Haunted by the truth

This song haunts me.
How does he do it?
I'm talking about Paul Freeman's beautiful performance of his song 'The truth' on some old piano, somewhere in a basement in Copenhagen.

Paul Freeman managed to find a way into my brain (and get stuck there!) once before, and I'm absolutely amazed that he's managed to do it again.

I must have watched the video about a hundred times in the last few days and I keep going back to it. For some reason, it calms me, alleviates the choas in my head and gives me peace. Sounds very much like an addiction, doesn't it?

What's so wonderful about this song? The lyric is beautiful. I love a man who's good with words. I tried to find the exact words online, but they don't seem to be available anywhere, so I've written them down here for you. I hope I got it right!

Paul's voice sounds lovely in the stillness of that basement. You can almost hear that this room is somewhere underground. The piano is in tune, but its age just sounds through the music, giving the song a rough edge. Paul adds to that rough darkness by the way he glances into the camera to emphasise certain phrases. The jeans jacket and ruffled hair enhance the effect. And all of that takes place against an almost immaculate white wall. The result is unique... well done, Paul.

Oh, and please continue to haunt me for a little while longer. Thanks!

The Truth - by Paul Freeman

 

I’m never gonna call you back
‘cause I never really liked you much
Is it fun to watch me sabotage
Everything I’ve ever loved

Everybody looks for something
But something by the very definition is fake
So take your pills
Get busy getting laid

‘cause everybody knows the truth
It’s so hard for you to say
The truth
It’s deceitful in its own way
The truth
Building bridges every day
But the truth is we’ll break them down… again

Love is such a simple word
So why d’you find it hard to say
I never have the money
But she always seemed to make me pay
And I don’t care what you’re callin’ me
I don’t have your insecurity
So raise your glass
But at least you’ve got your past

‘Cause everybody knows the truth
It’s so hard for you to say
The truth
It’s deceitful in its own way
The truth
Is building bridges every day
But the truth is we’ll break them down… again

You say that you won’t miss me
I just occupy your time
But you’re not fooling anyone
I can see your blood-shot eyes
Oh everybody knows
The truth is so hard for you to say
The truth is deceitful in its own way
The truth
Building bridges every day
But the truth is we’ll break it down again

The truth
It’s so hard for you to say now
The truth

Yes we’ll break it down again
Again

Oh the truth
The truth

I can't get you out of my head...

“Though they go mad they shall be sane,

Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again;

Though lovers be lost love shall not;

And death shall have no dominion.”

(From: And death shall have no dominion by Dylan Thomas)

If you know me, you know that I’m not easily impressed. I tolerate a lot of things, I’m open-minded about changes and new ideas and I always give people the benefit of the doubt, but once you’ve lost my regard (or my attention, or even my respect), it’s incredibly hard to get it back.

Imagine this: My sister and I are at our third Chris Isaak concert. This man’s concerts are some of the very best live experiences I’ve ever had, apart from *Live* and maybe Metallica (yes, my taste in music is very diverse). So we usually don’t really pay attention during the opening act. We simply want whoever it is to keep it short, stop trying to be funny (nobody’s interested in your jokes, get over it!), sing a couple of songs while we wait and please do take our polite applause as an encouragement – for you to get off stage as soon as possible.

On walks some guy with a guitar… “Hello, my name is Paul Freeman, I’m Welsh.”

Well, the Chris Isaak concert was brilliant. We had so much fun, there are no words that would do it the justice that it deserves. The man, the music, the band… even the silly dance moves – I loved every second of it!

So, I wake up the day after this brilliant concert and I’m still feeling great about this wonderful night. I’m singing in the shower and while I’m having breakfast it suddenly dawns on me: I’m not singing a Chris Isaak song! The song that’s been in my head all morning is called Tightrope and it’s by Paul Freeman…

“There's no way back if I let go

You’re where I’ll land

So here I go

Cause I just want to live

And I just wanna feel it”

(From: Tightrope by Paul Freeman)

Yes, I enjoyed his five-song mini concert, and so did the rest of the crowd, judging from the louder-than-average applause after, and the attentive silence during the songs. But only the morning after do I realise exactly how much of an impression this man has made. I HAVE to know more!  

I am absolutely certain that I had never even heard his name until about 2 weeks ago. And now, I just want him to come back to Belgium and play for me again – I feel as if I didn’t pay enough attention the first time and I’d like to experience it again to see if he can impress me a second time.

So what is it about Paul Freeman that made him able to wipe away a wonderful Chris Isaak concert and make his way into my subconscious? His boyish good looks and radiant smile? Although he definitely has those, it’s the music that impressed me.

First of all, it all seems so very genuine. That’s the biggest cliché ever and it could very well be an act, but his words really spoke to me. His lyrics are smart without trying to be complicated or clever or heavy-hearted. They are intelligent without pretending to be the greatest thing ever written. I love simplicity, but I love intelligence even more!

“It's easier to compromise when everything has gone

And it's hard to make amends when all the damages are done

And to everyone I've ever hurt, I'm sorry

But I was wrong”

(From: That’s how it is by Paul Freeman)

When I got a chance to meet Paul after the concert, he was just as sweet and genuine as he seemed to be on stage and he’s as intelligent as his lyrics. He won my undying respect a few days later when I found out that he likes Dylan Thomas. Thomas was known to be a great admirer of William Blake which almost makes us kindred spirits. (Hey, can you believe I just found a link between Paul Freeman and Richard Armitage? I knew there was a reason I liked this man!)



Right back at you, Paul!!

Another thing that caught my attention is the way Paul sings his songs. Every time he started playing, it was as if he went into a world of his own. There was such dedication and joy in the way he performed; it makes me smile to even think about it. But don’t take my word for it, here’s the proof. This is Paul’s performance of Tightrope at the concert that I attended in Brussels.

It’s that joy that woke the room up and Paul managed to grab the attention of people who would usually just see him as the reason why the main act of the evening wasn’t there yet. By the third song, he’d won them over. When he finally walked off the stage, I felt a sense of loss…and the applause continued longer than I have ever seen it last for an unknown opening act.

 

So Paul, when exactly are you coming back to sing for me?