Let me teach you how to dance lyrics
Beyoncé: 4: Lyrics:
Love On Top
BA BA BADA (X7)
BRING THE BEAT IN
HONEY HONEY, I CAN SEE THE STARS ALL THE WAY FROM HERE CAN'T YOU SEE THE GLOW ON THE WINDOW PANE I CAN FEEL THE SUN WHENEVER YOU'RE NEAR EVERY TIME YOU TOUCH ME I JUST MELT AWAY
NOW EVERYBODY ASKS ME WHY I'M SMILING OUT FROM EAR TO EAR THEY SAY LOVE HURTS BUT I KNOW, IT'S GONNA' TAKE A LITTLE WORK OHH, NOTHING'S PERFECT, BUT IT'S WORTH IT AFTER FIGHTIN' THROUGH MY TEARS_AND FINALLY YOU PUT ME FIRST
BABY IT'S YOU YOU'RE THE ONE I LOVE YOU'RE THE ONE I NEED YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE I SEE
COME ON BABY IT'S YOU YOU'RE THE ONE THAT GIVES YOUR ALL YOU'RE THE ONE I CAN ALWAYS CALL WHEN I NEED YOU MAKE EVERYTHING STOP FINALLY, YOU PUT MY LOVE ON TOP
OHHH, COME ON BABY YOU PUT MY LOVE ON TOP, TOP, TOP, TOP, TOP YOU PUT MY LOVE ON TOP OHH OHHH, COME ON BABY YOU PUT MY LOVE TOP, TOP, TOP, TOP, TOP PUT MY LOVE ON TOP, PUT MY LOVE ON TOP
BABY BABY I CAN HEAR THE WIND WHIPPING PAST MY FACE AS WE DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY BOY YOUR LIPS TASTE LIKE A NIGHT OF CHAMPAGNE AS I KISS YOU AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN
NOW EVERYBODY ASKS ME WHY I'M SMILING OUT FROM EAR TO EAR THEY SAY LOVE HURTS BUT I KNOW, IT'S GONNA TAKE A LITTLE WORK OHHH, NOTHINGS PERFECT, BUT IT'S WORTH IT AFTER FIGHTIN' THROUGH MY TEARS AND FINALLY YOU PUT ME FIRST
BABY IT'S YOU YOU'RE THE ONE I LOVE YOU'RE THE ONE I NEED YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE I SEE
COME ON BABY IT'S YOU YOU'RE THE ONE THAT GIVES YOUR ALL YOU'RE THE ONE THAT I CAN ALWAYS CALL WHEN I NEED TO MAKE EVERYTHING STOP FINALLY, YOU PUT MY LOVE ON TOP
OHHH, BABY YOU PUT MY LOVE ON TOP, TOP, TOP, TOP, TOP YOU PUT MY LOVE ON TOP OHH OHHH, COME ON BABY YOU PUT MY LOVE ON TOP, TOP, TOP, TOP, TOP PUT MY LOVE ON TOP
BABY IT'S YOU YOU'RE THE ONE I LOVE YOU'RE THE ONE I NEED YOU'RE THE ONLY THING I SEE
COME ON BABY IT'S YOU YOU'RE THE ONE THAT GIVES YOUR ALL YOU'RE THE ONE THAT ALWAYS CALLS WHEN I NEED YOU BABY EVERYTHING STOPS FINALLY, YOU PUT MY LOVE ON TOP
BABY YOU'RE THE ONE THAT I LOVE BABY YOU'RE ALL I NEED YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE I SEE COME ON BABY IT'S YOU YOU'RE THE ONE THAT GIVES YOUR ALL YOU'RE THE ONE THAT ALWAYS CALLS WHEN I NEED YOU EVERYTHING STOPS FINALLY, YOU PUT MY LOVE ON TOP
BABY 'CAUSE YOU'RE THE ONE THAT I LOVE BABY YOU'RE THE ONE THAT I NEED YOU'RE THE ONLY MAN I SEE
BABY, BABY IT'S YOU YOU'RE THE ONE THAT GIVES YOUR ALL YOU'RE THE ONE THAT ALWAYS CALLS WHEN I NEED YOU EVERYTHING STOPS FINALLY, YOU PUT MY LOVE ON TOP
BABY 'CAUSE YOU'RE THE ONE THAT I LOVE BABY YOU'RE THE ONE THAT I NEED YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE I SEE
BABY, BABY IT'S YOU YOU'RE THE ONE THAT GIVES YOUR ALL YOU'RE THE ONE THAT ALWAYS CALLS WHEN I NEED YOU EVERYTHING STOPS FINALLY, YOU PUT MY LOVE ON TOP
Party (feat. André 3000)
YOU A BAD GIRL AND YOUR FRIEND’S BAD TOO, OOH
WE GOT THE SWAG SAUCE, SHE DRIPPIN SWAGU YOU A BAD GIRL AND YOUR FRIEND’S BAD TOO, OOH WE GOT THE SWAG SAUCE, SHE DRIPPIN SWAGU OOH
I MAY BE YOUNG, BUT I’M READY TO GIVE YOU ALL MY LOVE I TOLD MY GIRLS YOU CAN GET IT DON’T SLOW IT DOWN, JUST LET IT GO
SO IN LOVE, I’LL GIVE IT ALL AWAY JUST DON’T TELL NOBODY TOMORROW SO TONIGHT, I’LL DO IT EVERY WAY SPEAKERS KNOCKIN’ TILL THE MORNING LIGHT
’CAUSE WE LIKE TO PARTY, AY…. (WE LIKE TO PARTY…)’CAUSE WE LIKE TO PARTY, AY…. (WE LIKE TO PARTY…) ’CAUSE WE LIKE TO PARTY
YOUR TOUCH IS DRIVIN’ ME CRAZY, I CAN’T EXPLAIN THE WAY I FEEL TOP DOWN WITH THE RADIO ON AND THE NIGHT BELONGS TO US JUST HOLD ME CLOSE, DON’T LET ME GO
SO IN LOVE, I DON’T CARE WHAT THEY SAY I DON’T CARE IF THEY TALKIN’ TOMORROW ’CAUSE TONIGHT’S THE NIGHT, OH OH OH OH THAT I’LL GIVE YOU EVERYTHING MUSIC KNOCKIN’ TILL THE MORNING LIGHT ’CAUSE WE LIKE TO PARTY
SET THE SCENE ... 3000 DEGREES I AIN'T WORRIED ’BOUT THEM OVER THERE BUT THEY WORRIED ’BOUT ME I GOTTA HOMEBOY NAMED BUTTER AND ANOTHER HOMEBOY THIS NAMED CHEESE WIT' ME BABY, I'LL MAKE IT MILK TILL IT DRIP DOWN YOUR KNEES SPIT THAT ISH FOR REAL-LO BRAIN BRILLO'D KIDDO SAYS HE LOOKS UP TO ME THIS JUST MAKES ME FEEL OLD NEVER THOUGHT THAT WE COULD BECOME SOMEONE ELSE'S HERO MAN, WE WERE JUST IN THE FOOD COURT EATING OUR GYROS YESTERDAY THAT'S THE WAY EVERY SINGLE MORNING I TRY TO PRAY GRANDMAMMA ’DEM THEY NEVER FORGOT NOTHING ELSE REALLY MEAN NOTHING TO ME I AIN'T STUDDIN' THE BEAT TALKIN' TO ME? GIRL, WHY YOU WIT' ME? MOVE ON AIN'T NUTTIN TO SEE SHHH ALWAYS SUM'N TO SAW I'M THE RAW OF THE RIP ’CAUSE OF HIM ALL OF THEM WILL REMEMBER THE MIN NUTE THEY FELL IN LOVE WITH RAP BLACK LIKE HAVING YO' COUSIN BACK BLUE LIKE WHEN THEY RENT IS DUE CREAM LIKE WHEN I'M LOVIN' YOU, YEEAAH
SO IN LOVE, I’LL GIVE IT ALL AWAY JUST DON’T TELL NOBODY TOMORROW ’CAUSE TONIGHT’S THE NIGHT, OH OH OH OH THAT I’LL GIVE YOU EVERYTHING MUSIC KNOCKIN’ TILL THE MORNING LIGHT ’CAUSE WE LIKE TO PARTY, AY….
(WE LIKE TO PARTY…) ’CAUSE WE LIKE TO PARTY, AY…. (WE LIKE TO PARTY…) ’CAUSE WE LIKE TO PARTY
YOU A BAD GIRL AND YOUR FRIENDS’ BAD TOO, OOH WE GOT THE SWAG SAUCE SHE DRIPPIN SWAGU YOU A BAD GIRL AND YOUR FRIENDS’ BAD TOO, OOH WE GOT THE SWAG SAUCE SHE DRIPPIN SWAGU OOH
Schoolin' Life
THIS IS FOR THEM TWENTY-SOMETHIN’S TIME REALLY MOVES FAST YOU WERE JUST SIXTEEN
THIS IS FOR THEM THIRTY-SOMETHIN’S THAT DIDN’T TURN OUT EXACTLY HOW YOUR MOM AND DAD WANTED YOU TO BE
THIS IS FOR THEM FORTY-SOMETHIN’S WELL RAISE UP YOUR GLASS AND LAUGH LIKE A MUTHA
THIS IS FOR THEM FIFTY-SOMETHIN’S HELL YOU’RE HALFWAY THERE BABY TAKE IT TO THE HEAD
MOM AND DAD TRIED TO HIDE THE WORLD SAID THE WORLD’S JUST TOO BIG FOR A LITTLE GIRL EYES WIDE OPEN, CAN’T YOU SEE I HAD MY FIRST HEELS BY THE AGE OF THIRTEEN
MOM AND DAD TRIED TO HIDE THE BOYS I SWEAR THAT JUST MADE ’EM WANT ME MORE AT FOURTEEN THEY ASKED ME WHAT I WANT TO BE I SAID BABY TWENTY-ONE, SO I GET ME A DRINK
I’M NOT A TEACHER, BABE BUT, I CAN TEACH YOU SOMETHING I’M NOT A PREACHER, BUT WE CAN PRAY IF YOU WANNA AIN’T A DOCTOR, BUT I CAN MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER BUT I’M GREAT AT WRITING PHYSICAL LOVE LETTERS
I’M A FREAK ALL DAY, A-A-ALL NIGHT HOT TOP FLIGHT, BOY YOU’RE OUTTA SIGHT AND I’M CRAZY ALL DAY, A-A-ALL NIGHT WHO NEEDS A DEGREE WHEN YOU’RE SCHOOLIN’ LIFE
OH OH, OH OH, OH-OH OHH OHH OH OH, OH OH, OH-OH OHH OHH SCHOOLIN’ LIFE OH OH, OH OH, OH-OH OHH OHH OH OH, OH OH, OH-OH OHH OHH SCHOOLIN’ LIFE
THIS IS FOR THEM PRETTY-SOMETHIN’S LIVIN IN THE FAST LANE, SEE YOU WHEN YOU CRASH BABE
THIS IS FOR THEM SEXY-SOMETHIN’S
THAT BODY AIN’T GON’ ALWAYS GET YOU OUT OF EVERYTHING
THIS IS FOR THEM BITTER-SOMETHIN’S
STOP LIVIN’ IN REGRET, BABY IT’S NOT OVER YET
THIS IS FOR THEM CHIPPER-SOMETHIN’S THAT’S HIGH ON LIFE, BABY PUT ME ON YOUR FLIGHT
I’M NOT A TEACHER, BABY BUT, I CAN TEACH YOU SOMETHING NOT A PREACHER, BUT WE CAN PRAY IF YOU WANNA AIN’T A DOCTOR, BUT I CAN MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER BUT I’M GREAT AT WRITING PHYSICAL LOVE LETTERS
I’M A FREAK ALL DAY, A-A-ALL NIGHT HOT TOP TIGHT, BOY I’M OUTTA SIGHT AND I’M CRAZY ALL DAY, A-A-ALL NIGHT WHO NEEDS A DEGREE WHEN YOU’RE SCHOOLIN’ LIFE
OH OH, OH OH, OH-OH OHH OHH OH OH, OH OH, OH-OH OHH OHH SCHOOLIN’ LIFE OH OH, OH OH, OH-OH OHH OHH OH OH, OH OH, OH-OH OHH OHH SCHOOLIN’ LIFE
YOU KNOW IT COST TO BE THE BOSS, ONE DAY YOU’LL RUN THE TOWN FOR NOT MAKIN’ LIFE THAT YOU DECIDE BABY PARTY TILL THE FIRE MARSHALL SHUT THIS SUCKA DOWN
I’M NOT A TEACHER, BABY BUT, I CAN TEACH YOU SOMETHING NOT A PREACHER, BUT WE CAN PRAY IF YOU WANNA AIN’T A DOCTOR, BUT I CAN MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER BUT I’M GREAT AT WRITING PHYSICAL LOVE LETTERS
I’M A FREAK ALL DAY, A-A-ALL NIGHT HOT TOP TIGHT, BOY I’M OUTTA SIGHT AND I’M CRAZY ALL DAY, A-A-ALL NIGHT WHO NEEDS A DEGREE WHEN YOU’RE SCHOOLIN’ LIFE
OH OH, OH OH, OH-OH OHH OHH OH OH, OH OH, OH-OH OHH OHH WHO NEEDS A DEGREE WHEN YOU’RE SCHOOLIN’ LIFE OH OH, OH OH, OH-OH OHH OHH OH OH, OH OH, OH-OH OHH OHH WHO NEEDS A DEGREE WHEN YOU’RE SCHOOLIN’ LIFE
THERE’S NOT A REAL WAY TO LIVE THIS, FOR REAL
JUST REMEMBER TO STAY RELENTLESS, OH YEAH, OH YEAH
DON’T STOP RUNNING UNTIL IT’S FINISHED, YEAH YEAH YEAH
IT’S UP TO YOU THE REST IS UNWRITTEN, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH
Countdown
BOY, OHHH KILLING ME SOFTLY AND I’M STILL FALLIN’ STILL THE ONE I NEED I WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU
WHOA YOU GOT ME ALL GONE DON’T EVER LET ME GO SAY IT REAL LOUD IF YOU FLY IF YOU LEAVE ME YOU OUTTA YOUR MIND
MY BABY IS A TEN WE DRESSIN’ TO THE NINE HE PICK ME UP WE EIGHT HE MAKE ME FEEL SO LUCKY SEVEN HE KISS ME IN HIS SIX WE BE MAKIN’ LOVE IN FIVE STILL THE ONE I DO THIS FOUR I’M TRYING TO MAKE US THREE FROM THA TWO HE’S STILL THE ONE
THERE’S UPS AND DOWNS IN THIS LOVE GOT A LOT TO LEARN IN THIS LOVE THROUGH THE GOOD AND THE BAD STILL GOT LOVE DEDICATED TO THE ONE I LOVE, HEY
STILL LOVE THE WAY HE TALKS STILL LOVE THE WAY I SANG STILL LOVE THE WAY HE ROCK THEM BLACK DIAMONDS IN THAT CHAIN STILL ALL UP ON EACH OTHER, AIN’T A DAMN THING CHANGED MY GIRLS CAN’T TELL ME NOTHING I’M A GONE IN THE BRAIN I’M ALL UP UNDER HIM LIKE IT’S COLD, WINTER TIME ALL UP IN THE KITCHEN IN MY HEELS, DINNER TIME DO WHATEVER THAT IT TAKES, YOU GOTTA WIN HIS MIND GIVE IT ALL TO HIM, AND MEET HIM AT THE FINISH LINE
ME AND MY BOO, AND MY BOO, BOO, RIDIN’ ALL UP IN THE BLACK WITH HIS CHICK RIGHT BESIDE HIM LADIES IF YOU LOVE YOUR MAN, SHOW HIM YOU’RE THE FLYEST GRIND UP ON IT GIRL, SHOW HIM HOW YOU RIDE IT (2X)
OHHH KILLING ME SOFTLY AND I’M STILL FALLIN’ STILL THE ONE I NEED I WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU
WHOA YOU GOT ME ALL GONE DON’T EVER LET ME GO SAY IT REAL LOUD IF YOU FLY IF YOU EVER LEAVE ME YOU’RE OUTTA YOUR MIND
MY BABY IS A TEN WE DRESSIN’ TO THE NINE HE PICK ME UP WE EIGHT HE MAKE ME FEEL SO LUCKY SEVEN HE KISS ME IN HIS SIX WE BE MAKIN’ LOVE IN FIVE STILL THE ONE I DO THIS FOUR I’M TRYING TO MAKE US THREE FROM THA TWO HE’S STILL THE ONE
YEP I PUT IT ON ’EM, IT AIN’T NOTHING THAT I CAN’T DO YEP I BUY MY OWN, IF HE DESERVE IT BUY HIS SHIT TOO ALL UP IN THE STORE SHAWTY TRICKIN’ IF I WANT TO ALL UP IN THE STORE SHAWTY FLY AS WE WANT TO OOOO, DAMN I THINK I LOVE THAT BOY, DO ANYTHING FOR THAT BOY OOOO, NOW I’LL NEVER BE THE SAME, IT’S YOU AND ME UNTIL THE END
ME AND MY BOO, AND MY BOO, BOO, RIDIN’ ALL UP IN THE BLACK WITH HIS CHICK RIGHT BESIDE HIM LADIES IF YOU LOVE YOUR MAN SHOW HIM YOU’RE THE FLYEST GRIND UP ON IT GIRL, SHOW HIM HOW YOU RIDE IT ME AND MY BOO, AND MY BOO LIP LOCKIN’ ALL UP IN THE BACK ’CAUSE THE CHICKS KEEP BLOCKIN’ ALL THAT GOSSIP BEEN TEN YEARS STOP IT LONDON SPEED IT UP, HOUSTON ROCK IT
OHHH KILLING ME SOFTLY AND I’M STILL FALLIN’ STILL THE ONE I NEED I WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU
WHOA YOU GOT ME ALL GONE DON’T EVER LET ME GO SAY IT REAL LOUD IF YOU FLY IF YOU EVER LEAVE ME YOU’RE OUTTA YOUR MIND
MY BABY IS A TEN WE DRESSIN’ TO THE NINE HE PICK ME UP WE EIGHT HE MAKE ME FEEL SO LUCKY SEVEN HE KISS ME IN HIS SIX WE BE MAKIN’ LOVE IN FIVE STILL THE ONE I DO THIS FOUR I’M TRYING TO MAKE US THREE FROM THA TWO HE’S STILL THE ONE
I Miss You
I THOUGHT THAT THINGS LIKE THIS GET BETTER WITH TIME BUT I STILL NEED YOU, WHY IS THAT YOU’RE THE ONLY IMAGE IN MY MIND SO I STILL SEE YOU, AROUND
I MISS YOU, LIKE EVERYDAY WANNA BE WITH YOU, BUT YOU’RE AWAY SAID I MISS YOU, MISSING YOU INSANE BUT IF I GOT WITH YOU, COULD IT FEEL THE SAME
THE WORDS DON’T EVER SEEM TO COME OUT RIGHT BUT I STILL MEAN ’EM, WHY IS THAT IT HURTS MY PRIDE TO TELL YOU HOW I FEEL BUT I STILL NEED TO, WHY IS THAT
I MISS YOU, LIKE EVERYDAY WANNA BE WITH YOU, BUT YOU’RE AWAY SAID I MISS YOU, MISSING YOU INSANE BUT IF I GOT WITH YOU, COULD IT FEEL THE SAME
IT DON’T MATTER WHO YOU ARE IT IS SO SIMPLE, A FEELING, BUT IT’S EVERYTHING NO MATTER WHO YOU LOVE IT IS SO SIMPLE, A FEELING, BUT IT’S EVERYTHING
I MISS YOU, LIKE EVERYDAY WANNA BE WITH YOU, BUT YOU’RE AWAY SAID I MISS YOU, MISSING YOU INSANE BUT IF I GOT WITH YOU, COULD IT FEEL THE SAME
IT DON’T MATTER WHO YOU ARE
IT IS SO SIMPLE, A FEELING, BUT IT’S EVERYTHING
NO MATTER WHO YOU LOVE
IT IS SO SIMPLE, A FEELING, BUT IT’S EVERYTHING
Dance For You
I JUST WANNA SHOW YOU HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE YOU (YES) WANNA SHOW YOU HOW MUCH I’M DEDICATED TO YOU (YES) WANNA SHOW YOU HOW MUCH I WILL FOREVER BE TRUE (YES) WANNA SHOW YOU HOW MUCH YOU GOT YOUR GIRL FEELING GOOD (OH YES)
WANNA SHOW YOU HOW MUCH, HOW MUCH YOU’RE UNDERSTOOD (OH YES) WANNA SHOW YOU HOW MUCH I VALUE WHAT YOU SAY NOT ONLY ARE YOU LOYAL, YOU’RE PATIENT WITH ME BABE (OH YES) I WANNA SHOW YOU HOW MUCH I REALLY CARE ABOUT YOUR HEART I WANNA SHOW YOU HOW MUCH I HATE BEING APART (OH YES) SHOW YA, SHOW YA, SHOW YA TILL YOU’RE THROUGH WITH ME I WANNA KEEP IT HOW IT IS, SO YOU COULD NEVER SAY HOW IT USED TO BE
LOVING YOU, IS REALLY ALL THAT’S ON MY MIND AND I CAN’T HELP BUT TO THINK ABOUT IT DAY AND NIGHT I WANNA MAKE THAT BODY ROCK, SIT BACK AND WATCH
TONIGHT I’M GONNA DANCE FOR YOU (OHHH) TONIGHT I’M GONNA DANCE FOR YOU (OHHH) TONIGHT I’M GONNA PUT MY BODY ON YOUR BODY, BOY I LIKE IT WHEN YOU WATCH ME AH, TONIGHT IT’S GOIN’ DOWN
I’LL BE ROCKIN’ ON MY BABE, ROCKIN’, ROCKIN’ ON MY BABE SWIRLIN’ ON MY BABE, SWIRLIN’, SWIRLIN’ ON MY BABE BABY LET ME PUT MY BODY ON YOUR BODY, PROMISE NOT TO TELL NOBODY 'CAUSE IT’S BOUT TO GO DOWN
YOU’LL NEVER NEED TWO, ’CAUSE I WILL BE YOUR NUMBER ONE THEM OTHER CHICKS ARE SUPERFICIAL, GLAD I KNOW YOU KNOW I’M THE ONE THAT’S WHY I’M ALL INTO YOU, ’CAUSE I CAN RECOGNIZE THAT YOU KNOW THAT THAT’S WHY I’M BACKIN’ THIS THING BACK POP, POPPIN’ THIS THING BACK, DROP, DROP, DROPPING THIS THING BACK
THIS IS FOR THE TIME YOU GAVE ME FLOWERS, FOR THE WORLD THAT IS OURS FOR THE MOOLAH, FOR THE POWER OF LOVE AND NO I WON’T NEVER, EVER, EH, EVER GIVE YOU UP AND I WANNA SAY THANK YOU IN CASE I DON’T THANK YOU ENOUGH
A WOMAN IN THE STREET AND A FREAK IN THE YOU KNOW WHAT SIT BACK, SIT BACK IT’S THE PRE-GAME SHOW, DADDY YOU KNOW WHAT’S UP
LOVING YOU, IS REALLY ALL THAT’S ON MY MIND AND I CAN’T HELP BUT TO THINK ABOUT IT DAY AND NIGHT I WANNA MAKE THAT BODY ROCK, SIT BACK AND WATCH
TONIGHT I’M GONNA DANCE FOR YOU (OHHH) TONIGHT I’M GONNA DANCE FOR YOU (OHHH) TONIGHT I’M GONNA PUT MY BODY ON YOUR BODY, BOY I LIKE IT WHEN YOU WATCH ME AH, TONIGHT IT’S GOIN’ DOWN
I’LL BE ROCKIN’ ON MY BABE, ROCKIN’, ROCKIN’ ON MY BABE I’LL BE SWIRLIN’ ON MY BABE, SWIRLIN’, SWIRLIN’ ON YOU BABE BABY LET ME PUT MY BODY ON YOUR BODY, PROMISE NOT TO TELL NOBODY ’CAUSE IT’S ABOUT TO GO DOWN
I’M GONNA TAKE THIS TIME TO SHOW YOU HOW MUCH YOU MEAN TO ME ‘CAUSE YOU ARE ALL I NEED NO MONEY CAN EMPHASIZE OR DESCRIBE THE LOVE THAT’S IN BETWEEN THE LINES BOY LOOK INTO MY EYES
WHILE I’M GRINDING ON YOU, THIS IS BEYOND SEX, I’M HIGH ON YOU IF IT’S REAL THEN YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL ROCKIN’ ON YOU BABE, ROCKIN’, ROCKIN’ ON YOU BABE, SWIRLIN’ ON YOU BABE IN MY MIND ALL I CAN THINK ABOUT IS A FRAME FOR OUR FUTURE AND THE PICTURES OF THE PAST AND THE CHANCE TO MAKE THIS LOVE LAST, OHHH
TONIGHT I’M GONNA DANCE FOR YOU (OHHH) TONIGHT I’M GONNA DANCE FOR YOU (OHHH) TONIGHT I’M GONNA PUT MY BODY ON YOUR BODY, BOY I LIKE IT WHEN YOU WATCH ME AH, TONIGHT IT’S GOIN’ DOWN
I’LL BE ROCKIN’ ON MY BABE, ROCKIN’, ROCKIN’ ON MY BABE I’LL BE SWIRLIN’ ON MY BABE, SWIRLIN’, SWIRLIN’ ON YOU BABE I WANNA PUT MY BODY ON YOUR BODY, PROMISE NOT TO TELL NOBODY ’CAUSE IT’S ABOUT TO GO DOWN
WATCH ME POP IT, POP IT, POP, POP, POP, POP IT FOR YOU BABY DROP IT, DROP IT, DROP IT, DROP IT FOR YOU BABY WATCH IT, WATCH IT, WATCH IT, WATCH ME THROW IT BABY WANNA MAKE THAT BODY ROCK, SIT BACK AND WATCH
ME POP IT, POP IT, POP, POP, POP, POP IT FOR YOU BABY DROP IT, DROP IT, DROP IT, DROP IT FOR YOU BABY WATCH IT, WATCH IT, WATCH IT, WATCH ME THROW IT BABY WANNA MAKE THAT BODY ROCK, SIT BACK AND WATCH
(OHHH….
OHHH…..)
YES, YES, YES, OH YES, OH YES, YES, YES, OH YES
I Care
I TOLD YOU HOW YOU HURT ME BABY, BUT YOU DON’T CARE NOW I’M CRYING AND DESERTED BABY, BUT YOU DON’T CARE AIN’T NOBODY TELL ME THIS IS LOVE, WHEN YOU’RE IMMUNE TO ALL MY PAIN I NEED YOU TO TELL ME THIS IS LOVE, YOU DON’T CARE WELL THAT’S OK
WELL I CARE I KNOW YOU DON’T CARE TOO MUCH BUT I STILL CARE, LA, LA, LA… BABY, LA, LA, LA…
OH I CARE I KNOW YOU DON’T CARE TOO MUCH BUT I STILL CARE, LA, LA, BABY, LA, LA, LA… OHHH
EVER SINCE YOU KNEW YOUR POWER, YOU MADE ME CRY AND NOW EVERY TIME OUR LOVE GOES SOUR, YOU WON’T SYMPATHIZE YOU SEE THESE TEARS FALLING DOWN TO MY EARS, I SWEAR YOU LIKE WHEN I’M IN PAIN I TRY TO TELL YOU ALL MY FEARS, YOU STILL DON’T CARE, THAT’S OK
WELL I CARE I KNOW YOU DON’T CARE TOO MUCH BUT I STILL CARE, LA, LA, LA… BABY, LA, LA, LA…
OH I CARE I KNOW YOU DON’T CARE TOO MUCH BUT I STILL CARE, LA, LA, BABY, LA, LA, LA… OHHH
BOY MAYBE IF YOU CARED ENOUGH, I WOULDN’T HAVE TO CARE SO MUCH WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR TRUST, NOW YOU’RE JUST GIVIN’ UP YOU USED TO BE SO IN LOVE, NOW YOU DON’T CARE NO MORE
OOOOOOOOOOO…
WELL I CARE I KNOW YOU DON’T CARE TOO MUCH BUT I STILL CARE, LA, LA, LA… BABY, LA, LA, LA…
OH I CARE I KNOW YOU DON’T CARE TOO MUCH BUT I STILL CARE, LA, LA, BABY, LA, LA, LA… OHHH
I STILL CARE (LA, LA, LA….
)
I STILL CARE (LA, LA, LA….)
I STILL CARE (LA, LA, LA….)
Rather Die Young
BOY YOU’LL BE THE DEATH OF ME YOU’RE MY JAMES DEAN YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE I’M 17 YOU DRIVE TOO FAST YOU SMOKE TOO MUCH BUT THAT DON’T MEAN A THING CAUSE I’M ADDICTED TO THE RUSH
’CAUSE I’D RATHER DIE YOUNG THAN LIVE MY LIFE WITHOUT YOU I’D RATHER NOT LIVE AT ALL THAN LIVE MY LIFE WITHOUT YOU (2X)
YOU KNOW I’VE BEEN IN LOVE BEFORE YOU’RE THE FIRST ONE I EVER SEEN THAT BURNS LIKE GASOLINE SO LIGHT A MATCH, TURN OFF THE LIGHTS I’M HOLDING ONTO YOU, ’CAUSE THIS MIGHT BE OUR LAST NIGHT
’CAUSE I’D RATHER DIE YOUNG THAN LIVE MY LIFE WITHOUT YOU I’D RATHER NOT LIVE AT ALL THAN LIVE MY LIFE WITHOUT YOU (2X)
WHAT I’M TELLING YOU I’M GIVING YOU MY LIFE, IT’S IN YOUR HANDS AND WHAT I’M GONNA DO IS BE A WOMAN AND YOU CAN BE A MAN AND I WANNA SAY NOBODY UNDERSTANDS WHAT WE’VE BEEN THROUGH I’D RATHER GIVE UP EVERYTHING THAN TO LIVE MY, LIVE MY LIFE WITHOUT YOU, OHHH, OHHH
’CAUSE I’D RATHER DIE YOUNG
THAN LIVE MY LIFE WITHOUT YOU
I’D RATHER NOT LIVE AT ALL
THAN LIVE MY LIFE WITHOUT YOU
(2X)
1+1
IF I AIN’T GOT NOTHING, I GOT YOU IF I AIN’T GOT SOMETHING I DON’T GIVE A DAMN, ’CAUSE I GOT IT WITH YOU I DON’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT ALGEBRA, BUT I KNOW ONE PLUS ONE EQUALS TWO AND IT’S ME AND YOU, THAT’S ALL WE'LL HAVE WHEN THE WORLD IS THROUGH
’CAUSE BABY WE AIN’T GOT NOTHING WITHOUT LOVE DARLING YOU GOT ENOUGH FOR THE BOTH OF US SO COME ON BABY MAKE LOVE TO ME WHEN MY DAYS LOOK LOW, PULL ME IN CLOSE AND DON’T LET ME GO MAKE LOVE TO ME SO WHEN THE WORLD’S AT WAR, LET OUR LOVE HEAL US ALL RIGHT NOW BABY MAKE LOVE TO ME, ME, ME, ME, ME OHHHH OHHH, MAKE LOVE TO ME
HEY, I DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT GUNS BUT I, I’VE BEEN SHOT BY YOU HEY, AND I DON'T KNOW WHEN I’M GON’ DIE, BUT I HOPE THAT I’M GON’ DIE BY YOU HEY, AND I DON’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT FIGHTING BUT I, I KNOW I WILL FIGHT FOR YOU HEY, AND JUST WHEN I BALL UP MY FIST I REALIZE THAT I’M LAYING RIGHT NEXT TO YOU
BABY WE AIN’T GOT NOTHING BUT LOVE
AND DARLING YOU GOT ENOUGH FOR THE BOTH OF US
OHHHH MAKE LOVE TO ME
WHEN MY DAYS LOOK LOW, PULL ME IN CLOSE AND DON’T LET ME GO
MAKE LOVE TO ME
SO WHEN THE WORLD’S AT WAR, LET OUR LOVE HEAL US ALL
HELP ME LET DOWN MY GUARD
MAKE LOVE TO ME, ME, ME, ME, ME
OHHH OHHH, MAKE LOVE TO ME, ME, ME, ME
End of Time
COME TAKE MY HAND, I WON’T LET YOU GO I’LL BE YOUR FRIEND, I WILL LOVE YOU SO DEEPLY I WILL BE THE ONE TO KISS YOU AT NIGHT I WILL LOVE YOU UNTIL THE END OF TIME
I’LL BE YOUR BABY, I PROMISE NOT TO LET YOU GO LOVE YOU LIKE CRAZY, NOW SAY YOU’LL NEVER LET ME GO SAY YOU’LL NEVER LET ME GO, SAY, SAY YOU’LL NEVER LET ME GO SAY YOU’LL NEVER LET ME GO, SAY, SAY YOU’LL NEVER LET ME GO
TAKE YOU AWAY FROM HERE THERE’S NOTHING BETWEEN US, BUT SPACE AND TIME I’LL BE YOUR OWN LITTLE STAR, LET ME SHINE IN YOUR WORLD I’LL BE YOUR OWN LITTLE UNIVERSE, MAKE ME YOUR GIRL
COME TAKE MY TAKE MY HAND, I WON’T LET YOU GO I’LL BE YOUR FRIEND, I WILL LOVE YOU SO DEEPLY I WILL BE THE ONE TO KISS YOU AT NIGHT I WILL LOVE YOU UNTIL THE END OF TIME
I’LL BE YOUR BABY, I PROMISE NOT TO LET YOU GO LOVE YOU LIKE CRAZY, NOW SAY YOU’LL NEVER LET ME GO SAY YOU’LL NEVER LET ME GO, SAY, SAY YOU’LL NEVER LET ME GO SAY YOU’LL NEVER LET ME GO, SAY, SAY YOU’LL NEVER LET ME GO
BABY COME ON GET UP ON IT, SHOW ME THAT YOU REALLY WANT IT I WANNA BE THE ONE TO LOVE YOU BABY LET’S GO, LET’S GO I WANNA PROVIDE THIS LOVIN’ THAT YOUR GIVIN’, I AIN’T FRONTIN’ IN THIS LOVE OH CAN YOU LET ME LOVE YOU FROM YOUR HEAD TO TOE, BABY LET’S GO
BOY COME TO ME (COME TO ME) LET ME TURN YOUR RAIN INTO SUN (COME TO ME BABY) YOU DON’T HAVE TO WORRY BABY (OH NO) I PROMISE I’LL SET YOUR HEART FREE LET MY LOVE INTO YOUR SOUL, YOU GO, I GO, WE GO, THAT’S ALL SHE WROTE
SAY, SAY YOU’LL NEV, NEVER….
.
CAN’T YOU SEE
I JUST WANNA LOVE YOU
CAN’T YOU FEEL ME BABE
I JUST WANNA BE WITH YOU
I JUST WANT LIVE FOR YOU
I’LL NEVER LET YOU GO
BRING YOUR LOVE TO ME
COME TAKE MY TAKE MY HAND, I WON’T LET YOU GO I’LL BE YOUR FRIEND, I WILL LOVE YOU SO DEEPLY I WILL BE THE ONE TO KISS YOU AT NIGHT I WILL LOVE YOU UNTIL THE END OF TIME
I’LL BE YOUR BABY, I PROMISE NOT TO LET YOU GO
LOVE YOU LIKE CRAZY, NOW SAY YOU’LL NEVER LET ME GO
SAY YOU’LL NEVER LET ME GO, SAY, SAY YOU’LL NEVER LET ME GO
SAY YOU’LL NEVER LET ME GO, SAY, SAY YOU’LL NEVER LET ME GO
Run The World (Girls)
GIRLS, WE RUN THIS MUTHA, YEAH (X3) GIRLS, WE RUN THIS MUTHA, GIRLS WHO RUN THE WORLD, GIRLS, (X4) WHO RUN THIS MUTHA, GIRLS, (X4) WHO RUN THE WORLD, GIRLS (X4)
SOME OF THEM MEN THINK THEY FREAK THIS LIKE WE DO BUT NO THEY DON’T MAKE YO CHECK COME AT THEY NECK, DISRESPECT US NO THEY WON’T BOY DON’T EVEN TRY TO TOUCH THIS, BOY THIS BEAT IS CRAZY THIS IS HOW THEY MADE ME, HOUSTON TEXAS BABY
THIS GOES OUT TO ALL MY GIRLS THAT’S IN THE CLUB ROCKIN’ THE LATEST WHO WILL BUY IT FOR THEMSELVES AND GET MORE MONEY LATER
I THINK I NEED A BARBER, NONE OF THESE CAN FADE ME I’M SO GOOD WITH THIS, I REMIND YOU I'M SO HOOD WITH THIS
BOY I’M JUST PLAYIN’ COME HERE BABY HOPE YOU STILL LIKE ME F U PAY ME
MY PERSUASION CAN BUILD A NATION ENDLESS POWER WITH OUR LOVE WE CAN DEVOUR YOU'LL DO ANYTHING FOR ME
WHO RUN THE WORLD, GIRLS (X5) WHO RUN THIS MUTHA, GIRLS (X4) WHO RUN THE WORLD, GIRLS (X4)
IT'S HOT UP IN HERE DJ DON’T BE SCARED TO RUN THIS RUN THIS BACK I'M REPPIN’ FOR THE GIRLS WHO TAKIN’ OVER THE WORLD HELP ME RAISE A GLASS FOR THE COLLEGE GRADS
41 ROLLIN’ TO LET YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS, CHECK YOU CAN’T HOLD ME I WORK MY 9 TO 5 BETTA CUT MY CHECK
THIS GOES OUT TO ALL THE WOMEN GETTIN’ IT IN YOU ON YO GRIND TO ALL THE MEN THAT RESPECT WHAT I DO PLEASE ACCEPT MY SHINE
BOY YOU KNOW YOU LOVE IT HOW WE SMART ENOUGH TO MAKE THESE MILLIONS, STRONG ENOUGH TO BARE THE CHILDREN, THEN GET BACK TO BUSINESS
SEE, YOU BETTER NOT PLAY ME OH COME HERE BABY HOPE YOU STILL LIKE ME F U PAY ME
MY PERSUASION CAN BUILD A NATION EN DLESS POWER WITH OUR LOVE WE CAN DEVOUR YOU'LL DO ANYTHING FOR ME
WHO RUN THE WORLD, GIRLS (X5) WHO RUN THIS MUTHA, GIRLS (X4) WHO RUN THE WORLD, GIRLS (X4)
WHO ARE WE, WHAT WE RUN, THE WORLD
WHO RUN THIS MUTHA, YEAH
WHO ARE WE, WHAT WE RUN, THE WORLD
WHO RUN THIS MUTHA, YEAH
WHO ARE WE, WHAT DO WE RUN, WE RUN THE WORLD
WHO RUN THIS MUTHA, YEAH
WHO ARE WE, WHAT WE RUN, WE RUN THE WORLD
WHO RUN THE WORLD.
...GIRLS
Best Thing I Never Had
WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES BACK AROUND, HEY, MY BABY WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES BACK AROUND, HEY, MY BABY, I SAY WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES BACK AROUND, HEY, MY BABY WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES BACK AROUND
THERE WAS A TIME I THOUGHT, THOUGHT YOU DID EVERYTHING RIGHT NO LIES, NO WRONG, BOY I, MUST HAVE BEEN OUTTA MY MIND SO WHEN I THINK OF THE TIME THAT I ALMOST LOVED YOU YOU SHOWED YOUR ASS AND I, I SAW THE REAL YOU THANK GOD YOU BLEW IT, THANK GOD I DODGED A BULLET I’M SO OVER YOU, SO BABY GOOD LOOKIN’ OUT
I WANTED YOU BAD, I’M SO THROUGH WITH THAT ’CAUSE HONESTLY YOU TURNED OUT TO BE THE BEST THING I NEVER HAD YOU TURNED OUT TO BE THE BEST THING I NEVER HAD AND I’M GON’ ALWAYS BE THE BEST THING YOU NEVER HAD OH YEAH, I BET IT SUCKS TO BE YOU RIGHT NOW
SO SAD, YOU’RE HURT, BOO HOO, OH DID YOU EXPECT ME TO CARE YOU DON’T DESERVE MY TEARS, I GUESS THAT’S WHY THEY AIN’T THERE WHEN I THINK THAT THERE WAS A TIME THAT I ALMOST LOVED YOU YOU SHOWED YOUR ASS AND BABY YES I SAW THE REAL YOU THANK GOD YOU BLEW IT, THANK GOD I DODGED A BULLET I’M SO OVER YOU, BABY GOOD LOOKIN’ OUT
I WANTED YOU BAD, I’M SO THROUGH WITH THAT ’CAUSE HONESTLY YOU TURNED OUT TO BE THE BEST THING I NEVER HAD I SAID YOU TURNED OUT TO BE THE BEST THING I NEVER HAD AND I’LL NEVER BE THE BEST THING YOU NEVER HAD OH BABY I BET IT SUCKS TO BE YOU RIGHT NOW
I KNOW YOU WANT ME BACK IT’S TIME TO FACE THE FACTS THAT I’M THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY LORD KNOWS THAT IT WILL TAKE ANOTHER PLACE, ANOTHER TIME, ANOTHER WORLD, ANOTHER LIFE THANK GOD I FOUND THE GOOD IN GOODBYE
I USED TO WANT YOU SO BAD, I’M SO THROUGH WITH THAT ’CAUSE HONESTLY YOU TURNED OUT TO BE THE BEST THING I NEVER HAD OH YOU TURNED OUT TO BE THE BEST THING I NEVER HAD AND I WILL ALWAYS BE THE BEST THING YOU NEVER HAD OOOH BEST THING YOU NEVER HAD
I USED TO WANT YOU SO BAD, I’M SO THROUGH WITH THAT ’CAUSE HONESTLY YOU TURNED OUT TO BE THE BEST THING I NEVER HAD OH YOU TURNED OUT TO BE THE BEST THING I NEVER HAD OOOH I WILL NEVER BE THE BEST THING YOU NEVER HAD OH BABY, I BET IT SUCKS TO BE YOU RIGHT NOW
WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES BACK AROUND WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES BACK AROUND BET IT SUCKS TO BE YOU RIGHT NOW WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES BACK AROUND I BET IT SUCKS TO BE YOU RIGHT NOW WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES BACK AROUND I BET IT SUCKS TO BE YOU RIGHT NOW
Start Over
I FEEL WEAK WE’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE ’CAUSE I FEEL WE KEEP GOIN’ BACK AND FORTH MAYBE IT’S OVER, MAYBE WE’RE THROUGH BUT I HONESTLY CAN SAY I STILL LOVE YOU
MAYBE WE’VE REACHED THE MOUNTAIN PEAK AND THERE’S NO MORE LEFT TO CLIMB AND MAYBE WE LOST THE MAGIC PIECE AND WE’RE BOTH TOO BLIND TO FIND
LET’S START OVER LET’S GIVE LOVE THEIR WINGS LET’S START OVER STOP FIGHTING ’BOUT THE SAME OLD THING
LET’S START OVER WE CAN’T LET OUR GOOD LOVE DIE MAYBE WE CAN START ALL OVER GIVE LOVE ANOTHER LIFE
I CAN SEE THAT WE’RE NOT HAPPY HERE SO WHY WOULD WE KEEP PRETENDING WHEN THERE’S NOTHING THERE MAYBE YOU LIKE IT, WELL I DON’T AND MAYBE YOU’LL SETTLE, WELL I WON’T
MAYBE WE’VE REACHED THE MOUNTAIN PEAK AND THERE’S NO MORE LEFT TO CLIMB AND MAYBE WE LOST THE MAGIC PIECE AND WE’RE BOTH TOO BLIND TO FIND
LET’S START OVER LET’S GIVE LOVE THEIR WINGS LET’S START OVER STOP FIGHTING ’BOUT THE SAME OLD THING
LET’S START OVER WE CAN’T LET OUR GOOD LOVE DIE MAYBE WE CAN START ALL OVER AND GIVE LOVE ANOTHER LIFE
I KNOW THAT THIS WILL HURT YOU, I KNOW YOU’LL CRY I KNOW I CALLED YOU SELFISH, BUT THAT’S A LIE I FEEL I KNOW WHAT’S BEST FOR US LET’S
START OVER AND LET’S GIVE LOVE THEIR WINGS LET’S START OVER I’M TIRED OF FIGHTING ’BOUT THE SAME OLD THING
LET’S START OVER
WE BOTH KNOW THAT THIS LOVE WON’T DIE
MAYBE WE CAN START ALL OVER
AND GIVE LOVE ANOTHER LIFE
I Was Here
I WANNA LEAVE MY FOOTPRINTS ON THE SANDS OF TIME KNOW THERE WAS SOMETHIN’ THAT, SOMETHIN’ THAT I LEFT BEHIND WHEN I LEAVE THIS WORLD, I’LL LEAVE NO REGRETS LEAVE SOMETHIN’ TO REMEMBER, SO THEY WON’T FORGET
I WAS HERE, I LIVED, I LOVED I WAS HERE, I DID, I’VE DONE EVERYTHING THAT I’VE WANTED AND IT WAS MORE THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE I WILL LEAVE MY MARK SO EVERYONE WILL KNOW I WAS HERE
I WANNA SAY I LIVED EACH DAY UNTIL I DIE AND KNOW THAT I MEANT SOMETHIN’ IN SOMEBODY’S LIFE THE HEARTS I HAVE TOUCHED, WILL BE THE PROOF THAT I LEAVE THAT I MADE A DIFFERENCE AND THIS WORLD WILL SEE
I WAS HERE, I LIVED, I LOVED I WAS HERE, I DID, I’VE DONE EVERYTHING THAT I’VE WANTED AND IT WAS MORE THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE I WILL LEAVE MY MARK SO EVERYONE WILL KNOW I WAS HERE, I LIVED, I LOVED I WAS HERE, I DID, I’VE DONE EVERYTHING THAT I’VE WANTED AND IT WAS MORE THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE I WILL LEAVE MY MARK SO EVERYONE WILL KNOW I WAS HERE
I JUST WANT THEM TO KNOW, THAT I GAVE MY ALL, DID MY BEST BROUGHT SOMEONE SOME HAPPINESS LEFT THIS WORLD A LITTLE BETTER JUST BECAUSE I WAS HERE
I WAS HERE, I LIVED, I LOVED
I WAS HERE, I DID, I’VE DONE
EVERYTHING THAT I’VE WANTED AND IT WAS MORE THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE
I WANNA LEAVE MY MARK SO EVERYONE WILL KNOW
I WAS HERE, I LIVED, (I LIVED), I LOVED
I WAS HERE, I DID, (I DID), I’VE DONE
I WAS HERE, I LIVED, (I LIVED), I LOVED (I LOVED)
I WAS HERE, I DID, I’VE DONE, I WAS HERE
Nigel Westlake - Composer Interview with focus on Miss Potter
This interview was conducted by telephone on 4th January 2007, with Jim Paterson speaking to Nigel Westlake about his musical background and the (soon to be released) film Miss Potter which covers a key period in the life of Beatrix Potter.
An audio version of this interview is also available for download as an mp3 podcast (23Mb).
Musical Background
JP: The Miss Potter film and soundtrack is going to be released shortly in the UK. I've a number of questions about the music, but first I'd like to understand a little bit more about your musical background and how you came to work in film music.
NW: I began my musical career playing the clarinet. My father was the principal clarinettist in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and he taught me to play from about the age of 10, and for many years I aspired to become an orchestral clarinettist and follow in his footsteps. In my mid-teens I started experimenting with composition, and became quite interested in the process of composing and its impact on my interpretation of existing classical music, namely the music I was studying at the time, that being the clarinet repertoire of great concertos and so on. I began to write little pieces for my friends to play, a very diverse collection of instrumentalists from jazz, classical and rock backgrounds.
We formed a band and we toured with the band for a few years along the East coast of Australia with some success. Through that experience I began to get invitations to compose music for Radio and Theatre and Circus, and by and by I became involved in film.
My mother found a little ad in the paper one day which she cut out to show to me, which was asking for applicants to sign up for the first ever music and film course at the Australian Film and Television School based in Sidney. I applied for it thinking that I didn't have a chance of getting in but I did, and my work was noticed by some producers who were involved in the course and I was subsequently invited to write for some documentaries. During this time I was maintaining a career as a clarinet player. So I had for quite some time a dual career existence as a composer of television and media music, and on the other hand a classical career as a clarinettist in various chamber music ensembles. It was about 11 years ago that my composition career eclipsed my playing career and I started to get some fantastic offers to write film scores.
But really it did interfere with my performing career, so at that point I began to concentrate fully on composition and I actually stopped playing the clarinet. So that's where I've come from. I'm a self-taught composer and gained a lot of my skills working as an instrumentalist with other instrumentalists, with a keen interest in contemporary music.
JP: That's very interesting. You say that you were self-taught but you did attend that course in Sidney.
NW: Well that was a short couse, about 8 weeks long, and it was more to do with the mechanics of fitting music with film. It wasn't a composition course as such but about applying music to film. I had as my tutor a brilliant American composer called Bill Motzing, who's been involved for many years now in a number of feature scores himself and more recently he's been doing a lot of teaching and orchestration for other composers. That was a wonderful introduction into music for film. I've also had a great opportunity to take my scores to other composers whose work I admire, and get them to commment on the work and give me feedback in a more informal situation.
So "self-taught" is a bit of a long shot, but it has been more an informal approach to composition.
JP: Yes, so you didn't study composition formally for 3 or 4 years at University. In your film music you mentioned a number of documentaries but, to my mind at least, you are most familiar as the composer for the Babe films.
NW: A lot of the documentaries I've done have been for lesser known television presentations, but more recently I've been involved in Imax films, which in a sense are documentaries. I've done 5 Imax film scores to date, and that's a wonderful format to work in which is very different to the standard drama feature film score.
Miss Potter - music box theme and song
JP: So going back to Babe then, the first Babe film was directed by Chris Noonan just like Miss Potter. Have you formed a particular close relationship with Chris?
NW: Yes, we formed quite a close relationship.
It was a very healthy composer-director relationship that we established on Babe, and we always said that we would look for another project to work on together. Chris has been very busy the last 10 years or so developing a number of film scripts, several of which he'll now be bringing to the screen over the next few years. But Miss Potter was one that he felt would be interesting for us to work on together, so I was invited to submit some ideas for this score. In fact one particular idea which is in the centre of the film is a very touching scene where Ewan McGregor who is playing the part of Beatrix Potter's publisher, Norman Warne, is taken up to Beatrix's bedroom one Christmas Eve in order for her to present him with a beautiful painting that she has done as a Christmas gift for him to show her appreciation for his support of her work, in the publication of her first children's book "The Story of Peter Rabbit". He notices in the corner of her room a little music box. He picks it up and it begins to play.
He says "Oh yes I know this tune which is "Let Me Teach You How To Dance"." He says he's a terrible dancer but the words are rather sweet. Beatrix says to him "Oh, you know the words. Can you please sing the words for me." and then Ewan proceeds to sing this song.
Chris rang me up several says before they were due to film this scene and said we've got this song and we haven't got a tune for it. I think I'd like you to write me a waltz in the style of the popular genre of the period circa 1890s. It should be very formal, very sweet like a parlour song. This was of course a new venture for me having never written anything like this before, but I quickly dashed off a tune and sent it through to Chris on email as an mp3 file, saying "is this the sort of thing that you want? And if it is I'll keep developing it to make it better for the shoot". He wrote back a couple of days later saying "Yes, we've shot the scene and the tune worked beautifully, thank you very much. Would you like to come to London and write the score? Because I think that this theme should be incorporated as part of the score of this film and you're obviously the person to do it.
So it was with great excitement that I packed up and moved to London for several months and worked very closely with Chris on the score. I had the wonderful opportunity to work in London with fantastic, top-of-the-tree session musicians. I had the great priviledge to work with people like Maggie Rodford at Air-Edel and of course Mike Batt and Katie Melua who came on board at the very last moment.
JP: So how did that happen? Were you involved?
NW: What happened was I got a call from Maggie a couple of days before I was due to leave London to return to Sidney, because the score had all been recorded and the job had wound up. Maggie said "Look, the producers are interested in turning the music box tune into some sort of pop song for the end credits." Of course my immediate reaction was "It's a waltz. When was the last time a waltz was like a popular song? Maybe 80 years ago or something." She said "I think you should give it a go, and I think the perfect person to work with would be Katie Melua, and Mike Batt.
" Of course I'd known of Mike Batt's work for many years, his work on the Wombles and his music theatre piece "The Hunting of the Snark". In fact my mother played in his orchestra when he toured to Australia with that show. She brought home a CD of his work and played it to me, saying here's a distinguished chap who's doing some good stuff. So I was really quite familiar with Mike's work.
So I went up to his studio one morning and he said "OK we've got the band booked at midday and the orchestra's coming in at three, and Katie's coming in at six, so where's the song?" I said "Well here's the music box tune. Basically we have to turn the lyrics around." Because in the film it's sung by a male: "Let Me Teach You How To Dance" a sort of patriarchal male gesture. In the case of Katie singing it, Mike turned the whole thing around and in 40 minutes and re-wrote the lyrics for this beautiful song "When You Taugh Me How To Dance". So that in a sense becomes the spirit of Beatrix Potter reminiscing on her early days, and her first romantic encounter with her publisher Norman Warne.
When I played it to the editor of the film, Robin Sales, he said it's just like Renee Zellwegger actually singing it in the style of Beatrix Potter as it encaptulates the spirit of it, the slightly eccentric, quirky yet warm spirit of Beatrix herself. And it happened in 12 hours!
JP: So no time pressures then!
NW: No, you know what it's like in film. So it was great to have Mike there. He works so closely with Katie and understands her voice. To write those lyrics so quickly, he's just a genius you know. That was great. We sent the finished tape along to the mixing session, and all the producers were absolutely overwelmed with the response. They were very excited by it, and so it becomes this prominent song at the end of the film.
JP: I've heard the soundtrack obviously, but I've not seen the film as it's not been released yet.
NW: As you'll see Jim that theme is a recurring theme throughout the score, and in a way it becomes Beatrix's theme that accompanies her through this labyrinth of emotional turmoil that is encapsulated within this six years that cover that period of her life.
Miss Potter - other aspects of the score:
JP: Other than this key theme then, what kind of direction did Chris Noonan give you? What kind of guidance?
NW: The score works on several levels. The other thing we spoke about in great detail was the fact that you're dealing with characters from the Victorian era, very straightlaced, people never said exactly what they were thinking. It was a very cloistered and repressive environment. All the time there's these deep emotional undercurrents underpinning the action on screen. You're not actually looking at that on the screen but you know that it's there because of the dramatic context of the work. So Chris wanted the music to take on this almost subliminal aspect, and try and support the undercurrents of the dramatic context that was happening between the various characters. So the score in some instances is working on that level, and then in other instances you've got the beauty and wonder of Beatrix's imagination, the creative spark that helps her create these wonderful characters in her books.
That in itself is another strand of the score, where a particular theme is used, orchestrated with celeste and harp to give a sort of magical quality to the work.
JP: As I've said I've not seen the film, but trailers from the film have been shown on TV, and some of the characters in the illustrations in her books are animated. Is there a lot of animation and did it require a special approach to the music?
NW: No, I'm not sure that I've seen that particular trailer but the characters only come alive for very brief moments and not very frequently. So more often than not there might be a very subtle musical reference to their actual movement when they're animated. It's more a case of the music supporting Beatrix's inner life, her fantasy world. So there's no great slabs of time where the characters are interacting with her. You only get the occasional blink of an eye or character running off a page or something like that. It's not an animation in that sense, in the traditional understanding of the word animation.
Certainly animation is used very effectively but very subtly as part of the film. It wasn't like working on a cartoon.
JP: Yes. It's sometimes hard to get the impression of what a film's like from a trailer because it emphasises particular moments. The other thing I wanted to ask you about is that Rachel Portman is credited with 3 of the tracks on the album. How did that come about?
NW: That was a directive from the producers. They felt that she had a certain approach that was appropriate for several scenes in the film. So it came to be that she wrote a theme which is used on a number of occasions for Beatrix's involvement in the Lake District. Towards the end of the film Beatrix moves to the Lake District and buys up a lot of farm land up there and becomes very attached to this place, because that's one of the great heritages of her life as she left all this land in its original condition to the British people. So it was seen as appropriate that Rachel become involved.
I guess she had a particular approach or sound that they were looking for, so she wrote a few tracks for the film.
JP: It seems to blend quite well together on the CD.
NW: That's good, I'm glad you said that, Jim. We didn't actually collaborate at all, we were working quite separately. She was being supervised by producers so I wasn't really sure what they were up to. She had been listening to my score when she started work on the film, so she followed a very similar pattern in orchestration.
JP: Yes, that's right, the instrumentation is obviously very similar, just strings and woodwind with piano, and you mentioned harp and celeste.
NW: Yes, that's right. We had pretty much an identical orchestra between us.
JP: Were there any other aspects of the film that you saw as being key to the music, or particularly difficult to score.
NW: I guess the most challenging aspect of the score was dealing with transitional passages in time.
For instance there's one track on the score which is track 9 on the soundtrack which is "Beatrix and Norman", which is basically establishing Beatrix's relationship with her publisher. She is forbidden to marry him by her parents because he is seen to be a tradesman and beneath them. So the parents say we're going on a vacation for 6 months. If at the end of that time you still love him then you can proceed and get married. There's this wonderful scene, a big romantic emotional peak of the film where he comes to see her off at the station on her way to the Lake District for her vacation. As you'll see in the picture this has to traverse some very interesting, emotional moments, and either side of that railway sequence is a bunch of footage of Beatrix and Norman together. That was quite difficult to make those transitions between those quite intimate scenes and then lightening up into a larger orchestral palette for the farewell at the station and situations like that. Once I had the thematic material at my finger tips it was then a matter of fitting it to picture and making those transitions seemless and as effortless as possible which is always a challenge.
So that was the most challenging aspect of it.
Next Steps:
JP: I'll look out for that scene in the film when it comes out. So what's next for you musically. Have you got other projects lined up, or maybe you're already in the middle of some projects?
NW: Yes I've got many things lined up over the next couple of years, several orchestral commissions for local orchestras here in Australia and some chamber music works. And I'm looking at a few film scripts at the moment, one of which is with Chris Noonan again, based in South Africa, a film called called Zebras. This is a very exciting script, and he's going into pre-production shortly on that one. It will involve a lot of traditional African music as well as orchestral underscore. So I'm very excited about that. We'll see if that comes off, you know how it is with films: You never know until it's actually in the can. So plenty of work which is great.
JP: I think we're coming towards the end of our allotted time, I want to thank you very much for your time.
It's been very interesting listening to you and I'm looking forward to seeing the film when it comes out.
NW: Great, Jim, great to talk to you and I hope you enjoy it.
JP: Thanks very much and best wishes on those future projects that you talked about including Zebras.
NW: Thanks very much, Jim, and best wishes to you also.
JP: Thanks very much and goodbye.
Text of the song NITSAJD REBIB - SIR on the site Rus-Songs.ru
Original text and lyrics of the song
SIR : Traveled all across the world,
Seen a lot of fancy things,
But I never seen a beauty quite like this,
This must be a dream!
So I pinch myself ouch, it hurts man,
Well I guess this must be real
So I’m gonna stop the moment
And tell her how I feel.
Let me take you to Chile o Costa Rica,
Puerto Rico o Columbia,
We can dance under sky,
Use the moon as our spotlight.
Two step with the right man,
I can teach you how to dougie in the white sand,
Just take a chance and runaway,
Won’t you listen when I say
Will you be mi amor?
Just what I'm looking for,
Don't be afraid to fly across the sky!
So let's go, So let's go
baby you can let the rest know rest know
yup yup girl let's go let's go
baby yo can let the rest know0007 i got fans from coast to coast
they show me love everywhere i stay
everybody yell hola when the shows ova
still wanna see your face
baby anibonita numero uno chica
sing to you acapella let's fly away
let me take you to chili or costa rica puerto rico or columbia
we can dance under the sky
use the moon as our spotlight
Two step with the right man,
I can teach you how to dougie in the white sand,
Just take a chance and runaway ,
Won't you listen when I say
Will you be mi amor?
Just what I'm looking for,
Don't be afraid to fly across the sky!
So let's go, So let's go
baby you can let the rest know rest know
yup yup girl let's go let's go wanna as long as with me
mi amor mi amor we can get away all you
gotta say is yes
take my hand and let me lead the way lead the way
let me lead the way
ohhh will you be mi amor just what i'm looking for
don't be afraid to fly across the sky yup yup girl let's go let's go
baby yo can let the rest know
that you are mi amor
will you be mi amor just what i'm looking for
don't be afraid to fly across the sky
So let's go, So let's go
baby you can let the rest know rest know
yup yup girl let's go let's go
baby yo can let the rest know
that you are mi amor
Traveled all over the world,
Seen a lot of fashionable things,
But I've never seen beauty quite like this,
Must be a dream!
So I pinch myself ah, hurt the man,
Well I guess it must be real
So I'm going to stop the moment
And tell her how I feel.
Let me take you to Chile o Costa Rica,
Puerto Rico o Colombia,
We can dance in the open air,
Use the moon as our center of attention.
Two-stage with the right man,
I can teach you how to dougie in the white sand,
Just take a chance and runaway,
Don't want to listen when I say,
Will you be Mi Amor?
Just what I'm looking for,
Don't be afraid to fly through the sky!
So let's go, let's go
baby you can let rest know the rest know
yes yes girl let's go
baby yo can let rest know
what you mi amor
i got fans from coast to coast
they show me love everywhere i stay
everyone scream when hola show ova
still want to see your face
baby anibonita Numero Uno Chica
sing for you Acapella let's fly away
let me take you chile or costa rica puerto rico or colombia
we can dance under the sky
use the moon as our focus
Two-step with the right man,
I can teach you how to dougie in the white sand,
Just take a chance and runaway,
Don't want to listen when I say,
Will you be Mi Amor?
Just what I'm looking for,
Don't be afraid to fly through the sky!
So let's go let's go
baby you can let rest know the rest know
yes yes girl let's go
baby yo can let rest know
that you mi amor
preamigo vamanos senorita we can go
where you want as long as with me
mi amor mi amor we can get everything from you
gotta say yes
take my hand and let me lead the way lead the way
let me lead the way
oooh you will mi amor just what i'm looking for
don't be afraid to fly through the sky
so let's go let's go
baby you can let the rest know the rest know
yes yes girl let's go
baby yo can let the rest know
that you mi amor
you will mi amor just what i'm looking for
don't be afraid to fly through the sky
so let's go let's go
baby you can let rest know the rest know
yes yes girl let's go
baby yo can let rest know
what you mi Amor
If you find a typo in the text or translation of the SIR song, please report it in the comments.
