This week’s theme for Song Lyric Sunday is a bit of a tester. Helen has asked us to post a song with a word that describes a sound in the title or lyrics, but I don’t think I’m entirely sure what she means.
Are we talking about onomatoepia – which is when a word is formed from the sound made by what it refers to (e.g.’cuckoo’)? That’s not actually describing a sound: it is the sound. Something that describes suggests either an adverb or an adjective: ‘louder’ or ‘grating’, for example.
Is ‘crying’ onomatoepia? It certainly relates to a sound, but does it actually sound like that sound? I don’t think so. ‘Whisper’ is a bit more like it, but I’m still not entirely sure.
Or am I overthinking all this, thereby running the risk of disappearing down the worm-hole of post-modernist semiotics and ending up having Jacques Derrida messing with my head? Best avoided.
Anyway, I’ve decided to go with ‘whisper’ and since I’ve already name-checked George Michael in a blog post this week, what else could it be but ‘Careless Whisper’? It’s a very fine song.
Time can never mend
The careless whisper of a good friend
To the heart and mind
If your answer’s kind
There’s no comfort in the truth
Pain is all you’ll find
I should have known better, yeah
I feel so unsure
As I take your hand and lead you to the dance floor
As the music dies
Something in your eyes
Calls to mind a silver screen
And all its sad goodbyes
I’m never gonna dance again
Guilty feet have got no rhythm
Though it’s easy to pretend
I know you’re not a fool
I should have known better than to cheat a friend
And waste a chance that I’d been given
So I’m never gonna dance again
The way I danced with you
Time can never mend
The careless whisper of a good friend
To the heart and mind
If your answer’s kind
There’s no comfort in the truth
Pain is all you’ll find
Never without your love What am I without your love?
Tonight the music seems so loud
I wish that we could lose this crowd
Maybe it’s better this way
We’d hurt each other with the things we want to say
We could have been so good together,
We could have lived this dance forever
But now, who’s gonna dance with me?
Please stay
Now that you’re gone
Now that you’re gone
Now that you’re gone
What I did that was so wrong?
So wrong that you had to leave me alone?
Songwriters
ANDREW RIDGELEY, ANDREW J. RIDGELEY, GEORGE MICHAEL
Published by
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
the only deadhead in the hameau 
Great song choice. I remember listening to this growing up. It sort of makes me sad and brings back not so happy memories, but the message is a good one.
As for the theme, I was originally going to choose onomatopoeia, but I felt like it was too limiting. I overthink things all the time, so I totally get where you were going, but I’m happy you were able to come up with something. I chose whisper as well. 😉
Brings back memories. Thanks for sharing.
I had not heard this one before, but I do like it. Thanks for posting it. 🙂
Never heard? that tells me you must be very young! 🙂
My favorite number ever… right from the college days! Love it..