The sounds of English…
a listening experience
Perfect day Lou Reed
Hyde Park, London, UK
Perfect day Lou Reed
This song is brilliant. It shines in its simplicity. Simple does not mean that it is a song that we should not pay attention to or that it has nothing to offer. When I use the word “simple” to describe Perfect Day, I am trying to express that it does not use complicated vocabulary. The lyrics do not include native speaker idioms or contain metaphors, just everyday vocabulary that is easy to comprehend.
This song describes feelings that are difficult to talk about with ordinary words. The song explains how happy he felt to spend a beautiful, extraordinary day with someone he loves. In an easy-to-understand manner, it describes the satisfaction of having lived this day. I believe it is possible for anyone listening to identify with his words. That is the power of exceptional lyrics. It is the ability to say something so clearly that we all grasp it without a problem. We identify with what we hear since we all have also lived it and can recognize the feelings he describes in the song.
Perfect day has so many world-class artists who decided to make their own interpretations that choosing which ones to select becomes a difficult task. I sincerely hope you agree with these choices I have taken. Enjoy them and practice your listening skills at the same time.
The lyrics
Perfect day
Just a perfect day
Drink Sangria in the park
And then later, when it gets dark
We go home
Just a perfect day
Feed animals in the zoo
Then later, a movie too
And then home
[Chorus]
Oh it’s such a perfect day
I’m glad I spent it with you
Oh such a perfect day
You just keep me hanging on
You just keep me hanging on
[Verse 2]
Just a perfect day
Problems all left alone
Weekenders on our own
It’s such fun
Just a perfect day
You made me forget myself
I thought I was someone else
Someone good
[Chorus]
Oh it’s such a perfect day
I’m glad I spent it with you
Oh such a perfect day
You just keep me hanging on
You just keep me hanging on
[Outro]
You’re going to reap just what you sow
You’re going to reap just what you sow
You’re going to reap just what you sow
You’re going to reap just what you sow
Vocabulary
reap just what you sow Used for saying that something happens to someone because of what they have done in the past. After all the bad things he has done, he’s just reaping what he has sown.
Hanging on to hold or continue holding onto something. He is hanging on to his life even though he has cancer.
Simplicity The quality of being simple. One of the things I love about his music is the simplicity of the lyrics.
World-class artist It is an expression used for artists who are recognized in many or most of the countries in the world. They are definitely a world-class rock band. They have successfully toured more than 50 countries.
The Listening Exercises
Lou Reed – Perfect Day (Live At Montreux 2000)
In Lou Reed’s own words during an interview: “”This is a song of a perfect, beautiful day with the girl you love.” To listen to the early recordings of Lou Reed is to hear the sound of New York during the ’60s. After leaving his band, Velvet Underground, he had a successful 50-years long career as a solo artist. In this version, he plays together in an easy-going slow-paced way. His signing is easy to understand, for it seems more he telling his story than singing.
Perfect Day Lou Reed Bono Dr John Elton John D Bowie Duran Duran
This version is a unique production. It was presented in 1997 to raise money for the organization Children in need. We have a multitude of artists that join Lou Reed in the song. We will only mention a few: Lou Reed, Bono, Skye Edwards (Morcheeba), David Bowie, Suzanne Vega, Elton John, and Dr. John. Here you have an excellent listening opportunity with all the different voices in the production of this song.
Caro Emerald – Perfect Day (Live Lou Reed cover) Giel 3FM
The following video contains a live presentation of Caro Emerald at the Giel FM Radio Station. The singer, Caro Emerald, comes from the Netherlands and is well known as a pop and jazz singer. Her debut studio album, Deleted scenes from the cutting room floor, set an all-time record when it completed its 30th week as the No 1 album in the Dutch album charts. In 2010, Emerald was awarded the Dutch prize for the Best Female Artist. Her second studio album topped the Dutch and British album charts, as well.
In 2009, Susan Boyle participated in a live TV show, Britain’s got talent. She grabbed worldwide attention after she sang, I dreamed a dream. Born in Scotland, the singer has recorded her first studio album by the name of Ten. To promote her music album, she is now successfully traveling and performing worldwide. Her lyrics are clear and can be followed effortlessly.
Coldplay — Perfect day (Lou Reed)
We listened to Issac Hayes as he interpreted Papa was a rollin’ stone. His rendition of that song is one of the best versions ever recorded. Now, he presents us with his own particular performance with Traffic’s Feeling alright. Like all his songs, this is an excellent production.
Patti Smith is a multi-talented artist. She is a singer, musician, and composer. Her punk-rock music is a central part of the New York scene and goes back to the ’70s. She is also an author and a poet, mixing her songwriting with lyrics from poems she also wrote. In 2010 the Rolling Stones magazine placed Patti Smith as No. 476 in the list of the 100 Greatest Artists.
Choir! Choir! Choir! sings Lou Reed – Perfect Day
Choir! Choir! Choir! is a Canadian choir, based in Toronto, Canada. The choir is structured as an open participation group in which anybody who wants to attend an event is welcome to perform as part of the choir. They meet at a place called Clinton’s Tavern twice a week. Each performance is with one song that they practice at the meeting and finally doing their live presentation at the end of the night.
There are a variety of different voices singing the same beautiful lyrics. Each voice with its own pace, inflection, and personality. Listen to these different versions, and exercise your English listening skills, remember that learning is fun, so enjoy!
All photographs by ©edudelcorral
Talking easy, the English lessons The Listening Exercises