Kirsty
MacColl never received the popularity she deserved during her lifetime, but she
had a varied career and was highly regarded by fellow musicians. She had sweet but
strong voice, with a wide range, and heavily in demand baking vocals for artists
as diverse as Happy Mondays, Climie Fisher, Talking Heads and The Smiths. She
even sequenced U2's "Joshua Tree" album.
She is most famous for her feisty duet on the
Pogues' "Fairytale of New York" and Billy Bragg's "New England". It is a pity because she was such a great
songwriter in her own right (maybe genetic as her father was famed folk singer
Ewan MacColl).
She emerged
as a self-contained pop star, with the classic "They Don't Know" (her
high note on "baby!" is a delight), before reappearing later as a acerbic
singer / songwriter - like a female Costello, documenting and chastising the 1980s
era. As David Byrne aptly observed "the voice of an angel, from the mind &
heart inflamed by Thatcher's England".
It was a hard
decision, but I opted for "Caroline", a single recorded especially
for her "Galore" best of album. It is typical of her work on that
era, with a country swing feel, prominent acoustic guitar, cool voice, with her crafted and wry lyrics, combining for
a great pop song.
It is another
song about a woman with a broken heart, as her lover has left her. But
MacColl's ingenious twist is to sing as the woman who stole the man, and it was
her best friend too ! She wanted to
describe how Dolly Parton's Jolene would think, or Robyn's "Call Your
Girlfriend".
It starts
with a great, but dated line "She called me up the other day / And left a
message on my machine" (today it
would be a text ?). Caroline doesn't know yet that the other woman is her best
friend, and the narrator clearly does relish any future encounter "Oh how can I break the news like that?",
and ultimately "Now I don't want to see Caroline".
She is distraught
with the pain she has caused, knows it is wrong, but she could not resist him
"I wish I'd turned you away / And my head said go, but my heart, my heart
said stay". She is still tormented
"Now I lie here with you, can't get her out my head". She may have
won the man, but she will never be at peace.
"Caroline"
barely entered the charts, but Galore briefly gave MacColl renewed exposure, following it up with the excellent Cuban-flavoured "Tropical
Brainstorm".
The tragedy
and injustice of her death, robbed us of a great talent, but at least she will be
remembered every Christmas as we hear "Fairytale of New York" for the
millionth time.
Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS0Cilys808
Hear Next -
"Galore" is a great collection of many finest moments, but I
will always cherish 1989's "Kite" album.
