I have always loved old songs, but old love songs are particularly special to me specially those that talk about lost love. For some strange and perhaps twisted reasons, they always strike a sensitive chord in my heart.
“The Old Songs” is a good example. It talks of a man who wants his woman to give him a second chance so he made plans of wooing her back. The opening line said as much.
Candles burning
Glasses are chilled
And soon she’ll be by
Hope and pray she’ll say
That she’s willing to give us another try
Foreseeing that the plan might not work, the man holds on to one last ace – the old songs.
And if all these plans I made
Don’t melt the lady’s heart
I’ll put on the old 45’s
As the song progresses, we find that the couple has been together for quite some time. The break-up has left the man without direction. All alone, he would find himself staring at the phone, wishing she would call or wondering if he should call her instead.
It’s been too long since I’ve seen her face light up
When I come home
It’s been too many hours I’ve wasted
Staring at the phone
In the end, the man resorts to listening to old songs, hoping that if and when his woman comes by, they will make her want to stay.
Maybe the old songs will bring back the old times
Maybe the old lines will sound new
Maybe she’ll lay her head on my shoulder
Maybe old feelings will come through
Maybe we’ll start to cry and wonder why we ever walked away
Maybe the old songs will bring back the old times
And make her want to stay
Want her to come back home, but don’t know how? Maybe “The Old Songs” can help. Click here:
“The Old Songs” has two versions. The first is by singer-songwriter David Pomeranz who wrote the song and included this in his 1980 album The Truth Of Us. A year later, Barry Manilow did a cover of the song as one of the tracks in his album If I Should Love Again.
Personally, I prefer the David Pomeranz version of “The Old Songs” because it has a more lonesome and heart-breaking arrangement. Barry Manilow’s rendition though proved to be more successful commercially speaking. It topped Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart for three weeks and placed fifteenth in the Hot 100 chart.
Trivia: The phrase “the old 45” mentioned in the song refers to the 45 singles record that spins at a rate of 45 rpm (revolutions per minute). It is an early technique of recording songs considered as the predecessor of the CDs. The song recorded on a 45 single can be listened to by placing the record on a record player or what is commonly known as the turntable.
AKA Music 