Here Lies Love

Restless Byrne’s ambitious project

Conceptual albums, records displaying a long story, a piece of fiction or one based on true events, are mostly associated with rock music. Even the best performers of dance-music, pop-music, rarely occupy themselves with making such long players. There is a reason for that. The bottom line is that they offer that the audience wants them to offer. Those rocking their bodies on dance floors prefer not to give much thought to what these songs are about. But life has proved that there’s an exception to any rule. And the exception here is the realization of an idea by David Byrne, leader of the legendary Talking Heads, who partnered up with the dance-music genius Norman Cook, mostly known as Fatboy Slim. Byrne has always been famous for the originality of his initiatives; yet this time he seems to have outcome himself. The musician decided to make a large musical picture, Here Lies Love, displaying the life of the Philippine leader’s wife Imelda Marcos and her servant who raised her. The musical background to this narration was the responsibility taken on by Fatboy Slim while the story was to be narrated by a great number of established singers including Florence Welch, Cindy Lauper and, of course, Byrne himself.

A ninety-minute tour to another world

Here Lies Love is a monumental compilation of twenty two musical compositions lasting ninety minutes. Many express skepticism to such projects considering them too tiring and boring for a one-time listening. However, participating in this process of many vocalists endowed each track with its own colors and sound, which will keep you intrigued up to the very end. The album’s opener is the eponymous composition featuring Florence Welch in her prime. Fanciful harps and other strings create an exotic world so distant from the ordinary daily life of most listeners. You’ll Be Taken Care Of is a splendid dance piece decorated by Tori Amos. The first track with the male singing is A Perfect Hand with Steve Earl. It stores for you quite unexpected rough guitar riffs, yet, thank to contrast between them and the mild voice, this song capitalizes on it. Fatboy Slim’s work is so easy to distinguish. He reaches absolute perfection doing beats for Dancing Together, and Ladies In Blue. The record’s final song is Why Don’t You Love Me, a collaboration of Tori Amos and Cindy Lauper. When their sincerest sermon of unrequited love is over, you understand that there really is nothing else to say.

Profound and many-faceted Here Lies Love

The music of Here Lies Love is controversial and unpredictable just like the nature of the main heroine of this story. Although Fatboy Slim worked in full accordance with the requirement of the contemporary dance stage, the listener imminently travels to a time place located twenty or even thirty years behind now. The use of exotic instruments and percussion adds flavors of Latin American traditions and shades of dance music from the late seventies and early eighties. The singers performed nicely as well. Music stars of the present days, they must have been so indifferent to the life of the despotic Philippine ruler and her relationship with her servant. However, these people did their best to convey a deep and complex message of Byrne’s texts with all necessary expression, which makes Here Lies Love a true theatre performance. Only not everybody will get to the core of this work. David Byrne and Fatboy Slim managed to make something much more than just a collection of dance tracks united by a single story. In the meantime, the audience may be unready for this. However, this is the fault of the musicians, yet the problem of the contemporary listeners.