While getting to know each other at common concerts with their then current projects, Ella Blixt was living in the Swedish city of Malmö and recording songs under the name of “Bobby Baby” when Berlin-based Robert Kretzschmar broached the first ideas of his notion of pop music with his duo “Lady Boy”. A few months later, Blixt moved to Berlin. First common songs were written on an old organ with a charming name and an even more charming sound. And because there was this organ and soon a piano, too, for Blixt's sparkling chords and since Kretzschma's airy and swinging play of drums went forward curiously, “there was no hand left for a guitar”. Indie pop without guitars? But the music that has taken the best from Stereolab and St. Etienne, from the likeable simplicity of LoFi as well as from the interwoven harmony landscapes of a Burt Bacharach or a Karen Carpenter, this music has left behind the drawer of indie anyway. Trumpets, vibraphones, canonical Choirs. “It’s a Musical”, it really is.
Their debut album "The music makes me sick" was released on Morr Music in 2008. Their 2nd album "For years and years" was released in March 2012.
www.itsamusical.com
All My Hollowness to You
It's A Musical Lyrics
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The lovers whisper, "What a cow."
And touch each other with their hands
Outside they snicker at the sight
Of drunk men sleeping in the light
That shines on public transport stands
I want to screw you
There's nothing more that I want out of you
I want to own you
For just one day enthrone you
And give all of my hollowness to you
And so they drink two cans of beer
His face assumes a practiced leer
He takes his jacket off and sighs
She knows the next things to be played
She says, "Forget it, let's get laid
I've had a million other guys."
I want to screw you
I wish I could get through to you
There's nothing more that I want out of you
I want to own you
For just one day enthrone you
And give all of my hollowness to you
They screw, they come, and lie replete
They cast their shadows on the street
And look away into the air
They're not in love or so it seems
They stare at false exclusive dreams
They think of ways to do their hair
I want to screw you
I wish I could get through to you
There's nothing more that I want out of you
I want to own you
For just one day enthrone you
And give all of my hollowness to you
The song "All My Hollowness to You" by It's a Musical leaves a somber tone that is full of sadness, melancholy, and desperation. The first verse talks about the mythical image of the 'sad old lady' who takes a bow, and a couple that is whispering about her being a cow while touching each other. It is a sad reality of how people indulge in sneaky jokes even about those who seem harmless. Meanwhile, drunk men sleep in the public transport stands- a symbol of society's neglect for the marginalized.
In the chorus, the singer reveals their own desperate longing for someone, singing that they want to screw and own the person they're pining for. The deep emotion being expressed is self-destructive since it comes from a place of intense hollowness and emptiness which they wish to pass on to the person they like. The singer feels that owning this person, even for a day, will complete them and fill the void inside them.
The second verse of the song talks about a couple that drinks two cans of beer, and the male lover making advances which the female lover rejects. But they both ultimately succumb to their primal instincts and have sex. Both of them seem uninterested in forging a deep emotional connection and stare aimlessly at their mundane corporal dreams, thinking little about their goals or ambitions. The song depicts a picture of a society consumed with superficial physical arrangements, lacking true depth, passion or ambition.
Line by Line Meaning
The sad old lady takes a bow
An old lady acknowledges her loneliness and despair before an audience.
The lovers whisper, "What a cow."
A couple mocks and belittles the old lady, showing their disregard for human suffering.
And touch each other with their hands
The couple engages in physical affection while ignoring the emotional pain of the world around them.
Outside they snicker at the sight
Despite their display of tenderness, the couple secretly find amusement in others' misery and misfortune.
Of drunk men sleeping in the light
The couple takes pleasure in ridiculing the vulnerable and powerless, who are exposed in the harsh light of day.
That shines on public transport stands
The public space serves as a stage for human suffering, which many people ignore or exploit.
I want to screw you
The singer expresses a crude desire for sexual gratification, devoid of any emotional or spiritual connection.
I wish I could get through to you
The singer longs for a deeper, more meaningful communication with the object of their lust, but realizes it's unlikely to happen.
There's nothing more that I want out of you
The singer admits that their attraction is purely physical and selfish, without any consideration for the other person's feelings or needs.
I want to own you
The singer reveals their possessiveness and desire for control over the other person, reducing them to a mere object of desire.
For just one day enthrone you
The singer imagines a temporary, illusory moment of power over the other person, in which they can satisfy their craving for dominance.
And give all of my hollowness to you
The singer confesses their inner emptiness and meaningless existence, hoping to transfer it to the other person by dominating them physically and emotionally.
They screw, they come, and lie replete
The couple experiences a fleeting moment of physical pleasure, which only reinforces their detachment from reality and each other.
They cast their shadows on the street
The couple's fleeting intimacy leaves only a trace of their presence, a mere shadow of their humanity, on the indifferent streets of the city.
And look away into the air
The couple avoids eye contact or any real connection, choosing instead to ignore each other and stare at the void of the sky.
They're not in love or so it seems
The couple's sexual encounter lacks any semblance of love or intimacy, exposing the hollowness of their existence and the illusion of their desire.
They stare at false exclusive dreams
The couple entertains fake fantasies of exclusivity, imagining their relationship as special or unique, despite its shallow nature.
They think of ways to do their hair
The couple obsesses over their superficial appearance, using it as a distraction from their emotional emptiness and lack of purpose in life.
Writer(s): Christopher Alexander Knox, Alexander Charles Bathgate
Contributed by Ella J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@stevanlm14
2022 still one your biggest fan!
@HitmanJenkins1
This is a pretty cool cover, Tall Dwarfs are so good.
@franciscogargiulo415
Lovely...
@sanchopanzavive
great!!
@SomethingRadiohead
you are great!!! i would love to hear again your show in Italy!!!
@coachoconnor1
great great version!!!!! i truly think i like this version better than the original recording by tall dwarfs but nothing compares to tall dwarfs doing it live. chris knox is the best live performer everrr.
@JackieMendozaaa
i love this.
@tokology
loveeee!
@chelsiewillow
<3 excellent
@teaandcakeordeath
their accents are THE BEST. i don't think the song would be nearly as good without them.