Boltfinger said:

I love Clay and Strangers!  umm.. how do i find out what Stranger is about?  Apparently Clay was about a brief War romance between 2 soldiers? 

During both nights in Manchester Alison divulged different things about each track.  I reckon that The_Carpathian would have the best memory to remember which quote went with which.

Apparently Alvar was influenced by Iceland, there is a song about a murderer, one about someone who finds their partner in bed with someone they shouldn't and so on.  The banter and descriptions were brilliant but I still don't know which song has which name (apart from a few obvious ones).

If anyone can help I'd like to know which track has the lyrics "run, you better run, you better run for your life".

Thanks ping.  Once I have confirmation I might amend my "dream" concert setlist on the other thread.  :)

(I thought it was reframe)

(I am always in tears when I try to explain to people what the story is and how Alison transformed that into the core universal but so petically translated lyrics she did. That is one good piece of songwriting. Flawless, honest, open and REAL. You can feel her in the words and her emotions in her translation of that letter into her song. It's so touching on so many levels to me. I think it's easily the best song they ever did.

I keep hearing: "we fought them on grey wet sand". 

"Love the tragi-phoric atmosphere to this," 

Tragi-phoric. Give Pascho a medal for that. My new favourite phrase and a perfect summation of TOU

Ok. I confess to breaking down and listening to Clay online. I am (trying) to wait til release day and until yesterday had only heard Drew (which I LOVE)...

Since discovering what this song was about and reading the letter I have to say this has been my most anticipated and feared track from the album. The story behind the song and the letter really hit home for me and I was able to draw several large parallels between the story of these two soldiers, the song and a past relationship in my life.

Since yesterday I have listened to this song about 25 times. It is absolutely stunning! It made me cry the first time and I continue crying for several minutes after I finish it each time. It actually inspired me to go back and watch Brokeback Mountain (which is one of my favorite films ever) for the first time in 3 years (the event in my life that so strongly connects with this song and Brokeback Mountain happened in October of 2010). The movie, the letter, the song have all now become intertwined into the fabric of my story.

I want to thank these two soldiers for inspiring Alison and Will to write this song which has in turn inspired me to pull out a very tragic and sad part of my life that I had filed away to be dealt with at a later time and then finally buried as I realized I had no intentions of ever dealing with it.

This is the most heartbreaking song I've ever heard. It is beautiful, tragic and yet still somehow, despite everything, gives me a sense of hope...hope for the future of all lovers who feel forced to deny their truth, partners who are forced apart for any familial, societal, religious or ethnic reason and ultimately for me, that I may heal and move past this particular event that has kept me in a state of emotionally stunted stasis for the last few years.

I decided that maybe it would be easier for me to put this in writing and share it with a community of people I will probably never meet so thanks to all of you for giving me the place to dump this whole terrible bundle of hurt and denial.

And again, thanks to Goldfrapp for continuing to provide the soundtrack to some of the most pivotal and defining moments of the last 13 years of my life.

hunter