So I couldn’t sleep last night; you all know I’m a bit of an insomniac by now. But it was a happy kind of not sleeping, and then it started raining. The raindrops were fair lashing against the window, and I got that snuggly, dry, comfort feeling of being safe and warm under my duvet.
And as always, without fail, that sensation brought on a recollection of snippets of one of my all-time favourite songs. That song has stayed with me since I was 18 or 19, so that makes it a classic in my eyes. It is a beautiful song with some of the most expressive lyrics I have come ever across. It is suffusing me with a lovely feeling of happiness and anticipation, and as it suits my mood and my life so perfectly at the moment, I thought I’d share. Read through the lyrics first and then scroll down to watch a live performance. Do take the time to listen to the whole song, you won’t regret it, I promise! 🙂
And then, tell me about your special song–I’d love to hear about it!
Marillion: Waiting to Happen
I lie awake at night
Listening to you sleeping
I hear the darkness breathe
And the rain against the window
After all this time
Cynical and jaded
All the stones are diamonds
All the blues are faded
Everything I’ve been through
All I’ve seen and heard
Spend so much of my life
In the spiritual third world
But you came and brought the rain here
Something waiting to happen
Something learning to fly
We can talk without talking
From inside to inside
I have waited to feel this
For the whole of my life
We took ourselves apart
We talked about our faces
You said you didn’t like yours
I said I disagree
I keep the pieces separate
I clutch them in my coat
A jigsaw of an angel I can do when I feel low
From emptiness and dryness
The famine of our days
I watch the heavens open
Wash it all away
You came and brought the rain here
Something waiting to happen
Something learning to fly
On the edge of exploding
Something wild and alive
Something waiting to happen
Any time that you like I have waited to feel this
For the whole of my life
Nicky Wells: Love & Thrills 
I love this song, Nicky! One of my top Marillion tracks is Fantastic Place, because the chord changes (and his vocal delivery) seem to open my soul.
Hi Joanna, thanks for stopping by and it’s so wonderful to meet a fellow Marillion fan. I love the way you said the music (and vocals!) open your soul: that is exactly how I feel about a lot of their songs. Thanks for taking the time to comment! X 🙂
Thanks, Nicky! Yep, definitely a fan, but there are also clear standout tracks (and albums) for me. I do find certain tracks (by any artist)enhance my writing, or stir a particular emotional response, so I have to be a bit careful what I listen to when I’m writing. :p
A kindred spirit! I am exactly the same! 🙂
A Marillion fan! Did you like them more Fish era or when Steve Hogarth took over as lead singer? ‘Cover My Eyes’ is my all time favourite Marillion song. I got it on 7″ & cassette single ( remember cassette singles ?!) back in the day. I love your blog topic, I am passionately into music but it would be really hard to pin down one song. I’m going to have to give this serious thought and come back to it.. The one that springs to mind first though is U2’s With Or Without You but that’s possibly because it’s my all time favourite pop video. Yep, one to brood on. Great blog topic. x x
Oh, ‘With or Without You’….yes, love that one!
As for Marillion (assuming you don’t mind me responding to that, yasminselena!) then definitely Hogarth 🙂 If I need an energy boost, I play Hooks In You. My favourites albums are Afraid of Sunlight, Seasons End (and Holidays in Eden). Bliss!
I guess my soul music is anything with a soaring vocal & fabulous guitar/keyboard solos…. 🙂 They swallow me whole 🙂
Hi Joanna, we are definitely on the same wavelength here, all of us! Sounds like you enjoy good, melodic rock bands with strong vocals. My fave rockers? An eclectic mix of commercial and less well known: Europe, Dare, Bon Jovi, FM, Scorpions, Creed; and more recently newer bands like Ultradrive, The Hush or House of Leaf. Vocals, guitars, bass and drums, rock on! 🙂
Lol, of course I don’t mind you responding : )
I remember the song Hooks In You. When I saw Mr Hogarth on TOTPs, lordy, did I have a crush on him.
I remember promoting a piece on the band when I worked for The Times back in 2007 I think? They were making more money as independent artists than with a label. They actually set a bit of a precedent for that. Cool you do Reiki by the way Joanna : ) I had a look at your site. I’m a fan of Reiki : ) Do you like The Waterboys? Passionate music for sure. I must see if Marillion are on Spotify sometime.. xx
Yasmin, yes I think H in those days was definitely crush-worthy! And yay for indies!
Good to meet another Reiki fan! That’s actually my main business at the moment, so I’ve just been working my latest blog. I really need there to be two of me….
I have to confess that as far as The Waterboys are concerned, I’ve only heard The Whole Of The Moon. Good track, though! Is there a particular album you’d recommend?
Good luck with the Reiki business : )
I would recommend starting with their Best of as it covers their career really comprehensively and you can see which era of their music sings out at you. The album This Is The Sea is really good, but I really loved their early albums A Pagan Place and the self titled The Waterboys – A Girl Called Johnny is a fantastic song, it was written about Patti Smith. In fact I’m going to play them today while I work on Gunshot Glitter! x
Thank you, Yasmin, on all counts! I have Amazon’d their Best Of album and will audition it later! 🙂
Aces! Do let me know what you think of it : ) Give it a good few listens and I hope it brings your pleasure. xx
Hi Yasmin and Joanna, so glad you connected and found some music to share yesterday. My blog has a purpose! That makes me happy. I do post about music quite regularly in various formats so watch out for the new posts and come back soon! XX
Nicky, I’m enjoying your blog! I knew from your comments on The Romaniacs you were an interesting, bright soul. It is always nice when you can connect like-minded folk together, that’s one of the best things about the internet I think. And you should check out The Waterboys too! I’ve dug out my tapes in honour of my teenage self. That and Mogwai are going to be the flavour of my day I think. xx
Aww, thanks for your lovely words! **blushes** It’s brilliant to have met you. And I omitted to say so far, “Whole of the Moon” is another one of my all-time favourite songs. I believe I insisted that our band played it at my wedding! Am listening to it now and must dig out the album…. XXX
I got into them more when Steve Hogarth took over. 🙂 Holidays in Eden is one of my favourite albums and “Cover My Eyes” is a great song (and yes, I do remember cassettes!!!). As is “The Party” (so powerful! it’s all in the lyrics again) and “Holidays in Eden”. In fact, that was almost my theme song when I was in the proces of emigrating to England. “Did you ever feel that just by jumping on a plane…” Well, yeah, I did! I think U2’s “With or Without You” is also an all-time favourite. What a lot of great music we like! Thanks for stopping by, Yasmin! X 🙂
We definitely are, Nicky! My original Twitter handle was ReikiRockChick lol.
I am a HUGE fan of Dare (I even put that in my bio on our website!) and also FM, Magnum and other rock, too. Lately my listening has included Florence + The Machine’s Ceremonials (the drum rhythms – wow!)
A firm favourite for writing is Karnataka’s Gathering Light. A folk edge, sure, but the instrumentals are incredible, and the vocals aren’t too shabby, either. My co-author introduced me to Muse. Those two bands combined were my main accompaniment when writing our first novel. 🙂 🙂
We ought to meet up! Our record collections… sorry, CD collections must overlap tremendously. Showing my age, but yes, I’ve got most of these on CD and some even on vinyl, gulp! I’ve never yet met someone who knew of Dare AND FM. Kindred spirits indeed! I think I’ll take a hop on over to your website and have a mooch round… :-)xx
I missed out Journey!!! #fail
Me too! Was just reminded of that by your Bio on your lovely blog. #amfollowing!
LOL Yes I have five drawers-full of CDs (and about 5 albums/singles on vinyl – Genesis Invisible Touch and T’Pau Bridge of Spies, to name but two).
Thanks for the Facebook Like and the Newsletter follow, we appreciate that.
I changed laptops very recently and only yesterday managed to transfer all my mp3s (ripped from my CDs, obviously) onto the new one. Now the world is back to rights! Reminds me of the lyrics of the John Miles track ‘Music’. Although I’d also have to add writing,reading, chocolate and friends 😉
28 years ago, I wrote the lyrics to The Scorpions’ “Still Loving You” in a blank card and sent it to my then ex-boyfriend who had run away and joined the Air Force. I credit that song with getting us back together. We’ve been together ever since and married over 22 years.
2 years ago, on rare sunny spring day in Seattle, I was driving around in my convertible when a new song I’d downloaded started playing. Those lyrics (to 30 Seconds To Mars “Hurricane”) inspired my book, The Mistaken.
Music and lyrics can be very powerful motivators!
Nancy, what a powerful story! And I’m thrilled that someone else remembers that classic lovesong, Still Loving You by German rockers, Scorpions. Obviously they were HUGE in Germany (especially when the Wall came down and they’d recorded and performed the memorable Wind of Change) but I never knew how for they ‘reached’ outside. And isn’t it wonderful that they got you back together? I hope it was the first song at your wedding!!
I agree, lyrics are powerful and I can’t connect with music unless I can understand, and relate to, the lyrics. Thanks for sharing Nancy, I’m honoured that you stopped by. XX
Two fabulous stories, Nancy – both with wonderful outcomes! I have some Scorpions on a few (I have several!) compilation CDs. Great for when I want something a bit heavier 🙂
This is a great thread, Nicky; I wish I’d found your blog sooner! 😉
thanks, Joanna! It’s been a fascinating discussion, I seem to have hit a real nerve today (in a good way!). Wish I’d met you sooner too, but hey, we’re here now. 🙂 xx
That is a great story, Nancy!
Nicky, the Scorpions were huge here too. It’s funny how you called the Scorpions, Bon Jovi and Creed less well known, but here they were very BIG. I even listened to Europe a little in high school.
I’ve never heard of Marillion but this is a great song.
Whenever I need inspiration for my writing I listen to music. Each of my books have a playlist specific to the story.
Thanks for sharing this song. I love finding new music, even if it’s already a classic to some people.’s
Hi Dana, thanks for stopping by and taking part! Isn’t it amazing how one little innocent post, written at the spur of the moment under the influence of a powerful song, elicits so many exciting responses. I had no idea that we all basically shared the same taste in music, at least in part. And Europe, too–wow, my first ever crush and inspiration. I even had the blonde, permed mane to match! Glad you enjoyed the song, and thanks for your lovely comment. X
PS I have Sophie’s Turn on my Kindle, just haven’t got it high enough in my TBR pile yet *blush*
No worries, I know what it’s like. My TBR has grown to astronomical proportions, and yet reading is the one thing I have almost no time for at the moment. Hope you enjoy it when you read it! You’re a proud owner of the first edition!! Watch out for launch day in September… 🙂
while I like rock I always assumed marillion was heavy metal. that was lovely. I’ll have to seek them out and listen more. Thanks! I thoroughly enjoyed listening to that track.
Lynne, I am so very glad that you stopped by and took the time to listen. This really is one of my all-time favourite songs and if you enjoyed this one, I really recommend the entire album titled “Holidays in Eden.” There are some fantastic songs on there. No scratch that, they’re all great and I don’t think you’ll find them too heavy at all. XX Thank for you lovely comment. 🙂
This is one of my all-time favourite songs and definitely my fave by The Smashing Pumpkins. I’ve chosen it today because of these lines in particular:Travel the world/Traverse the skiesYour home is here/Within my heart
They make me ache, really, really move me : ) And I love the way they are sung by Billy Corgan : )
“Stand Inside Your Love”
You and me
Meant to be
Immutable
Impossible
It’s destiny
Pure lunacy
Incalculable
Insufferable
But for the last time
You’re everything that I want and ask for
You’re all that I’d dreamed
Who wouldn’t be the one you love
Who wouldn’t stand inside your love
Protected and the lover of
A pure soul and beautiful you
Don’t understand
Don’t feel me now
I will breathe
For the both of us
Travel the world
Traverse the skies
Your home is here
Within my heart
And for the first time
I feel as though I am reborn
In my mind
Recast as child and mystic sage
Who wouldn’t be the one you love
Who wouldn’t stand inside your love
And for the first time
I’m telling you how much I need and bleed for
Your every move and waking sound
In my time
I’ll wrap my wire around your heart and your mind
You’re mine forever now
Who wouldn’t be the one you love and live for
Who wouldn’t stand inside your love and die for
Who wouldn’t be the one you love
The video was a bit overblown but I love the song very much:
Enjoyed reading all the comments and your piece so much, I cannot say I have a favourite song Nicky, spent too long surrounded by them and find myself pulling them to pieces regarding the production and the playing and the way the vocal has been recorded etc. i do love some of the old one (big Irving Berlin fan) and I love The Who and The Kinks and The Beatles and Foreigner and Metallica…..so it is so hard for me to pick just one. I am a fan of all songwriters and musicians as I know the pain it takes to make music.
Hi Jane, thanks so much for stopping by and for your wonderful comments. I love what you say about knowing the pain it takes to make music and that you therefore appreciate all songwriters and musicians. Hear, hear, I second that! I, too, find it hard to pick ‘a’ favourite so I have lots… and you’ll find more and more of them here as the weeks go by. Hope you enjoy! 🙂