. The prisoner will then view her as his accepting savior and gleefully comply to her wishes. Evil bitch....
    At least that's how I hear it. I've known a few black-widow-ladies and have certainly fallen into the dark corners of the mind a few times. It strikes a personal chord for me, so maybe you see it a different way. Of course, I'm not saying Madeleine Peyroux is a demoness herself- quite the opposite! Her soulful voice adds a striking emotion to the song. Very powerful. Careless Love mainly consists of cover songs, all but one in fact. The title track introduced me to her wonderful, jazzy way. She sounds quite similar to the legendary Billie Holiday. Remarkably so. Erm... I suppose, have a few more of her treats to listen to.
    "Between the Bars" originally came from Elliott Smith's 1997 album Either/Or. Let's make this simple: I know nothing about Elliot Smith or any of his songs or albums, at least intentionally. Apparently Either/Or gets ranked in some "Best Albums of the 90s" lists, so maybe I've heard of his work long ago. Anyways, his archetype of "Between the Bars" has a different feel to it... partly because it's a man singing, but also because it lacks the smooth jazz of Peyroux's. Its sadness relies more on the instruments instead of the vocals/lyrics. It certainly stands on its own, but I think Peyroux's cover takes Smith's pitch and hits a home run. Her version overwhelms in its immensity.