Le bar du coin : Bettye LaVette

Bettye LaVette - Talking Old Soldiers

Mis en ligne par Antirecords

While hello he said

"Can I buy you another glass of wine, my dear?"

"Thank you son, that's kind of you

It's so nice to know somebody cares"

These days there's so much goin' on

I don't think nobody really wants to know

I may reach just an ol' has been a some

But I now how it feels to grow old

Yeah, I guess that's right

You can find me here most in a night

Just lookin' 'round the rooms

Starin' at the walls and the lights

It's funny I remember, oh, five or six years ago I'd say

I'd stand right here at this bar with my friends who passed away

And drink three times the wine I can drink today

Yup, I know how it feels to grow old

I know what they're sayin' son

There goes an old frenzy broad again

Well, I may be mad at that but I've seen enough

To make a young man go out his brains

How the hell do they know

What it's like to have a graveyard as a friend?

'Cause that's where they all are boy, all of them

It don't seem likely I'll have those kinds of friends again

I showed you hate, you have to go

But it's been great talkin' to you

And how about see you

The next time you're passin' through

You know it, it's like I sayin'

There's so much goin' on

I don't really think nobody wants to know

But you keep well my friend

And don't give another thought on me

'Cause I'm gonna ignore all the rest

I've got my memories

A l'origine (1970), Talking Old Soldiers est une chanson d'Elton John sur de superbes paroles de Bernie Taupin. Trente-sept ans plus tard, la chanson est reprise par Bettye LaVette sur un texte pas mal modifié - elle fait évidemment allusion à la carrière à éclipse de la chanteuse. Née en 1946 à Muskegon, Michigan, LaVette  est un pur produit de Detroit. Premier single en 1962, et vingt ans plus tard premier LP, jamais commercialisé par Atlantic - lâchée dans le désert et sans explications par le label, LaVette ne verra sa carrière redémarrer qu'en 2003 à l'âge de 57 ans.

Lire la biographie de l'artiste sur son site.

...Et les chats vont prendre des vacances (1), se rouler dans les vignes, miauler dans la garrigue et dormir, le soir, sur les plages. Bon été à tous et prenez soin de vous, de retour vers la mi-Septembre...




(1) Ceux qui s'ennuient peuvent toujours s'adresser à notre succursale, le supplément illustré du soir.