On Thursday I had booked a tour (and afternoon tea) at the Johnston of Elgin mill (cashmere and such since 18-something.) Fascinating experience, not alone because we saw fabrics for Hermes, Dior and other luxury brands being manufactured right there! I spent some time by the beach after.
Yesterday I was kind of lazy, but in the end at least went out to Ness Islands for a bit of quiet (see traffic noise during the day) reading time. Today I drove from Inverness to the West Coast; not on the direct route, but a long-ish detour to have a stroll through Inverewe Gardens. It rained quite a bit when I got there, so I took a longer break in the cafe. Stretching my leg in between long stretches on the road felt nice. The drive up here also took me longer than scheduled, because I stopped every 10 minutes (or so) to take photos. What can I say, I like it here…
But now: Sleep. I had such a crappy night last night (see again: traffic noise in Inverness), so the very quiet countryside is bliss.
Drive | I got a free upgrade for my rental car, because a smaller automatic wasn’t available for my time period. I’m now driving a very sporty Audi A3. On the inside it feels much smaller than my Seat Ibiza at home. Who designs / drives these cars? I’m making do… no, it’s fine really, it’s a good car, but it’s a bit weird to drive it. It also misses a few features I would have expected in such a high-end car, but it’s fine. Still getting used to all the levers around the steering wheel four days in. I can proudly state that I hardly ever go to the wrong side of the car to get in. I’m acing the two lanes roundabouts (if I may say so). And I’ve also finally figured out the – mirrored to my mind – buttons on the steering wheel. Try and error for a bit. It’s fine.
Do | I’ve been out and about some. On Sunday I went to the beach for a bit after I had picked up the car. It was nice, albeit windy and cloudy. On Monday I went for a short hike near Loch Ness. I had looked up various hiking routes in advance as I wanted to be active on this trip. I’m not in the best of shape though, which meant I came back from that trip – uphill for a long time and then downhill again – with some soreness in my calves. Rookie mistake.
Loch Ness
After that hike I drove further on to Urquhart Castle. I’ve been before and it was nice, but I somehow recalled it a bit more impressive? I don’t know…
Urquhart Castle
Tuesday was another cloudy day with partial rain, so my sore legs and I stayed home. In Inverness anyway. In the afternoon I walked into the city centre, bought some postcards, aimlessly wandered into the Waterstones (bookstore) at the mall. A bookstore always draws me in. One of the staffers approached me and asked if I might be interested in a talk with an author which would start soon: A female cyclist from Inverness – Jenny Graham – who pedalled around the world solo and unsupported. Sure I thought, why not. It was around noon, so sadly there weren’t too many people in attendance, but it was still very nice. I asked a few questions, had a lovely quick chat with Jenny’s mum đ
Nice unexpected souvenir
Yesterday – Wednesday – I drove up to Cromarty for another one of my pre-planned hikes. It was supposed to be 100 steps to the top, but it felt like more :-). Plus regular paths in between as well. I was a bit afraid my sore legs would trouble me, but it was fine. The hill also was only half the height of the one from Monday. The sun was out, I stored my jacket in my rucksack after 20 minutes and it was just a lovely day. I went for coffee and cake after and also spent some time just sitting by the shore enjoying the sun. Just the way a vacation is supposed to go.
Anyway: we’ve finally got the cast recording. With proper orchestration. Some strings, some brass, some woodwinds, more percussion. All the bells and whistles and it’s marvellous and it makes these gems of songs dazzle so prettily.
I guess it’s time to dust off my old assertion that I don’t know anything about making music and thus lack the vocabulary to properly talk about music. I deal with words. They use more than enough words in this musical as well and I will gush over those in a minute.
But the opening song “Born To Lead” is a good example of why I love the music in this musical so much. It’s this wonderful blend of catchy melodies, impressive rap and beautiful harmonies – either as almost instrumental backdrop e.g. for the rap section or shining in full force in the chorus. I’m also always impressed, when they sing different and sometimes contrary lyrics at the same time; Johnny and Monty here towards the end. It’s almost impossible to catch all of the words while sitting in the auditorium, because you also need to watch what’s going on. Which is why I’m so happy that I can finally listen to theses songs over and over and over again to focus on different parts of it.
I also absolutely love the prelude of this opening song and thus the show, as it gives the first glimpse of the scope of instrumentation. Such a far cry from the piano, bass guitar, drums they had on previous runs of the show. It’s a proper West End musical now. I will never get tired of saying that.
But back to “Born to Lead”. And don’t worry, I won’t dissect every one of these songs to this extent. But I absolutely adore this one, because it sets the tone for the whole show so wonderfully and introduces all the elements: Three of the main characters, the basic plot of what it’s all about, the variety of voices and musical styles. The witty lyrics and the humour, without brushing over what’s at stake. It’s this perfect blend of exciting (and yes, Monty, it’s fun) spy operation and necessary pathos for a nation at war. While at the same time poking fun at the establishment, that existed back then and still does in the UK today, which in my eyes makes this WWII story quite relevant to modern audiences.
A few examples, starting with the biggest shout-out to Zoe Roberts in the role of Johnny Bevaon for her impeccable rapping skills all through the show. So many words in such rapid succession, it just blows my mind.
Gotta make Hitler believe Sicily isn’t where we’re gonna be Gotta proceed with some dishonesty Gotta deceive cos what I wanna see is hundreds of thousands of Germans getting off our property.
The pathos comes from Johnny Bevan with these words
We are not heroes, we play our parts, We do our duties, nothing more And when this war is done and fades to dust There’s no applause or fame for us
while Ewan Montagu at the same time proudly claims the role as born leader
For some were born to follow, but we were born to lead We are the masters, we are the clever men who hold the reigns. […] And when this war is done and fades to dust The world will turn and say to us that we were born to lead
As audience you only forgive this arrogant stance, because it’s right away juxtaposed with it’s ludicrous sides, you can only laugh about
I’ll definitely get a knighthood And a Victoria Cross or three Look up victory in a dictionary There’s a picture there of me
Oh, just have a listen, if you don’t know what I’m talking about.
I’ll try to keep the rest of this to a more general commentary, I promise.
The wonderful instrumentation helps to set the mood in all the other songs as well. Sad and melancholic with sparse woodwinds. Full of suspense with more percussion and some strings. Cheerful and triumphant with the brass section. That’s the beauty of a bigger musical ensemble, but also of skilled people who write the scores and arrange it all. I love it.
Being able to listen to the songs without distraction now makes me notice and consequently appreciate the harmonies of these five beautiful voices even more. As mentioned above either as a backdrop (e.g. at the end of “Act As If You Do”) or as the centre point in quite a few of the songs. Most of all probably in “Sail On, Boys”, which in it’s purest form is just a beautiful sea shanty.
I love that they created such a variety of signature motifs which are picked up in other songs later on. So many tiny details I only noticed now while listening with headphones and not being distracted by action on the stage. The reprise of “Born to lead” in “Just For Tonight” for instance. There are probably more I still haven’t figured out yet.
Last but not least I’m in awe of how they managed to blend all of this together in one single – albeit 9:30 minutes long – song: “Making a Man”. It is their musical theatre masterpiece. Period. Closely followed by “The Glitzy Finale”, which excels at bringing all the themes (plot and music) back once more and ending on such a wonderful tribute to Glyndwr Michael.
Let me now bring the focus back to some lyrics. There are too many to pick from to showcase SpitLip’s skills with rhyme & rhythm, so I won’t even try. But I also do appreciate the social commentary in some songs, besides the aforementioned poking fun at the establishment. I’m glad they kept the “empowering women” theme from the very first version in 2019. “All the Ladies” is the perfect “call to arms” anthem (pun intended) for me with lyrics like these
No more riding side saddle It’s time for our battle to start Get in the system, rip it apart
The other theme is fascism and more importantly the current rise of it in the western world. There are sections in two songs which made me stop short and gulp the first time I heard them. Because they are delivered in such a fun context, but they are so true.
You think were badass, you ain’t see nothing Democracy you won’t see us coming
“Das Ăbermensch”
And later on the US pilot Watkins sings about the defeated Nazis
Theyâre losers but they just donât mind âCos when the chips are down and youâve lost your way Thereâs a home for you in the USA … (Make America Great Again!)
“The Glitzy Finale”
Not quite social commentary, but something I can very well relate to is the theme of Charles’ song “Dead in the Water”. From the very first time I heard it in 2019, I was in awe how well it reflects my own fears of not being good enough. Not smart enough. How well it reflects my tendency to let that fear hold me back. Reflects my wish / dream to magically overcome it all and show people what I’m capable of. I’m happy to say that I think I’ve taken some helpful steps in that direction since then. Or at least cope better with some of the fear. (Three cheers for therapy!).
One day I’ll metamorphosise The scales shall tumble from their eyes And thus shall end this wretched old routine They’ll hear all these ideas of mine And realise that all this time There’s more to me than they have ever seen
“Dead in the Water”
I want to end this long, fangirling post with sharing the lyrics, which I probably will have engraved in a simple silver bracelet this summer; similar to the few Frank Turner lyrics I’ve already done this with. I just love the simplicity of these words and the inspiration I take away from them. I also have a thing about the sea, so I’m partial for any good sea metaphor.
Set your hearts to the horizon Leave your fears upon the shore
“Sail On, Boys”
I could go on and on on about “Operation Mincemeat”, but I’ve already done that before. And I might again. I’m scheduled to see the show twice more this summer. Next time in about three weeks time and I can’t wait!
