Old-school 70s disco with a fresh twist from the brilliant and eccentric Irish singer-songwriter, producer and art pop specialist, with a video inspired by Italian TV star Raffaella Carrà. A queen of costumes and playful performances, this is one of many Murphy has adopted, with dance music a running theme since her days in Moloko The song and video, directed by Murphy with a superbly clever edit by Ben Unwin, indulges with both affection for the disco style of the era, but also with irony on the shallowness of it all, with the narcissist theme. Carrà was a huge star in Italy, but also Spain and Argentina where she moved later in the 1970s. With a few more recordings in the 80s, Carrà also appeared appeared in the soundtrack of the Italian 2013 Academy award winner film The Great Beauty, directed by Paolo Sorrentino.
Being left, being left, being left, being left
Being left, being left with me
Narcissus
Narcissus …
The saddest story ever told
The perfect glory, so all alone
And I could love you 'til kingdom come
I might not deserve you, save you from
The saddest story ever told
Loving only what you will hold
In your own reflection
When love is here
With all your protection
I hold you dear
The saddest story ever told
The narcissistic glory to be all alone
And I could show you, listen what I say
To fear real love is to give it away
A happy ending would never be
Narcissus dying
Narcissus
Narcissus …
Rosebud
Narcissus, touch me, reach out your hand
Oh, if you fall in love with your own reflection
Like it was planned
You would die in love
Failing to feel or to understand
Just I can give
Narcissus, I, the nymph
The rosebud
Narcissus, see me turn into sand
If you fall in love with your reflection
You may be damned
But, darling, I could teach you to feel
And to understand
Narcissus, my love
Thy love will go
Being left, being left, being left, being left
Being left, being left with me
Narcissus …
For extra entertainment and comparison, let’s also enjoy three other tracks starring Carrà - Black Cat, which inspired the Murphy video, Tanti Auguri (Best Wishes) from 1978, her biggest hit, and also featuring her in a 1974 video version, the nonsense rap song Prisencolinensinainciusol by fellow Italian singer Adriano Celentano (it genuinely sounds like real words but isn’t). And finally, another classic from the era, Yes Sir I Can Boogie by the Spanish duo Baccara.
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