Stranger than Fiction, Larger Than Life: the Finn Brothers song-by-song discussion thread

"Predicament" is a decent enough song, with a good melody and a pseudo-reggae groove. It doesn't quite work for me, though--I know the horns fit the reggae vibe, but I just don't think they sound good or interesting. I also don't like the occasional spoken "predicament." This is a song I don't mind hearing but not something I see myself seeking out.

3/5

 

Yes, if I'd been reading more carefully this morning I would have realized that. Of course doesn't change the fact that an Australasian release does nothing for me here in the US!

 

Our votes for "Predicament"

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Average: 3.8

 

Today's song is "Never Know Your Luck", written by Tim Finn & Katie Noonan; produced by Katie Noonan and Nick Didia. Recorded and mixed by Nick Didia and Phil Punch.


This was released on Katie Noonan's 6th album, Emperor's Box, on Sony Music in April 2010. The album featured co-writes with a number of well-known and less well-known songwriters.

It is available on CD or on iTunes, etc. The iTunes version features a bonus track also written by Tim Finn.

Performed by "Katie Noonan and the Captains."

Katie Noonan: vocals, keyboards
Cameron Deyell: guitar
Stu Hunter: bass
Declan Kelly: drums, percussion

note: Tim later recycled this melody for a song from Ladies In Black, a musical which came out in 2016 to which he wrote the songs. I don't know the name of the song as none of the songs from that musical have been released nor do they circulate. However, I did hear a snippet of this melody on a YouTube advertisement for the play behind a voice-over.

I, I see it in your eyes
You're tired of all the words
Words that bind you here
You're tired, tired of smiling smiles
That can't disguise the pain
Each day, it feels the same

And I know that you've been hurting
And your life has come unstuck
But one thing is for certain
That you'll never know your luck
That you'll never know your luck

Cause you came (on my today?)
Like any other day
And it withered you away
Cause life, life can only be
About just getting born
I know you want to try

And I know that you've been hurting
And your life has come unstuck
But one thing is for certain
That you'll never know your luck
That you'll never know your luck

The darkest night, it always brings a star
A star to guide you home
Whatever love may be
Cause your heart is far to bright
To be locked away in a bedroom of complaint

And I know that you've been hurting
And your life has come unstuck
But one thing is for certain
That you'll never know your luck
That you'll never know your luck

 

Here's a live version, that's pretty good; it's preceded by a interview that's not too interesting at all but the live version starts about 1:28.

 

I think this song has an absolutely gorgeous melody.

I assume that Tim wrote the melody (because he reused it) and that Katie Noonan wrote the words, but I don't know to what extent she wrote the words: I do note that it's the third song in a row in this discussion that is addressed to someone else and which seems to concern appreciation of the love that you have, rather than what could be.

Her pure, high voice sounds perfect for this melody -- I doubt if Tim at any age could have really done it as well: this is a melody made for a woman, in my opinion.

Album is pretty good and she is quite an eclectic artist in general, reommended.

5/5 for me

 

Never know your Luck - I don't know how to rate this song at all. Katie Noonan has a fabulous voice - I had a memory that she has a Jazz band also and quite possibly has sung opera but my memory might be faulty on this.
In any case, her vocal is superb. I listened to the live version and the song really doesn't move me but maybe I'm just not in the mood for it at the moment. It's certainly an admirable song although I don't necessarily hear a strong resemblance to any Tim songs.

So on that basis i can't rate it, but I'm glad now to look up some more Katie Noonan.

 

It seems the song it became in "Ladies in Black" is on YouTube afterall. I won't be holding this or the other songs that can be found from this musical up for rating as I think that divorced of context, musical songs don't work that well, unless they are all-time classics . I will link to them when the time comes, though.

So I'll link to this one now. Not for rating.

 

"Never Know Your Luck" is a beautiful melody, and beautifully sung by Katie Noonan, who has a lovely voice. The song could use a middle eight--it becomes a bit same-y after a while. And I don't think the drums that come in toward the end suit the song--they make the arrangement feel heavy. So it's not perfect. But it's undeniably pretty.

4/5

(One mildly amusing side note: when I searched for "Never Know Your Luck" on Apple Music, the Katie Noonan song came up first; most of the next twenty or so listings were various versions of "One Day More" from Les Miserables (the phrase "never know your luck" appears in the lyrics). Apple Music has a lot of versions of Les Miserables.)

 

I can't play the studio version of "Never Know Your Luck" and I don't want to rate the song based on the live version, so I will abstain. I've not heard this before. I do like the melody of the song but I'm not completely captured by it, at least in the live performance. I think the lyrics are very good. Noonan has an excellent voice, but it's not a voice that I find resonates with me. Perhaps I just need to hear more of it or am just not in the mood for that sort of singing right now.

Seems like a good co-write for Tim.

 

Is that video not playing in the States?

 

It's not. But I will now amend my comment to add a rating. I think if I were in a different emotional place/mood at the moment, I might rate it more highly.

3.5/5

 

Never Know Your Luck

I listened to this song early this morning, and decided I needed more time. I've listened to it a few more times.

It appears to be a well written song that is sung very well, and the production is very good.

However, like @KangaMom says, this song just doesn't move me. It's perhaps because I'm not really familiar with Katie Noonan. But, there are other artists who I immediately enjoy greatly on first listening.

There's nothing wrong with this song at all. Hence, I'm in a bit of a quandary as to how to rate it. So, I'll go with:

3.5/5

 

I've never heard of Katie Noonan until now, but this song makes me want to look a little further into her work. She has an exceptional voice. The song as a whole is very nice, but doesn't entirely captivate me, because as @jcr64 said, it ends up feeling a bit repetitive towards the end. The added drums change it up a bit at least, which is welcome.

I also like the guitar style and tone that's used here. Makes me think of a Lisa Germano or Shawn Colvin song, specifically in the verses. It's a very nice track that's sung amazingly, despite the slight repetition.

4/5

 

This is the song that the bride(zilla) makes her friend who got a music degree sing at her wedding without actually *really* listening to the song before the decision gets made. But I get it - she wants her friend to sing it because it sounds nice.

3.5/5

 

What a gorgeous melody! Katie Noonan's singing is great, especially on the live video; her melismas remind me of Eddi Reader who is in the top three of my favorite female singers.

I don't know when Tim wrote this, or how much of it is his, but I'd love to hear him sing it and would probably rate it very highly. As he isn't involved in the recording at all, I can't really rate it in the context of this thread.

 

I guess a varied musical career is an understatement for Katie Noonan - Here's her wiki entry Katie Noonan - Wikipedia

 

Our votes for "Never Know Your Luck"

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Average: 3.9166

 

I guess it's around the same time and I guess the verse is definitely his as he reused it later on and she is not credited on the re-cycled song; maybe also the lyric is partly his as it seems to connect with Tim themes of the time. Beyond that, who knows? I searched in vain for more information, but the only thing I could find was an interview in which she said, she "searched him out" after hearing Imaginary Kingdom, which she loved.

I agree about the live version: I don't always like it when a singer goes off melody but she does it really nicely, like a jazz singer.

 

Today's song (and last Tim song for about two months, I reckon) is "Gladness", written by Tim Finn and Katie Noonan. This was released as an digital-only bonus track from iTunes. My guess is Tim's contribution is lyrical.



Katie Noonan: vocals, piano
Cameron Deyell: guitar
Stu Hunter: bass, keyboards
Declan Kelly: drums


You stood there still with your clarity
As strong as the highest tree
Your bravery seemed endless
As you smiled through the tears
Cause I'm frightened of these imaginings
My heart's poised like an eager fist
This violent love knows no bounds
Long I run the road (?)

When you ran at me and hit me
You hit me like a wave
And the world stopped for our embrace
And your smile felt glorious
And the sun shined for both of us
And my eyes filled with gladness
Gladness, gladness

You pray to God for serenity
Hope it comes in waves and waves
Washing you down
Fear your knowing eyes
Cause I know your scars will never heal
Round after round you give the fight
Just please try to hold him
Time will see you through

When you ran at me and hit me
You hit me like a wave
And the world stopped for our embrace
And your smile felt glorious
And the sun shined for both of us
And my eyes filled with gladness
Gladness, gladness

And your smile felt glorious
And the sun shined for both of us
And my eyes filled with gladness
Gladness, gladness

 

This song is much less melodically arresting...indeed, it sounds like she improvised it on piano with some words in front of her...but lyrically it's very very good, depicting a very complex relationship: again we don't know the boundaries of who wrote what.

Note: on the Youtube video it lists Tim as the "composer, lyricist." But it's just auto-generated. I assume that Tim supplied the lyric (or part of it) as I doubt if she would need him for the melody. The melody is rather abstract, with some free-form jazz blues improvising, but there is some structure to it, it isn't unlistenable and certainly delivers the words, which are the main thing. I see the lyric as the kind of the words you say when you are crying into your pillow or something.

But I really like the atonal jazzy freak out at the end, very expressive of a messed up, unhealthy relationship -- the type of relationship that stays with you forever.

4/5 for me, not a song I would want to listen to every day, and to be clear, it also helps to make the album way too long, but on it's own I think it has a powerful thing going.

 

There are shades of a good song here, but it never quite comes together for me. The melody always sounds like it’s going to get interesting at certain points, but doesn’t really develop further. Again, sung exceptionally well by Katie. Good lyrics, too.

I don’t care for the tropes that come with jazz as a genre though, which includes that ending, which to me is just so abrasively obnoxious that it almost hurts. I’ll never quite understand how a bunch of crashing drums and other wild, non-melodic instrumental sounds is pleasant to listen to, but admittedly I don’t really listen to jazz. I can understand where you’re coming from with your take it though, Lance.

The first half of the song is pretty good, I just wish that melody was capitalized on a little better instead of just giving way to the instrumental part.

2.7/5

 

It isn't always pleasant to listen to but occasionally it comes together for me and is. I think I came to liking that kind of thing through Sonic Youth and, like, White Light/White Heat (to be clear my least favorite VU album, but still interesting) and art-punk forms in general; I also find atonal be-bop and the like interesting, if not something I want to hear everyday. It's pure emotion. One day, when listening to Sonic Youth I just kind of realized that all the chaos was working together and making something weirdly beautiful-- this bit here is not nearly so well done, of course but it's short and I see it as a musical expression of the lyric; I can certainly understand why some/most people wouldn't like it -- and why it's a bonus track on an album that is striving for a balance between arty and commercial.

 

Gladness

I actually prefer this song, including the freak-out at the end. Despite others preferring yesterday's song, for whatever reason this melody was more immediately interesting to me. Particularly when it gets to the:

When you ran at me and hit me
You hit me like a wave

part.

The song reminds me of Tori Amos a bit. The melody is nicely balanced between improvised and a recognisable melody.

If this song had continued as it started, then I think it would be nice, but a touch too nice. Then it completely changes gear, and I think the variety it introduces benefits the song greatly. For me, that's the pay-off for the song.

From a technical point of view, there's no brass credited on the record. If that saxophone or other sound in the freak-out was played from a keyboard, I'd be very impressed.

3.8/5

 

It's a bonus iTunes track so there are no credits at all.

I assumed the other credits as that is the Captains who played on the rest of the album. There is no horn in the album credits, but it's obviously a horn but the player is unknown.