Visions - United




Visions on Alphaville´s music by Alphaville, from various sources: United(album 1996/1999) *Interview with Marian* Caroline (Alphaville´s mailinglist, 2000) I really would like to know about the song "Caroline." 1. What was the story behind the making of this song? How did it get born? 2. Was it a "music theme" ("idee fix") that birth this song? Was "Caroline" about a friend that is close to you? 3. Did you write the lyrics yourself for this song? Was the song from somewhere else? 4. Is there, a particular point, that you are trying to make from this song? Ex. a theme or message you wanted to portray from / through this song? 5. When you were when you do, singing this song, what are the images that come from your mind? You can use single words in a row or imagery if you like. 6. Originally, whom are you singing to? Has this changed (as in whom you were originally singing too or circumstances or message)? has the emotions changed, after singing this song however many times? "Caroline is a real person but it´s not her real name. I met her in the early nineties (?) in New York. You know, we get a lot of fan-letters including poems and shortstories, stuff like that, and this material sometimes is simply stunning, absolute superb poetry. I am still very touched that people open up that much and send their deepest and most private thoughts to a person like me, somebody, they´ve never met before. Carol was such a person and when I stayed in New York for a week or so I managed to meet her and we talked for a while. She turned out to be one of the most honest and amazing persons I´ve ever met in my life. That is the background of the song. Anything else is expressed in the lyrics (...if you read them carefully) and in the music (co-written by Rainer)." The lines: "I can give you names but I can never give you answers ...and she says: listen to the music of your soul, follow where it's telling you to go, follow in the footsteps of your soul, listen to the music, don't you know, it'll lead you where you want to be, it's playing there for you and me it´ll lead you were you want to be..." are written by Julie Ocean." Marian Gold Say It Ain't So, Five Years (Alphaville´s mailinglist 11/2000) Marian about doing cover versions: "When I decide to do a cover, it is basically because I am entranced by the original version and I respect the artist, otherwise I wouldn't do it. I don't feel like being in any kind of competition with the author or interpreter. All I try to achieve is to add a personal perspective to the song and it is only its original version which inspire me to do so. I don't think that it is possible to top the original model but even if I am wrong to my eyes it would be an unnessessary and useless attempt anyway. When people listen to one of my coversongs I hope to introduce them to the work of the original artist as well as to mine. when I heard Murray head singing 'Say It Ain't So' for the first time in my life, I was so touched by his performance that I was close to tears. I have to admit that I had never heard any of Murray's songs before. Rupert (Hine) played it to me when we were looking for an existing song to find out if we could work together. It was an honour for me to sing this song. And that goes for all the other cover-versions I've done and will ever do as well." Bless you all." Marian Gold