While honeyed vocals by Lucy LaCœur anchor Holiday’s romantic lyrics in the clouds, the tight, sinuous string play of Lady Viorii and Jack Tabby's led orchestrations drives the tunes like street cars on a wire. (Some in the orchestra claim Viorii’s the black sheep of some left-over Croatian blue bloods; true or not, they all hup to). LaCoeur opens up like a musical Swiss army knife, with charming turns on ukelele, clarinet, glockenspiel, and who knows what else. E. Splanky’s horns splash all over these tracks, and though LaCœur pulled him onto the Heartland Flyer from an Oklahoma dive bar, where he says he “played for prison milk”, he might as well have come from a Bulgarian circus band, for all the slavic keening. Charlie Minnegrode’s trumpets answer smartly, toddling in on brass tap shoes. And though it’s hard to know exactly what the upstate NY sound ‘zine Yunk Police meant when they said Sully Dodger “rides his trap set like the iron spider foreman in Mozart’s machine shop”, he does have a feather light touch and a bag of insistent triphammer beats that keeps the whole kit and kaboodle in high, tight gear throughout the live spectacle.
Before Holiday, the others had already made a career “playing out” on Amtrak’s few remaining rail lines: On the Ethan Allen Express, LaCœur, Viorii, and Splank met Sully (who had been doing auxiliary percussion work for the Maniyunk wind ensemble after being let go as interim director of the high school pep band--no one will say why); soon thereafter, they lucked into Minnesota-by-way-of-Iceland legend Ogmundur Helgason on the Empire Builder; Tabby rode in on the Hiawatha, coming off a dark 19th hole in Beloit, with a viola case and a highball. By the time Holiday found them all on the Silver Service, the ladies had already finessed a hundred conductors into letting the outlaw combo torch up their lounge cars. (Apparently, if they played all night, they didn’t have to buy a ticket.)
Even after Holiday, a surprising number of the orchestra rose from the sparse platforms of Amtrak: buskers would often join up without much of a fuss--a Mandolin on the Lakeshore Limited (Benzo Nutilii), a harp on the Keystone (Clara Schultz), a theremin on the Adirondack (Alexei Savrasov). Occasionally the band would have a lay-over in Carbondale or Rutland, and scope out some ne’er-do-wells on the margins of a roots music festival (witness the itinerant Woofdog, playing the melodeon party-time keys (ala the Great Daniel Johnston Machine), and brass man C. Minnegrode, both of whom used to be regulars at the Indianapolis Summer Jamz).
The numbers kept swelling, and they eventually assembled the hodge-podge of orchestral comrades in Champe Ford Studio to track the record. Their debut "The Throes" was released in July and contains nine songs that portray their powerful combo of danceable percussion, sweeping strings, blasting horns and an inviting mix of genre cross-overs with nods to old school R&B, Calypso, Latin, Čoček and century spanning Western pop music.
By turns grandiose and grand, hoky and holy, they make you nostalgic for the days to come.
---
M.H. & His Orchestra
Live Band:
Lucy LaCoeur - Glockenspiel, Ukulele, Clarinet & Voice
Lady Viorii - Violin & Voice
G. Emmet Splanky - Baritone, Tenor & Alto Saxophone
Charlie Minnegrode - Trumpet
Woofdog - Daniel Johnston Machine
Domino - Accordion/Synth/Piano
Caeytano Berdecia - Classical Guitar
Sully Dodger - Trap Kit
Eddie "McFierce" McPherson - Bass
Alona Popotnik - Violin & Voice
&
Max Holiday - The Singer
(M.H. & His Orchestra are occasionally joined by Jack Tabby on Viola & Felix D'Artagnan on Upright Bass)
Where Are You Going
M.H. & His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Its like you're the only one I've ever know
Can you tell me in a way I'd understand
I can't move on if I don't have a plan
I don't think I'll ever love again
I can't bear to see this to the end
Where are you going, my friend?
I'll never love again
I can't stop watching you move
The whole world stops when I look at you
And I can't get you out of my head
Without you I would rather be dead
I don't think I'll ever love again
I can't bear to see this to the end
Where are you going, my friend?
I'll never love again
I'll never love again
I don't think I'll ever love again
I can't bear to see this to the end
Where are you going, my friend?
I'll never love again
I'll never love again
I don't think I'll ever love again (Again)
I can't bear to see this to the end (Again)
Where are you going, my friend?
I'll never love again
I'll never love again
The song "Where Are You Going" by M.H. & His Orchestra is a heartfelt ballad depicting the pain and heartache of losing someone you love. The lyrics speak of the deep, emotional connection between two people and the agony of watching them leave. The singer is unable to understand why the other person is leaving and begs for them to explain in a way that is understandable, so they can emotionally move on. The repetition of the lines "I don't think I'll ever love again" and "Where are you going, my friend?" emphasize the feeling of loss and the realization that the love shared is irreplaceable. The heart-wrenching chorus, "I'll never love again," is a reminder of the depth of the love that has been lost.
The lyrics are poignant and relatable, as many people have experienced the pain of losing someone they love. The song speaks to the raw emotions that come with heartbreak and the difficulty of moving forward from that pain. The use of vivid imagery, such as "The whole world stops when I look at you," draws the listener into the scene and intensifies the sense of longing and desperate sadness.
In conclusion, "Where Are You Going" is a beautifully crafted song that expresses the pain and anguish of losing a loved one. Through its poignant lyrics and evocative imagery, the song captures the depth of emotion felt by anyone experiencing heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm sat here watching you go
I am sitting here and watching you leave
Its like you're the only one I've ever known
It feels like you are the only person I have ever known
Can you tell me in a way I'd understand
Can you please explain it to me in a way that I can comprehend
I can't move on if I don't have a plan
I am unable to move forward without a plan
I don't think I'll ever love again
I am doubtful that I will ever love someone again
I can't bear to see this to the end
I cannot endure this relationship coming to an end
Where are you going, my friend?
Where are you going, my dear acquaintance?
I'll never love again
I will never fall in love again
I can't stop watching you move
I am unable to stop observing your movements
The whole world stops when I look at you
The entire world appears to come to a halt when I lay my eyes on you
And I can't get you out of my head
I am unable to remove you from my thoughts
Without you I would rather be dead
I would rather be deceased than be without you
I don't think I'll ever love again
I am doubtful that I will ever love someone again
Where are you going, my friend?
Where are you going, my dear acquaintance?
I'll never love again
I will never fall in love again
I don't think I'll ever love again
I am doubtful that I will ever love someone again
Where are you going, my friend?
Where are you going, my dear acquaintance?
I'll never love again
I will never fall in love again
I don't think I'll ever love again (Again)
I am doubtful that I will ever love someone again (Repeatedly)
I can't bear to see this to the end (Again)
I cannot endure this relationship coming to an end (Repeatedly)
Where are you going, my friend?
Where are you going, my dear acquaintance?
I'll never love again
I will never fall in love again
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Rhys Connolly
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind