8+

“Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (a true story)" by !!! which clocks in at 9:04

This record fell right into my lap.

I was at a store in the East Village looking for records to buy that I could grab bits 'n pieces from for this music project I had going on. This was three years ago I think. My search, and the music project, went nowhere. But in the midst of digging through loads of discarded twaddle I turned around and came across the 12" of “Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (a true story)". My mouth agape, tongue probably sticking out, the cover caught my eye right away. Upon figuring out that what I was looking at was a !!! record I realized my fate was sealed. It was time for me to buy my first !!! record.

The song “Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (a true story)" is an electro dance-punk affair that jumps around like hot oil leaping from a frying pan yet somehow manages to enthrall and feel much less than nine plus minutes long. This is most likely due to the fact that !!! blends so many separate song notions into a cohesive whole. As each shift passes with deft ease (as if the song is the work of a master DJ and not a band) you're left with no choice but to dance dance dance. And that's precisely what I did when I got home with this record.

First, a boom. Then some clicks like a sped up version of the intro to "Contact" by Brigitte Bardot. Before I knew what was happening, the nonsensical lyrics and groovin' low end dragged me under. What started as seated bopping from side to side quickly morphed into leg movement. I was about to enter the dancing-at-home-alone dangerzone. I smelled trouble after the horns came in and the wave of guitars climaxed around 2:30 but it was too late. There I was dancing like the kid in the "Last of the Famous International Playboys" music video. Another wave of guitars crashed and became lyrics around the 4:15 mark and I attempted to mouth along. No, you're right, it was my first time ever listening to the song. But the "lose yourself, lose yourself" and "doo doo doo doo doo" bits made me feel like I was a lip syncing clubbing superstar. Reminded me of the first time I heard The Stone Roses (and I'm not the only one).

Oh bliss! Bliss and heaven!

I'm not even going to attempt to explain how excited I was when I heard the lyrics start with "everybody cut, everybody cut, everybody cut loose" around 6:44. Suddenly this song was scratching some 20 year old Footloose itch I didn't even know I had. I was dancing and laughing and finally living and I loved all nine minutes and four seconds of it. So, you got me. This record didn't actually fall right into my lap, but it did give me a teasing bit of private dance pleasure.

Fine, I'll revise that first line: This record gave me one hell of a lap dance.

Buy Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (a true story) [CD single] HERE on Amazon.

EAR FARM's 8+ is a weekly feature that showcases songs longer than 8 minutes. In the recent past these songs were featured on EF's 8+:
Newcleus - “Jam On It”
Aarktica - “Song For A Free Williamsburg”
Bob Marley & The Wailers - “Exodus” (1984 12" Mix)
Charalambides - “Two Birds"
Explosions In The Sky - "Memorial"
Rush - “2112"
Love and Rockets - “Haunted When the Minutes Drag"
Suede - “The Asphalt World"

To see a full list of every song featured in EAR FARM's 8+ click HERE.