DeVotchKa

(excerpt from my journal entry dated May 22, 2012, a Tuesday)

May last-song syndrome ako. “The Last Beat of My Heart” na version ng DeVotchKa. Kelan ko lang na-discover ‘yung kantang ‘yon. Now, how did it happen?

I was looking for…? Now, what was I looking for? I forget what. But I do remember typing “Little Miss Sunshine” on Youtube, and one of the songs that came up was “You Love Me” (or is it “You Loved Me”). I checked out the comments first to find out what listeners thought of the song, and some found the song “beautifully written” and “memorable.” One said it made him/her cry. Whoa. Ok. So, I checked it out. I chose the video with the lyrics so I could check out the lyrics as well.

It was deceptively simple. But poignant in its simplicity. Nice. And the lyrics are just very concise and captivating. About a man who finds true love, marries her, and then in a fit of rage, they break up, and then years later, they see each other again, but he has not moved on (“I’m still trying to forget...when you said you loved me…I thought you loved me….”). Wow.

I searched for other DeVotchKa songs on there and found that they have this album, “Curse Your Little Heart,” which I think is a compilation of remakes--among them the Sinatras’ “Something Stupid,” Velvet Underground’s “Venus in Furs” (excellent, kinda new-wavy), and yep, Siouxie Soux and the Banshees’ “The Last Beat of My Heart,” which I instantly loved. I’ve never heard of it before, I only knew of one Banshees song and I don’t even know the title at that. Ahehe.

I actually like both versions—the Banshees’ and DeVotchKa’s, although I prefer learning to sing the latter because the voice range is closer to mine. It is just “majestic, imperial,” sabi nga ng lyrics. Nice.

Ah yes. There’s this other DeVotchKa song that I have also been singing along to these days. “Hot Burrito No. 1 (I’m Your Toy).” Originally by the Burrito Brothers. I listened to both the Burrito Brothers’ and DeVotchKa’s versions and I like them both.

In the original version, however, the singer seems to have been crying when he recorded the song. Although I’m inclined to like the DeVotchKa vocals better, I thought the “crying” version has something to it that begs exploring.

Why was he crying?

I checked out the lyrics. It’s about this guy in love with this girl who seems to have outgrown him (I think). Now, why the crying? I think he has regrets. Maybe when they were still together, he took her for granted, and so, she learned better and has moved on, and our lover/singer thinks that she can still come back to him anytime she wants—because he doesn't want anyone else (except her) to love him.

Or…maybe he’s always been in love with her. And then he let her use him to lose her virginity (“…and once upon a time, you let me feel you deep inside… do you remember the way you cried? I’m your toy….”). The girl has since moved on and is now a pro in the game of love, and our lover is bewailing the fact that he still loves her so. Hmm… Pwede.

DeVotchKa’s one of those overlooked bands. They really have taste, and one of the great things about them is that they refuse to be pigeonholed. They’re like the bands of the old days, when bands/singers didn’t sound like one another.