In 1983, a man named Lewis recorded an album named L’Amour, which was released on the unknown label R.A.W. And that’s about all we know.
The record itself is a delicate, whispered album, reflecting the way the artist himself – spectral, movie star-like – almost disappears into the grey of the cover. It should come as no surprise that it failed to shout loudly enough to be noticed, another private press album that sank without trace.
The ingredients are simple: smooth synthesizers, feather-light piano, ethereal, occasionally inaudible vocals and the gentle plucking of acoustic guitars. But the effects are arresting: a spine-tingling, sombre album that echoes Springsteen’s Nebraska or Angelo Badalamenti’s atmospheric soundtracks. Later, Arthur Russell would grasp for something similar on the epochal World Of Echo LP.
L’Amour is a true discovery of the blog age, uncovered in an Edmonton flea-market by collector Jon Murphy, passed on to private press fanatic Aaron Levin, shared on the internet and speculated over by lovers of curious LPs. There’s almost no information about Lewis or the album on the internet. There’s precious little on the sleeve: a dedication to Sports Illustrated supermodel Christie Brinkley, a photo credit for Ed Colver, the noted L.A. punk rock photographer, and credits for engineer Bob Kinsey and synth player Philip Lees. All that was known of Lewis is conjecture: a rumor that he was a con artist who fled after not paying for L’Amour’s photo-shoot and a dubious theory that he was not actually of this earth.
When Light In The Attic looked to release the album, they set out to investigate the mystery. They found some answers, but more intrigue too. Colver was able to fill in some blanks. Firstly, Lewis is a pseudonym. The man the photographer met was named Randall Wulff. He stayed in the Beverley Hills Hilton, drove a white convertible Mercedes and dated a girl who looked like a model. He paid for his photo session with Colver with a $250 check, which bounced.
Eventually, the trail led to Alberta, Canada, where that first LP had been found. Liner notes writer Jack Fleischer along with master detective Markus Armstrong found Randall’s nephew, who remembered Randall as a stockbroker. His vague recollections include a visit to Randall’s apartment, with all-white furniture and that beautiful girlfriend in situ. Crucially, he offered another name – another of Randall’s pseudonyms – which led to a Vancouver studio and the revelation that Lewis had recorded three or four albums of “soft religious music” there. Alas, even the new nom de plume led only to dead ends.
Lewis remains a ghost, a total mystery, but the music will be heard. The album is being pressed for the first time in more than 30 years, and widely distributed for the first time ever. Lewis’s royalties will be placed in escrow until he makes himself known. Perhaps you know Lewis. Perhaps Lewis is you. The only certainty is this: Lewis is about to find a whole bunch of new fans.
Thought The World of You
Lewis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The unhappiness seeps in
My days are long and boring
They never come to an end
The strangers walk right through me
Looking down at the ground
Why is it that everyone only knows how to frown
But the days are getting colder
There's nothing more I'm gonna do to keep up this daily fight
It's so underrated how the world will mess you up
It's so complicated to get by without no luck
I bit off more than I could chew
Cause the world ain't gonna change for you
No one's ever smiling
The sky is always grey
I laugh and joke to cover up
The lies within my face
I've never been too long without falling
Back into the blue
I always need something that I can hold onto
But the days are getting colder
The clouds aren't even white
There's nothing more I'm gonna do to keep up this daily fight
It's so underrated how the world will mess you up
It's so complicated to get by without no luck
I bit off more than I could chew
Cause the world ain't gonna change for you
I'm tired dazed in a haze of multiple thoughts
My favorite band's never playing right down the block
If I could've realized more soon
That the world ain't gonna change
That the world ain't gonna change
It's so underrated how the world will mess you up
It's so complicated to get by without no luck
I bit off more than I could chew
Cause the world ain't gonna change for me and you
In "Thought The World Of You," Lewis evokes a sense of longing and nostalgia for someone who is not present. The song begins with Lewis stating that he took a train journey, and throughout the journey, he thought about this person. He passes a shadowy lane and reflects that it reminded him of this person. Lewis paints a picture of a quiet and peaceful night as the train passes through a little town, where he sees two or three cars parked under the stars and a winding stream. He looks at the moon and sees the same old dream he's been having of this person.
The chorus talks about how Lewis thinks of this person at every stop the train makes, and even after he pulls down the shade to sleep, he still feels blue because he can't stop thinking about the person. In the second verse, Lewis peeps through the crack of the train and looks at the track as he contemplates going back to this person. The song concludes with Lewis repeating the chorus, emphasizing how he can't stop thinking about this person and how he's always drawn back to them.
One interesting fact about the song is that it was written by Leo Robin and Ralph Rainger and was first recorded by Bing Crosby in 1936. Another fact is that the song has been covered by many artists, including Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nat King Cole. The song was also featured in the movie "Sleepless In Seattle." Additionally, the song was part of Lewis's first album, "Lovers Who Wander," which was released in 1962. The album was a commercial success, reaching No. 13 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Here are the chords for "Thought The World of You" as per Ultimate Guitar:
Verse 1:
D B7 Em A7
I took a trip on a train and I thought about you
D B7 Em A7
I passed a shadowy lane and I thought about you
G Em
Two or three cars
F#7 Bm
parked under the stars
G A7 D
winding stream
G Em
Moon shining down
F#7 Bm
on some little town
G A7 D
with each beam, the same old dream
Chorus:
D B7 Em A7
And every stop that we made, oh, I thought about you
D B7 Em A7
And when I pulled down the shade
G A7 D
then I really felt blue
G Em
I peeped through the crack
F#7 Bm
looked at the track
G A7 D
the one going back to you
G Em
And what did I do?
F#7 Bm
I thought about you
Verse 2:
D B7 Em A7
There were two or three cars parked under the stars
D B7 Em A7
in winding stream
G Em
Moon shining down
F#7 Bm
on some little town
G A7 D
with each beam, the same old dream
Chorus:
D B7 Em A7
And every stop that we made, oh, I thought about you
D B7 Em A7
And when I pulled down the shade
G A7 D
then I really felt blue
G Em
I peeped through the crack
F#7 Bm
looked at the track
G A7 D
the one going back to you
G Em
And what did I do?
F#7 Bm
I thought about you.
Line by Line Meaning
I took a trip on a train
I went on a journey on a train
And I thought about you
I was thinking of you during my journey
I passed a shadowy lane
I went by a dark road
And I thought about you
I was still thinking of you during that time
Two or three cars parked under the stars
A few vehicles left out under the evening sky
Winding stream
A river that is flowing with curves
Moon shining down on some little town
The moon is casting light on a small village
And with each beam, the same old dream
Every ray reminding me of my dream
And every stop that we made
Each time the train stopped
Oh, I thought about you
I thought of you constantly
And when I pulled down the shade
When I closed the window cover
Then I really felt blue
I became melancholic then
I peeped through the crack
I looked through the opening
Looked at the track
Observed the railway line
Oh I'm going back to you
I'm returning to you
And what did I do, I thought about you
And of course, I was still thinking about you
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid, Songtrust Ave
Written by: MADISON LEWIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@danielbaker7629
this guy was in an artical in maxim. he was a wall street high roller, lost his house in a mudslide, then he checked in to the beverly hills willshire. he rented out a studio and laid down 10 track in a couple of days then vanished. he was only recently discovered in canada.
@danielbaker7629
recently as in 2015
@lesipapo7876
Dude, im reading the issue right now, with Emily didonato on the cover.
@kevindoyle3614
I read this story I was griped by it.
@utqiagvik1991
Polyphonic provided me to another great album, that I would probably never find.
@mantra3000
Hello,what is Polyphonic?
@utqiagvik1991
@@mantra3000 Great channel about music.
@brianlaakso1117
words can't explain how lovely you are GIRRRRL
@scubacat6156
this song is exquisite and tragic. it completely captures the feeling of being fooled by someone you loved.
@LenhasGS
Hoax or not, this guy made/makes wonderful music. And the tale behind it makes it even better