Friday, November 15, 2013

When Can We Do This Again? (The Playlist Project Part 5)

The Doctor Who Playlist Project marches on and into the end!

(Part 1 is here)
(Part 2 is here)
(Part 3 is here)
(Part 4 is here)

Track 41: Viva La Vida by Coldplay



I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can't explain
Once you go there was never
Never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world


I probably should have put this one in earlier, but I like the historical feel of this song. We don't get much in the way of pure historicals on Doctor Who anymore, but I sort of wish they'd do it again - maybe once or twice just to mix things up a bit. And I like Coldplay. So there's that.

Track 42: Our Velocity by Maximo Park



I've got no one to call
In the middle of the night anymore
I'm just alone
With my thoughts

Never, never try to gauge temperature
When you tend to travel at such speed
It's our velocity


Here’s another song that I was first introduced to via a fan-made video (this comes up a lot, I’ve noticed).

Track 43: Dream Catch Me by Newton Faulkner



There's a place I go when I'm alone
Do anything I want, be anyone I wanna be
But it is us I see and I cannot believe I'm falling
That's where I'm going, where are you going?
Hold it close, won't let this go

Dream, catch me, yeah
Dream, catch me when I fall
Or else I won't come back at all


I’ll just post the lyrics to the chorus and call it good. I can’t put it any better than that.

Track 44: Hello, Goodbye by The Beatles



Since we've been looking back and paying tribute to the past with the 50th Anniversary, I thought it would be fitting to end on some 60s flair.  The more you listen to the lyrics of this song, the more it repeats in your head, and the more you hear the loop of saying hello and goodbye.  Yeah, it's kind of a fun little pop song - but think about the timey-wimey (for lack of a better term) loop that Doctor Who fandom has gone through.  The people who were fans of the show Way Back When are now the ones actually making the show.  There are always new people coming in - whether into the official cast and crew or into the fandom.  Doctor Who sort of creates its own creators - which is really neat. How many other shows can say that?

Track 45: Friends Never Say Goodbye by Elton John



There isn't much I haven't shared
With you along the road
And through it all there'd always be
Tomorrow's episode
Suddenly that isn't true
There's another avenue
Beckoning the great divide
Ask no questions, take no side

Who's to say who's right or wrong
Whose course is braver run
Still we are, have always been
Will ever be as one

What is done has been done for the best
Though the mist in my eyes might suggest
Just a little confusion about what I'll lose
But if I started over I know I would choose
The same joy the same sadness each step of the way
That fought me and taught me that friends never say
Never say goodbye


Enough said.

Track 46: What About Everything? by Carbon Leaf



Another song that I was introduced to via a fan-made video. This comes from the incomparable Babelcolour, who in turn was inspired by this video -



Both are excellent tributes and very much worth your time and positive feedback. Beyond that - the song is just wonderful.

Track 47: Goodnight, Travel Well by The Killers



The unknown distance to the great beyond
Stares back at my grieving frame
To cast my shadow by the holy sun
My spirit moans with a sacred pain
And it's quiet now
The universe is standing still

There's nothing I can say
There's nothing we can do now
There's nothing I can say
There's nothing we can do now

I love the space imagery and the haunting quality of the music in this song.  And it works for the ending of the playlist.

Track 48: Chances by Five for Fighting



Chances are we'll be the combination
Chances come and carry me
Chances are waiting to be taken, and I can see

Chances are the fascinations
Chances won't escape from me
Chances are only what we make them and all I need

This song was included because of a strange little mind-association game I played with myself. This song is on the end-credits of the movie The Blind Side, which is the true story of a young man who lives on the streets who is adopted by a family and given a chance to be something amazing when nobody else would have given him those opportunities. Because of that, this song represents hope and unseen potential that can be reached if the right people and the right circumstances (and a little bit of luck) comes together. Doctor Who wasn’t intended to run for 50 years in all its various incarnations. It was supposed to be this quirky little kids’ show to fill a Saturday tea time slot - nothing else. But then the combination of the right talent and visions came together and it’s possibilities are endless. It could easily run for another 50 years - maybe more - without seeming old or tired.

Track 49: Stars Align by Lindsey Stirling



Going on from the theme of the previous song - everything that I’ve heard or read about the history of Doctor Who leads me to believe that this show has had tons of luck on its side. The one that I am continually floored by is the transition from Season 6 to Season 7 - how the show was going to be cancelled because the ratings weren’t so hot and everyone was leaving, but simply because the BBC didn’t have anything else to replace it with, it was given a one-year reprieve while they came up with something new. And in many ways, Doctor Who became a totally new show. Its popularity increased and the entire franchise was rejuvenated, paving the way for what many consider to be the Golden Age of Doctor Who. There are many other similar stories, but the point is that the stars aligned for this franchise time and again. Who knows what’s coming around the next era - and how wonderful it is, even just as a fan, to be a part of it.

Track 50: When Can I See You Again? by Owl City



Switch on the sky and the stars glow for you
Go see the world 'cause it's all so brand new
Don't close your eyes 'cause your future's ready to shine
It's just a matter of time, before we learn how to fly
Welcome to the rhythm of the night
There's something in the air you can't deny

It's been fun but now I've got to go
Life is way too short to take it slow
But before I go and hit the road
I gotta know, 'til then,
when can we do this again?

I do have a story with this one. The first time I saw the movie Wreck-It Ralph and this song started playing over the end credits, my immediate thought was “This is a song for Doctor Who.” Because (more often than not) I can’t wait to have another adventure with Team TARDIS. I love this show and these stories and characters and it’s just tons of fun. I very nearly made an Eleventh Doctor tribute video to this song when it was announced that Matt Smith was leaving, but crappy video-making software prevented me from doing so (if anyone with the means and the time would like to take up that challenge, they’re welcome to it). It’s a fun, upbeat, and peppy song and a fitting song to close out this playlist. Because, no matter how many stories are told or how many eras “end” for Doctor Who, there will always be someone standing there saying “I want to do this again.” And the Doctor will be there tomorrow to hit the ground running.

So - when can we do this again?


Music of Time by ~ladyyatexel on deviantART

***
Well, that's the end of my 50th Anniversary Playlist Tribute. I hope you enjoyed the music (and maybe some of my analysis - I admit, some of it was a bit lacking. I'm just not a very good music critic). I've got one more big project planned in the run-up to November 23, so keep watching this space!

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