What? Who is Regina Spektor? If you don’t know her then you are highly advised to continue reading this article & you’ll be introduced to sexy quirkiness, this is like nothing you ever heard before.
Unforced emotions burst out on hearing her voice & her piano love making during her minutes of pure happiness, yes sometimes I wonder if it was necessary to do this Italian accent during “Oh Marcello” or did we really need to know the pickles ingredients during “Reading time with pickles” and why the word “heart” requires so many syllables during “Fidelity”? but that’s just part of her magic.
Regina also imitates dolphin voices during “Folding Chair” & a trumpet during “The Party” which in my humble opinion is the best first dance wedding song but who cares, dance to Lionel Richie’s endless love or whatever.
Regina Spektor is a 34 years old American singer, songwriter and pianist. Her music is associated with the indie folk genre. You won’t find her name on billboard charts or the top 40 but who really cares, right? I’m actually thankful she’s not on a list with Pitbull or Justin Bieber.
Spektor’s songs are based on scenarios and characters drawn from her imagination. She released 6 albums from 2001 to 2012, She covered John Lennon’s Real Love & Radiohead’s No Surprises, both are a must listen covers!
OK, here are 15 bits of her songs that will hopefully make you appreciate her music:
15 :”And History books forgot about us, and the bible didn’t mention us, not even once. You are my sweetest downfall, I loved you first.” – Samson.
After the breakup, she can’t believe that this tremendous love story isn’t mentioned in history books or the bible. Heartbreaking.
14: “My Mama thinks I’m grown but I’m really just little and someday I will remember” – Prisoners.
It’s a song about prisoners, obviously, serving life sentences. Very expressive.
13: “But love is the answer to a question that I’ve forgotten but I know I’ve been asked And the answer has got to be love” – Reading Time With Pickles.
Regina is walking home from work, went to the supermarket, made eye contact with a jar of pickles, returned home, took a shower, also mentioning that the bathroom is the truest room in the house, then remembered love. Genius.
12: “A man destined to hang can never drown, a man destined to drown can never burn, a man destined to fry can never ever ever die in any other way but frying” – Daniel Cowman.
Makes sense, right? also Regina ends this song by saying that she wants to be left alone because she wants to take a fuckin bath!
11: “Don’t tell your mother that you are afraid, don’t tell your lover that your heart might break, don’t tell your gods that you no longer believe because as soon as you say it out loud they will leave you” – Bon Idee.
Isn’t this right? When you tell anyone how you truly feel, you become more vulnerable to them & their reactions? The word “love” is mentioned 36 times in this song.
10: “Well maybe you should just drink a lot less coffee and never ever watch the 10 clock’s news, maybe you should kiss someone nice or lick a rock or both” – Ghost Of Corporate Future.
I don’t know about drinking less coffee, Regina but the rest is fine, a story not a song, full of beautiful lyrics that will make you think & imagine. It’s a life theme.
9: “Somedays aren’t yours at all, they come & go as if they’re someone else’s days, they come and leave you behind someone else’s face and it’s harsher than yours and colder than yours” – Somedays.
We’ve all been through this. Days come in quiet, sweep up & leave.
8: “You’re young until you’re not, you love until you don’t, you try until you can’t, you laugh until you cry, you cry until you laugh, and everyone must breathe until their dying breath” – On The Radio.
Sigh. Every aspect of this song is incredible. Every verse. Brilliant.
7: “Suppose I never ever met you, suppose we never fell in love, suppose I never ever let you kiss me so sweet & so soft” – Fidelity.
Feminine? yes. girly? yes. Will make you dance? absolutely.
6:” I’m awake and feel the ache” – Field Below.
Country life vs. City life, Regina misses hearing a rooster crow, seeing fields & misses her man even more. The way she keeps repeating this verse at the end of the song, you will want to hug her.
5:” While she sings she make them feel things, she says I can sing this song so blue that you will cry in spite of you” – Lady.
I see a bar. I see a lady singing the blues. I see few people reminiscing memories, broken promises & life decisions. It’s a sad song that could at hard times bring you to tears.
4:”Summer in the city, I’m so lonely lonelylonely, I’ve been hallucinating you babe at the backs of other women, and I tap on their shoulders and they turn around smiling but there’s no recognition in their eyes” – Summer In The City.
Regina here is a man missing his women, it’s summer, everyone is enjoying summer and he’s lonely telling strangers personal things. The song ends by “And don’t get me wrong, dear, in general I’m doing quite fine, it’s just when it’s summer in the city and you’re so long gone from the city, I start to miss you baby, sometimes” perfect example of a man’s ego, he misses her all the time, he’s certainly not quite fine but he doesn’t want her to know how weak he is. Outstanding performance.
3:” Now we’re going to these meetings but we’re not doing any meeting, and we’re trying to be faithful but we’re cheating cheatingcheating” – Hero.
We are the heroes of our lives and we don’t want anyone else to save us. Regina reminds you that “No one got it all” then calms you down by repeating “It’s alright” 40 times. Thanks Regina, I hope it will be alright after all.
2:”Blue, the most human color” – Blue lips.
Someone died. Blue lips, blue veins, it’s the most human color. Regina stumbles into faith and questions God. If you listen to how she sings this verse, you will know how important that human was to her, if you relate to someone you lost, you will have a long long night.
1:”You’re like a party, somebody threw me, you taste like birthday, you look like new years, you’re like a big parade through town, you leave such a mess but you’re so fun” – The Party.
Dance with your loved ones. Dance. Dance.
The best thing about her songs is that everyone can come up with their own meaning to her lyrics so screw what I wrote, you listen & come up with your own!
Regina continued to amaze me with every new album, I wish my vocabulary was expanded enough to include more eloquent words to express how I feel towards her but let me tell you that attending one of her concerts is on my wish list & one day I’ll be there & I’ll shriek “I love you, Regina”!
I’m sure if you are a fan, you will hate this article because it didn’t include your best bits, so please share yours 🙂
