Week 205: “Au Cinema” by Lianne La Havas

Lianne-La-Havas-iylbe

If you’re skipping work and you can’t decide what to do with yourself, I would highly recommend going to the movies in the middle of the day.

It doesn’t matter what movie you see, as long as it’s a weekday matinee. The theatre will be mostly empty, you’ll have your choice of seats, you can take your shoes off, put your feet up…it’s like a private slumber party on a Wednesday afternoon. Plus, there’s the surprise of leaving the theatre in full daylight. It feels like you’ve had a night out, but you’ve still got the whole afternoon to yourself.

And then you can go back to work on Thursday and tell everyone about the weird stomach bug that kept you home all day. But it’s okay, you watched a movie and slept it off.

What makes this a beautiful song:

1. The light guitar at the opening is like rain on a windshield.

2. As the song builds towards the chorus at 1:50, (“no pause, no rewind…”) you get the impression that the chorus is going to be huge. But when the chorus arrives, it’s a gentle, tumbling melody that wouldn’t hurt a fly.

3. La Havas’ voice ranges from a breathy Feist-like whisper to a soaring Janelle Monae-like croon.

Recommended listening activity:

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